SwitchBot K11+ Review

SwitchBot K11+ Review: Introduction

• type: Vacuuming with basic mopping
• Docking: automatic emptying dock
• Navigation system: LiDAR with PSD distance sensor

A few years ago, SwitchBot (famous for its bot fingers and automatic curtain opening) took the lid off the SwitchBot K10+. It’s more compact than regular robot vacuums, designed for smaller homes and easily hidden out of sight.

A year later, the SwitchBot K10+ Pro adds even more heat to the K10+.

And now, SwitchBot has made its small arms triple threat with the launch of the K11+. The K11+ maintains the same design principles as its previous sibling, but has twice the suction power, comes with a more compact dock, and launches at a lower price point.

It’s a big upgrade, and the SwitchBot still leverages the K11’s small (well, mostly) differentiators, making it appealing to people who don’t want a giant robot vacuum or dock taking up space in their home.

At the time of writing, it costs $399 in the US and £399 in the UK, and while it’s 25% off during the launch period, it’s actually considerably less change than the K10+ Pro’s launch price of £599/$599.

But will it do the job as well as its bigger rivals? Read our comprehensive review of SwitchBot K11+ to learn more.

design and components

At first glance, the K11+ looks almost identical to its predecessor, with the same palm-sized footprint and rounded chassis that won’t be an eyesore in a small home.

At just 24.8 cm in diameter and 9.2 cm in height, it will slip under most furniture, but not as low as something like the Roborock Saros 10R, which is less than 8 cm tall.

By comparison, more “standard” sized robot vacuums, such as the Roborock Q5 Pro and Ecovacs Deebot T20, measure around 365 mm in diameter. Here’s what it looks like next to its big brother, the S20, which is part of the busy “normal” size market.

The real upgrade (downgrade?) here, at least in terms of size, is the new dock.

At just 24 x 18 x 25 cm, it’s definitely the smallest robot dock I’ve ever seen, and its small stature makes it easy to hide under a TV stand, next to a plant, under a sink, etc. if needed. But you might not actually want to hide it, because it looks so snazzy when the new wood-effect lid is added to the mix.

Despite the reduced form factor, it still houses a 4L anti-bacterial dust bag, enough for about 90 days of cleaning before needing to be replaced. It has the same capacity as the K10+ Pro, but in a much smaller chassis.

Like the K10 Duo, the station’s lid also features a slot to stash the mop tank and space for cleaning tools.

Coming back to the robot vacuum itself, the K11+ weighs just 2.3kg, making it easy to carry from floor to floor.

SwitchBot has upgraded the K11+’s main brush with a dual anti-tangle system and also added new V-shaped side brushes to prevent hair from getting tangled. This is the same approach used on the flagship S20, and it makes a noticeable difference, especially if you have pets.

There’s a LiDAR tower on top, but that’s not the only navigation technology on board. The K11+ also borrows from the S20 and includes a PSD sensor on the side to help with obstacle avoidance…but more on that in a bit.

The box also includes a spare bag, filter, side brush, and disposable mop wipes.

Features

If you’ve used SwitchBot gear before, setup is familiar territory. If you want to publish to Matter, just power it on, pair the app, and sync with SwitchBot Hub.

The K11+ uses LiDAR and PSD distance sensors to improve obstacle detection and mapping, and we actually found our initial maps to be faster and more accurate than the K10+ Pro.

It has all the expected features like room division, virtual walls, and exclusion zones, and you can save up to 5 maps for cleaning multiple floors.

However, there is no AI dodge here. If you’re not careful, the K11+ will happily get stuck in your shoes or tangled in cables. It also kept trying to fit under my AV unit even though the LiDAR tower was blocking it.

On the smart home front, SwitchBot is all about Matter. Hub 2 (or later) is exposed as a Matter-over-WiFi device. This currently means Apple Home users can natively schedule section cleaning, but broader Matter controls will expand as platform support improves.

Additionally, it integrates well with the SwitchBot ecosystem and works well with Alexa, Google Assistant, SmartThings, and even Home Assistant.

performance

The suction power has been doubled from the K10+ Pro’s 3,000Pa to 6,000Pa, and you’ll instantly feel the difference on rugs and carpets.

Hard floors cleaned up in one pass, and even on thick rugs I got results that the K10+ Pro struggled to match. It’s not on par with something like the Dreame X50 Ultra, but it’s much smaller and much cheaper.

If your home is primarily carpet, it’s probably not suitable for you, but in hardwood areas, it works great.

The SwitchBot claims to cover 100% of the floor and clean corners better. In testing, we found that despite being smaller than the S20, it actually grips edges well and gets into tight spaces well.

In fact, when tested side-by-side with the S20, the K11+ completed rooms about 10% faster and was better able to fill in small gaps.

Battery life is rated at up to 150 minutes in silent mode, and life decreases as suction power increases. It’s large enough for about 225 square meters and returns to the dock to charge and automatically restart when needed.

Although it’s not perfect. Without AI vision, it can be clumsy. As mentioned earlier, LiDAR towers have a habit of hitting furniture that doesn’t fit under them, and can still get caught on floating cables or hit by small objects like shoes or children’s toys.

Thanks to SilenTech, it’s down to 45dB in quiet mode, making it one of the quietest vacuums in its class.

Like the previous K10 and K10+ Pro, the K11+ only offers token mop functionality. Attach a disposable wipe and drag it across the floor. There is no water tank, scrubbing action, or carpet detection.

It can wipe away minor stains and spills, but it is not effective against dry stains or more severe stains.

If mopping is your priority, you might be better off with SwitchBot’s S20 or another dual-function robot.

final thoughts

The K11+ is the upgrade the mini series has been waiting for. Keeping the design small and practical, SwitchBot has made the dock even more compact, doubled the suction power, improved corner cleaning, integrated Matter support, and at the same time lowered the K10+ Pro’s launch price by a significant margin.

It’s still not a proper mopping robot replacement, and it doesn’t get around every obstacle like its more expensive AI-powered rivals, but for smaller households or people who want a fuss-free, compact robot vacuum that really cleans well, the K11+ is a winner.

Test method

When we publish a review, you can rest assured that it is the result of long-term testing.

Robot vacuums typically exist in an ecosystem, or a variety of products that all work in harmony. It is also designed to offer a variety of cleaning options. Therefore, it is impossible to use a robot vacuum cleaner for a week and give a verdict.

We test smart home kits all day every day, so we know what’s important and how a particular smart vacuum compares to the alternatives you’re considering.

Our reviews are comprehensive, objective and unbiased, and of course we don’t receive direct compensation to review devices.

For more information, read our guide on how to test robot vacuums.