The $199 Wyze robot vacuum has LiDAR mapping — the $199 Roomba doesn't

A Wyze vacuum with wise navigation: As of Dec. 28, the Wyze Robot Vacuum with LiDAR technology is on sale for $199 at Walmart — a $130 (nearly 40%) discount.

So the holidays have passed and you're still waiting on that new robot vacuum, huh?

A stellar post-holiday deal from Walmart poses a chance for you to gift one to yourself without spending too much of your own money. Wyze, the budget-friendly tech brand known for its home security cameras, has expanded into the vacuum realm. Move quickly and score the LiDAR-equipped Wyze Robot Vacuum on sale for $199.

The Wyze Robot Vacuum takes on a look similar to the Roborock S7 — perhaps even a bit more slick with the chrome finish on the raised LiDAR scanner. The mere presence of that smart mapping lookout is more than the cheapest Roombas (the 692 and 694) can say. While its suite of adaptive sensors are more perceptive than clumsy bump-and-go navigation, the now $199 Wyze vacuum touts LiDAR room-scanning tech that's typically reserved for pricier models.

This is what unlocks the ability to send the vac to specific rooms — one of the most coveted features in the robot vacuum market as of late. Laser pointers (2,016 every second, to be exact) cast by that spinning tower allow the Wyze vacuum to generate an in-app map of your home's floor plan, where you can label each area and draw virtual boundaries.

From there, the Wyze vac divides and conquers each room by calculating the most efficient path for each sections. Its claimed 2,100 Pa is in line with high-end models, performing pristinely on hard floors and decently on carpeting.