REVIEW – An Amazon search for “robot vacuum” yields an insane10,000+ results. My first was a Dyson 360 Eye in 2016. Since then, I’ve had at least two patrolling my house, gathering the flotsam and jetsam my family, pets, guests, and the wind leaves behind. I don’t know what I would do without them! My current cleaning schedule is four times a week, and with great appreciation for their diligent service, I’ve found it’s rarely necessary to dig “the big guns” out of the closet. I reviewed the SwitchBot S10 floor-cleaning robot (read it here) and love it! My floors have never looked so good, so I was enthusiastic about seeing how their K10+ Mini Robot would perform, but curious if it was too small to be effective. Want to find out? Keep reading!
What is it?
The SwitchBot K10+ is a LIDAR navigation-guided, self-charging appliance that dislodges, lifts, and captures dirt from floors and carpets onto an onboard bin. After automatically docking, the debris is deposited into a disposable bag.
What’s included?
- K10+ robot
- Auto-empty station
- Two disposable dust bags
- Two side-sweeper brushes
- Cleaning tool
- User manual
- Quick start guide
- Safety pamphlet
- Regulatory information pamphlet
Tech specs
- Robot:
- Material: ABS
- Size: 248 x 248 x 92 mm (9.8 x 9.8 x 3.6 in)
- Weight: 2.3 kg (81.1 oz)
- Rated power: 35 W
- Battery Voltage: 14.4v
- Battery capacity: 3200mAh
- Connectivity: 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2 or later
- System requirements: iOS 14.0+, Android OS 5.0+
- Auto-empty Station:
- 261 x 210 x 323mm (10.3 x 8.3 x 12.7 in)
- Input power: 24V, 1A
- Rated power: 30W (charging), 950 W (dust emptying)
Design and features
I’m amazed by the innovation in robot vacuums in eight years. Some early models I used recklessly bumped around in wild tangents, plummeted down the stairs, knocked over plants, dinged the moldings, and played hide-and-seek when their batteries depleted. With about 18.5 million sold in 2023, companies are getting serious, competitive, and ingenious.
Vacuumwars.com (Thank you, Christopher White) states that by 2026, the robot vacuum market will grow to a mind-boggling $7.83 billion. I do not doubt that these machines will save millions of hours of labor, starting with mine.
Last month, the SwitchBot S10 swept into my home with the first-ever self-emptying mop and became the reigning cleaning king. As I write this review, it’s efficiently vacuuming and mopping the rugs and hardwood floors, saving me a boatload of effort.
Last week, I had my gallbladder removed, and I haven’t felt like moving off the couch for a few weeks. Had it not been for the S10, my floor conditions would undoubtedly be tweaking my OCD neat-freak nerve. I had other vacuums/mops, but all except the S10 would have needed emptying of water, needing effort I didn’t have during my infirmity. It’s been running without intervention for the past three weeks. I’ll clean it soon, but wow! That’s impressive.
While out of commission, I noticed that my home’s lowest floor areas weren’t getting the needed treatment. It’s not that the robot vacuum on duty wasn’t working—it just wasn’t digging in the corners, along the baseboards, and behind the litterbox. Thankfully, SwitchBot’s K10+ Pro arrived to save the day and keep my eye from twitching.
The box is well-packaged, and I love SwitchBot’s signature red and white.
I was surprised to find a Hub 2 (reviewed here) in the box. The Hub 2 connects the K10+ and other Switchbot products’ cloud services and has customizable controls.
The Auto-Empty Station is relatively compact.
Integrated into the back are the power cord and much-appreciated storage.
The cover hides the vacuum bag (plus a spare, yay!) and a brush-cleaning tool.
The disposable bags have a clever cardboard cover to keep the crud contained.
It slides into a pair of grooves. After cleaning, anything the robot collects suctions into the bag through the round opening.
An added surprise is an included floor-sweeper attachment stored in the Auto-Empty Station’s cover. I’ll be using the K10+ exclusively on the carpet so that it won’t see much action in my house.
SwitchBot recommends the moist “Swiffer-type” for optimal cleaning. For the best fit, trim with scissors. Clips hold the sweeper in place.
When deployed, the sweeper attaches to the vacuum body.
A broad light bar provides the vacuum’s status.
The Auto-Empty Station’s spring-loaded contacts engage plates on the back of the vacuum to charge it. Between them, a rubber seal around the duct draws waste into the vacuum bag.
The waste duct engages and opens a spring-loaded door on the K10+’s dust bin. The door stays closed except when the Auto-Empty Station operates after each foray.
For additional cleaning and access to the filter, the cover pops off, and the bin is easy to remove.
SwitchBot includes a spare filter (another yay!)
Magnets secure the cover. Neat!
Power and home buttons protrude through the cover plate. The power switch is adjacent to them.
Knobby tires and a center swivel wheel flank the brush-bat opening and snap-on side-sweeping brush. Next to each wheel is an infrared fall sensor.
The brush bar is removable by unclipping its frame.
Removing the brush periodically for cleaning is essential, especially if some of your dwelling’s denizens maintain a mean mane. SwitchBot’s design is excellent! One end has a removable bearing to remove long hairs and tangled threads.
I had no trouble connecting the K10+ with SwitchBot’s app. Adding the device took just a few steps.
With setup completed, the K10+ needs a reconnaissance sortie to map its environment. The first voyage sends the robot toddling about.
LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) scans the robot’s path, records it, and updates the map as it moves. Its accuracy is outstanding.
Should the K10+ encounter a problem, a push notification will be sent to the phone, and log in to the app.
Rooms are automatically assigned but can be edited if you want to change them. After the mapping has been completed, “no-go” and “virtual walls” are available to limit the range of the K10+’s motion.
As with all SwitchBot products, they provide plenty of configurations for adjusting the K10+’s performance.
I tested the K10+ with Alexa, and it works flawlessly.
I’m delighted with the K10+ vacuum’s performance. I tested it with kibble, kitty litter, threads, and dirt, and I’m happy with the results, especially given its diminutive size. Its ability to fit into corners makes a difference! I noticed less “dust bunnies” in the corners immediately. Great job, SwitchBot! Volume is acceptable (similar to other robot vacuums), even at the highest suction setting. When cleaning finishes and debris transfers into the Auto-Empty Station, it’s loud but only lasts a few seconds.
“Small?” You ask? Yep! Here’s the K10+ with its sibling, the S10.
It’s so cute!
What I like about the SwitchBot K10+ Mini Robot Vacuum
- Solid construction and performance.
- It fits into places other robots can’t go, resulting in more thorough cleaning under furniture and in corners.
- Includes a floor-sweeping attachment that uses commonly available mop pads.
- The SwitchBot app continues to work well.
What needs to be improved?
- Occasionally, the robot has trouble mating with the charging contacts in the Auto-Empty Station, but only when the Auto-Empty station is on a high-pile carpet.
Final thoughts
I was reminded of Yoda’s wise words to Luke Skywalker, “Judge me by my size, do you?” while writing this review. SwitchBot’s K10+ Pro Mini Robot is so tiny it finds the stuff its bulkier cousins leave behind. Carpets cover the lower floor of my house, but it is my cat, Mini’s, favorite hangout. Loose fur, wayward kibble, and tracked litter find their way into every nook and cranny, necessitating corner-to-corner cleaning. I am grateful to the engineers, technicians, and companies that have made them possible, capable, and affordable. SwitchBot’s S10 and tiny-but-mighty K10+ are an ideal combination of value, features, integration, and suction power for my home. Thank you again, and bravo, SwitchBot!
Price: $399.99
Where to buy: SwitchBot, Amazon
Source: SwitchBot provided a free sample for this review but did not provide input, guidance, or editing before it was published.
