By the What Robot? team · Last checked: 6 November 2026

The Hardware Buyer's Engine

Plain-English buying guides for the coming era of home and commercial robots. Sourced specs, real prices, the catches makers don't lead with, and what you can actually buy where you live, with a UK buying angle.

Start with humanoids: who can buy what in 2026 →
1X NEO humanoid in a beige knit suit tidying a sofa in a bright living room while a man stands nearby
1X NEO at home. Image: Courtesy of 1X

Flagship: humanoid robots

Humanoids are the category everyone is watching. Our flagship guide sorts every big name into three groups: on sale now, pre-order only, and not on sale at all.

Tesla Optimus humanoid robot in silver and black standing on display at an exhibition
Photo: Benjamin Ceci / Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
Flagship guide

Humanoid robots: can you buy one in 2026?

Unitree, 1X NEO, Agility Digit, Figure and Tesla Optimus, sorted by what you can actually order, with UK prices and the safety questions to ask.

Read the guide
Unitree G1 humanoid robot standing on a patterned carpet at a trade show, its head lit with a blue light strip1X NEO humanoid in a tan knit suit standing against a plain white background
Photo: Sayanesy / Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · Image: Courtesy of 1X
Head-to-head

Unitree G1 vs 1X NEO

A hard-shelled research humanoid you can buy in the UK tomorrow, against a soft-suited home humanoid that is still a US pre-order.

Compare specs
Agility Robotics' Digit humanoid in teal and black, upper body
Image: Agility Robotics
Business

Rent or buy a robot?

Robots-as-a-Service versus buying outright, using published figures such as Agility's $8,500-a-month Digit.

Run the numbers

Home robots

Grey Segway Navimow i105 robot mower with orange wheels on a lawn, with people standing behind it
Image: Segway Navimow
Outdoor & garden

Wire-free robot lawn mowers 2026

RTK satellite, LiDAR and camera mowers that need no boundary wire, with current UK prices and the coverage figures that matter.

Read guide
Roborock Saros Z70 robot vacuum with its folding arm raised, in a line-up with other Roborock cleaners and docksBlue Dyson 360 Vis Nav robot vacuum mounted upright on a shop display, showing its camera and brush bar
Image: Roborock · Photo: TaurusEmerald / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Floor care showdown

Roborock Saros Z70 vs Dyson 360 Vis Nav

A robot arm and a self-washing mop dock against Dyson's vacuum-only flagship. Both claim 22,000Pa; here is what that does and doesn't tell you.

View showdown
1X NEO humanoid in a tan knit suit standing against a plain white background
Image: Courtesy of 1X
Hub

All home robots

Vacuums and mops, mowers, pool and window robots, companions, educational robots and home humanoids.

Browse home

Commercial robots

White BellaBot serving robot with a cat-face screen and black trays, standing in a restaurant
Photo: Oleg Yunakov / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Hospitality

Restaurant & hotel service robots

BellaBot, Keenon and friends: what serving robots really do, what UK suppliers charge to rent or buy, and where they don't fit.

Read guide
Several switched-off Pudu Robotics service robots, including cat-faced BellaBots, grouped in an office
Photo: Vieinrose / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
Hub

All commercial robots

Cleaning, hospitality, delivery, warehouse and cobots, plus humanoids for work.

Browse commercial
Unitree G1 humanoid robot standing on a patterned carpet at a trade show, its head lit with a blue light strip1X NEO humanoid in a tan knit suit standing against a plain white background
Photo: Sayanesy / Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · Image: Courtesy of 1X
Head-to-heads

All comparisons

Every What Robot? head-to-head in one place.

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How we work

We don't claim to have tested anything. We read manufacturer spec sheets, check retailer prices on the day, read published reviews, and link every source. Every page shows when it was last checked. More about our research and corrections policy.