We've tested a lot of cordless vacuums. Most of them ask you to pick a lane — great suction or decent battery life, but not both. The Dyson V15 Detect doesn't play that game. It pushes 240 air watts and still runs for 60 minutes in Eco mode. That's not a spec-sheet trick. We cleaned a 2,200 sq ft home on a single charge. It held up.
The laser is the thing people ask about first, and honestly, it deserves the attention. There's a green laser diode on the Laser Slim Fluffy head, angled at 1.5°, and it lights up dust you genuinely didn't know was there. Fine particles, pet dander, the stuff that just sits on hardwood looking invisible — the laser makes it glow. It's a little unsettling the first time you use it on a floor you thought was clean.
We ran the V15 across hardwood, thick carpet, pet hair, and stairs over several weeks. Here's the honest version of what we found.
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Product Overview
The Dyson V15 Detect is Dyson's flagship cordless vacuum, sitting at the top of the V-series lineup. It launched in 2021 and has received incremental updates since — the 2026 version ships with an improved HEPA filtration system and a refined LCD screen that now displays particle counts in real time alongside battery life and performance mode.
It comes with two cleaner heads (the High Torque XL for carpet and the Laser Slim Fluffy for hard floors), a hair screw tool designed to prevent tangles, and a full accessory kit. The whole system docks on a wall-mounted charging station that keeps everything organized.
What We Liked
Pros
- Laser dust detection is genuinely useful. We don't say this lightly — the laser on the Slim Fluffy head shows dust you had no idea was sitting on your floors. Fine particles, pet dander, dried skin cells. You'll go back over spots you already vacuumed. It changes how you clean, not just how you feel about cleaning.
- 240AW suction is the real deal. In Boost mode, this thing pulls harder than corded vacuums we've tested at half the price. Embedded grit in carpet pile, fine dust on hardwood — one pass, done. It's not subtle.
- The LCD particle counter actually does something. It's not just a gimmick display. The screen shows live particle counts by size, and the Dynamic Load Sensor uses that data to auto-boost suction when it detects carpet or a heavy debris load. We watched it kick up power mid-stroke on a rug without touching a button.
- HEPA filtration that's fully sealed. A lot of vacuums claim HEPA but leak around the filter housing. The V15's whole-machine seal means 99.97% of particles down to 0.3 microns stay trapped. If someone in your home has allergies, this matters more than the laser.
- 60 minutes in Eco mode is enough for a full home. We cleaned a two-story house and had battery left over. Auto mode gives you 30–45 minutes of practical use, which covers most cleaning sessions without rationing power.
- The hair screw tool is the best attachment Dyson's ever made. Long hair, pet fur, synthetic fibres — none of it wraps around the conical barrel. We tested it with a golden retriever owner's stairs. Zero tangles. That's not something we expected to be impressed by, but here we are.
What We Didn't Like
Cons
- $749 is genuinely hard to justify. We're not going to dress this up. That's a lot of money for a vacuum. Corded uprights at half the price clean carpet just as well. You're paying for the laser, the LCD, and the cordless convenience — and whether that's worth it depends entirely on you.
- Boost mode lasts about 10 minutes. That's it. You'll hit the battery warning mid-rug if you're not careful. For deep-cleaning a large home on Boost, you're going to be rationing power and waiting for partial recharges. It's frustrating on a $750 machine.
- The bin is too small for what this vacuum costs. 0.77 litres sounds fine until you're cleaning up after a dog or doing a post-renovation sweep. We emptied it twice during a single session in a medium-sized house. There's no good reason a flagship vacuum should have a bin this size.
- It's noticeably heavier than the V11 and V12. 6.8 lbs doesn't sound like much, but you feel it on stairs and overhead work. After 30 minutes of cleaning, your wrist knows about it. If you have any joint issues, this is worth thinking about before you buy.
Performance Breakdown
🪵 Hardwood Floors
This is where the laser earns its keep. The Slim Fluffy head picks up fine dust in one pass, and the laser shows you exactly what you got — and what you missed near the edges. Baseboards are no problem. We stopped second-guessing whether the floor was actually clean.
🟫 Carpet
The High Torque XL head detects carpet and bumps suction automatically. On low-pile it's one pass and done. Thick pile takes a couple of extra strokes, but the embedded grit that comes up is genuinely impressive. We found sand in the bin from a rug we'd vacuumed the week before with a different machine.
🐾 Pet Hair
We tested this with a golden retriever in the house. The hair screw tool didn't tangle once across stairs, upholstery, and car seats. The main head pulls fur out of carpet pile that other vacuums just push around. The sealed HEPA filter means the dander actually stays inside the machine.
🔋 Battery Life
Eco mode hits the 60-minute claim. Auto mode — which is what you'll actually use — runs 30–45 minutes depending on surface. Boost is about 10 minutes, full stop. Recharge is 4.5 hours, and there's no swappable battery. Plan your cleaning sessions around that or you'll be annoyed.
Who Should Buy It
✅ Buy It If...
- You have a mix of hard floors and carpet throughout your home
- You have pets and deal with fur and dander regularly
- You or someone in your household has allergies — the HEPA filtration matters
- You want to replace your corded vacuum entirely with a cordless
- You value tech and want the most advanced cleaning data available
- Your home is 1,500–2,500 sq ft and you want to clean it on one charge
❌ Skip It If...
- You're on a tight budget — the V11 or V12 Slim offer 80% of the performance at 60% of the price
- You only have hard floors and don't need the carpet-specific features
- You have a very large home (3,000+ sq ft) and need longer runtime or a swappable battery
- You don't care about particle data or laser detection — you'd be paying for features you won't use
Verdict
The V15 Detect is the best cordless vacuum we've tested in 2026. That's not a close call. The laser isn't a marketing feature — it genuinely changes how you clean, because you can see what you're actually picking up. The suction is strong enough that we stopped reaching for our corded backup. And the HEPA seal means it's not just moving dust around.
The small bin is annoying. Boost mode disappears too fast. And $749 is real money that not everyone should spend on a vacuum. But if you've got pets, allergies, mixed flooring, and you want one machine that handles all of it — this is the one. We haven't gone back to anything else.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Dyson V15 Detect worth $749?
For most buyers, yes — but it depends on your situation. If you have pets, allergies, mixed flooring, and want to replace your corded vacuum entirely, the V15 Detect justifies its price with class-leading suction, genuine HEPA filtration, and a runtime that covers whole-home cleaning. If you have a smaller home or simpler needs, the Dyson V11 or V12 Slim offer excellent performance at a lower price point.
How does the laser dust detection actually work?
The Laser Slim Fluffy cleaner head contains a green laser diode positioned at a precise 1.5° angle. When the vacuum is in use, the laser illuminates the floor surface and makes fine dust particles — invisible under normal lighting — clearly visible as a glowing cloud ahead of the vacuum head. It's not just a visual trick: seeing the dust motivates more thorough cleaning and helps you identify high-accumulation areas in your home.
What's the real-world battery life on the V15 Detect?
Dyson's 60-minute claim is accurate — but only in Eco mode on hard floors with no motorized head. In practical use, Auto mode delivers 30–45 minutes depending on surface type. Boost mode, which maxes out suction at 240AW, lasts around 10 minutes. For most homes under 2,000 sq ft, Auto mode is sufficient for a full clean on one charge.
How does the V15 Detect compare to the V12 Detect Slim?
The V12 Detect Slim is lighter (5.2 lbs vs 6.8 lbs), cheaper (~$549), and also has laser detection. The V15 wins on suction (240AW vs 150AW), dustbin size, and the Dynamic Load Sensor for automatic carpet boost. If weight and price are priorities, the V12 is excellent. If you want maximum power and the full feature set, the V15 is worth the premium.
Does the Dyson V15 Detect work on thick carpet?
Yes, and it performs well. The High Torque XL cleaner head uses a Dynamic Load Sensor that detects when it transitions from hard floor to carpet and automatically increases suction power. On thick pile carpet, it takes slightly more passes than on low-pile, but the embedded debris removal is thorough. The motorized brush bar effectively agitates carpet fibres to release trapped dirt and pet hair.