Switchbot Floor Cleaning Robot S20 w/ Matter (review)

28th September 2025 The Editor Homekit, Robot Vaccums, switchbot 17 min read

The Switchbot S20 is the fourth robot vacuum to be reviewed on HomeKit News, and the sixth we’ve had in our home overall. Our first was the Roborock S6, followed by the SwitchBot K10+ Pro, then the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra, the Deebot X8 Pro Omni, and more recently the SwitchBot K11+. The S20 was delivered to me at the same time as the K11+. It’s an update to SwitchBot’s S10 and offers both vacuuming and mopping, along with an all-in-one base station. In many respects, it’s not vastly different from the S8 or X8 mentioned earlier.

There are a few differences, although most are due to missing rather than unique features. The price, however, currently at US$499.99 on amazon.com (standard price – US$799.99) is where things get interesting, as the S20 is far more accessible for those on a tighter budget. The key question is whether the savings from fewer features affect satisfaction or performance. Read on to find out.

THE S20 AND ASSOCIATED PARTS

The packaging was fairly plain, so I’m not going into any details on it on this occasion (did I hear a cheer?). The contents are fairly simple essentially, with the S20 itself and the base station that works with it.

Alongside the two main components, there’s also a plastic mat that sits in front of the base station. Unlike the ramps you’ll usually find with more expensive models, this mat simply protects your floor from condensation created by the hot air that’s blown through vents at the base of the station to dry the roller mop (more on that in a bit).

There’s also an included brush designed to allow you to access harder to reach parts of the base station, as well as clean the filter in the dust box of the vac, or to get at areas around the roller brush.

The final item in the package had me puzzled until I checked the manual: a small chalk-like square often referred to as a ‘Diatom Tile’. This sits in a recess at the base of the station, directly beneath the connectors that transfer clean and dirty water to and from the S20. Its job is to capture and absorb any drips, and it does so far more effectively than a sponge. It will need replacing at some point, though it should last a good while before that’s necessary.

THE SWITCHBOT S20

When SwitchBot first announced their new robots back in January, I wasn’t paying close enough attention and assumed the S20 would be the same size as the K10+, K10+ Pro, K20, and K11+ (248 x 248 x 92mm). As it turns out, the S20 is considerably larger than any of those models, coming in at 365 x 365 x 115mm, so it’s actually slightly larger than my other high-end robots. At first, this was a bit of a let-down, as I’d been hoping to review something that could not only vacuum and mop effectively, but also squeeze into smaller spaces and tighter gaps. In hindsight though, it’s clear that the more compact K11+ and its predecessors would struggle to house all the tech needed for proper mopping and continuous self-cleaning, so that surprise was really on me.

A quick look at the underside shows that the K11+ simply doesn’t have the space to accommodate both a roller brush and a roller mop. The S20, on the other hand, manages it and also doubles the number of underside sensors to six, with additional ones on the front and a single sensor on the side.

It’s worth noting that the K11+ can technically mop, but only by attaching the supplied ‘wet wipes’ – for want of a better term – to a plate that clips onto the underside, covering the roller brush. As you might expect, this approach to mopping is of limited effectiveness.

The roller mop on the S20 takes the opposite approach, as it not only scrubs and mops the floor by rotating, but is also continuously cleaned and supplied with fresh water. This ensures it isn’t simply spreading dirt around. The mop is concealed behind a side hatch, giving quick access for maintenance and replacement.

This does come with a minor disappointment, however; When the S20 was first revealed in January, it was shown with a sideways-extending roller mop (as per the image above), similar to my Ecovacs Deebot X8. That feature is absent in the final product, replaced instead by a fixed roller mop and the aforementioned manually controlled shutter. In addition, the side brush was originally intended to extend outwards (once again demonstrated in the image above), which is now a standard inclusion for most mid and high-tier vacuums. As a result, the S20 arrives as a slightly pared-back version of itself, which is a small but noticeable let-down.

Since the S20 is designed to wet and clean the mop as it works, it comes with a built-in water tank. My Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra also has a tank, but it’s smaller and not accessible, whereas the S20’s is fully reachable, making upkeep a little easier. There’s no need to fill the tank yourself, as that job is handled by the base station, although occasional maintenance is still required to keep bacterial growth at bay.

The top of the S20 looks much like many other robovacs, with a LiDAR turret and three physical buttons. The central button starts and stops cleaning, while the Home button sends the robot back to the dock or base station. The third button is a little different, as it lets you cycle through the three main cleaning modes: Vacuum, Vacuum and Mop, or Vacuum then Mop. Unfortunately, there’s no option for mopping alone, although that’s not unusual for combination robot vacuums.

The good news is that, although the central button stays lit both during cleaning and while docked (whether charging or not), you can schedule the illuminated buttons to switch off through the SwitchBot app. This also includes the LED Strip on the front of the base station, which is especially useful if you happen to have it located in your bedroom, like I do currently…

At the front is a camera that uses onboard AI Obstacle Avoidance. In practice, it’s performed well at steering clear of obstacles, though it’s a little less reliable at correctly identifying them. Detected objects are displayed on the map both during and after cleaning.

To support object detection, the S20 includes two spotlights – something my more expensive Ecovacs X8 doesn’t offer. These switch on automatically based on the lighting conditions, with no option for manual control.

Unlike my Roborock S8 and Ecovacs X8, the S20’s camera can’t be accessed directly by the user. How useful such a feature really is in practice, is open to debate.

THE BASE STATION

As can be found on the base stations for most robot vacuums, access to the dust bag and any other areas that are meant for human interaction is from behind a removable front panel. In the case of the S20, it’s very easy to remove and hides the aforementioned dust bag.

A bottle of floor cleaning fluid is included

There’s also a small shelf for storing the provided bottle of floor-cleaning solution. What didn’t immediately occur to me at first is that, unlike the often-mentioned S8 and X8, the S20 doesn’t have a mechanism to automatically dispense cleaning solution into the water supply. Instead, you need to add the correct ratio of liquid to the clean water tank yourself before starting a mopping run.

* A separate optional water station (mentioned later on) does have a mechanism that automatically dispenses cleaning fluid.

As you’d expect, the top of the unit houses the two water tanks mentioned earlier. Both are easy to lift out thanks to the horizontal handles, and each one is hinged at the back, making it simple to open and clean. It’s a noticeably smoother experience than with the S8, where accessing the tanks feels more of a chore, due to the placement of the hinges placed horizontally in the middle of the lids.

Clean water icon

Dirty water icon

The tanks are clearly labelled for clean and dirty water, although they’re designed to only slot into their correct recesses. This means there’s no risk of mixing them up or putting them in the wrong way round – a small but reassuring bit of design.

One feature that’s new to me is tucked away in the recess for the dirty water tank. At the base is a rotatable seal that contains a filter, which traps small debris collected during mopping. This debris can then be disposed of separately when you empty the dirty water. Pretty neat, especially if you want to avoid eventually clogging up your drains.

The lower section of the base station is dedicated to connections. Here you’ll find the square ports that extract dust into the replaceable bag, along with the inlets and outlets for clean and dirty water. There are also electrical contacts for charging the battery inside the S20, plus a black strip housing technology that helps guide the robot neatly into place on the dock.

Unlike my S8 and X8, which both use a recess in the base station to house mechanical cleaning parts for the mop, the S20 handles mop cleaning internally. Drying, however, is quite different. At the very bottom of the base station is a row of slim vents that blow hot air at around 50ºC across the exposed edge of the mop. The S20 then shifts the mop slightly once one section has dried, ensuring the entire surface is taken care of during the drying procedure. You’ll even hear the mop adjust its position during the process.

This is where the moisture-proof mat I mentioned earlier becomes important. It prevents the damp section of the mop from touching the floor while drying, and also shields the flooring from the hot air.

There’s nothing especially noteworthy about the back of the unit, apart from a built-in gutter that runs across the rear. This allows you to route the power cable neatly to either side, depending on where your outlet is located.

IN APPLE HOME

If you’ve not seen how robot vacuums appear in Apple Home, don’t get too carried away with what you think might be possible. It’s more advanced than it was in its early days, and certainly better than some devices, like IR remotes (via Matter) for example, but there are still unavoidable limitations compared to what the manufacturer’s own app gives you.

In Apple Home you’ll find the standard tile for quick control (start and stop), along with a more detailed set of options if you go beyond that. This expanded section lets you start, stop or pause cleaning, and send the vacuum back to its dock. Depending on what modes your robot supports, you’ll also see options such as Vacuum, Vacuum & Mop, or Mop Only. The S20 only offers the first two, which isn’t particularly surprising – none of the robots I’ve tested so far have included a Vac then Mop option either.

The good news is that with Matter 1.4, Apple Home users now have access to the rooms defined in the manufacturer’s app, making it possible to clean on a room-by-room basis. While you can’t yet assign specific cleaning modes to individual rooms, it’s still a welcome step forward.

What’s a bit frustrating – and this isn’t limited to the S20 – is that if you want to run a vacuum-only clean, you often only get the ‘Quick’ option, whatever that’s meant to be. By contrast, Vacuum & Mop provides choices like Quiet, Max, Deep Clean, and Automatic. It looks as though a future update to Matter 1.4 is intended to resolve this, making these options consistent regardless of the robovac brand.

The Settings panel is fairly standard, although unlike my S8 and X8, the S20 doesn’t display the battery percentage. It also doesn’t show the charging status, although it will indicate whether it’s fully charged (‘Ready’) or still charging (‘Charging’) on the main tile in Apple Home.

All my vacuums have a tappable option labelled ‘Play Sound to Locate’, but out of the four I own, only the Roborock S8 actually produces any audio (“Hey, I’m here”). Neither the K11+ nor the S20 make a sound, and the same goes for the Ecovacs X8.

Overall, having the S20 in Apple Home is still a net positive, as you can include it in automations and scenes. However, it’s not yet possible to trigger another HomeKit device based on the vacuum’s state, and that limitation applies to all Matter vacuums.

THE S20 IN THE SWITCHBOT APP

The Switchbot app is essential, not just for the initial setup (since that’s where the required Matter code is generated), but also for the additional features and information that no Matter platform currently provides. As far as I know, this applies to all robot vacuums.

Within the app, you get the standard tile which, much like Apple Home, gives you quick start and stop controls. Dig a little deeper and you’ll find the floor map. Since I live in an apartment, there’s only one floor to consider. As you can see, the S20 has already generated a map for me, and once the rooms are labelled, they’ll also appear in Apple Home.

The bottom third of the app presents three cleaning options – Full House, Room, and Area. ‘Full House’ is self-explanatory, sending the vacuum to clean every room. I never use this myself, as both bathrooms on my map have a large threshold step (also known as an ‘upstand’) that none of my vacuums can get over. The S20 would still attempt to clean these spaces but would inevitably fail.

The ‘Room’ option lets you clean on a room-by-room basis, although each room will use whichever cleaning mode is active at the time. You can see in the screenshots above that ‘Vac & Mop’ is currently selected.

The ‘Area’ option lets you define a specific zone (or multiple zones) for the S20 to clean. These zones are temporary, although the most recent one you set should still be retained when you return to the Area tab. These are all fairly commonplace options for robot vacs.

If you look at the last of the previous screenshots (Area), you’ll notice a circular icon with four arrows. Tapping on this opens a joystick-style UI that lets you control the S20 manually. From here you can also send it back to the dock, or choose ‘spot clean’, which focuses on the immediate area around the S20’s current position.

In the other screenshots you’ll see a map icon. Selecting this brings up a wide range of options related to mapping, such as backing up, restoring, or deleting a floor plan, setting no-go zones, and even editing the type of flooring or the direction it’s laid, which is mainly useful for wooden floors.

Going back to the first set of screenshots, just below the ‘Full House’, ‘Room’, and ‘Area’ options, you’ll find icons for the base station, a start/stop button, and the cleaning mode button.

The base station option provides a handful of basic controls, such as washing or drying the mop and emptying the dust tray. It also includes some extra features, like the ability to pair the vacuum with a separate water station in addition to the built-in water tanks in the base station.

The option to connect to a separate water station is one of the two features that set the S20 apart from other vacuums, the other being its ability to take water to a humidifier when it needs topping up. In my case, it would be more useful if water from a dehumidifier could be fed into the S20, making use of the excess water produced by Taiwan’s humid climate, but naturally this depends on your location and specific needs.

As previously mentioned, this standalone water station has a function that allows you to add cleaning fluid that is then added to the water automatically, without your intervention.

When it comes to the previously mentioned cleaning modes, each one has additional custom options;

Vac & Mop
- cleaning times (passes) – 1 or 2
- Suction power – Quiet, Standard, Strong, Max
- Mopping water level – Moist or wet
Vacuum
- cleaning times (passes) – 1 or 2
- Suction power – Quiet, Standard, Strong, Max
Vacuum then Mop
- cleaning times (passes) – 1 or 2
- Suction power – Quiet, Standard, Strong, Max
- Mopping water level – Moist or wet

The last option, labelled ‘Custom’, lets you set the cleaning mode for each room individually. For instance, you might only want to vacuum the corridor, but vacuum & mop the kitchen. You still get the same controls for the number of passes, suction power, and mopping water level, but the choices are limited to Vac & Mop or Vacuum. A Vac then Mop sequence isn’t available in this mode.

The Switchbot app also offers many more options, including Siri Shortcuts integration and device-specific features that work across the wider Switchbot ecosystem, but I’ll leave you to explore those further.

PERFORMANCE

Having previously tested the company’s K10+ Pro and more recently the K11+ alongside the S20, the most noticeable difference is the AI obstacle avoidance, which makes a huge impact. I mentioned before that the K10+ Pro was only passable when it came to avoiding objects, and the K11+ didn’t seem to improve on this. I never tried the S10, but the S20’s obstacle avoidance is pretty solid. It hasn’t been caught up on cables or wedged between chairs, though I haven’t had the chance to test it against fake dog poop. If anything – and I note this in the video too – the S20 can seem a little overcautious, giving objects a wider berth than necessary. Still, better too far than too near, especially with dog mess, right?

It’s difficult to demonstrate how well it vacuums in a written review, but I have found since reviewing the K10+ Pro, that after a certain level of pascal suction power, there isn’t any noticeable improvement. This is very much the case for hard floors, but may not so with carpeting, but as we don’t have carpets here it’s hard to give a definitive answer.

As for mopping, the roller brush doesn’t extend out like on the X8, so edge cleaning isn’t quite as good. However, it does a better job overall than my Roborock S8, which only has a flat vibrating mop. The S8’s vibrating mop does almost cover its full width, which the S20’s roller mop doesn’t, so in some ways it’s a trade-off.

At this price point you shouldn’t be surprised by a few omissions: there’s no option to access a live camera feed, no mechanism to automatically dispense cleaning fluid into the water tank, and no side-extending roller mop. That said, I feel an extending side brush should be standard on robot vacuums these days, so its absence is a bit disappointing.

I also noticed a minor quirk with both the K11+ and S20 when used in Apple Home. When sent to clean a specific room or rooms, the Home app shows the status as ‘Travelling’. The problem is that this status doesn’t update once cleaning starts, so the vac is shown as ‘Travelling’ throughout. Only once the task is complete does it switch to ‘Returning’ and then ‘Charging’. I’m sure this can be fixed with an update, so it’s not something I’ll dwell on too much.

Depending on the time of year, and whether Amazon has a sale on, the S20 may be worth considering if you’re on a budget. However, when compared to the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra, it clearly falls short on extra features, including Rocky, the built-in voice assistant. There are times when the S8 is available for a similar price to the S20 at full cost, so it’s worth weighing up your options carefully.

In summary, the S20 punches slightly above its weight given the price, and its cleaning performance is hard to fault, but it lacks some of the features I’ve grown used to with other brands.