Robot Vacuum S20
Limited evidenceRead the findings →Xiaomi's basic, compact mapping robot, with a damp cloth for mopping. It suits a small, tidy home with mostly hard floors. It pushes small things around, though, and all the upkeep falls to you.
See the alternatives below, or switch market.
Where it sits in Xiaomi’s range
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What we know
The one review we link here is Geek Review's test in a 70m² flat with a cat. It praised everyday pickup and quick mapping, but found missed corners, pushed bowls, a trapped curtain and a robot that didn't avoid simulated pet waste. That's a useful picture of life in one home. It's still too little to go on for an overall review label.
Geek Review, hands-on, Nov 2024
Tidy vacuuming, missed corners
Geek Review found it picked up small debris well and left virtually no missed patches, doing the edges first and then covering each room in a neat zigzag. The round body and short side brush meant fine dust stayed in corners, and next to long furniture it sometimes left a couple of centimetres unswept. It's thorough on open floors, but corners still need a stick vacuum now and then.
Clear the floor before it runs
Geek Review saw it push small objects and light toys around without noticing them, and shove light pet bowls until they spilled. It drove straight over a modelling-clay fake cat mess. On its first run it caught a floor-length curtain in the side brush and stopped with an error, and it only found mirrored wardrobe doors by bumping them. It did respect no-go zones drawn in the app, so use those.
Mopping is a damp wipe
On the medium setting, the single cloth moistens the floor about as much as a well-wrung mop, per Geek Review, and a back-and-forth mode goes over each area twice. It can't pick up spilt liquids. The cloth has to be washed and dried by hand after every mopping run or it starts to smell, which the reviewer found the most tedious job.
Copes with rugs and legs
Geek Review found it climbed onto rugs without trouble and hopped over 16mm laundry-rack legs, but couldn't get past a glass-topped bathroom scale. Cleaning a 70m² flat used about half the battery. Long hair wound round the main brush, and a cutting tool stored in the bin helps get it off.
This page covers the S20 (model D106) only, not the S20+.
Our take
Should you buy the Robot Vacuum S20?
Best for: Small, tidy flats needing regular vacuuming. Skip it if: You do not want to wash the mop pad yourself.
The S20 suits a small, tidy home with mostly hard floors if you are happy to empty the bin and wash the cloth yourself. The S20+ adds lifting, spinning mop pads, while the Tapo RV30 Max Plus adds automatic dust emptying. You will still need to clear small objects from the floor with either alternative.
The S20 is one of Xiaomi's most basic mapping robots, below the S20+. It's compact at 32.5cm across, maps your home with a spinning laser and cleans in neat rows, room by room. For mopping, you clip a single damp cloth under a combined bin and water tank, and it can run a back-and-forth pattern that goes over each patch twice.
The base only charges it. You empty the bin, fill the tank and wash and dry the cloth after each mopping run, and it can't lift the cloth for rugs.
Don't confuse it with the S20+. That model is a little bigger, has more suction and two spinning mop pads that lift on carpet, and its reviews don't apply to this one.
Before you buy
The questions people ask about this one
Will it avoid cables and pet mess?
No. Geek Review saw it push toys and bowls about and drive over a fake cat mess, and warns that cables can wrap round the brush. Clear the floor first, and draw no-go zones in the app round litter trays and food bowls.
Does it fit under low furniture?
It's 9.8cm tall including the laser turret, per the specifications. Geek Review listed the turret as a small limit on cleaning under low furniture, so measure gaps under sofas and beds first.
How often do I have to empty or refill anything?
The 400ml bin and 270ml water tank are combined, per the specifications, and you empty and fill them yourself. Geek Review found the bin easy to empty but the cloth needs washing and drying after every mopping run.
Does it need an account?
Yes. Geek Review set it up through the Xiaomi Home app, which asks you to add the robot, connect it to Wi-Fi and update the firmware. Maps are stored online through the app, which the reviewer flagged as a possible drawback.
Alternatives
Other robot vacuums to compare.
Q7 M5 / M5+
Why consider it: Another low-cost mapping robot that vacuums and lifts pet hair far better than its price suggests.
The compromise: It bumps into clutter too, and its charge-only dock means you empty the bin yourself.
RV30 Max Plus
Why consider it: A low-cost robot with laser mapping and a compact dock that empties the bin.
The compromise: Fine grit and sticky spills beat it, and mopping is only a clip-on pad.
Specs
Full specifications
Each specification names its source. Manufacturer claims are not independent test results; unconfirmed figures are labelled.
Owner reviews
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Sources
Where this page’s findings come from
Editorial reviews
Sources
Videos
- Lapi tech: Xiaomi Vacuum S20 Unboxing and Test ↗
- Critical Tech: Xiaomi Robot Vacuum S20 | Affordable Cleaning with Premium Features! ↗
- Search YouTube for Xiaomi Robot Vacuum S20 ↗Search results may include company demonstrations or similar models. Check the source and model name; a demonstration is not an independent performance test.