I PUT Switchbot S20 Robot Vacuum to the TEST!

Hi! I’ve tested quite a few robot vacuums over the past few years, and now it’s time to test the new flagship from Switchbot: the Switchbot S20 robot vacuum, which not only vacuums but also mops and cleans itself. Is it better than the S10 that I tested before? Let’s find out!

Buy the Switchbot S20 here:

Amazon NL: https://amzn.to/3KcrwKu
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/47PeGf2
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3IfOj7F
Amazon DE: https://amzn.to/4mnRmbQ
Switchbot official site: https://bit.ly/4nlg9yk

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So, here’s another robot vacuum for me to review. I have already reviewed the Switchbot S10, K10, and K10 Pro. Now, Switchbot introduces the Switchbot S20. Let’s see what it can do and if it detects cables that are lying around! Switchbot sent me this robot vacuum to test, and I received compensation for creating a video about it. But Switchbot has no influence on my opinion. What you see in this video is my honest opinion about this robot vacuum. Please feel free to watch other reviews as well to get a full overview of this robot vacuum.

I love robot vacuums. They help me a great deal in keeping my house clean. I own a big Maine Coon cat that drops a lot of hair and leaves cat litter all over the place. Honestly, my house would be a mess without a robot vacuum. But robot vacuums are not perfect. You will always have to use a “normal” vacuum cleaner to get into corners and hard-to-reach places, but you have to do that a lot less if you use a robot vacuum cleaner. One of the most frustrating aspects for me is that robot vacuums often get stuck on cables and small objects. To test this, I will conduct a demonstration in this video to see what objects it will recognize and avoid.

Unboxing

But first, let’s unbox this new Switchbot S20.

The box of the Switchbot S20 is significantly smaller than the box of the Switchbot S10. This is because the water station is now part of the base station. And the base station is not as high as the one from the S10. Well, at least for the All-in-One Base Station with Auto-Refill and Drain System that Switchbot sent to me. The Switchbot S20 with Clean Water tank and Waste Water Tank is a bit larger.

The box includes accessories to connect the Base Station to your water and plumbing system. Additionally, a brush is included for cleaning the robot vacuum. The robot vacuum itself resembles the Switchbot S10 and feels sturdy. It’s not a weak plastic device, but a serious vacuum cleaner. And then there is the base station, which is indeed lower but wider than the base station of the Switchbot S10, and includes the water station. The robot vacuum fits nicely into the base station. At the back of the Base Station with the Auto-Refill and Drain System, you see the tubes that you can connect to your water and plumbing system.

You’ll find the dust bag in the Base Station. According to Switchbot, this bag needs to be replaced every 90 days; however, this may depend on the level of dirtiness in your home.

I also received an accessory kit that contains some side brushes, extra dust bags, a filter, a water tank, roller mops, dust filters, an extra anti-tangle brush, and an extra rinse sync lid. I think I am covered for multiple years with these accessories.

One thing that surprises me, though, is that the Switchbot S20 has a V-shaped anti-tangle side brush, while the accessory kit contains “normal” side brushes.

The other rubber anti-tangle brush is very handy if you own pets, like I do. Hairs do not get tangled in the brush, which saves a lot of frustration. You simply snap the anti-tangle side brush onto the Switchbot S20 robot vacuum, and it’s ready to go!

The water tank can be easily detached for cleaning, and the roller mop can also be detached for replacement or cleaning as needed. For your information, I used the S10 for a year or so with the same roller mop, so you won’t have to replace it as often.

The Switchbot S20 has AI Obstacle Avoidance, but it does not send image data to the cloud. I will show later in this video if it works well. It’s unfortunate that you’re unable to view the camera footage within the app. It would be nice if you could virtually ride along with the Switchbot S20, but unfortunately, this is not possible. It would be nice to use the Switchbot S20 as a moving security camera as well. Switchbot, perhaps this is an idea for a future model?

Specifications

The specifications of the Switchbot S20 are nearly identical to those of the Switchbot S10. The Base Station of the Auto-Fill & Drain System is lower than that of the Switchbot S10. The suction power is significantly higher. While the Switchbot S10 had a suction power of 6,500 Pa, the Switchbot S20 increased to 10,000 Pa. I will show a demonstration later in this video.

The Switchbot S20 is a robot vacuum that also has a mopping function. It uses a roller mop that cleans itself. There’s a container for cleaning soap, allowing the mop to use this soap to clean your floor even more effectively. The mop has a downward pressure of 1 kilogram. If you have heavy stains, it’s not sufficient, but for everyday use, it mops fine. The mop cleans itself using the RinseSync function, ensuring that you always mop with a clean mop. I use the Auto-Fill and Drain system. This means that my Switchbot S20 is hooked up to my water and drainage system, so I never have to clean and refill the water station. However, if you do not have the option to do so, you can also purchase the All-in-One Base Station, which includes a container for clean water and another for dirty water.

When the Switchbot S20 finishes mopping, it will automatically dry the roller mop with 50-degree Hot Air.

As mentioned earlier, the Switchbot S20 features a rubber anti-tangle brush, which is particularly handy if you have pets or a partner with long hair, like me. Also, this is the first time that I have seen a V-shaped side brush. According to Switchbot, this should prevent the brush from getting tangled.

The Switchbot S20 uses an AI cam and LIDAR to detect objects. It has a cliff sensor to prevent it from falling from stairs, and it can climb up to 2 centimeters of doorsteps. Additionally, it features a spotlight that automatically activates when it’s dark. You can select different cleaning types for various floor types, and it features carpet protection, allowing the mop to retract when it encounters a carpet. Furthermore, the suction power can automatically be increased when the Switchbot S20 cleans a carpet.

Installing

Installing was quite easy. I connected my Switchbot S20 to my watering and plumbing system using the connectors that came with it. You have a variety of options to connect it to your plumbing system, so I think it will be possible to connect it to virtually every type of plumbing system available. After that, you just need to let the Switchbot S20 conduct a test run on your floor, and it will automatically detect the room’s size and boundaries.

The App

The app is straightforward. You can set the cleaning type required for each room, define schedules, and select various other settings, such as defining multiple maps, specifying actions for the robot vacuum when it encounters a carpet, adjusting audio settings, and more.

Home Assistant

The SwitchBot S20 supports Matter over WiFi for Matter 1.4, allowing you to connect it to Home Assistant. This way, you can control the Switchbot S20 directly using Home Assistant without needing a Switchbot Hub. The controls are limited, though. You can only start, stop, and return the robot to its docking station.

Testing

Okay, enough about the specifications. Let’s see how it performs. I created some tests that I will show you now.

Let’s see how the Switchbot S20 avoids various objects that I’ve placed in the room.

I start with some shoes. As you can see, the Switchbot S20 avoids the shoes nicely without even touching them.

Now let’s test a sock. Initially, the Switchbot S20 failed to detect the sock, but after a few false detections, it successfully identified the sock and subsequently avoided it.

The third object is a small cat toy. Let’s see if the Switchbot S20 detects it. This totally failed. The Switchbot S20 did not detect it at all and simply ran over it. I thought that maybe the glare of the sun played a role in this, but even after closing my curtains, the cat toy was not detected.

Now let’s test the fourth object, which is a phone charging cable. Cables are often a problem with robot vacuum cleaners, so I was curious how the Switchbot S20 would handle them. As you can see, the cable was not initially detected, but the Switchbot S20 detected it very soon after the first attempt and subsequently avoided it. That is good news because with older robot vacuums, I always had the issue of cables getting tangled in the vacuum cleaner.

By the way, what was somewhat amusing was that when the robot finished cleaning and returned to the charging dock, it no longer detected the cable and simply pulled it to the charging dock… Detection only seems to work during vacuuming, not when the robot returns to the charging dock. So, detection was “almost” perfect.

One of the most annoying things in my house is that my cat spills cat litter all over the place. Because I have a wooden floor with grooves, cat litter always gets stuck between them. Let’s test if the Switchbot S20 has sufficient suction power to remove cat litter from the grooves. As you can see, even with the maximum suction power, there is still some cat litter left in the grooves. Most of it is gone, but even the Switchbot S20 cannot clean the grooves in my wooden floor. I also tested it on my kitchen floor, which does not have grooves. Here, the cat litter was removed completely. One thing I noticed is that cat litter is spread around by the side brush, but the Switchbot S20 cleans most of it afterward when it is set to clean the floor twice. For those who noticed that not all corners were cleaned. You are correct. I defined a small area in my kitchen to test this, excluding the corners.

The last test I did was testing the roller mop. I spilled quite a lot of milk and was curious how the Switchbot S20 would handle this. To my surprise, the milk was detected, and the Switchbor S20 avoided the milk. This is a good thing, because too much fluid would damage the robot vacuum. This time, I spilled a bit less milk, and the Switchbot S20 successfully cleaned the floor and the spilled milk.

Price

The Switchbot S20 costs €799.99 and can be bought via the links in the description. The price is significantly lower than that of its competitors that have the same or less functionality. I think you get great value for money with this robot vacuum.

Conclusion

I have three Switchbot robot vacuums in my house, and I am satisfied with them. The best thing for me about the Switchbot S20 is that it has even more suction power than the Switchbot S10. I am pleased with this robot vacuum, especially since I own a large cat that sheds a lot of hair. This robot vacuum saves me a lot of work in everyday cleaning. A robot vacuum is never a complete replacement for your regular vacuum cleaner, but it’s still worth the investment in my opinion.

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