The SwitchBot S10 offers an innovative take on how robovacs work. Unlike most high-end models which come with a powerful dock that can wash and dry the mop pads, the S10 separates the two. One is merely a charging and dust emptying station, while the other is a compact water station, which connects directly to the water pipes to minimize human intervention.

In addition, it differs from market leading products like the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra or the Dreame X40 as it doesn’t use a sonic mop or pads. Instead, it comes with a roller brush, just like the Roborock Flexi.

In a competitive market, the SwitchBot S10 offers a truly differentiating approach to cleaning. In this detailed review, let’s see whether its cleaning performance is better than the competition and how easy it is to care for.

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Two docks for a single robot

Self-emptying and charging dock

The SwitchBot S10 comes with two distinct docks. The first one is a relatively compact charging and auto-emptying station, measuring 260 x 412 x 207mm. It’s relatively slim and not too tall, taking up a limited amount of real estate in your home. The top flap opens to reveal not only the dust bag, but also enough space to store spare accessories and bags. Like most base stations, this one connects to a power outlet to function and recharge the robot.

Water station

The second station handles water refilling and draining. It comes in a compact design and measures only 400 x 100 x 165 mm. This makes it easy to fit under furniture or be lined with kitchen baseboards. It doesn’t need to connect to a power socket and uses an internal battery, meaning there’s no need for it to be close to a power outlet.

The water station comes with built-in pipes that connect to running water, allowing it to drain and refill itself without human intervention. SwitchBot includes plenty of connectors, seals, and adapters in the box, allowing you to ensure it’s easy to connect to your existing pipes without much trouble. The water station not only drains and refills the robot’s tank with clean water but also mixes cleaning solution automatically thanks to the built-in tank. It also comes with a filter, allowing it to capture debris, instead of flushing them.

Optionally, you can buy external water tanks, which you place on top of the water station. They connect to the station’s pipes, and are useful if you’re interested in the S10 but don’t want or can’t connect it to the water pipes.

A robot like no other

As for the robot, it may look like a standard robovac, albeit a bit bulkier, measuring 365 x 115 x 365 mm. This is due to the underside design, which is very different from other robots. Indeed, while it comes with a side brush and a single bristeless roller, its mop is unlike other robovacs. Instead of using pads or a sonic mop, it features a roller brush, similar to wet dry vacuums.

In addition, the robot itself takes care of washing and drying the roller brush. This means it doesn’t have to return to the water station before each use, and can automatically do this internally. SwitchBot also states it can refill a humidifier and empty their upcoming dehumidifier autonomously by navigating to the water station.

Incomplete app

To start using the SwitchBot S10, you first need to charge it and pair it with the app. It then explores your house to create a map. It does a good job at separating rooms, but doesn’t automatically categorize them. You can then edit the map to add no-go zones, merge or split rooms, and give them specific names.

Once it has finished mapping, you need to mark the water station position. The robot then looks for it and docks. However, during my tests, the robot has struggled to find it, until I manually docked it.

After this relatively painstaking process, the robot is good to go. The app offers relatively standard features, including showing where the robot has cleaned and its status. It also lets you send it back to charge or wash its mop and create cleaning schedules.

Sadly, very few settings are adjustable. These include the suction power and water level. Nevertheless, there are only two to choose from for the latter, which is disappointing for a high-end product. In addition, you can control the behavior around carpets to raise the roller automatically, and adjust the obstacle avoidance settings. Finally, SwitchBot includes a Do Not Disturb mode, which prevents the robot from emptying itself during preset times.

Unfortunately, there is no option to access the robot’s camera feed from the app, which would have been a nice way to remotely monitor your house. Worse, the robot doesn’t mark where it encounters obstacles on the map, which is standard on most competing models.

Decent vacuuming

The SwitchBot S10 comes with 6,500 Pa suction power, which is enough for hard floors. However, it’s a bit limited for thick carpets and rugs, especially compared to competing models from leading brands.

The bristleless brush makes it easier for the robot to deal with hair tangles, as it minimizes them and simplifies maintenance. The side brush does a decent job at pushing dirt and debris from the baseboards toward the brush, so they can be vacuumed.

When dealing with carpets, the S10 can automatically boost its suction power to the highest setting, meaning it can still remove dirt and dust from rugs. However, it’s not the best option to reach deep into thick fibers, and is mostly adapted for thinner ones.

In daily use, it’s been able to effectively capture dirt, dust, and debris from the floor. However, it’s not great at reaching into corners and tight spaces, especially because it doesn’t have a flexible side brush like the S8 MaxV Ultra and Dreame X40.

Disappointing mopping

With the S10, SwitchBot has gone with an innovative approach and uses a roller brush instead of a flat mop. However, while this approach is particularly effective on wet-dry vacuums, it doesn’t work that well on a robot.

Just like regular robots, the roller is washed before and after each cycle, and is constantly dampened while cleaning. Its self-cleaning design also means the robot doesn’t have to return to the water station too often, ensuring the roller stays clean throughout the cleaning cycle.

For daily cleaning, it does a decent at refreshing the floor. However, it doesn’t apply enough pressure and isn’t moist enough to tackle dry and hard stains. I find it particularly thin; a thicker roller would be more effective. The robot also doesn’t come with dirt-sensing technology, which would have triggered a second pass to get rid of hard stains.

When looking closely at the floor, the water isn’t distributed evenly, and some areas aren’t wetted at all by the robot. Worse, on some floor types, the robot tends to leave streaks even when the water dries, which isn’t something you’d expect from a robot vacuum.

Lastly, corners and baseboards aren’t cleaned at all, as the roller doesn’t extend that far. SwitchBot should have thought of adding a side mop or making the roller wider for better results.

Good navigation but poor obstacle detection.

The SwitchBot S10 uses a traditional top-mounted LiDAR dome for navigation. It does a good job at locating itself and navigating to specific rooms. It reliably returns to both docks without specific issues. Its slightly bulkier size means it doesn’t fit into tight corners, which is the exact opposite of the SwitchBot K10+.

However, despite coming with plenty of sensors and a camera, the S10 is particularly bad at detecting obstacles. In fact, it only does a good job at recognizing walls and shoes. Besides these, it bumps into obstacles such as furniture legs and toys, and even pushes items along its way. It’s very disappointing, especially considering how far other brands have come.

One of the noisiest robots on the market

The SwitchBot S10 is by far the loudest robovacs we’ve tested. Its wheels and motor are noisier than the competition, making it particularly audible when it’s moving. However, the mopping noise is very noticeable, producing a whopping 65 dB. This makes it impossible to use at night, and it’s also disruptive during work or while watching TV.

As for the vacuuming modes, they’re a bit more tolerable, ranging from 55 to 70 dB, depending on whether you’re using the lowest or highest mode.

Despite this, battery life is good, lasting for up to 200 minutes on a single charge, allowing the robot to clean up to 170 square meters on a single charge. Unfortunately, there’s no option for off-peak charging, which would have been a nice addition.

Maintenance and care

The SwitchBot S10’s dual dock design makes it much easier to maintain than most other robots. Indeed, there’s nothing you need to care for the charging station, besides throwing the dust bag and replacing it. As for the water station, all you need to do is refill the cleaning solution and clean the filter once in a while.

There’s not much to do on the robot itself either. The bristleless brush minimizes hair tangles and only needs to be removed and cleaned about once a month. As for the main roller brush, the self-cleaning design makes it easy to maintain. The self-drying feature also helps it stay odor-free. Just like the main roller, it’s easily removable for washing and cleaning of hair and debris about once a week. The scraper does tend to get dirty, though, so it’s important to wipe it.

Is the SwitchBot S10 the right robovac for you?

The SwitchBot S10 offers a fresh take on robotic vacuums with its dual docking system and innovative water station, reducing the need for human intervention.

While it excels in convenience and maintenance, its performance in mopping and obstacle detection is less impressive. If you prioritize a low-maintenance device and have a home with primarily hard floors, the S10 could be a worthwhile investment. However, if you have thick carpets, a lot of obstacles, or require a quieter device, you might want to consider other options on the market.

Pros	Cons
Separate docks	Noisy
Water station	Mopping performance
Low maintenance	Obstacle detection