Ecovacs Goat A1600 LiDAR Pro review: a robot mower with a strimmer

Oliver Hartwell • September 28, 2026 15:32

A robot mower that can deal with lawn edges without a separate strimmer sounds almost too good to be true. Yet that is exactly what Ecovacs is attempting with its Goat A1600 LiDAR Pro: a wire-free mower fitted with a side-mounted line trimmer designed to tackle the few centimetres of grass normally left behind along borders. After two months in our garden, we can say whether it can genuinely replace the manual edge trimmer.

Robot mowers have progressed rapidly in only a few years. Most can now map a garden automatically, avoid a wide range of obstacles and operate without an RTK antenna. Some can climb steep slopes or offer a live video feed, as we explain in our guide to choosing a robot mower in 2026.

One issue remains stubbornly difficult: lawn edges. The reason is straightforward: the cutting disc sits beneath the chassis, so it can never reach completely flush against a fence, flowerbed or patio. Until now, manufacturers have mainly tried to narrow the uncut strip using more accurate routes, twin cutting discs or dedicated modes. The principle has always been to get the main blades as close to the edge as possible.

With the Goat A1600 LiDAR Pro, Ecovacs takes a different approach. The manufacturer has fitted a genuine line trimmer directly to the side of the robot, with line that extends and retracts automatically. Called TruEdge, the feature cuts what the main blades cannot reach. The promise is simple: no more final lap of the garden with a handheld strimmer.

The question is whether this solution really changes things around the edges and whether, beyond this innovation, the Goat A1600 LiDAR Pro is equally convincing at everything else it needs to do.

What we liked about the Ecovacs Goat A1600 LiDAR Pro

A line trimmer that finally delivers

Before it can tackle your lawn edges, you need to fit this unusual attachment to the left side of the robot. It is a quick job: secure the module with three screws, then clip on the brush. The brush is there to stop grass clippings building up around the trimmer line. One important point: this feature never operates at the same time as the main blades. In the Ecovacs Home app, edge cutting is therefore a separate task.

The first option is to schedule a dedicated automatic run. This is the setting we used along walls and wire fencing. The robot then travels around the selected edges on its own. The line trimmer significantly reduces the strip of remaining grass, although physics inevitably still has the final say. As the chassis comes up against vertical obstacles, a few blades remain. Still, the strip is very narrow, barely 2 or 3 cm.

The other option is manual mode. The principle is similar to that offered by models such as the Mova ViAX 250, where you steer the robot yourself to revisit the boundaries. Here, however, the side-mounted line reaches much further than the cutting disc hidden underneath the machine.

We mainly used this mode near drive-over edges, such as our flush patio or certain gravel paths. By steering the robot, you can let it slightly overhang the hard surface. The line then trims the whole edge closely.

Across our large 586 m² area, the two methods work very well together. Automatic mode handles most of the perimeter, while manual mode is useful for tidying specific edges. Yes, it adds a little work. Even so, of every robot mower we have tested over the last two years, none has been as effective at this particular job.

Navigation that is simply impressive

As with Ecovacs robot mowers generally, installing the Goat A1600 LiDAR Pro will not take up an afternoon. Once the station is fixed to the ground and the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections are made, mapping can begin immediately.

In areas with clearly defined boundaries, the automatic survey managed the job alone, requiring only two or three minor adjustments afterwards. On more awkward sections, such as the area separated by a narrow passage at the end of our garden, we preferred taking control with the joystick to trace the limits manually. We recommend this method whenever the boundaries are less obvious.

To find its way around, the Goat uses two LiDAR sensors. The rotating dome on its cover scans the surroundings through 360 degrees and builds a map of the garden, while a second sensor at the front measures what lies at close range. An AI camera completes the setup to identify encountered obstacles more precisely, with over 200 recognised categories.

Over the weeks, the result continued to impress us. In two months, we never had to go and free it even once. Beneath our trees, alongside walls and through the narrowest passages, the machine always kept its bearings.

Even when foliage blocks much of the sky, its route remains neat and consistent. Obstacles are spotted early enough, including smaller items left on the lawn. It then passes around them closely without ever touching them.

A wide cut with settings for each square metre

Looking after the edges is useful, but the rest of the lawn still needs an equally good cut. The Goat A1600 LiDAR Pro uses two cutting decks, each carrying three pivoting blades. Together, they provide a cutting width of 33 cm. That is a sensible figure given the robot’s price positioning. For comparison, the Navimow i208 LiDAR (£1,199) tops out at 22 cm, while the Dreame A3 AWD Pro 5000 (£2,999) reaches 40 cm.

During our weeks of mowing, we never noticed missed strips or variations in cutting height from one part of a zone to another. The Goat A1600 LiDAR Pro does a solid job on this ground, helped by its extensive mowing settings.

From the app, every zone can have its own configuration. Cutting height from 3 to 9 cm, travel speed and stripe direction can all be set separately rather than applying one setting across the entire garden.

This depth of adjustment is particularly useful for protecting a more delicate part of the garden or one that gets too much sun. Conversely, you can leave the grass slightly longer beneath trees and in shaded areas.

One final detail won us over: the detection threshold setting. You enter the average height of your lawn, and the machine works out the size at which an item should count as a hazard. Without this precaution, a simple clump of unruly grass can be treated as an obstacle and carefully left untouched.

What we liked less about the Ecovacs Goat A1600 LiDAR Pro

Two-wheel drive and 4G sold separately

The robot is driven only by its two rear, treaded wheels, while the two front castors simply follow along. Ecovacs nevertheless claims it can handle slopes of up to 50% and cross obstacles up to 4 cm high. On dry ground, it does indeed climb without complaint. After several rainy days, however, its 17.8 kg weight sinks in and even a modest steep incline becomes a challenge.

If parts of your garden are very sloped and hold water, four-wheel drive would be a better choice. This type of traction is available for the same budget from Mammotion with the Luba Mini 2 AWD 1000 (£1,499), or for slightly more from Segway with the Navimow i210 LiDAR Pro (£1,599). Both are limited to 1,000 m², however, compared with 1,600 m² here.

Another drawback is that connectivity costs extra. Once the robot moves too far away from your router, the live video feed and anti-theft location tracking require a module sold for £150. At that price, the SIM card is not even included. You therefore need to pay separately for a connected-device data plan.

With Mammotion, the module costs £99 and includes three years of 4G service. Segway, meanwhile, builds 4G directly into its Navimow models, with the first year included and then an annual charge of £29.99.

Disappointing battery life, only just rescued by fast charging

This is our main criticism of the robot. At just 96 Wh, its battery looks rather modest for a machine claimed to handle 1,600 m². On our lawn, after an hour of work and roughly 190 m² covered, the Goat A1600 LiDAR Pro already needs to return to its station for a break.

On our largest zone, measuring 586 m², it consistently took more than three cycles to finish the job. The many settings available in the app can also affect this further. Fortunately, the Goat does not spend too long on its charging base.

In our measurements, around 50 minutes was enough for it to get back to work. That is particularly fast for this category. By comparison, the Navimow i208 LiDAR and Dreame A3 AWD Pro both require around two hours.

For the 1,600 m² claimed by Ecovacs, you should therefore expect more than eight runs. With normal settings and charging time included, it will need 15 to 16 hours to cover that area. This estimate will naturally vary depending on cutting height, speed and the spacing selected between passes.

It is worth remembering that the line trimmer works in separate sessions. Its own operating time must therefore be added to the total, meaning mowing will take longer and work may need to be split across several zones.

A bulky and noisy line trimmer

Once fitted, the TruEdge module is intended to stay in place. It is not really designed to be removed and refitted between mowing sessions. As a result, it makes the already sizeable Goat A1600 LiDAR Pro even wider. In tighter corners and narrow passages, it was occasionally less comfortable, having to manoeuvre several times to find the right turning angle.

The other consequence is audible. When the line trimmer starts working, Ecovacs quotes a noise level of 82 dB. The manufacturer is not understating that figure: the Goat A1600 LiDAR Pro makes quite a racket when it tackles the edges. It is best not to schedule this task early in the morning or late at night if you want to stay on good terms with the neighbours.

Price, availability and competition

Launched at £1,499, the Goat A1600 LiDAR Pro sits in the middle of Ecovacs’ LiDAR Pro range. The manufacturer also offers the more compact O1200 LiDAR Pro for gardens up to 1,200 m², along with the A3000 LiDAR Pro for larger properties up to 3,000 m². Crucially, the A1600 does not have exclusive use of the line trimmer, as the same feature is also found on those two models.

At this price, though, competition is plentiful. The Segway Navimow i215 LiDAR (£1,399) covers 1,500 m² but has no line trimmer. For buyers who prioritise traction, the Mammotion Luba Mini 2 AWD 1000 (£1,499) and Segway Navimow i210 LiDAR Pro (£1,599) drive all four wheels, although their coverage falls to 1,000 m².

Our verdict on the Ecovacs Goat A1600 LiDAR Pro robot mower

Ecovacs is not the first manufacturer to address the issue of lawn edges, but it is one of the few to offer such a radical solution. Attaching a genuine line trimmer to a robot mower might have seemed excessive. After two months, though, its effectiveness is hard to deny. On drive-over boundaries, it really can leave the manual strimmer in the shed, while along walls and fences it reduces the remaining work to an absolute minimum. It is an innovation, and above all a genuine hardware gamble, that deserves recognition.

That said, the idea still needs refinement. The line trimmer is genuinely loud when operating and adds further bulk to an already imposing robot. More broadly, battery life is slightly disappointing for a model rated for 1,600 m². Its two-wheel drive can also show its limits on steep slopes, while the cost of the 4G module is a little frustrating.

The Goat A1600 LiDAR Pro is therefore best suited to large, fairly flat gardens where borders require plenty of finishing work. On a very hilly, regularly muddy or especially fragmented plot, a four-wheel-drive model will make more sense.

Otherwise, it is difficult to fault much. Its dual LiDAR system provides excellent navigation, mapping is quick, and its two decks offer a combined 33 cm cutting width for a tidy, even result. It fully deserves a place in our roundup of the best robot mowers of 2026. Ultimately, the most interesting point may not be that Ecovacs added a line trimmer to its robot, but that it managed to do so without compromising too much elsewhere.