Vacuum Maker Dreame Quietly Launches Its Own Smartphones
▼ Summary
– Dreame, a Chinese manufacturer known for robot vacuums, announced two smartphones at its Next event in California, but neither has launched yet and only a few specs are known.
– The Aurora Nex LS1 is a modular smartphone with a magnetic attachment point for modules like a triple camera, action camera, fan, satellite communicator, and a Smart Agent Module.
– The Aurora Lux is a series of 29 different luxury phone designs, some with leather, gold plating, gemstones, or an analog clock, though the author doubts they can be manufactured.
– Dreame claims camera specs for one phone include a 200-megapixel sensor and Lofic HDR, but it is unclear which phone they apply to, and the author is skeptical of such advanced hardware from a new phone maker.
– Both phones will run Dreame’s proprietary Aurora AIOS, an Android skin with AI, which is slated to launch in the second half of 2026, suggesting hardware will release around then.
Dreame, the Chinese company synonymous with robot vacuums, is now claiming to enter the smartphone arena. But skepticism is warranted.
The brand unveiled two handsets at its own Next event in California this week, though both were actually first teased back in March in China. Neither device has officially gone on sale anywhere, including in China or the US, and Dreame has disclosed only a sparse set of specifications.
The Aurora Nex LS1 is the more intriguing model, yet also the harder to take seriously. It’s a modular smartphone with a magnetic attachment point where the rear camera would typically sit. Dreame has introduced five modules that snap onto that spot: a triple-camera setup featuring a 1-inch-type sensor and a 115mm equivalent telephoto lens; an action camera; a fan; a satellite communications module; and a “Smart Agent Module.”
Modular phones aren’t new, but this design most closely resembles the concept Tecno showed at MWC earlier this year. That device was purely a concept. Dreame, however, is suggesting the Nex LS1 is a real product destined for store shelves.
The second phone is the Aurora Lux, though calling it a single model is misleading. It’s actually a series of wildly different designs, all unified by an ostentatious sense of luxury. Some are wrapped in leather; others appear gold-plated. Many are encrusted with gemstones. One variant even embeds an analog clock into the rear camera island. While most share matching circular camera layouts, several break the pattern entirely, with cameras sitting flush and separate or isolated by a Pixel-like camera bar. Dreame’s Chinese press release claims 29 different versions of the Aurora Lux exist , a number so absurdly high that it strains credibility to believe the company can manufacture them all.
Dreame also touts camera specs like a 200-megapixel sensor and support for Lofic, a new HDR processing technology previously seen only on the Honor Magic 8 Pro and Xiaomi 17 Ultra. It’s unclear which phone these specs belong to, and it would be surprising if a vacuum maker could deliver camera hardware that challenges Apple and Samsung, plus the first true modular phone, plus 29 luxury gem-studded variants, all from scratch.
Both phones are said to run Aurora AIOS, Dreame’s own operating system described as “a proprietary operating system designed around proactive service rather than passive response.” In practice, it’s an Android skin heavily infused with AI.
Dreame has not confirmed launch dates or markets for either phone. It has said AIOS will debut in the second half of 2026. Unless the software is offered as a standalone download, that timeline likely means the first Dreame smartphones will arrive around the same time.
The two phones were just one part of an eclectic event that also included a rocket-boosted electric car, a laundry robot, and a TV with moving speakers. Dreame certainly knows how to dream big.
(Source: The Verge)