Xiaomi is known for its innovative and affordable smart home products, and the new Xiaomi S20+ is no exception. It offers exceptional cleaning results for a very competitive price. Of course, it forgoes the bells and whistles some higher-end products like the Dreame X40 Ultra may offer, but delivers impressive cleaning results nonetheless.

In this detailed review, let’s see whether you should consider it, and how it compares to more expensive or market-leading products.

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Simple and bespoke design

The Xiaomi S20+ has a sleek, black, rounded design with a striking red-accented LIDAR dome on top. Two quick-access buttons allow you to easily turn the robot on or send it back to its charging station. For easy maintenance, the dustbin and water tank are placed under the top cover. This gives direct access to the water refill port without removing the module.

Underneath, it has a side brush for edge cleaning, a single bristle roller, and two rotating mop pads. The materials feel sturdy and well-built, ensuring durability over time.

Its compact size allows both the robot and its dock to fit under most furniture, covering more surface area. Advanced navigation helps it avoid obstacles and recognize carpets, lifting the mops to keep them dry.

The charging station is small and discreet. It easily fits under furniture to keep the space tidy and the vacuum out of sight.

Straightforward app, but could do with a few more features

The Xiaomi S20+ connects to the Xiaomi Mi Home app, allowing you to control not only the robovac but also other smart devices like cameras or air purifiers.

It works like most other robot vacuums. It explores your home to create a map showing the different rooms. While it doesn’t automatically categorize them, it accurately identifies room boundaries. You can edit the map to merge, separate, and rename rooms. You can also set virtual walls and restricted zones for the robot to avoid.

Sadly, it doesn’t plot obstacles on the map, which is a bit disappointing, considering most competitors do.

The app lets you control the cleaning settings and sequence. Since the S20+ lacks a smart mode, you need to manually adjust cleaning parameters. It offers four cleaning modes: vacuuming, vacuuming and mopping, vacuuming before mopping, and just mopping. Depending on the mode, you can set the suction power and mop dampness. You can also schedule personalized cleaning for each room and specify the cleaning order for a custom experience.

The S20+ doesn’t offer many advanced functionality, but you can set a Do Not Disturb period and a cleaning schedule. Carpet settings are customizable: you can choose whether the robot lifts its mop pads, crosses carpets, or avoids them entirely.

Unfortunately, the settings aren’t adjustable during cleaning. This is quite annoying, as you have to stop the process if you want to lower the suction power while it’s cleaning.

In addition to the app, the S20+ offers voice control through Alexa and Google Assistant, for added convenience.

Decent vacuuming efficiency

With 6,000Pa of suction, the Xiaomi S20+ offers enough power to clean hard floors effectively, pulling out dust from grouts and crevices. While it handles hard surfaces well, it’s likely underpowered for high-pile carpets. It can still handle rugs though, but may not be able to reach deep enough into the fibers.

Equipped with a bristled roller brush, it does a solid job overall, but its side brush is non-extending, unlike the latest premium models. This is a compromise given its affordable price point. It works fine along borders but struggles to reach into tight corners, as it doesn’t have a robotic arm.

The S20+ is able to detect carpets and lift its mops. This is a helpful feature, avoiding any risk of wet carpets. It also automatically boosts suction on carpets, adding some versatility to its performance.

Excellent mopping results

The Xiaomi S20+ features two rotating mop pads. It comes with a built-in water tank, as there is no multifunction dock included. While the tank is somewhat small, it holds enough water to clean a relatively large area effectively. The robot continuously dampens the mops, ensuring they remain wet throughout the cleaning cycle, improving overall cleaning efficiency.

In terms of cleaning performance, the S20+ delivers impressive results given its specs. It effectively removes stains and dirt from most surfaces. While it doesn’t match the capabilities of high-end, fully autonomous models that wash their mops, use hot water, and integrate detergent, it performs quite well for its category.

Impressive navigation and obstacle avoidance

The Xiaomi S20+ excels in obstacle avoidance, making it one of the standout features of this model. Its advanced sensors constantly update the map during each cleaning cycle. They intelligently recognize and adapt to new obstacles or changes in the environment.

Whether it’s cables, toys, or small objects, the S20+ navigates around them with precision, avoiding tangles while still cleaning as close to edges and obstacles as possible.

Sadly, the S20+ doesn’t come with a camera, meaning it can’t take pictures of obstacles it detects. It also doesn’t plot them on the map, making it impossible to understand what it avoided.

The robot’s navigation system is equally impressive, smoothly fitting into tight spaces and efficiently cleaning around furniture without getting stuck. Its mapping technology allows for more precise route planning, optimizing cleaning paths for faster and more thorough coverage. Even in more complex layouts or rooms with a lot of furniture, the S20+ maintains its efficiency, ensuring a thorough clean without unnecessary repetition or missed spots.

Very quiet operation

The Xiaomi S20+ operates with impressively low noise levels, making it one of the quieter options on the market. Whether it’s running on its standard mode or at higher suction levels, the noise is subtle enough not to disturb daily activities or conversations, making it ideal for use in homes with open layouts or during quiet times of the day.

In terms of battery life, the S20+ boasts a solid 170 minutes of runtime on a single charge, which is more than sufficient for cleaning large areas or multiple rooms without needing to return to its dock. This extended battery life ensures that the robot can complete full cleaning cycles in one go, even for bigger homes.

Maintenance and care

The Xiaomi S20+ lacks a multifunction dock, unlike high-end models. As a result, maintenance requires more manual attention. You need to empty the dustbin by hand, ideally after every cleaning session. Although easy to access, regular emptying is necessary for peak performance. However, the dustbin is large enough to handle several cycles if you forget to empty it.

You must also remove and wash the rotating mop pads manually to keep them fresh and effective. Thankfully, detaching and cleaning them is simple, though this adds an extra step compared to self-cleaning models.

Refilling the built-in water tank is another manual task. While the tank is easy to access, its small size means you may need to refill it frequently, especially when cleaning larger areas. In short, maintenance is straightforward but requires more regular involvement since the dustbin, mop pads, and water tank all need manual attention to maintain consistent performance.

Is the Xiaomi S20+ the right robovac for you?

The Xiaomi S20+ strikes an excellent balance between affordability and performance, making it a strong contender in the mid-range robovac market. It offers a combination of powerful suction, efficient mopping, and impressive obstacle avoidance, while still maintaining a compact and user-friendly design.

However, the S20+ does come with a few limitations. Without a multifunction dock, you need to invest more time in manual maintenance. Additionally, while its navigation system is strong, the lack of advanced features like a built-in camera or obstacle mapping means it falls short of some premium models on the market.

Ultimately, if you’re looking for a reliable robovac that delivers solid cleaning results without breaking the bank, the Xiaomi S20+ is a great choice. It may lack some of the luxury features of high-end competitors, but it offers excellent value for money, particularly for homes with hard floors and minimal carpets. If you’re willing to handle a bit more maintenance yourself, the S20+ can keep your home clean and tidy with minimal fuss.

Pros	Cons
Value for money	App features
Bespoke design	Manual maintenance
Cleaning performance

Q&A