Sunseeker S4 LiDAR Review

Sunseeker S4 specs

• Covers 0.25 acre. Slope, width and height are from retailer listings.
• Sunseeker says it is not compatible with St. Augustine or Zoysia grass.
• Minimum edge distance is about 4.3" (110 mm), so expect to trim borders.
• Costco and Amazon have sold it well below its launch price in fall 2026.

Specs are compiled from manufacturer listings and may change between production runs. Confirm on the retailer page before buying.

Sunseeker S4 LiDAR video review

Video by Hawaii Detailing on YouTube. Independent creator content, shown as a reference. It is not part of our scoring.

The Sunseeker S4 LiDAR is a small-yard robot mower built for shade. A 360° 3D LiDAR sensor and AI camera let it map and mow under heavy trees with no antenna or wire, and reviewers found setup took minutes. It was a CES 2026 Innovation Awards honoree and Bob Vila’s best pick for small yards. Its limits are physical: a narrow 7” deck, two-wheel drive and edges you’ll trim yourself.

Who the Sunseeker S4 is for (and who should skip it)

The S4 suits lawns up to a quarter acre (about 10,800 sq ft) with lots of tree cover, fences or buildings that block satellite signals. If you’ve given up on RTK mowers because your backyard sits under oaks, this is one of the most affordable fixes.

Skip it if you have St. Augustine or Zoysia grass. Sunseeker’s own US store lists the S4 as “not compatible” with either. Skip it if your yard is steep. Bob Vila found “the small front wheels struggled on some of the steeper sections,” and the rating is 42%. And skip it if you want hands-off edges, because it leaves a wider uncut border than most rivals.

Navigation and setup

Sunseeker calls the system AllSense 3D. The LiDAR scans 360° horizontally and 70° vertically, and Sunseeker says it processes more than 200,000 points per second and recognizes over 360 types of obstacles. No satellites are involved, so canopy, fences and house walls don’t matter.

Setup is where the S4 shines. Tom’s Guide’s Jason Cipriani swapped in the dock in about 10 minutes, then let the mower trace the edge of his lawn on its own. It was the first robot he’d used that mapped by itself, and he only needed to drive it over a few missed areas. His front yard, with trees and angled corners, “needed a little more help,” but the process stayed simple. Bob Vila also called setup straightforward. Sunseeker says automatic 3D mapping of a 1,000 m² lawn can take as little as an hour, and you can save up to five maps with 100 zones.

The app also shows you a 3D point-cloud map of your yard. Tom’s Guide could see the batting cage and overhead power lines. Our navigation explainer covers why LiDAR beats RTK under trees.

Mowing performance, slopes and terrain

On flat and gently sloped ground, the S4 does well. Tom’s Guide reported no slipping on a slight front-yard slope, even on wet grass, and Bob Vila found “consistent results” in normal conditions. The 42% rating (about 22°) and two-wheel drive with small front caster wheels are the constraint. Bob Vila’s steeper sections exposed that. Ratings assume dry, short grass, so check your grade with the slope checker.

Obstacle avoidance is a strength. Tom’s Guide watched it route around an English Bulldog and, more surprisingly, a Wiffle ball, stopping a few inches away and turning around it. In a separate review, Tom’s Guide’s Mike Prospero noted the S4 marks obstacles it meets on the app map, something the Navimow i215 doesn’t do.

Coverage, cutting and edges

The 7” deck is narrow, and runtime is about 90 minutes per charge. Tom’s Guide’s 3,185 sq ft backyard took just under two hours of cutting, with one recharge. That’s fine for a quarter acre on a daily schedule, but it’s not a fast mower.

Cut quality improved with tuning. With the default cutting direction, the S4 left thin rows of grass between passes. Switching to the “traceless” setting, which changes direction each run, made the missed rows disappear. You can also mow patterns like stars or a soccer ball. Height adjusts from 1.6” to 3.2” on a manual dial.

Edges are the S4’s weak spot. Tom’s Guide measured 4.3” between the housing and the blades, so “there’s always going to be a small section of grass it just can’t cut.” Its verdict: “Make sure to keep a trimmer handy.”

App, connectivity and anti-theft

The Sunseeker app handles mapping, zones, schedules, maintenance reminders and over-the-air updates. Bob Vila called it easy to use. Connectivity is Wi-Fi and Bluetooth out of the box. For remote control and theft tracking away from Wi-Fi, Sunseeker sells a 4G module made for the S4, with a year of data included. A mower near the street really needs it. Our theft protection guide has more ideas.

Ownership notes

• Rain and flooding: the S4 is IPX6-rated and pauses for rain, but Tom’s Guide’s unit stopped working after two inches of rain in an hour left standing water overnight. It came back after a day of drying with the battery out. See do robot mowers work in rain.
• Maintenance: the app tracks blade swaps (every 120 hours) and disc washing (every 60 hours). The dock includes a brush that keeps the LiDAR dome clean. Our maintenance guide covers the rest.
• Support: Sunseeker offers a 2-year warranty and a US phone line, seven days a week.
• Pricing: Costco and Amazon have sold it well below list this fall, at a budget-tier price, which is where it becomes a strong value. Prices change often.

How the Sunseeker S4 compares

The Navimow i215 LiDAR covers a bit more ground with a wider 8.7” deck and adds built-in 4G, but costs more. The Dreame A3 AWD is the pick for shady yards that also have slopes, with AWD, an 80% rating and closer edge cutting at a similar sale price. If edges are your main chore, the ECOVACS GOAT O1000 LiDAR Pro has a built-in trimmer. See our guides to the best robot mowers for complex yards and best mowers for small yards.

Bottom line

The Sunseeker S4 is one of the easiest ways to get a robot mowing under heavy trees. It maps itself, avoids small obstacles and leaves an even cut once tuned. Buy it for a flat or gently sloped, shady quarter acre, and add the 4G module if theft is a concern. Skip it for St. Augustine, steep yards or anyone who hates trimming edges.

Check the current price on Amazon

Featured in our guides

• Best Robot Mowers for Small Yards (2026): Compact Picks for Lawns Up to 1/4 Acre
• Best Robot Mowers for Yards With Trees, Shade and Tight Spaces (2026)

Sources

• tomsguide.com
• prnewswire.com