M series (M5, M9)
Anthbot's compact wire-free mowers for lawns up to 500m² (M5) or 1,000m² (M9). They cut cleanly and dodge small objects well, but one of three testers found them easily thrown by bumpy ground.
We re-check daily. Try the manufacturer’s site meanwhile.
The short version
The M series is Anthbot's smaller, cheaper line, sitting below the Genie. There are two sizes: the M5 for lawns up to 500m² and the M9 for up to 1,000m². They share the same compact body and differ mainly in battery size. Neither needs a boundary wire. They work out where they are from satellites, corrected by an aerial you stake near the dock, and two wide-angle cameras on the front spot obstacles. Both have mobile data built in.
What you get is a lot of mower in a small, light package: automatic or hand-driven mapping, zones, app-set cutting height and neat straight rows. What you give up is tolerance of rough ground. The aerial also needs a clear view of the sky, and the cut stops some way short of raised edges.
Anthbot also sells a laser-guided version of the M5, which needs no aerial. It isn't covered here.
Our take: Buy an M5 or M9 if your lawn is fairly smooth, open to the sky and on the small side, and you want a wire-free mower that's easy to live with. New Atlas and Notebookcheck both found it capable for the money. If your lawn is lumpy, full of dips or bordered by low fences, Trusted Reviews' experience is a warning, and an all-wheel-drive mower such as the Mammotion LUBA mini 2 AWD is the safer choice.
Where it sits in Anthbot’s range
- M series (M5, M9)This model
- Anthbot M5 LiDARLaser-guided M5, no aerial needed
- Genie (600, 600E, 800, 1000, 3000)Bigger lawns, four cameras instead of two · $1,199
- N8Larger wire-free mower that also collects clippings and leaves
What reviewers found
Three reviewers tested the M9. New Atlas tried it on a small, uneven L-shaped lawn and found it easy to set up, deft in tight spots and untroubled by bumps. Notebookcheck rated it a best-value pick after finding its obstacle detection impressive and its battery outlasting the claim. Trusted Reviews gave it 3 out of 5 on a lumpy clay lawn, where it balked at dips, strayed over its boundary and missed patches. All three found the cut itself clean. The split is mostly about ground: smooth lawns suit it, lumpy ones don't.
Trusted Reviews, hands-on, Jun 2026 (tested on the Anthbot M9; Tested on a lumpy clay lawn split into two areas) · Notebookcheck, hands-on, May 2026 (tested on the Anthbot M9) · New Atlas, hands-on, Jul 2026 (tested on the Anthbot M9; Tested on a small, uneven L-shaped lawn)
Smooth lawns only, on one test
This is where the reviews split. On Trusted Reviews' shrink-swell clay lawn, the M9 kept switching its blades off over lumps, leaving grass uncut, and stopped, beeped and turned away from dips. The reviewer blames partly the free-swinging front wheels, which let bumps knock it off line. New Atlas found slightly uneven ground no problem, and Notebookcheck found it not particularly capable on rough ground, and it struggled on slopes depending on the surface. If your lawn is bumpy, expect some hand-holding.
Good at spotting small things
Notebookcheck put a fake hedgehog, a length of garden hose and a tennis ball in its path, and the M9 avoided all three every time, which it says pricier mowers have failed to do. New Atlas saw it work smoothly round a clothesline pole, and shadows didn't confuse it. Trusted Reviews had a worse time: it rammed 30cm fences around flower beds several times even though they were left out of the map, though it always turned away from people walking in front of it.
Can stray past its map
Satellite positioning isn't perfect. Notebookcheck saw it leave its mapped area once and get stuck on an edge, and advises leaving a safe gap from hazards when you map. Trusted Reviews found it cut across a corner onto a kerb it had been kept away from, and the wheels and blades kept spinning against the stone with no phone alert. On one run it also skipped about a third of a zone the app said it had covered. Map with a margin round drops and hard edges.
Setup is easy; mapping varies
New Atlas went from box to mowing in about the ten minutes Anthbot claims, and found the app unusually friendly for beginners. Notebookcheck found automatic mapping mostly worked, apart from snagging on a flower bed near the edge. Trusted Reviews got an inaccurate map of two clearly separate lawns and had to drive the boundary by hand with jumpy controls. It also warns that moving the aerial afterwards means redoing setup, and UK buyers got a European plug.
Clean cut, wide edge gap
When it mows, it mows well. Trusted Reviews found the cut neat and uniform, and New Atlas saw tight turns and straight lines. Notebookcheck measured about 10cm left uncut at raised edges, because the disc sits in the middle of the body. Where the edge is flush, you can let it run up to 20cm past the boundary, but along a kerb that left scuff marks on the stone. Budget for a trimmer.
All three reviews cover the M9. Anthbot says the M5 is the same mower with a smaller battery, and Notebookcheck says its findings largely apply to both.
Prices
Where to buy the M series (M5, M9) in Australia
No verified Australia price in the last 7 days. We re-check daily.
We’re still looking for more Australia retailers for this model. Prices shown are read from each seller’s own page.
Before you buy
The questions people ask about this one
Does it need a boundary wire?
No. It uses satellite positioning corrected by an aerial near the dock, plus two cameras, per the specifications. Notebookcheck found automatic mapping mostly worked, but Trusted Reviews got an inaccurate map and drove the boundary by hand, which New Atlas did from the start.
Will it cope with my slope?
Anthbot claims 45%, per the specifications. Notebookcheck found it struggled on slopes depending on the surface, and Trusted Reviews saw it stop and turn away from small dips on a lumpy lawn. Smooth, gentle slopes are the safer bet.
Does it need a clear view of the sky?
Yes. Trusted Reviews notes the dock and aerial shouldn't sit near buildings or trees. New Atlas had no trouble with the aerial under a large tree, though. Anthbot also sells a network correction service over mobile data, per the specifications, but Notebookcheck couldn't get it to activate on its test mower.
How close does it cut to the edge?
Not very. Notebookcheck measured about 10cm left at raised edges, and Trusted Reviews found even the edging mode couldn't reach a fence. On flush edges you can let it run past the border, per Notebookcheck, but you'll still want a trimmer.
Is there a subscription for 4G or anti-theft?
Both sizes have 4G with three months of data included, then a yearly fee, per the specifications. Notebookcheck puts the renewal at around 40 US dollars a year. The same service carries the optional network positioning, which can replace the aerial where mobile coverage is good.
How noisy is it for neighbours?
Anthbot quotes 58dB or less, per the specifications. Notebookcheck measured about 60dB from a metre away, sometimes louder when cutting hard, and called that neither quiet nor loud. New Atlas calls it impressively quiet.
Compare with
LUBA mini 2 AWD 1000
All-wheel drive for rougher lawns, and its side edge disc cut much of the grass other mowers leave along borders.
The tested app and a fixed edge-cutting height set some practical limits.
C15 Robot Lawn Mower
Expert Reviews found it unusually easy to get going and effective on even, regularly cut lawns.
Rough patches and tall growth tended to interrupt it.
RockNeo Q1
A compact wire-free rival, and Notebookcheck found its everyday navigation solid and its app clear.
Notebookcheck found it too cautious near edges and plants, leaving uncut patches.
Full specifications
Figures come from the manufacturer’s product page unless a source is named. A blank means nobody we trust has confirmed it.
Owner reviews
Own a M series (M5, M9)?
Tell people how it’s held up: cleaning, maintenance, faults and support. Owner reviews are shown separately from expert tests and never mixed into the score.
Sources
Everything cited on this page. Expert scores are shown as the reviewer gave them.
- Trusted Reviews: Anthbot M9 review · 3 / 5Hands-on · Tested on the Anthbot M9 · Tested on a lumpy clay lawn split into two areas
- Notebookcheck: Affordable, compact robotic lawnmower for smaller gardens: Anthbot M9 reviewHands-on · Tested on the Anthbot M9
- New Atlas: Review: robot mower handles lawns like its pricy peers (Anthbot M9)Hands-on · Tested on the Anthbot M9 · Tested on a small, uneven L-shaped lawn
- Anthbot: M9 product page (EU)Manufacturer