X3 Plus
Sunseeker's mid-size wire-free mower for US lawns up to about a third of an acre, steering by satellite positioning and cameras. Testers liked the easy setup and obstacle spotting, but low bumps, logs and brick borders can trip it up.
The short version
The X3 Plus sits in the middle of Sunseeker's US range, above the camera-only V3 and below the all-wheel-drive X5 and X7. It needs no boundary wire. Instead, a small aerial on a pole in the garden gives it a precise satellite fix, and cameras help it steer under trees and spot things in the way. You drive it round the edge once with your phone to make a map, then set zones, no-go areas and schedules in the app. Sunseeker rates it for 0.3 acre and slopes up to 30%.
The trade-offs are the aerial and the terrain. You have to find a spot for the pole with a clear view of the sky, and one tester struggled to stake it in hard ground. It's two-wheel drive with a low front edge, so small dips, logs and raised borders can catch it. It's only sold in the US, and it often sells well below its original list price.
Our take: Buy it for a fairly flat suburban lawn of up to a third of an acre with front and back areas, if you want proper zones and straight-line mowing without a wire, and you can find it on sale. If your yard is steep or lumpy, the Mammotion LUBA mini AWD grips far better. For a small, simple lawn, the Segway Navimow i1 does a similar job, and Sunseeker's own V3 needs no aerial or map at all.
Where it sits in Sunseeker’s range
- X3 PlusCamera-only mower for small lawns, no map or aerial · $599.99
- X3 PlusThis model · $899.99
- Sunseeker S4Uses a laser scanner instead of an aerial
- X5 Gen 2All-wheel drive for bigger, steeper gardens
- Sunseeker X7Flagship all-wheel-drive model for the largest lawns
What reviewers found
Three US home tests, all from spring and summer 2025. Tom's Guide used it for a couple of months in a family backyard, Bob Vila for nearly a month on a property with several separate lawns, and CNET tested it alongside other mowers for a buying guide. All three liked the setup and the app, and Bob Vila and Tom's Guide praise the obstacle spotting. They disagree on how often it gets stuck: never for Bob Vila, on small dips and a log for Tom's Guide, and on low borders for CNET.
Tom's Guide, hands-on, About two months in the reviewer's backyard, Sept 2025 · Bob Vila, hands-on, Nearly a month on a property with several separate lawns · CNET, hands-on (Tested May and June 2025 for a buying guide)
Setup takes under an hour
You fix the dock, put up the aerial on its pole, connect the app and drive the mower round the edge of the lawn with your phone. Tom's Guide took 30 to 45 minutes and called it painless. Bob Vila took about an hour and liked the in-app instructions, but found the aerial pole hard to stake firmly in hard ground and would like a roof-mount option. CNET also found setup easy, though its bump sensor misbehaved most in the early runs.
Good at spotting obstacles
Bob Vila was most impressed here: it walked in front of the mower and threw dog toys in its path, and it didn't run over a single thing. Tom's Guide saw it steer round a softball and a chewed dog bone, and it marks anything it can't pass as a no-go area on the map, which you can delete later. It did once mistake a grey footstool near the dock for the dock itself. It also avoided a patch of overgrown weeds until Tom's Guide cut them down.
Low obstacles are its weak spot
This is where testers split. Tom's Guide had a wheel caught in a divot the size of a large grapefruit a few times, and twice it got stuck on a log edging a play area, in almost the same spot. Each time it had to be lifted clear and the PIN typed in. CNET found the low front bump sensor was set off by short grass and brick borders. Bob Vila had no such trouble on its slopes, but had filled a few holes and cleared obstacles first.
Zones, stripes and the app
Bob Vila set up several mowing zones joined by corridors across a front lawn, a narrow strip and a back garden with a hot tub, and found scheduling easy. Tom's Guide liked the accurate map and the choice of straight-line mowing at any angle, but you can't pick fancier patterns, and you can only drive it by hand within Bluetooth range. Bob Vila rated the cut highly, and liked how low it can go.
Covers the US X3 Plus. Sunseeker doesn't sell it in Europe, where its range uses different model names.
Prices
Where to buy the X3 Plus in United States
| Retailer | Price | Delivery | Stock | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SunseekerCheapest Official store | $899.99 | — | In stock | Go to Sunseeker |
We’re still looking for more United States retailers for this model. Prices shown are read from each seller’s own page.
Prices read from each seller’s own page on 24 September 2026. Some links are affiliate links and are marked where they appear. Commission never changes the order or the recommendation.
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 on a pole, plus cameras, per the specifications. You create the boundary by driving it round the lawn from your phone. Tom's Guide found the whole process took 30 to 45 minutes.
Does it need a clear view of the sky?
The aerial does. Tom's Guide mounted it on the six-foot pole in the box, and Bob Vila found it hard to keep the pole steady in hard ground and wanted a roof mount. Sunseeker says the cameras help it keep going under light tree cover, per the specifications.
Will it cope with my slope?
Sunseeker rates it for 30%, or 17 degrees, per the specifications. Bob Vila found it did well on slopes, but Tom's Guide recommends it for yards that aren't too steep and points to all-wheel-drive rivals for steeper ground. Watch out for small dips too, which caught it on Tom's Guide's lawn.
Can it handle two lawns or a narrow passage?
Yes. Bob Vila mapped a big front yard, a small strip of grass and a back garden as separate zones, linked by passageways, and it moved between them on its own. The app handles no-go areas and different schedules per zone, per the specifications.
How close does it cut to the edge?
Sunseeker says its blade reaches over borders to cut closer along fences and paths, per the specifications. None of the testers measured the gap. CNET did find that low brick borders set off the bump sensor, which stops it short.
Compare with
i1 series (i105E, i105N, i108E, i110N)
A similar aerial-guided mower for smaller lawns, and four reviewers liked its tidy striped cut and easy app.
It's rated for 800m² at most, and still leaves a strip at the edges.
LUBA mini AWD (800, 1500)
All-wheel drive climbs slopes and bumps where two-wheel-drive mowers like this give up.
It cuts a narrow strip, and has been replaced by the LUBA mini 2.
E18 Robot Lawn Mower
Covers a similar 1,200m² with cameras alone, so there's no aerial to put up.
It leaves a strip along the edges and struggles on steeper slopes.
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 X3 Plus?
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.
- Tom's Guide: The Sunseeker X3 Plus robot lawnmower has been trimming my yard all summer · 3.5 / 5Hands-on, About two months in the reviewer's backyard
- Bob Vila: The Best Robot Lawn Mowers, Tested · Runner-UpHands-on, Nearly a month on a property with several separate lawns
- CNET: Best Robot Lawn MowersHands-on · Tested May and June 2025 for a buying guide
- Sunseeker: X3 Plus store page (US)Manufacturer