PCMag: eufy RoboVac 11S Review

February 1, 2019


PCMag: eufy RoboVac 11S Review





No virtual barriers or app control. Limited scheduling options.



The eufy RoboVac 11S is an affordable, frills-free robot vacuum that’s small enough to clean under even the lowest furniture.

You no longer have to spend a fortune to get an excellent robot vacuum. The eufy RoboVac 11S is an update to one of our favorite budget models, the RoboVac 11, and delivers powerful, efficient cleaning performance in a more compact form factor for the same $219.99. While you won’t find advanced features like app or voice control, the RoboVac 11S is one of the quietest vacuums we’ve tested, and small enough to clean under just about everything in your home. It’s a strong option if you have low-clearance furniture or paper-thin walls, though the Ecovacs Deebot N79S remains our Editors’ Choice for offering phone control and Amazon Alexa compatibility for just $10 more.

Design and Features

The RoboVac 11S looks very similar to the original RoboVac 11. Its circular body is darker in color, which makes the eufy logo at the bottom slightly less noticeable. It’s also smaller, measuring 12.8 inches in diameter and 2.8 inches tall, compared with the original’s 13.0-inch diameter and 3.0-inch height. That makes the RoboVac 11 the shortest robot vacuum we’ve tested, and perfect for getting under especially low coffee tables, couches, and media consoles.

Eufy Robovac 11s

On top of the vacuum, the oval power button doubles as an indicator light. It flashes orange while charging, blue when the battery is full, and red if there’s an error. The front edge of the vacuum is home to the bumper, which also houses its infrared sensors. On the opposite end is the surprisingly large 0.6L dustbin, the bottom of which has a handy error troubleshooting chart. Underneath, you’ll find two spin brushes, a nose wheel, two main treads, a rolling brush, charging contacts, and drop sensors.

The included remote is oblong in shape and has a monochrome display at the top. The left side of the screen tells you the current cleaning mode, while the right side is divided into thirds. The top tells you the time, the middle indicates suction power, and the bottom shows when your cleaning schedule is set. The buttons below are all labeled with icons, while a key on the opposite side provides a more detailed explanation of what they do. Unfortunately, you can’t customize schedules for the 11S like you can with many other robots. For example, you can’t have it clean at one time Monday and Wednesday, and a different time Tuesday and Friday; once you set a time, it will clean at that same time every day.

In the box, you also get a charging dock, a power adapter, two AAA batteries for the remote, a cleaning tool, two spare side brushes, and two spare filters. There are no virtual barriers, and you can’t section off areas you don’t want to clean using the remote, so you’ll need to do it the old-fashioned way, by blocking the vacuum’s path with something it can’t scoot underneath.

The RoboVac 11S busts dust just as well as robot vacuums that cost twice as much. In testing, it easily picked up a full bin of dirt, hair, and plenty of other odds and ends from the floor of PC Labs. It also has a BoostIQ suction mode that automatically increases cleaning strength on carpeted floors. I found this feature worked reliably in testing, and eliminates the need to manually change suction modes during cleaning sessions.

Some robot vacuums rely on a methodical cleaning method, following a clear path of relatively straight lines across one room before moving on to the next. The 11S, meanwhile, ping pongs across the room with no clear rhyme or reason, but still manages to cover every nook and cranny. And as mentioned earlier, its relatively short stature allows it to navigate under obstacles other vacuums can’t manage, saving you from needing to clean under furniture the vacuum can’t reach.

Bottom View

The 11S is also good at maneuvering across different types of flooring. It easily managed transitions between carpet and vinyl, and had no problems with raised edges. And while no vacuum is truly silent, the 11S is as quiet as they come. It’s barely noticeable when you’re in the same room, and if you have the TV on or music playing, you probably won’t hear it at all.

Battery life is solid, too. In tests, I got up to 100 minutes on a single charge, which should be sufficient for cleaning most apartments, and single floors of a house.

Comparisons and Conclusions

If you don’t need phone or voice control, the $220 eufy RoboVac 11S is a very good choice for the price. Its small form factor, powerful suction, quiet operation, and solid battery life make it a no-brainer for anyone with lots of low-profile furniture. For everyone else, however, the Ecovacs Deebot N79S is a slightly better bet. For just $10 more, it offers app control, better scheduling options, and Amazon Alexa compatibility, making it our Editors’ Choice for affordable robot vacuums.