SwitchBot K10+ Pro review: Compact cleaning for small spaces

Best Prices Today: SwitchBot Mini Robot Vacuum K10+ Pro

The SwitchBot K10+ Pro robot vacuum and mop is an upgrade of the SwitchBot K10+ we reviewed earlier this year. It features several improvements that, according to SwitchBot, allow it to clean better and more thoroughly than its predecessor.

It’s an affordable but imperfect solution for users who want a more compact cleaner but don’t want to skimp on smart technology.

Design

To the naked eye, the K10+ Pro is virtually indistinguishable from the K10+. The robot sports identical dimensions (9.8 x 9.8 x 3.6 inches, WxDxH) to its predecessor, as does its auto-empty station (12.7 x 10.3 x 8.3 inches. HxWxD), and both are finished in the same glossy white. That ensures it won’t hog space or clash with your home décor.

This review is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best robot vacuums.

However, SwitchBot has made a battery of upgrades to improve cleaning performance. Suction power has been boosted from a max of 2,500 Pa to 3,000 Pa. A tangle-resistant rubber roller brush replaces the previous bristle-and-rubber model, and the speed of the side brush has been increased from 140 rpm to 200 rpm to achieve better corner cleaning results.

Finally, the cleaning algorithm has been optimized to handle larger spaces more efficiently and the onboard dustbox capacity increased from 150ml to 200ml, allowing the vacuum to clean up to 225 square meters (around 2,420 square feet) in a single session.

SwitchBot also says it has made modifications to reduce operating noise, essentially by improving obstacle avoidance to avoid noisy collisions. I don’t recall that being a significant problem with the K10+, but apparently enough users felt otherwise to spur the change.

Setup and user experience

Setting up the K10+ Pro straight out of the box takes about 10 minutes, including downloading the SwitchBot app. Once you’ve created a user account, the app walks you through the setup process, including pairing the robot with your Wi-Fi and initial mapping.

The robot uses LiDAR navigation to create a floor map of your home, which you can tweak in the app to add room names, no-go zones, and customized cleaning plans. It supports multi-floor mapping, so users in homes with multiple stories can save separate maps for each floor. Once the K10+ Pro completes the mapping, it divides your space into rooms, which can be cleaned individually or as part of a whole home cleaning.

You also use the app to schedule cleanings, choose between vacuuming and mopping modes, and adjust other preferences like suction power. The interface is designed for intuitive operation and the various controls are straightforward to use.

Users already entrenched in the smart home ecosystem will be pleased to know the K10+ Pro works seamlessly with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple Matter. This broad compatibility should fit into virtually any smart home setup, making it easy to integrate with your existing devices.

Cleaning performance

The K10+ Pro is more than capable of handling everyday messes, though I can’t say it cleans remarkably better than the K10+.  

On hard floors, it picked up dust, crumbs, and pet hair with ease despite its modest suction power. It did less well in our rice test, removing only about 75 percent of the half-cup of spilled grains and spreading the rest around, indicating it may struggle with heavier particles. It did better in the same test on carpet, sucking up the entire mess, though it dropped several grains on its way back to its base station.

Related: How we test robot vacuums

Mopping was the weak point of the K10+, and since it wasn’t addressed as part of the K10+ Pro’s enhancements, the results were essentially the same. The mop system uses a plastic mopping plate and wet wipes that you wrap around it and secure with Velcro tabs and hooks. You then fit the plate over the roller brush.

There are a couple of drawbacks to this system. It’s not really “mopping,” but more like wiping down your floors with a sanitizing wipe. It picks up dust and loose dirt well enough, but it’s not effective against tougher messes like liquid spills, scuff marks, or stubborn stains. The other issue is that because the plate covers the roller brush, you can’t vacuum and mop simultaneously and have to run separate jobs for each.

The vacuum operates at about 45dB, which is quiet enough not to be disruptive. It’s substantially louder when auto-emptying its dustbin, which isn’t a dealbreaker but something to be aware of if you’re planning to run it while your home.

Specifications

• Robot dimensions: 9.8 x 9.8 x 3.6 inches, WxDxH
• Base dimensions: 12.7 x 10.3 x 8.3 inches. HxWxD
• Robot weight: 5.07 pounds
• Suction power: 3,000 Pa
• Side brush speed: 200 rpm
• Dustbox capacity: 200ml
• Navigation: LiDAR
• Noise: 48dB
• Connectivity: 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0
• Matter support: Yes (SwitchBot Hub 2 required)

Should you buy the SwitchBot K10+ Pro?

As with its predecessor, the main appeal of the SwitchBot K10+ Pro is its compact size. With robot vacuum systems getting ever larger, the K10+ Pro fills a need for users in studio apartments, dorm rooms, and other tight quarters.

That’s not to say it isn’t suited for bigger homes, but if you live in one you have many more workable options than the aforementioned folks, and a more conventionally sized robot vacuum will reward you with more efficient cleaning as it won’t have to recharge as frequently as a smaller one.

At $599.99, the SwitchBot K10+ Pro costs $200 more than the K10+. If you own the latter, it’s probably not worth the added expense to upgrade, but if you’re a new user it’s worth shelling out a little extra for the Pro’s better specs.

Best Prices Today: SwitchBot Mini Robot Vacuum K10+ Pro