Smart Home Reviews | The VergeThe Verge is about technology and how it makes us feel. Founded in 2011, we offer our audience everything from breaking news to reviews to award-winning features and investigations, on our site, in video, and in podcasts.2026-04-15T18:30:55+00:00https://www.theverge.com/rss/smart-home-review/index.xmlhttps://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/verge-rss-large_80b47e.png?w=150&h=150&crop=1Jennifer Pattison Tuohy<![CDATA[Ikea’s smart donut lamp is a sweet treat]]>https://www.theverge.com/?p=9118092026-04-15T14:30:55-04:002026-04-15T14:30:50-04:00
The Varmblixt is a smart donut-shaped light fixture that can sit on a table or be mounted on a wall. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
Ikea's popular Varmblixt lamp just got a smart home glow-up. The delightfully bulbous light now features color-changing, dimming, and smart home control. I tested the new smart lamp in my daughter's room and found it made a great bedside lamp and added a fun touch of ambiance to her space. While she's rarely a fan of me adding smart tech to her room, she did give this an "It's nice" accolade - high praise from my 15-year-old.
The donut lamp, as it's known for its distinctive shape resembling everyone's favorite sweet treat, can be wall-mounted or set flat on a table. It comes with a long power cable, which helps with placement, and differs …
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Jennifer Pattison Tuohy<![CDATA[How to ditch Ring’s surveillance network]]>https://www.theverge.com/?p=8909102026-03-23T11:53:05-04:002026-03-11T10:31:27-04:00
There are lots of options for video doorbells that store footage locally — including these from Eufy, Reolink, SwitchBot, Tapo, and Aqara. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
Recently, Ring ran a Super Bowl ad for its Search Party feature showing how it uses AI to scan footage from Ring cameras and video doorbells to help find lost dogs. It sounds neighborly — until you consider that the same system could theoretically search footage for anything or anyone.
Combined with longstanding concerns around Ring’s ties to law enforcement — including a recent proposed integration with law enforcement technology company Flock Safety — the ad has prompted some users to look for alternatives to Ring.
If you are uncomfortable continuing to use your Ring cameras and are wondering what to do, we’ve rounded up all your options: From how to lock down your Ring hardware if you don’t want to or can’t swap it out, to doorbell cameras that don’t rely on cloud-processing — including those that store footage locally.
Why are people looking to ditch Ring?
The core concern is that Ring footage is processed and stored in the cloud. While Ring encrypts videos in transit and at rest, the company can access footage while it’s processed for features such as AI-powered video descriptions, video search, and Search Party.
While Ring has said that it does not share data or video footage with ICE or any federal law enforcement agencies, and that only its users can share their footage with local law enforcement, many people are concerned about what might happen if Ring changes its policies.
Ring maintains that it is not conducting mass surveillance. However, Ring’s founder and CEO Jamie Siminoff continues to be vocal in his belief that more cameras and more AI can help solve crime. He was the one who brought back video sharing with law enforcement after his predecessor ended the company’s prior police-sharing feature.
Ring — like any cloud provider — can be compelled to provide footage in response to legal requests, but Ring’s cozy relationship with law enforcement is cause for concern for many users. Additionally, the recent case of Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, in which Google retrieved supposedly lost Nest doorbell footage, illustrates how cloud video can persist longer than you might expect.
“I do not trust Ring not to have a deal with Flock later down the line.”
Distrust of Ring’s motives appears to be widespread, prompting an uptick of interest in its competition. Representatives for smart home security companies SimpliSafe and Reolink told me they saw a significant increase in web traffic and, in some cases, sales, in February following Ring’s Super Bowl ad.
I also spoke to some users who have decided to switch. Tim Anderson, a former IT director in the Chicago suburbs, told me that it was the Search Party ad pushed him to reconsider Ring. “I didn’t get the cameras to be a dragnet for law enforcement; I got them to protect my property.”
Another longtime customer said he removed his Ring doorbell after hearing about the Flock integration (which Ring has since cancelled) and is now considering a system that gives him full local control like Reolink. “I do not trust Ring not to have a deal with Flock later down the line,” he told me.
If you’re similarly concerned about the direction Ring is moving, this article lays out the options you have for using a video doorbell or security cameras in your home without worrying about potentially feeding a surveillance network.
Here, I go over how to opt out of Ring’s new features if you want to keep your hardware. Then I cover how to choose a new doorbell if you want to ditch Ring — including the difference between cloud versus local storage, what end-to-end encryption is, and the best options for each case.
Keep Ring, but on your terms
Removing and replacing installed security cameras can be a hassle. If you want to keep your existing hardware but opt out of features that could potentially contribute to broader surveillance networks, here are some steps you can take to lock down your doorbell and other Ring cameras:
Angle the camera to only catch your front door or property. If that’s not possible, enable privacy zones in the app to block out any “public” areas.
Opt out of a cloud subscription. If you don’t pay for Ring’s subscription service, the Ring doorbell will not record video, but you’ll have to be quick to answer that alert on your phone if you want to see who is at the door.
Turn off AI features. If you want the recorded video but don’t like the idea of the AI features, including the recently added facial recognition, turn them off in the Ring app settings under Ring AI Features.
Turn off Search Party. This feature allows Ring’s AI to search the footage of your outdoor cameras for lost dogs and wildfires (currently). This is enabled by default. Go to the Control Center in the Ring app, select Search Party, and click through to disable.
Opt out of Community Requests. This feature allows users to share footage with local law enforcement through Ring’s technology partner Axon. (Ring cancelled its planned Flock Safety integration.) Go to the Neighbors section of the Ring app, tap the settings icon, select Neighborhood Settings, then Feed Settings, toggle off Community Requests. You can also disable the Neighbors app integration entirely through the Control Center.
Enable end-to-end encryption. Ring already encrypts footage in transit and at rest, but many of its features require access to your footage for processing. E2EE locks it down so that only you, not Ring, can access it. You can enable this on most Ring cameras, but you do lose access to several features, including rich notifications and person alerts.
Pick a doorbell that doesn’t process video in the cloud
Internet-connected home security cameras store and process recorded footage in three ways:
Cloud first — Video is processed and stored on a company’s servers. Examples include Ring, Nest, Wyze, Arlo, and Blink. These systems typically require a subscription, and while most also offer local storage, it’s often deprecated in favor of cloud video.
Local first — Video is stored and processed locally on the device, a hub, or a local server. Examples include Eufy, Tapo, Reolink, and Aqara. Cloud storage may be available as a backup.
Hybrid — Video is processed locally and stored in the cloud with end-to-end encryption. Examples include Ecobee, Philips Hue, and cameras that support Apple HomeKit Secure Video.
Cloud first is the least private option. Alongside concerns about companies intentionally sharing your video are the worries about unintentionally doing so.
Wyze, Ring, and Anker-owned Eufy have suffered major security flaws in the past that exposed their users’ videos. While all three companies say they have resolved the issues, the concerns about the vulnerability of the cloud are real.
If you don’t want any cloud exposure, choose local storage. If you want cloud convenience with stronger protections, choose E2EE.
If you do choose to use the cloud to store your footage, look for companies that require two-factor authentication and offer a high level of encryption, ideally end-to-end, which is what the hybrid method uses. This ensures the company cannot access your videos.
Local storage is the most private, as in theory it never leaves your home. A big advantage here is that you don’t have to pay any subscription fees to store your video, though the base stations that most companies offer for expanded storage cost around $200, adding to the initial cost.
One downside of both local and hybrid systems is that local processing of footage to generate smart alerts for packages, people, etc., isn’t as effective as cloud-based solutions, which can leverage their servers’ greater computational power to analyze footage. But that may change.
You also can’t get “rich” notifications without the cloud, which includes a snapshot of what the camera saw. However, if all you want to know is who is at your front door, you might not miss these features.
Put simply, if you don’t want any cloud exposure, choose local storage. If you want cloud convenience with stronger protections, choose an end-to-end encrypted system.
Best doorbells with end-to-end encryption
The cloud isn’t inherently bad. If a service uses end-to-end encryption, no one but you can access your footage, no matter where it’s stored, so companies can’t be compelled to hand over footage to authorities.
These are the current options that support E2EE (in addition to Ring, as previously mentioned). One notable benefit of these over the local storage options mentioned later is a more polished app experience and easier setup, but you will have to pay to store your video in the cloud.
Power: Battery or hardwired/ Video: 1080p / Connectivity: Dual-band Wi-Fi / Smart alerts: Person, vehicle, packages, animals, facial recognition / Cloud storage: iCloud +, starting at $1 a month
HomeKit Secure Video is Apple’s smart home video solution that processes footage from compatible cameras locally on your Apple TV or HomePod. This enables smart alerts for people, animals, vehicles, and packages, as well as facial recognition through the Apple Home app, where you can view livestreams and recorded video. It stores video in the cloud using E2EE.
HKSV has some limitations: you need to be in Apple’s ecosystem and have an iCloud + subscription. Video resolution is limited to 1080p, and the smart alerts are unreliable. Another problem is that only three brands of doorbells support HomeKit Secure Video – Aqara, Logitech, and Belkin — and Belkin’s Wemo has been discontinued.
If you go this route, consider the Aqara G410, which I cover in the local storage section, or the older (and cheaper) Aqara G4.
Power: Hardwired / Video: 2K / Connectivity: Dual-band Wi-Fi, Zigbee / Smart alerts: People, animals, vehicles, and packages (with subscription) / Cloud storage: 24 hours free, $39.99 a year
I haven’t tested the Hue doorbell yet, but on paper, it’s a solid, privacy-focused option that offers end-to-end encryption, 24 hours of free video history, and locally processed alerts. But you do have to pay for smart alerts.
It’s a good option if you’re in the Hue ecosystem — it connects to the Hue bridge via Zigbee, so your lights can turn on when it detects motion.
Best doorbells with local storage
If you don’t want to store your video in anyone’s cloud, you have a few options.
A simpler option is to choose a video doorbell that offers local storage, meaning video is recorded and stored locally on a microSD card in the device or on a home base or base station. Popular options include Anker’s Eufy, TP-Link’s Tapo, Reolink, and Aqara.
If you have just one or two cameras, the microSD card route is easiest. Bear in mind, you will need to buy these separately in most cases. If you are looking to build out a larger security system, a hub lets you store video from multiple cameras in one place and offers more storage capacity.
Another benefit of a hub setup from an established security company is the ability to run local AI to provide “smart alerts” — notifications when the camera spots a person, package, animal, and vehicle — as well as more advanced features like facial recognition and video search.
Most systems let you view locally stored footage on your smartphone, both when you’re on your local network and when you’re away from home, using a peer-to-peer connection between your phone and the device. This also means you should still get recordings if the internet goes down.
I’ve been testing products from Eufy, Reolink, and Aqara for several years now, and one thing you will miss if you switch from a cloud-first brand like Ring is the app experience. While the user interfaces have improved significantly, they are still often obtuse and complicated to navigate. Eufy and Tapo have the cleanest apps, followed by Aqara, whereas Switchbot and Reolink’s are rougher around the edges.
Here’s a rundown of the best video doorbells with local storage:
Power: Battery or hardwired / Video: 2K / Connectivity: 2.4GHz Wi-Fi / Smart alerts: People, packages, pets, and vehicles / Optional cloud storage: $2.79 per month
This is a great budget option that ticks most boxes. It can record to a microSD card in the device or to Tapo’s H500 Hub and offers 24/7 recording when wired. Read my full review.
Power: Battery or hardwired / Video: 2K video / Connectivity: Dual-band Wi-Fi / Smart alerts: Person, vehicle, packages / Optionalcloud storage: Reolink Cloud $5.99 a month
A good option for users looking to integrate cameras into an advanced local networking setup, Reolink supports local storage via microSD or Reolink’s Home Hub and works with FTP servers, Home Assistant, and NAS systems. It supports protocols such as RTSP and ONVIF. Read my review.
Power: Battery or hardwired / Video: 2K / Connectivity: Dual-band Wi-Fi, Thread, Zigbee / Smart alerts: Person and motion (more with subscription) / Optional cloud storage: HomeKit Secure Video or Aqara’s HomeGuardian
This is a good choice if you want to use Apple’s HomeKit Secure Video or if you’re invested in Aqara’s smart home system, as it also acts as a Zigbee, Thread, and Matter smart home hub.
Along with HKSV, it has local storage via a microSD card housed in the included 95dB indoor chime/hub. It will also work with Aqara’s upcoming Home Station M410 and supports RTSP, so you can send its feed to a third-party client such as your NAS or Home Assistant.
Power: Battery or hardwired / Video: 2K / Connectivity: Dual-band Wi-Fi / Smart alerts: Person and motion (vehicle, pet, and facial recognition with HomeBase) / Optional cloud storage: Eufy Cloud $3.99 a month
Eufy has one of the best apps and most robust smart alerts, including free local facial recognition. If you want more bells and whistles from your local cameras, this is the one to get. Eufy is also the only company that has a removable battery option — all the others listed require you to remove the doorbell to charge the battery (although you’ll need to bump up to the C31 model for $35 more).
It offers local storage via a microSD card and, when connected to the Eufy HomeBase 3, provides free vehicle and pet detection, facial recognition, and more storage. Eufy says all processing is local, except when you enable push notifications, which “temporarily” store images in the cloud.
Note: Eufy had some major security issues in 2022, including that its video streams were not natively end-to-end encrypted, as it had previously stated. The company says it has fully rearchitected its systems and hired a third-party security researcher to audit them. Today, Eufy maintains that “Our security solutions have been designed to operate locally and, wherever possible, avoid using the cloud,” according to spokesperson Brett White.
Power: Battery or hardwired / Video: 2K / Connectivity: 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi / Smart alerts: Person and motion (vehicle and pet with subscription) / Optional cloud storage: $3.99 a month/ $34.99 a year
The SwitchBot doorbell is a good solution for people who want an interior screen for viewing doorbell footage and don’t want to rely on cloud-based options like Amazon’s Echo Show or Google Nest smart displays. It comes with a separate small screen that serves as a hub, intercom, and chime, and can store up to 4GB of recorded video (upgradeable).
Switchbot just launched a $259.99 AI Hub with expandable storage up to a whopping 16TB that enables AI features such as on-device facial recognition.
It comes down to who you trust
There are a lot of options outside of Ring, and while I didn’t discuss them here, companies such as Google Nest, Arlo, and Blink (also Amazon-owned) all offer good cloud-first solutions and don’t have advertised relationships with law enforcement. You can read more about these in my guide to the Best Video Doorbells.
One thing to note when looking for the most privacy-focused video doorbell is that the local storage brands listed here are Chinese companies, while those that mostly use the cloud are based in the US or Europe.
This leaves you to weigh two different types of trust: trusting the technology or trusting the company behind it. My advice is to go with a company you trust.
For now, though, when it comes to choosing a video doorbell, you still have to decide which tradeoffs make you the most comfortable, if any.
Photos by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
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Jennifer Pattison Tuohy<![CDATA[Shark’s latest robot vacuum hunts stains with UV light]]>https://www.theverge.com/?p=8881792026-03-03T15:24:29-05:002026-03-03T15:07:38-05:00
The Shark PowerDetect UV Reveal is SharkNinja's latest robot vacuum and mop. A flagship model with a multifunctional dock that empties the dustbin and refills and washes its mop, the Reveal's signature feature is a UV light designed to "find" stains on your floors. It costs $1,299.99 and is available now.
Combined with an RGB camera to detect visible messes and obstacles, the UV light lets the vacuum spot stains that aren't visible under normal lighting, such as pet urine. When it encounters dirt, visible or not, the robot uses onboard AI to identify and decide how to clean it.
Its cleaning tools include a vacuum with a single roller brus …
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Jennifer Pattison Tuohy<![CDATA[I didn’t expect to love Dyson’s PencilVac Fluffycones – but I did]]>https://www.theverge.com/?p=8729812026-03-29T12:33:10-04:002026-02-03T11:00:00-05:00
As The Verge's resident robot vacuum reviewer, I don't have a lot of time (or space) in my life for stick vacs, and frankly, the ones I have used have largely disappointed me. Top-heavy, bulky, always getting clogged or running out of battery - they're so… manual. But then I met PencilVac Fluffycones, Dyson's new $599 cordless stick vacuum, and it was love at first lift.
The name PencilVac Fluffycones perfectly describes this delightfully overengineered broom. If more vacuums had such whimsical names, my life would be much fuller. It's very thin and light, like a pencil, and it has fluffy, cone-shaped rollers that glide across floors as if …
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Jennifer Pattison Tuohy<![CDATA[The best robot vacuum and mop to buy right now]]>https://www.theverge.com/?p=6254092026-01-30T12:04:02-05:002026-01-30T11:20:11-05:00
Robot vacuums that can both mop and sweep your floors have improved significantly in recent years. While they are still not as effective as good ol’ manual labor, if you run them regularly, they will help keep your floors cleaner with much less effort on your part.
The difference is that newer “combo” robot vacuum-and-mop models are designed to actually scrub your floors. The first robot vacuums that could also “mop” simply slapped a thin, flat microfiber pad on the bot that kind of Swiffer-ed your floor. Basically, all this was good for was getting up fine dirt that the vacuum left behind.
A robot vacuum with a real mopping system will make your life easier
Today’s models come with vibrating or oscillating mop pads or roller mops. Most have onboard water tanks to keep the mops wet while in use, and many can wash and dry their mops in their charging docks, which also automatically empty and refill their water tanks, meaning less work for you.
While most robot vacuums today have some sort of mopping feature, this guide focuses on those that excel at mopping. If you’re more interested in the best vacuum, check out my guide to floor-sweeping bots.
The downside to these combo bots with serious mopping chops is that they tend to be bigger and heavier and need more frequent intervention than regular vacuum bots. Water equals gunk, and cleaning their giant multifunction docks, even the self-cleaning ones, can be an icky job. You also have to empty and refill their tanks about once a week.
Mopping bots also need to return to their docks more frequently than robot vacuums in order to refill their onboard water tanks. This means they’ll take longer to clean your floors than a dedicated vacuuming model, but they are doing two jobs at once. Robot mops with roller mops will self-clean as they work, negating this issue, but these models are also the biggest and bulkiest, as they carry a larger water tank.
Combo bots can mop and vacuum simultaneously, but for especially dirty floors, it’s best to have the option to vacuum first and then mop. A mop-only mode is also good, as you can send the bot to clean up a wet spill without it sucking up water — something they’re not designed to do yet.
If you have a lot of hardwood or tile floors and constantly struggle with muddy paw prints or the general dirtiness of life with multiple pets, people, and kids, a good robot vacuum-and-mop combo will definitely make your life easier.
Best mopping robot vacuum
Roborock Qrevo Curv 2 Flow
Roborock’s first roller-mop robot vacuum, the Curv 2 Flow, features flagship specs at a mid-range price. Including excellent mopping, a retractable mop cover, 20,000Pa suction, AI-powered obstacle avoidance, and a compact design.
Multifunction dock: Yes / Mapping: Yes, lidar / AI-powered obstacle detection: Yes / Suction power: 20,000Pa / Remote check-in: Yes / Brush style: Single, rubber / Mop style: Roller mop / Mop lift: Yes, 15mm, with a shield / Mop washing: Yes, with hot water and warm air drying / Edge cleaning: Mop extension / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Matter
My top picks for the best robot vacuum — the Matic and Roborock Saros 10 — are both excellent mopping bots as well as vacuums. But, if you are looking for a robot vacuum that excels at mopping, then Roborock’s new Qrevo Curv 2 Flow is my top recommendation.
Roborock’s first robot vacuum with a roller mop, the Curv 2 Flow’s features a new “SpiraFlow” cleaning system that demolished all my mopping tests. Roborock may be a bit late to the roller-mop game, but it brought the goods. The Flow is also a terrific vacuum with 20,000Pa of suction, and you get all of this for $999 — most top bots in this category cost well over $1,000.
Roborock’s VibraRise system (a flat mopping pad that vibrates to simulate scrubbing) has long been its signature wet-floor cleaning solution, and it’s one I think works very well. But it is slow. The new roller mop on the Flow gives you a much faster deep clean than the flat pad method (which is on the Saros 10).
At almost 11 inches, the mop is also one of the longest I’ve tested, plus it extends outward to reach along baseboards and edges of furniture. It self-cleans as it works, and a built-in scraper squeegees away the dirty water. It uses an impressive 15 newtons (about 3.3 pounds) of downward pressure that made quick work of my dried-on ketchup test.
The Flow did a great job of automatically detecting carpets and deploying its retracting mop cover, and it can also identify both hardwood and tile, as well as adjust cleaning strategies. When it spotted my spilled OJ test, it automatically switched to mop-only mode to avoid sucking the sticky juice into its bin.
Its single DuoDivide brush does a good job on carpet and hardwood floors, and the unique design prevents hair tangles by funneling hair into the center, where it is sucked into the bin.
I’m a big fan of the Qrevo Curv dock, which, as the name implies, features a curved design that looks more attractive in an open-plan space than the boxy docks that come with most robot vacs. It’s compact yet still has enough room for large water tanks and a disposable dust bag. The dock also features removable parts for easy cleaning, which is key to keeping these docks from getting grungy.
The lidar-based navigation on the Curv 2 Flow is very good, although, as with all roller mop bots I’ve tested, it struggled to get into and out of tighter spaces. This is because they’re heavier and bulkier than non-roller mop bots, as they have to carry a larger onboard water tank and make room for that big mop. It was able to lift itself up slightly to navigate my high-pile, large-tassel living room carpet, something other roller-mop bots have struggled with.
Obstacle avoidance is on par with that of a midrange vacuum. It has Roborock’s Reactive AI, which uses a camera and structured light to detect and avoid up to 200 obstacles as small as 3cm high and 5cm wide, according to the company. It did a good job dodging socks, shoes, and pet toys, but it did get tripped up by the occasional cable. If you want top-notch detection, you’ll need to bump up to the Saros 10.
Best robot vacuum and mop for a mix of hard floors and rugs
If you have a lot of fluffy rugs or carpets as well as hard floors, the Dreame X50 Ultra is the best robot vacuum and mop for you. It’s not quite as good at mopping as my top pick, but it’s better suited for high-pile carpet and rugs because it can automatically drop and reattach its spinning mopping pads during vacuuming. This means it becomes a vacuum-only bot when tackling carpets, without the hindrance of carrying a large roller mop or water tank. It’s also more agile and better at handling fluffy rugs and carpets.
The big upgrade on the X50 compared to the X40 Ultra (a previous pick) is the addition of a “motorized swing arm” that functions like a leg, which allows it to maneuver over higher thresholds (up to 6cm). This new mechanism means it can get into more spaces — like over the high transition from my bedroom into my bathroom — and more easily tackle obstacles such as high-pile rugs.
It also has higher suction power and a much-improved brush system that uses dual rubber rollers. It did an excellent job in my oatmeal-on-carpet tests, sucking up every last flake.
The X50 maintains the X40’s excellent mopping capabilities, including the ability to automatically extend its mop pads and swing them to reach under your cabinets and consoles, letting it get further than even the longest extendable roller mop. Its new, retractable lidar tower also helps it reach under lower furniture.
Obstacle detection is powered by a camera and structured light, and did okay in testing, although it did suck up the occasional sock. The downside of Dreame vacuums is the app, which frequently crashes and can take a while to load. When it works, however, it offers plenty of features and customization options to tailor your cleaning to your home.
Best robot vacuum and mop for hard floors
Narwal Flow
The Flow has one of the best roller mops we tested, and it offers top-notch vacuuming and excellent obstacle avoidance. It can also hook directly into your plumbing, and while a low mop lift and some navigation issues hold it back, it’s ideal for tackling hard floors like tile.
Multifunction dock: Yes / Mop style: Roller mop / Mop washing: Yes, hot water and hot air drying / Mop lift: Yes, 12mm / Edge cleaning: Yes / Mapping: Yes, lidar / AI-powered obstacle detection: Yes / Suction power: 22,000Pa / Vacuum brush style: Single, conical rubber bristle hybrid / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Siri Shortcuts
Narwal has consistently had the best mopping bots in my testing, though most have sacrificed vacuuming for mopping prowess. The Flow is one of the first bots from Narwal that does both really well, even if the mop is still the star.
The company’s first model with a self-cleaning roller mop, the Flow’s flat, wide-track-style mop has more surface area than any of the other bots I tested and passed all my mopping tests with flying colors. Wider than Roborock’s Curv 2 Flow mop and as long, it can also extend to reach into corners and along baseboards. It did very well in my mopping tests, even getting up the dried ketchup from tile grout.
I like that the Flow can recognize various floor materials (tile, hardwood, marble, etc.), clean in the direction of the flooring, and automatically adjust its pressure and “mopping humidity” based on the floor type. It uses higher humidity on tile floors than on wood floors, which can be impacted by excessive moisture.
As mentioned, vacuuming is much improved over some of Narwal’s previous models, with 22,000Pa of suction power and an excellent cone-style anti-tangle brush roll that rarely gets wrapped in hair. Its obstacle detection is great, too, and relies on a dual-camera system to identify and avoid obstacles. It also has a handy dirt detection feature that makes the bot go back and forth over a stain or dirty area to ensure it’s cleaned.
However, navigation on Narwal’s previous robots has been spotty, and the new tower-less lidar here hasn’t improved things. While it means the bot is slimmer and can get under lower furniture, it did get confused and stuck a few times during testing.
The Narwal also doesn’t handle high-pile rugs well, as there’s still only a 12mm mop lift and no mop cover, but you can set it to skip carpets entirely.
My biggest problem with the Flow is one that plagued prior models: the Narwal app. It’s not easy to navigate, gets hung up between screens, and frequently disconnects from the robot.
I love that Narwal also offers the option to use a dock that connects to your plumbing, which eliminates the chore of emptying and refilling the robot’s water tanks.
Best budget robot vacuum and mop
Roborock Q10 S5 Plus
A budget robot vacuum and mop without a multifunction dock. It has AI-powered obstacle avoidance, sonic mopping, auto mop lifting, and an auto-empty dock.
Multifunction dock: No, auto-empty only /Mop style: Vibrating flat pad / Mop washing:No / Mop lift:Yes, 8mm / Edge cleaning:No / Mapping:Yes, lidar / AI-powered obstacle detection:Yes / Suction power: 10,000Pa / Brush style: Single bristle / rubber hybrid / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Siri Shortcuts
Roborock’s Q10 S5 Plus is a budget robot with flagship features, including AI-powered obstacle avoidance, automatic carpet detection, and support for Roborock’s fantastic app.
It uses Roborock’s excellent VibraRise vibrating mopping system that actually scrubs your floors, and it can lift its mop up to 8mm to pass over low-pile carpets. All this can be had for under $400, at least when it’s on sale.
There’s no multifunction dock, so you need to manually fill its onboard water tank (which is integrated with its bin), but it does come with a compact auto-empty dock. If you can handle emptying its large onboard bin yourself, you can ditch the dock and pick up the Q10 S5 for even less.
Its lidar-based mapping and navigation system did a good job. Plus, using the excellent Roborock app, you can set specific rooms to clean, create no-go zones, and customize cleaning methods — including how it mops — features few bots in this price range offer.
Other robot vacuum / mops to consider
My previous top pick in this guide, the $1,099.99 Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni, is an excellent robot mop with an extendable mop that can lift slightly over carpets. It has 18,000Pa suction and uses lidar and cameras for navigation and obstacle detection. Its multifunction dock is attractive and easy to use, but it doesn’t have a retractable mop cover, and its roller is much shorter than the Qrevo Curv 2 Flow’s.
Another previous pick, Narwal’s $1,499.99 Freo Z Ultra, is a mopping bot with dual spinning pads and a fluffy side brush to polish your baseboards. Its triangular spinning mop pads are particularly effective on tile grout, making this a good option for tile floors. It has 12,000Pa of suction power and a sleek-looking multifunction dock.
The $899.99 Eufy X10 Pro Omni, a previous pick, is a terrific budget option that features a multifunction dock that can wash its mop and drain and refill its water tank. It features 8,000Pa of suction power and has good obstacle detection for this price range.
The $1,499.99 Ecovacs X11 OmniCyclone is a bagless robot vac that features a roller mop and an impressive 19,500Pa of suction. It comes with a multifunction dock, and its mop can reach into corners. It handles floor transitions well, thanks to mechanical climbing levers. It also features a bagless auto-empty dock.
SharkNinja’s $999.99 PowerDetect NeverTouch Pro 2-in-1 robot vacuum mop can lift itself up as high as 20mm to get over rugs and transitions. Its automatic empty /wash / dry cleaning station doesn’t require bags, either.
What we’re testing next
The Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai Robot comes with a multifunctional dock, along with a self-cleaning roller mop, lidar navigation, and onboard cameras that can detect stains and clean accordingly. The company has yet to announce a price or release date, though you can read our hands-on for more details.
The $1,599.99 Dreame Aqua10 Ultra Roller Complete features a roller-style mopping system that continuously cleans itself in real time. Its companion model, the Aqua10 Ultra Track Complete, adds hot-water mopping and automatically adds cleaning solution as it moves, so you don’t have to stop and refill anything.
The $1,799.99 Dreame Matrix 10 Ultra comes with a multi-mop switching dock, one that lets it automatically swap between nylon scrub pads, sponge pads, and thermal mop pads based on where it’s cleaning. Its three-solution compartment also holds separate cleaners aimed at tackling pet odors, wood floors, and general messes, which the robovac will dispense on its own depending on the situation.
Photography by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
Update, January 30th: Adjusted pricing / availability and added several new picks, including Roborock’s new Qrevo Curv 2 Flow, the Dreame X50 Ultra, the Narwal Flow, and Roborock’s Q10 S5 Plus. Sheena Vasani also contributed to this post.
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Jennifer Pattison Tuohy<![CDATA[The best budget robot vacuums]]>https://www.theverge.com/23846479/best-budget-robot-vacuum-robot-mop2026-01-27T18:18:04-05:002026-01-27T18:09:23-05:00
Today’s robot vacuums are becoming a bit like cars: with all the features, upgrades, and fancy trimmings available these days, it’s easy to forget that they can just be simple machines that get us from point A to point B. Yes, some bots blow hot air on their bums (mop pads), deftly navigate dog poop, and have arms to pick up your socks, but there are plenty of basic budget robot vacuums that just do a decent job of cleaning your floor autonomously — as long as you tidy up first.
Fancier models have obstacle recognition, and some even use AI-powered cameras to tell popcorn from poop and avoid the latter. If you want one of those, check out my best robot vacuum buying guide. But if you think you can manage the task of picking up after yourself (and your puppy), a budget bot will save you a lot of money and still do a good job cleaning your floor.
Best budget robot vacuum and mop
Tapo RV30 Max Plus
A budget robot vacuum and mop with high-end features, including room-specific cleaning, carpet boost, and smart navigation, it also features an auto-empty dock for just $80 more.
Suction power: 5,300Pa / Dustbin capacity: 300ml/ Self-empty dock option: Yes/ Mopping option: Yes / Mapping: Yes, lidar/ Keep-out zones: Yes, virtual / Runtime: 100 mins, 2,600mAh battery/ Brush style: Single rubber bristle hybrid/ Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home
For around $300, TP-Link’s Tapo RV30 Max Plus is a very capable robot vacuum and mop with some key features typically found only on vacuums that are more than twice its price. These include room-specific cleaning, multiple suction and water levels, smart lidar-based navigation, and an auto-empty dock.
Thanks to lidar navigation, the RV30 did an excellent job of navigating my house, cleaning the perimeters of the rooms, and then using a mesh grid to clean inside the rooms. I did have to tidy up before it ran, though, as there’s no camera on board or AI-powered obstacle detection — so cables and socks will trip it up.
Its 5,200Pa suction power is impressive on a bot at this price, and ably sucked up Cheerios and dry oatmeal on hard flooring. It left some of the finer dust and debris, as its single bristle / rubber brush isn’t super effective. It fared less well on carpet. However, in the app, I could set it to clean a room three times for each job, after which it generally picked up all visible debris.
Mopping was better than average for a mop with no pressure or oscillation. It has a wide mop pad, and the bot has a big 300ml tank (which also incorporates a 300ml dustbin), so it applies enough water for a good surface clean.
Another unique feature for a budget robot is the ability to set customized cleaning for each room, choosing from five suction levels and three water levels as well as three rotations.
The Tapo app is very simple to use, with an easy-to-edit map that lets you add virtual walls and no-go zones, add furniture, and designate carpet areas. There’s no carpet sensing, so you need to tell it where carpets are if you don’t want it to mop them. You can also set the cleaning direction and build up to four maps — again, features usually only found on higher-end robots.
5,200Pa suction power is impressive on a bot at this price
It’s also easy to start a clean from the app, and I really like that you can tap on the map to send the robot to that spot.
The biggest downside of the Tapo is its tiny battery, which is just 2,600mAh. That is half the size of most vacs, and it couldn’t clean my entire 800-square-foot downstairs without needing to go back and recharge. It also takes a while to charge and occasionally has trouble repositioning itself on its dock.
You can get the RV30 without the auto-empty dock for around $80 less if you prefer an even simpler robot vacuum setup. This way, it will fit under a couch or bed, but you’ll have to manually empty its bin.
Best upgrade budget vacuum
Roborock Q10 S5
A more expensive budget robot vacuum and mop that adds AI-powered obstacle avoidance, more suction power, better mopping and longer runtime
Suction power: 10,000Pa / Dustbin capacity: 600ml / Runtime: 150 mins, 5200 mAh / Brush style: single bristle / rubber hybrid / Auto-empty dock option: yes / Mapping: yes / Keep-out zones: yes / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Siri Shortcuts
Roborock’s Q10 S5 is a step up from the Tapo RV30, thanks to double the suction power, a much larger battery and longer runtime, AI-powered obstacle avoidance, and the ability to automatically detect carpet. It also has a vibrating mopping system that does a better job at scrubbing your floors, and it can lift its mop up to 8mm to pass over low-pile carpets.
It has a more advanced lidar-based mapping and navigation system, which, like the Tapo, lets you set specific rooms to clean, create no-go zones, and customize cleaning schedules. But unlike the Tapo, it moves more intelligently around the house and is less prone to getting stuck.
However, the robot vacuum alone costs more than the Tapo with the auto-empty base. If you upgrade to the Q10 S5 Plus, which includes an auto-empty base, you’re looking at over $500. It is frequently on sale, however, which makes it worth considering if you want a budget bot with better vacuuming and mopping.
One downside is that the bot is much larger and wider than the Tapo, so it may not fit into some tighter spaces. The Roborock app is more fully featured than Tapo’s, giving you lots of options for almost infinite customization.
Best budget vacuum-only bot
Shark Navigator RV2120
A solid vacuum-only bot with big wheels, a big bin, and good runtime. It uses lidar for navigation and mapping so you can set keep-out zones and clean specific rooms, plus there’s a version with an auto-empty dock.
Suction power: unknown / Dustbin capacity: 500ml / Runtime: 120 mins / Brush style: single bristle / rubber hybrid / Auto-empty dock option: yes / Mapping: yes / Keep-out zones: yes / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home
The Shark Navigator RV2120 is a basic vacuum-only bot that’s a step up from my previous Shark pick, the Shark Ion, thanks to lidar navigation. This means it can map your home without bumping and rolling around blindly like the Ion. Mapping lets you send it to clean specific rooms and add keep-out zones to prevent it from going where you don’t want it to.
There are no bells and whistles like AI-powered obstacle detection or room-specific cleaning settings, but the RV2120 does the basics well. It has a nice big bin, a simple app experience, decent battery life, and good repairability. It’s also fairly bullish, pushing through fabric skirting to go under beds and sofas, something not all lidar bots will do. It is very loud and rattly, even at its lowest power level.
Unlike many budget bots, it uses a hybrid roller brush that’s both bristle and plastic and doesn’t get as tangled as standard bristle brushes.
But the best thing ‘bout this bot is its tank-like wheels that will roll right over anything in its path, including high transitions between rooms, obstacles like lounger chair legs, and other furniture traps that regularly stump other bots.
The Shark RV2120AE model includes an auto-empty dock. I love that Shark’s auto-empty docks don’t require replacement dust bags — which saves money in the long run. However, the RV2120AE is more expensive than the Tapo RV30, even after factoring in the cost of bags for the latter.
One benefit of Shark vacuums to consider over the Tapo is that they’re very repairable. You can buy replacement parts for almost everything on the bot, unlike with the Tapo.
Best budget robot vacuum without Wi-Fi
Eufy 11S Max
The Eufy 11S Max is a super slim, repairable bump-and-roll bot with a large 600ml bin and three cleaning levels. Its biggest selling point for some, however, is that it lacks Wi-Fi, meaning you don’t have to fiddle with an app.
Suction power: 2,000Pa / Dustbin capacity: 600ml / Runtime: 100 mins / Brush style: single bristle / rubber hybrid / Auto-empty dock option: no / Mapping: no / Keep-out zones: no / Works with: n/a
The Eufy 11S Max is a rarity — a robot vacuum that doesn’t use Wi-Fi at all. There’s not even an app. Instead, you just press the button, and off it trundles. It also comes with a remote if you’d rather not get up off the couch, and you can use that to program it to clean at a specific time.
The 11S is super slim, 72.5mm high, with no lidar tower, so it will get under most couches. It has a big 600ml bin, and I was very impressed with how much it got up off my hardwood floors, even with its relatively small 2,000Pa of suction. There are three cleaning levels, and at the lowest, it registers around 55db, which is quiet enough to run in a home office.
It does have a smallish battery — only 100 minutes of runtime — but it will go back and recharge. For $200, this is the perfect budget bot for those wary of or who don’t want to deal with an app or Wi-Fi. It’s a bump-and-roll bot, meaning there are no real navigation skills. But it has plenty of replaceable parts, including the battery and wheels, so you can keep it going for a long time.
Other budget robot vacuums to consider
The $399.99 Switchbot K11 Plus is a great option for small spaces. Its tiny size lets it navigate around tight areas with ease, and it even comes with a pint-sized charging dock. It offers 6,000Pa suction and does a good job of cleaning up both carpets and hardwood floors. Just note that its mopping is more of a light wipe than a true scrub, and there’s no AI-powered obstacle avoidance.
The $310 Dreame D20 Plus is an upgrade to my previous pick for best budget mopping robot, the $239.99 Dreame D10 Plus. We’ve not tested it yet, but it doubles the suction power to 13,000Pa, and its included auto-empty dock has a larger dust bag. The D20 also has a bigger water tank and adds the option to adjust the water flow and suction power.
Update, January 27th: Adjusted pricing and availability. Added new picks, including the Shark Navigator RV2120 and Roborock Q10 S5. Sheena Vasani also contributed to this post.
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Jennifer Pattison Tuohy<![CDATA[I’ve tested 30 smart locks, and these are the best]]>https://www.theverge.com/23393163/best-smart-door-lock2026-01-14T15:39:04-05:002026-01-14T14:27:00-05:00
A smart lock is an easy solution to some common problems. Locked yourself out? Need to let a friend in to water the plants? Your latchkey kid lost their key? Hands are full, and it’s raining cats and dogs? A smart lock solves all of these problems and more.
One of the best smart home upgrades you can make, a smart lock gives you remote control access to your house from anywhere, plus easy, key-free ways to unlock and lock your door. Smart locks also remember everything that happened, so they can tell you when your door was unlocked, and sometimes who did it.
For most people, control and convenience are big enough selling points. However, smart locks also work nicely with other smart home devices, including video doorbells and smart lighting. My favorite way to integrate locks in my home is with an evening smart home routine, which locks the doors, dims the lights, and sets my thermostat to sleep mode. We have four exterior doors, so it saves me from walking around the house at night checking everything is secure.
Having a connected lock on your door is as secure as a standard lock, and sometimes more. Most smart locks have the same security ratings as their non-smart counterparts (see FAQ for more details), and it’s harder to physically pick a lock without a keyway. Plus, any smart lock is more secure than leaving a spare key under a flowerpot.
I’ve been testing smart door locks for six years and have installed more than 30 for this guide alone. Here are my top picks for your front door. Whether you want the best of the best, don’t want to replace your existing lock, are on a budget, or want a smart lock that doesn’t look like a smart lock, there are great options for every need.
Best smart lock
Kwikset Halo Select
Score: 8
Pros
Cons
Excellent auto-unlock function
Choice of Wi-Fi or Matter-over-Thread
Great design
Discreet door sensor
Can be rekeyed
Have to choose between Thread and Kwikset’s auto-unlock
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Thread / Access options: Key, keycode, app, voice / Auto-unlock: Yes / Battery type: Four AA batteries / Battery life: Six to 12 months / Guest codes: Yes / Security rating: ANSI Grade AAA / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Matter (including Apple Home, Samsung SmartThings)
The Kwikset Halo Select is a good-looking, reliable smart lock with top-notch security ratings, broad smart home compatibility, and the best auto-unlock function I’ve tested to date.
I strongly believe a smart lock should look good on your door, and the Halo Select does exactly that, plus it can blend in with both traditional and contemporary door sets. (But I could do without the prominent Kwikset branding.)
Of the four entry methods — a keyway (which is re-keyable), a touchscreen keypad, app/smart home control, and auto-unlock by location — I liked the last one the best. It worked so well that I didn’t mind that it lacks a fingerprint reader or Apple Home Key.
My experience with automatic unlocking on other locks (which uses a combination of Bluetooth, GPS, and Wi-Fi to determine your location) has been generally frustrating, but on the Halo Select, it’s been flawless. It unlocks just as I approach my porch, making coming home and opening the door a virtually hands-free experience.
The Select can also auto-lock based on your location, not just after a set amount of time, as most locks offer. I also like the Halo Select’s LED lock indicator on the touchscreen, which tells you at a glance if the door is locked or unlocked.
The Halo Select has built-in Wi-Fi and a Thread radio, but you have to pick one.
If you set it up with Wi-Fi, you can use the Kwikset app and connect to Amazon Alexa and Google via the cloud. With Matter, you can connect to those platforms locally and also to Apple Home and others, but you won’t be able to use the Kwikset app after setup, so you lose the auto-unlock feature, among others.
Kwikset’s auto-unlock feature worked flawlessly in testing
Matter-over-Thread does promise better battery life — and long-term testing bears this out — as well as the ability to easily share the lock with other ecosystems. I set it up in Apple Home, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings via Matter with no issues and could control it with all three via routines, automations, and voice commands.
It’s a shame to have to choose between using Matter and some of this lock’s best features, but this is a problem across Matter, not specific to Kwikset. Kwikset’s solution allows you to use its advanced features today while still having the future-proofing potential of Matter for tomorrow.
Kwikset recently launched the Halo Select Plus, which we’re currently testing. This adds Apple Home Key support, but at $329, you’re paying a lot more for this one added function. Other recent updates include new finishes for the Halo Select line.
This inexpensive smart door lock has a lightning-fast fingerprint reader plus an easy-to-use, backlit keypad. It’s Bluetooth-only (unless you also buy its compatible video doorbell to act as a Wi-Fi bridge), so the battery lasts over a year. At under $80, it’s the best budget lock we tested.
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0 / Access options: Fingerprint, keypad, app / Auto-unlock: No / Battery type: Four AA batteries / Battery life: One year / Security Grade: ANSI/BHMA Grade 3 / Guest codes: Yes / Works with: N/A
The Wyze Lock Bolt is a good choice if you want something inexpensive and useful and don’t care about smart home integration — or prefer a lock without it. It’s not sleek or stylish; it’s just a big hunk of black plastic (there’s also a satin nickel version). Out of the box, it doesn’t connect to Wi-Fi or integrate with any smart home systems, but it does have an easy-to-use backlit keypad and a lightning-fast fingerprint reader. It’ll auto-lock if you want, and it’s half the price of most smart locks in this list.
In addition to the fingerprint reader and keypad, the Wyze Lock Bolt can be controlled over Bluetooth, and its range is very good. I could lock the door from my bedroom at the other end of the house using the Wyze app. That’s important, as there’s no way to lock the door on a schedule (although you can enable auto-lock).
The Wyze doesn’t connect to Wi-Fi or integrate with any smart home systems
The Bolt doesn’t integrate with smart home platforms, but if you don’t need to control your lock with your voice or plan to add it to any smart home routines, you won’t miss those features. It also delivers up to a year of battery life on four AAs — I tested it for three months and it only lost 15 percent.
But without Wi-Fi, I couldn’t check on it or control it when I was away from home, so turning on the auto-lock option is a must. If I wanted to let someone in while I was gone, I couldn’t unlock the door remotely, but I could generate an offline code in the Wyze app and share that. This uses similar technology to two-factor authentication codes and worked perfectly in my testing.
Since I tested the lock, Wyze has introduced an integration with its Wyze Video Doorbell Pro that lets you unlock the Bolt remotely when paired with the doorbell — but it doesn’t let you lock it remotely, which is odd. Of course, if you enable auto-lock, this is less of an issue.
Best retrofit smart lock
Nuki Smart Lock
The Nuki Smart Lock is the most advanced retrofit smart lock we’ve tested, with a compact design and lightning-fast locking. It’s also incredibly easy to install and supports Wi-Fi and Matter over Thread.
Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Matter-over-Thread / Access options: Key, app, voice, fingerprint and keypad (sold separately) / Auto-unlock: Yes / Battery type: Non-removable, rechargeable / Battery life: Up to 12 months / Guest codes: Yes / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple Home, Samsung SmartThings
The Nuki Smart Lock is the most advanced retrofit smart lock we’ve tested, and a worthy replacement for our previous pick, the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock. It features a compact design and lightning-fast locking — even quicker than manually turning the lock — and it works over Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Matter over Thread, the latter of which enables out-of-home control and notifications through any Matter-compatible smart home platform.
Whereas most smart locks feature a big, bulky design, the Nuki Smart Lock boasts a minimalist style with a premium look and feel. Installation is straightforward — simply remove the thumbturn from your existing deadbolt, replace it with a blackplate, and snap the Nuki into place. Once it’s installed, you can get up and running without signing up for an account, which is a rare feature for a smart lock.
The Nuki app gives you access to multiple settings and customization options. In addition to standard features like key sharing with family members and enabling auto-lock and auto-unlock, it supports schedules, an activity log, and a convenient Night Mode, which can lock the door at a set time, disable auto-unlock, and enable auto-lock.
If you don’t have a Matter hub and a Thread border router — like a HomePod — Nuki’s Premium service provides remote access, lock activity notifications, and integration with rental platforms like Airbnb. Nuki Premium was previously offered as a monthly subscription, but as of December 3rd, 2025, the cost is now folded into the purchase of each lock. That means the Nuki Smart Lock is now more expensive up front at $199 (up from $159); however, the good news is that premium features are no longer behind a paywall. Those who already have Nuki Premium will also be able to continue using the premium features for the lifetime of the product without an added fee.
Additionally, Nuki offers an optional keypad, which supports both PIN codes and fingerprints, making it easy for friends, family, and guests to gain access without needing to download an app. Although the fingerprint reader works well, there is no backlight, making nighttime use tricky without a porch light. The current keypad doesn’t support Apple Home Key, though Nuki is planning to release one with ultra-wideband unlocking (UWB) and NFC support.
Nuki’s smart lock has a built-in battery that can last for months, and it only takes a few hours to fully recharge. While a non-removable battery raises concerns about longevity — smart locks generally use AA batteries — Nuki claims it should last 10 years. After that, the company says a replacement plan will be offered.
This slimline, easy-to-install, inexpensive retrofit lock is a simple solution with a year of battery life. It requires a plug-in bridge for out-of-home control and doesn’t work with Apple Home. The optional keypad adds to the cost but also to the convenience.
Connectivity: Bluetooth and Wi-Fi (with plug-in module) / Access options: Key, app, voice, keypad and fingerprint reader sold separately / Auto-unlock: Yes / Battery type: Four AA alkaline batteries / Battery life: 12 months / Guest codes: Yes / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings
Starting at $130, the Yale Approach is a more affordable retrofit lock with no monthly subscription. It’s super easy to install, looks nice, and has a good list of features — auto-lock, auto-unlock, app and voice control. Add the Bluetooth keypad to get one-touch locking, key code, and fingerprint access.
The Approach replaces your thumb turn, so you can still use your current lock and key — making it a great option if you are renting and don’t want to annoy your landlord. It has a nice, slim profile and blends in better than the rear housing of most smart locks.
The lock comes in black or silver and took me less than five minutes to install. It uses four AA batteries and promises 12 months of battery life. This is because there is no built-in Wi-Fi; instead, it uses an included plug-in bridge.
The bridge adds out-of-home control and connection to smart home platforms, including Alexa and Google Home, but there’s no Apple Home support). This allows for voice control and adding it to smart home routines. Yale told me there’s an onboard Thread radio that will be activated to support Matter, but didn’t say when this would arrive.
The optional Bluetooth keypad lets you control the lock from the outside without using an app or key, and it worked promptly and reliably. There’s the option of a fingerprint version, and that was similarly a good experience — just touch and open. The keypad also allows you to lock the door when you leave by pressing the Yale logo button.
The keys are a bit sensitive; I frequently get double inputs when pressing. But I liked the LED indicator that notifies you with green if your code was accepted or red if there’s an issue. This made it easy to know if the input worked, as the lock is very quiet — it’s hard to hear it locking or unlocking.
My biggest disappointment is the look of the keypad. It’s big, wide, and black, with prominent white numbers that don’t disappear when not in use — it looks a bit like a toy keypad on your door.
Best fingerprint smart lock
Yale Assure Lock 2 Touch
This fingerprint lock is fast and reliable, and the keypad is a good backup option for visitors. It works with Apple Home and can be upgraded to support Wi-Fi — which you’ll need for remote unlocking, Android phones, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home support. Auto-unlock can open the door as you approach, and you can also use a key if you just can’t let go.
Connectivity: Bluetooth (can add Wi-Fi, Z-Wave) / Access options: Key, keypad, fingerprint reader, app, voice / Auto-unlock: Yes / Battery type: Four AA batteries / Battery life: Six months to a year / Guest codes: Yes / Security rating: ANSI/BHMA Grade 2 / Works with: Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings
The Yale Assure 2 line — previously my top pick — has something for everyone. There’s an option with or without a keyway, with a touchscreen keypad or a physical keypad, or with Apple Home Key, but my favorite model is the Yale Assure Lock 2 Touch with a built-in fingerprint reader. It costs $279.99, and the built-in fingerprint reader is fast and efficient. I tested the touchscreen version, but Yale recently released a keypad version. Unless you really value the clean look of the touchscreen (which is blank when off), go with the keypad — it’s much easier to use.
The Yale Assure 2 is a good-looking lock that works with every smart home platform with its swappable modules. Its slimline design (both front and back), wide smart home compatibility, easy-to-use app, and good selection of unlocking options — including fingerprint unlock — make it a great option for your front door.
The lock supports Bluetooth out of the box and works with the Yale Access app and Apple Home app (which adds remote unlocking if you have an Apple Home hub). Along with a keycode, fingerprint reader, or key, you can also choose to use auto-unlocking. Auto-unlock is a decent alternative to fingerprint unlock, but I found I often had to wait at the door for a second or two before it worked. Still, it’s faster than fumbling through a purse for keys when your hands are full.
Support for other platforms and remote unlocking comes through Yale’s ingenious swappable networking modules, which cost around $80 each. There’s a Wi-Fi module to add Alexa and Google Home integration and a Z-Wave module for compatibility with (some) SmartThings hubs, Ring Alarm, and other Z-Wave hubs. Yale promised support for Matter via a Matter-over-Thread module back in 2022, but this still hasn’t materialized. They have announced a different lock that uses Thread, but it doesn’t have a fingerprint reader. I plan to test this soon.
I tested the Wi-Fi module in the Assure 2 Touch, which worked well with Amazon Alexa and Google Home. It allowed me to add the lock to Alexa Routines, lock and unlock it with my voice, and control it away from home. The downside is that control over Wi-Fi is considerably slower than over Bluetooth and drains the battery more quickly. Yale estimates up to a year on Bluetooth only, compared to six months over Wi-Fi; I got about four months.
The Encode Plus is a high-end, reliable smart lock that works with Apple Home and has Home Key compatibility. It also has a Thread radio on board, which helps with connectivity and battery life.
Connectivity: Wi-Fi or Thread / Access options: Key, keypad, app, voice, Apple Home Key / Auto-unlock: No / Battery type: Four AA batteries / Battery life: Up to six months / Security Grade: ANSI Grade 1 / Guest codes: Yes / Works with: Apple Home Key, Amazon Alexa, Ring, and Google Home
Apple Home Key lets you use your iPhone or Apple Watch to tap to unlock your door in much the same way as you tap to pay. It uses an NFC chip in the lock, and is fast, efficient, and secure. There are no apps to open, no buttons to press, and no need to unlock your phone (although you can add that step as an extra security layer). However, it does require an Apple device; it won’t work on Android.
Home Key took a while to gain adoption, but there are now several options (and should soon be more as Apple has made it part of Matter). The Schlage Encode Plus is still the best option — if one of the most expensive — as it has a built-in keypad and works over Thread.
The keypad is useful for giving access to people with whom you can’t share a Home Key (sharing is quite limited), and Thread makes for a rock-solid connection. While it won’t be updated to support Matter, the Thread radio adds better battery life and a more stable connection to Apple Home than Bluetooth. I have had numerous connectivity issues in HomeKit with Bluetooth-only locks.
To use Home Key, you need to have an Apple Home Hub, such as an Apple TV or HomePod. Adding the lock to the Home app automatically adds the Home Key card to your Wallet, as well as that of anyone else you have added to your Apple Home. That’s much easier than getting household members to download a whole new app for the door lock. I should know — I try regularly.
To allow someone not in your household to control the lock, you’ll have to give them a standard PIN, which you can do in the Apple Home app or the Schlage Encode app. If you like, you can set this lock up entirely in the Home app and never have to use the manufacturer’s app.
Connectivity: Bluetooth, Thread, Wi-Fi with bridge / Access options: Key, app, voice, keypad (sold separately), Apple Home Key / Auto-unlock: Yes / Battery type: One CR2 battery / Battery life: 12 months / Guest codes: Yes / Works with: Matter, Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, Samsung SmartThings
If you don’t want a smart lock that looks like a smart lock, there’s the Level Lock Pro. It doesn’t feature a chunky battery box or prominent branding, yet it packs a ton of technology inside the footprint of a traditional lock. The newer model features an upgraded processor, Matter-over-Thread support, a passive infrared sensor for presence detection, and a built-in door sensor to tell you if the door is open or closed, not just locked. It also comes in one of two discreet finishes, matte black or nickel, and offers up to a year of battery life with a single CR2.
In terms of execution, the faster dual-core Bluetooth/Thread chip delivers more reliable performance than earlier models — including our former pick, the Level Lock Plus — and the lock offers support for multiple access options. You can unlock the Lock Pro with a regular key, Apple Home Key, the Level app, voice control, auto-unlock, or a touch-to-unlock mode. We found the auto-unlock feature to be finicky at times, though, and the installation can be a headache on older doors. It’s also pricey, starting at $349 (plus an optional $79 Wi-Fi bridge).
That said, if you want a lock that offers premium features and a sleek design, the Lock Pro feels like the brand’s most fully realized vision of what a minimalist smart lock should be.
Connectivity: Thread / Access options: Key, app, voice, keypad, NFC tag, Apple Home Key / Auto-unlock: No / Battery type: Four AA batteries/ Battery life: 10 months / Guest codes: Yes / Works with: Matter, Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings
The Aqara U300 is a lever-style smart lock; it replaces a knob or lever lock on a door with a single borehole rather than a door with a deadbolt lock with two holes. This type of lock is traditionally found on interior doors, pedestrian doors into garages, or side doors.
There are options for smart lever locks from Yale, Schlage, and Lockly, but the U300 is the only one with Home Key compatibility and a built-in fingerprint reader. It also works over Thread and supports Matter.
I installed it on my garage door, and it works like a charm. The fingerprint reader is right where you put your thumb to open the door, so I barely notice it unlocking as I walk in. It also has a keypad, and I can use my iPhone or Apple Watch for Home Key. It’s set to auto-lock by default, but you can enable passage mode directly on the lock if you don’t want it to stay locked all the time.
It paired to Matter easily — I set it up in Apple Home and could add a code and Home Key all without even opening the Aqara app. Because it uses Thread, there’s no need for an Aqara hub. Thread also enables up to 10 months of battery life, according to Aqara.
I love the idea of using smart locks on other doors in my home. I could see this working on a basement door, a home office, or any other room you like to keep people out of. However, I would like to see a way to permanently enable passage mode. Currently, you have to do it on the device, and it reverts to auto-lock after an undetermined period. This makes it somewhat useless for interior doors. It’s also very large and only comes in black or silver, so it likely wouldn’t blend in with your interior decor. A slimmer option, in more colorways, designed for inside use would be nice to see.
The U300 is expensive at $230, but it’s similar to other outdoor-rated options (it’s IPX4-rated). The addition of Thread — a protocol that works over a mesh network — makes it easier to extend connectivity further to places like a shed or garage.
Connectivity: Wi-Fi or Eufy HomeBase / Access options: Key, palm unlock, keypad, app, voice / Auto-unlock: No / Battery type: Removable, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AAA backup / Battery life: Five months / Guest codes: Yes / Security rating: ANSI Grade 1 / Works with: Matter (including Apple Home), Amazon Alexa, and Google Home
Eufy’s new FamiLock S3 Max combines a smart lock and video doorbell in one device and features a digital peephole and a wave-to-unlock function. It also has a keyway and keypad and supports Matter-over-Wi-Fi, so it can work with all the major smart home platforms.
My favorite of all these features is the video screen on the inside part of the lock, which shows a live feed of who is on the other side of the door. If you have a peephole or a window in your door, this might not be much use — and you can opt to get the lock without the screen for $50 less. But as a quick way to confirm who is at your door before opening it, it’s super handy.
The lock has another fairly unique feature: palm vein recognition technology. This lets you wave your hand over it to unlock it, and is an alternative form of biometric access to the popular fingerprint reader.
Palm unlocking isn’t any faster or easier than using your fingerprint, though, and I found it harder to get used to. But once I got the hang of it, it worked reliably. Both my kids also picked it up quickly, and my husband, who has trouble with fingerprint locks in general, really liked it.
The main reason to buy this lock is for the video doorbell feature. The FamiLock’s 2K camera provides clear, crisp video during daylight hours and decent night vision, although my protruding door frame reflected the LEDs, causing the footage to blow out a bit.
The 180-degree diagonal field of view meant I could see top to bottom and all of one side (not the other side, though, due to the aforementioned door frame). But packages and people were clearly visible, which is most of what you want to see with a doorbell camera.
There’s no fee for viewing recorded footage of visitors in the Eufy app, and videos are stored locally on the device. Live view and recording pulled up promptly in the app, and the doorbell can alert you when it sees a person. For more advanced smart alerts, including facial recognition, you need to connect it to a Eufy HomeBase.
Bear in mind, Matter integration only controls the lock, as cameras aren’t supported by the standard yet, so the benefits of using Matter are fairly limited. (If you’re looking for a biometric Matter lock, Eufy’s E30 is a good fingerprint lock that uses Matter-over-Thread.)
Adding a video doorbell to a smart lock puts a lot of strain on the battery. While you can adjust several settings to help save power, Eufy says you’ll only get about five months of battery life from the lock’s giant 15,000mAh removable battery. Handily, four AAA backup batteries are tucked into the top to keep it functioning while you’re recharging the battery (which takes a while). I’ve been testing it for over a week, and the battery indicator hasn’t budged yet.
At $400, this is a very expensive lock, but it works well and provides dual functionality of a doorbell and door lock.
Connectivity: Wi-Fi (2.4gHz) / Access options: Fingerprint, facial recognition, app, voice, keypad, Home Key, key / Auto-unlock: No / Battery type: 10,000mAh rechargeable/ Battery life: Eight months / Guest codes: Yes / Security rating: ANSI Grade 1 / Works with: Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home
I was very impressed with the Lockly Visage. The first facial recognition residential smart lock on the market, it also features a fingerprint reader, a keypad, a keyway, and Apple Home Key — that’s a lot of high-tech ways to unlock your door. And while it’s probably too much lock for most people, if you are a super smart home user or a major gadget nerd, you’ll love this lock.
I was skeptical about the facial unlocking at first, but it worked really well, opening a second or two before I put my hand on the handle. The only caveat is that I had to be approaching face-on, which in most cases I was, but the couple of times I approached from a slightly odd angle, it failed to unlock. In those cases, though, I had the option of using my fingerprint or Home Key.
There’s also a touchscreen keypad, which is mainly useful for handing out codes to guests and visitors whose faces and fingers you don’t want to scan into your lock. The keypad is probably my least favorite part of the lock; it’s very small, which is good for the overall look, but fiddly to access. It’s also hard to see in bright light. But with all the other ways to unlock, this isn’t a deal-breaker.
Note that the Visage doesn’t take video or still images; its infrared camera is only used for facial recognition, data for which is stored on the device. Lockly does have a video doorbell version for $429, though that doesn’t have facial recognition.
Surprisingly, despite all the tech packed into it, the lock is compact and stylish-looking and works with the redesigned Lockly Home app, which is now more straightforward and easier to use. The lock works over Wi-Fi and supports Apple Home, Google Home, and Alexa, but there’s no support for Matter.
Lockly claims eight months of battery life with its included rechargeable 10,000mAh battery. Uniquely, it comes with two batteries, so you can swap one and keep the lock online while charging the other.
At $350, the Lockly Visage is very expensive, but considering the tech packed into this lock, plus the two batteries, it’s not outrageous. Its solid build, broad smart home compatibility, and multiple very cool ways to control it make this a great lock.
Other smart locks to consider
Eufy’s $169.99 E30 smart lock works with both Matter-over-Thread and Wi-Fi. It has a fingerprint reader, key, and keypad, and you can use the fingerprint access through the Eufy app while connecting it to platforms like Apple Home through Matter. Unlike the Kwikset Halo Select, you can use Wi-Fi and Thread simultaneously, which is unusual. I’ve not tested it long enough to determine if you still benefit from Thread’s better battery life. It’s cheaper than the Halo, has a fingerprint reader instead of auto-unlock, and promises 8 months of battery life. It can also integrate with a Eufy doorbell to control it from a live view. It has a nice compact design, but the rear housing is huge to fit 8 AA batteries. The lock is loud in operation, and the fingerprint reader was finicky; it also has the lowest ANSI/BHMA rating.
U-tec’s $199.99 Bolt Fingerprint Matter works over Thread and can be set up directly in your smart home platform of choice — no need to use U-tec’s U Home. But if you want to use its built-in fingerprint reader, you’ll need to download the app. And if you don’t use it, then it’s kind of a waste of space, so the whole “you only need one app” feature falls flat. I also don’t love the design of the Ultraloqs, while smaller on the exterior than most smart locks, they are squat and chunky looking, resembling a combination lock rather than door hardware. It also uses eight batteries, which is an absurd amount, and is very noisy.
If you’re an Amazon Alexa Ring household, the $206.75 Schlage Encode Wifi lock is a good option; it integrates with the Ring app, so you can lock and unlock it while viewing a live feed from your Ring doorbell. Its design will also match a Schlage door set, which is important for some people. There’s no door-sensing or auto-unlock option, but you have three reliable ways to get in: a key, a PIN, and the app. It also lasts at least six months on one set of four AAs.
If you want Home Key but the Schlage is too expensive or not your style, the $124.99 Aqara U50 is a good, inexpensive alternative that’s less than half the price of the Schlage. It doesn’t have as good a build quality, and the keypad is a bit finicky, but it works with Apple Home and Home Key out of the box. (You‘ll need an Aqara hub for any other smart home integrations, including Matter.) It also pairs with Aqara’s G4 video doorbell to unlock the door while viewing video from the live feed. (Aqara has a doorbell that’s also a hub).
The $189.99 Aqara Smart Lock U100 is a Matter-compatible smart lock that also works with Apple HomeKit and Home Key. A full replacement deadlock that can be unlocked by key, keypad, NFC key fob, fingerprint, voice control, through an app, or with Apple Home Key. It’s a good lock, but its smart home integrations are complicated, and there are now better options.
The $189.99 Yale Assure SL with Matter Module is a Matter-over-Thread deadbolt smart lock. It’s simple, with a clean design and a touchscreen keypad for entry. There’s no keyway, fingerprint reader, or Apple Home Key, but in terms of simplicity, reliability, and future-proofing, it’s a good option. It’s one of the few locks you can connect directly to your smart home platform of choice without needing to download the manufacturer’s app — the Assure SL doesn’t even work with Yale’s app.
The $119.99 SwitchBot Lock Pro is an all-around upgrade to one of my previous favorite locks, the SwitchBot lock (which is now discontinued). It’s a great solution if you have an unusual lock, as it can work on almost any door; it has higher-quality materials than the original, but now requires you to replace the rear of your lock (as most retrofit locks do). It does support Matter through a bridge, but for $200, I would still opt for Nuki.
The Kwikset Halo Touch is a Bluetooth and Wi-Fi fingerprint lock with a traditional keyway. As there’s no keypad, it looks more like a standard lock with the bonus of easy access. This is more limiting when it comes to sharing access to your door, but it’s a good solution for anyone who wants a simple key-free way into their home and knows they won’t need to share lots of digital keys.
The Tapo DL100 is a $70 smart lock with built-in Wi-Fi, a keypad, and a physical key, plus access via the Tapo mobile app and smart home integrations. It’s cheaper than my budget pick, the Wyze Bolt, and includes Wi-Fi for remote access, but you don’t get a fingerprint reader. It works with Tapo’s excellent video doorbells.
The new SwitchBot Lock Vision is another deadbolt smart lock introduced at CES 2026 that uses 3D facial recognition to automatically unlock when it detects your face. Unlike other Switchbot locks, you have to install it directly onto your door rather than retrofitting over an existing lock. SwitchBot will offer two versions of the lock, both of which support Matter over Wi-Fi and include an emergency backup battery. However, the Lock Vision Pro adds fingerprint scanning and contactless palm vein recognition. Pricing and availability haven’t been announced yet.
The Chamberlain myQ Secure View 3-in-1 Smart Lock also functions as a 2K HDR video doorbell, and debuted at CES 2026. It can lock your door when it detects a stranger and unlock it when it recognizes people you program via the app for it to recognize, though this feature requires a myQ subscription that’s $7.99 per month. The lock is available now for $279.99.
Xthings debuted the Ultraloq Bolt Sense at CES 2026, a deadbolt that offers facial recognition and contactless palm scanning. Matter support is planned, though it isn’t expected to ship until Q2, after the device is available. The company also introduced the Latch 7 Pro, which doesn’t offer palm vein recognition but will support Matter-over-Thread and Aliro. It’s slated for release in the first quarter.
Lockly’s new Affirm Series smart locks include native Matter support and built-in Wi-Fi, so you won’t need a separate hub. Both deadbolt and latch versions are expected in the second quarter for $179.99.
The SwitchBot Lock Ultra Vision is a retrofit smart lock that features a keypad with built-in facial recognition. The keypad also has a fingerprint reader and auto-unlock. The lock can work with almost any style of door lock, connects over Bluetooth, and works with Apple Home (through Matter), Amazon Alexa, and Google Home, with a SwitchBot hub.
The Yale Smart Lock with Matter (pictured) is a $170 smart lock that uses Thread and is a full-deadbolt replacement featuring a keypad and keyway for access. It’s designed to pair with Google’s Nest video doorbells.
The Ultraloq Bolt NFC ($249) is U-tec’s first Apple Home Key smart lock, and it now supports tap-to-unlock on Android phones. There’s no fingerprint reader, but there is a keypad and a physical key. Built-in Wi-Fi adds support for Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings.
The Schlage Sense Pro is the company’s first lock to support Matter and one of the first to use ultra-wideband technology (UWB) for hands-free unlocking. It has a keypad but no keyway and will work with the Aliro standard when it launches. This means it should support a version of Apple Home Key.
U-tec’s Ultraloq Bolt Mission is a $400 lock that will work with UWB for hands-free unlocking; it also has a keypad and a keyway, and the company says it will support Matter when it launches.
Kwikset recently launched the Aura Reach, a Matter-over-Thread version of its midrange Aura line that costs $189.
Wyze’s Palm Lock is a $130 palm-scanning door lock that allows users to unlock their door with the wave of a hand. It uses palm vein recognition to identify registered users, and it can also be unlocked using a physical key, a code, or Wyze’s mobile app. Battery life is rated at up to six months, while a backup battery can power the lock for up to two weeks. It also features Wi-Fi support, so it can be locked and unlocked from anywhere your phone has internet access.
The TCL D2 Pro is another palm-scanning door lock that promises near-instant recognition and 99.99 percent accuracy. It supports real-time notifications, a 10,000mAh battery, auto-lock, and multiple access options, including a physical key, a keypad, via Google Home or Amazon Alexa, app control, and a key FOB. Additionally, TCL says your data is stored locally for enhanced privacy and security.
Smart lock FAQs
Photography by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
Update, January 14th: Mentioned several new smart locks recently introduced at CES 2026 and updated to reflect current pricing / availability. Sheena Vasani and Brandon Russell also contributed to this post.
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Jennifer Pattison Tuohy<![CDATA[The best robot vacuums we’ve tested for 2026]]>https://www.theverge.com/22997597/best-robot-vacuum-cleaner2026-01-12T19:05:01-05:002026-01-12T19:04:56-05:00
Robot vacuums are impressive devices that will clean your floors well and — thanks to bigger batteries and better robot brains — rarely get tired of doing their job. Over the last few years, these floor-sweeping bots have gone from utilitarian devices to full-fledged home robots that vacuum and mop your home, clean themselves, and trundle off to prepare themselves for the next run.
I’ve been testing robot vacuums for over 7 years and have run more than 80 of them throughout my house. This guide features my top picks if you’re looking for the best: a robot vacuum that can do it all with limited intervention from you.
Along with my top picks, I have options to fit specific needs, such as mopping, besting pet hair, shopping on a budget, and bots for small spaces. The good news is that there are many great robot vacs out there, so whether you have a 3,000-square-foot home and three shaggy dogs or a small, stylish apartment you share with a goldfish, there’s a robot vacuum to suit your needs.
Multifunctional dock: No, charging only / Mapping: Yes, camera-based / AI-powered obstacle detection: Yes / Suction power: 3,000Pa / Remote check-in: No / Brush style: Single rubber / Mop style: Roller / Mop washing: Yes / Mop lift: Yes / Edge cleaning: Yes, mop extension / Works with: No smart home integrations
The Matic is a complete rethink of the robot vacuum and my new favorite bot. It has excellent camera-based SLAM navigation, superb obstacle avoidance, rarely gets stuck, and is super quiet. Combined, this means that 99 percent of the time, it will finish the job.
All this makes it my top pick because, despite their attempts to better navigate our homes — from AI-powered computer vision to arms that pick up clutter — traditional disc-shaped bots are still prone to getting stuck. If you want a robot vacuum that just gets the job done, get the Matic.
It kept my floors and carpets spotless; its large rubber roller brush and suction system demolished most of my tests, and its superb mopping cleaned up wet spills and targeted dried stains. However, some aspects of its cleaning prowess aren’t as good as those of the flagship bots from Roborock and Dreame. Its height means it can’t get under low furniture or clean baseboards as closely (although its big wheels can tackle almost every transition). It’s also very slow to finish a job, as it vacuums first, then goes back to mop with its self-cleaning roller mop. It’s super quiet, so you can easily run it while you’re home.
Matic can operate fully without a Wi-Fi connection, a big bonus compared to the competition, and all data, including maps of your home, is stored locally on the robot. However, it doesn’t currently support any smart home integrations. At $1,245, it’s expensive, especially since it doesn’t come with a multifunction dock (instead, it carries its disposable bin bags and water tank on the bot). But that also means you don’t have to deal with that eyesore in your living room.
The compromises Matic makes to provide a better experience overall are worth it in my opinion — it’s like the iPhone of the robot vacuum world.
Multifunction dock: Yes / Mapping: Yes, lidar / AI-powered obstacle detection: Yes / Suction power: 22,000Pa / Remote check-in: Yes / Brush style: Single rubber bristle hybrid / Mop style: Flat pad / Mop washing: Yes / Mop lift: Yes, 18mm, plus automatic removal / Edge cleaning: Yes, mop extension / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Siri Shortcuts, Matter (including Apple Home)
If Matic’s compromises don’t suit you, Roborock’s Saros 10 is the bot you should get. An upgrade to my previous pick for the best overall robot vacuum, the S8 MaxV Ultra, the Saros 10 is similar to the Saros Z70, minus the robotic arm and the eyewatering price tag.
A combo vacuum and mop, the Saros 10 uses Roborock’s unique sonic mopping system, which I’ve been a fan of since it launched on the S7. Its siblings, the Saros 10R and Saros Z70, use spinning mop pads, but I prefer the 10s flat pad mopping combined with vibration, which I find very effective and far less likely to get stuck on things like rug tassels. The 10 can also automatically remove its mopping pad before cleaning carpet, a great feature first seen on Dreame vacs, and now on all three Saros models.
The Saros 10 navigated really well, moving smoothly, dodging obstacles, and avoiding the most common robot traps thanks to its ability to lift itself up 10mm and cross thresholds of up to 4cm.Its retractable lidar tower means it can get under furniture as low as 8cm.
The bot’s 22,000Pa suction and new single Duo Divide brush did an excellent job in my dried oatmeal and Cheerio tests, getting up all the fine debris. It also excelled at removing pet hair from my thick, high-pile rug. Plus, after months of testing, there was no hair tangled in it.
In a sea of complicated, buggy mobile apps, Roborock’s is easy to use and offers lots of features and customization options for ample control over your cleaning. The Saros 10 also has a built-in voice assistant, which makes getting the bot to clean the mess your kid made after dinner as easy as saying, “Rocky, clean here.” Dreame and Ecovacs also have this, but I found Roborock’s the most responsive.
Multifunction dock: No, auto-empty only / Mapping: Yes, lidar / AI-powered obstacle detection: No / Suction power: 5,300Pa / Remote check-in: No / Brush style: Single rubber bristle hybrid / Mop Style: Flat pad with tank / Mop washing: No / Mop lift: No / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Siri Shortcuts, Matter
This capable robot vacuum and mop has some key features usually only found on vacuums more than twice its price: lidar mapping, room-specific cleaning, multiple suction and water levels, smart lidar-based navigation, and an auto-empty dock. With brands like Ecovacs and Roborock, you’re often paying double for the privilege of not having to empty the bot’s bin.
The Tapo RV30 did an excellent job of navigating my house, cleaning the perimeters of the rooms, and then using a mesh grid to clean inside. I had to tidy up before it ran, as there’s no AI-powered obstacle detection — so cables and socks will trip it up.
Its 5,200Pa suction power is impressive on a bot at this price, and it ably sucked up Cheerios and dry oatmeal on hard flooring. It left some of the finer dust and debris, as its single bristle/rubber brush isn’t super effective. It fared less well on carpet. However, in the app, I could set it to clean a room three times per job, after which it generally picked up all visible debris.
Mopping was better than average for a mop with no pressure or oscillation. It has a wide pad and a big 300ml tank (which also incorporates a 300ml dustbin), so it applies enough water to do a good surface clean. There’s no carpet sensing, so you need to tell it where carpets are in the app if you don’t want it to mop them. Its small, 2,600mAh battery meant it had to recharge in order to clean my entire 800-square-foot downstairs. For around $80 less, you can get the RV30 without the auto-empty dock.
Ecovacs’ Deebot X8 Pro Omni is the best roller mopping bot I’ve tested, and at $1,099, it is one of the least expensive flagship models — Dreame’s roller mops start at $1,600, and Narwal’s Flow is $1,500.
The X8 did an excellent job on my milk, OJ, and dried ketchup tests, absorbing the small spills with one or two passes. It covered the floors evenly, without leaving any streaks or gaps, unlike spinning mop pads. Its edge cleaning is superior to the Matic’s, as when it encounters one, it extends its mop to clean right up against it.
Like the Matic, its self-cleaning brush system kept the bot from smearing spills, but its dock offers the option of auto-dispensing cleaning solution, whereas you have to add it to the Matic’s water tank manually.
As a vacuum, it excelled in my Cheerio and dried oatmeal tests and tackled most rugs. Its relatively small, single-rubber-roller brush is less effective than Roborock’s duo-divide brush. The newer X9 addresses these issues with a redesigned roller brush and a new suction system it calls BLAST (Boosted Large-Airflow Suction Technology), but I don’t think it’s a big enough improvement to be worth the extra money over this model.
With lidar and a 3D camera for mapping and obstacle detection, which is very good, the X8 easily navigated fake dog turds and cables, and its multifunction dock is sleek and attractive, especially compared to the one on the newer X11, which is a bulky monstrosity.
The downside of most roller mop bots is that they are big and heavy: the X8 weighs a whopping 12 pounds. Despite its ability to lift itself to clear thresholds, the X8 isn’t as agile as smaller, lighter robot vacs and is more prone to getting stuck under chair legs. It can only lift its mop up 10mm, which isn’t going to work for the fluffiest rugs. The X8 has carpet sensors, so it automatically avoids them, passes over them, or just vacuums them. But its best carpet feature is the option to have it vacuum the carpets first, then mop everywhere else.
The Dreame X50 Ultra is a big upgrade to my previous favorite mopping bot for hard floors, the X40 Ultra. The major change is the addition of a “motorized swing arm” that functions like a leg, allowing it to maneuver over higher thresholds (up to 6cm) thanks to a new leg-style mechanism. This means it can get into more spaces – like from my bedroom into my bathroom, and more easily tackle obstacles like high-pile rugs.
It also has higher suction power and a much-improved brush system that uses dual rubber rollers. It did an excellent job in my oatmeal-on-carpet tests, sucking up every last flake.
The X50 maintains the X40’s excellent mopping capabilities, including automatically extending its dual-spinning mops pads and swinging them to get under your cabinets and consoles. Its dual oscillating mop pads are more effective than Roborock’s thin microfiber pad on hard floors; however, if you have lots of high-pile rugs with tassels, go with the Roborock, since the X50’s spinning pads are more prone to getting stuck on rugs.
Like the Roborock, the Dreame can remove and reattach its mop pads, depending on whether it’s vacuuming or mopping, so your rugs don’t get wet. It also has a retractable lidar tower to help it get under low furniture. However, Roborock’s app is much better, more stable, and easier to use than Dreame’s, which often crashes and can take a while to load.
The X50 has good AI-powered obstacle detection, although Roborock’s is just a bit better. But both still get tripped up occasionally by pencils and other small items — something that never happens with the Matic.
Best robot vacuum for pet hair on hard floors
Narwal Freo Z10
Narwal’s Freo Z10 is a great choice for homes with pets and hardwood floors, one that excels at sucking up hair without getting tangled. Its uniquely shaped, dual-sided brushes do an excellent job of picking up pet hair, while also delivering superb edge cleaning. It’s also an impressive mopping bot.
Score: 7
Pros
Cons
Excellent at sucking up hair without getting tangled
While my top picks, the Matic and Roborock, are great for pet hair on all surfaces, Narwal’s Freo Z10 is a good option if you have pets and hardwood floors. This bot is specifically designed for households with lots of long hair, making it a good, lower-cost option for families and pet owners. Its uniquely shaped, dual-sided brushes sweep long hair directly into the cone-shaped roller brush, which funnels it down into the vacuum and leaves no tangles.
The Freo is also an excellent mopping bot, a category Narwal has long excelled in. Its triangular mopping pads get into corners and crevices very well and can extend to better clean along baseboards, as well as move backwards and forwards to simulate scrubbing — great for muddy paw prints. In my flour test, it mopped up 90 percent of the white mess from the base of my blue cabinets. Better than the Matic and the Saros 10.
The downsides are that its dock is huge and it only lifts its mops by 12mm, which is not ideal for high-pile carpets. Its vacuuming is also not as effective on carpets. But the dock does have a large on-board bag to store all the hair it collects (some Narwals don’t have auto-empty bins).
There’s no camera on the bot, so its obstacle detection isn’t great. It dodged socks and shoes, but cables and shoe laces proved problematic, as did fake pet poop. If you want more accurate obstacle avoidance, which you might need if your pet has accidents, upgrade to the Freo Z10 Ultra. It costs $200 more but adds dual HD cameras for AI-powered detection.
Best robot vacuum for small spaces/apartments
Switchbot K11 Plus
The Matter-compatible SwitchBot K11 Plus is ideal for small apartments, bedrooms, and home offices. It can easily navigate around chair and desk legs, and into tight spaces that most other bots miss. It also features a commendable 6,000Pa of suction power — which is great for this price point — and works well on both hardwood and carpet.
Multifunction dock: No, auto-empty only / Mapping: Yes, lidar / AI-powered obstacle detection: No / Suction power: 6,000Pa / Brush style: Single rubber / Mop style: Disposable pad / Auto-refill mop: No / Mop lift: No / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Siri Shortcuts, Matter (including Apple Home)
This sub-$400 bot is a great solution for small apartments, bedrooms, or home offices. Its compact size means it can easily get around chair and desk legs and into tight spaces most other bots miss.
An upgrade to the K10 Plus, a previous pick for the best robot vacuum for small spaces, its 6,000Pa suction did a great job for this price point on both hardwood and carpet in my tests. The charging dock squeezes in a 4-liter dust bag while staying under 10 inches tall, shorter than a 500ml water bottle.
There’s no AI-powered obstacle avoidance, and the mopping function is more like swiffering with a baby wipe than mopping, but for a small home with lots of carpet, or for upstairs bedrooms, it’s a great option. It’s also very quiet and surprisingly quick, and its charging dock has an attractive wooden top that fits into these rooms better than most.
Other robot vacuums to consider
My previous top pick, the $1,799.99Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra, is an exceptional vacuum cleaner and a very good mop for a very good price. Its dual rubber roller brushes and 10,000Pa suction make it great on carpets; its sonic mopping is excellent on hard floors, and its AI-powered obstacle detection is very good. The Saros 10 is an improvement in every way, but consider this if you’re looking to save money. Read our review.
A previous pick for best mopping bot, the $899.99 Narwal Freo X Ultra, is still a good choice. Like the Freo Z10, it has spinning triangular mop pads and the ability to swing slightly to get closer to baseboards. Its large charging dock holds two big water tanks, but doesn’t have an auto-empty dustbin; instead, Narwal’s disposable onboard bin compresses the dust. There’s no loud noise when it returns to the dock, which is a bonus. There’s no camera, so its obstacle avoidance is spotty. Its anti-tangle brush and 8,200Pa suction did a good job on most carpets, but its 12mm mop lift isn’t effective on plush carpets.
The $999.99 Dyson 360 Vis Nav is a powerful beast and the best robot vacuum for carpets I’ve tested. But its navigation needs a lot of work. It’s worth considering if you have a simple floor plan with a lot of carpets, but the short battery life and lack of an auto-empty dock are major cons. Read our hands-on impressions.
What I’m testing and what’s coming next
Eufy’s $1,399.99 Omni E28 is a self-emptying, self-refilling, and self-washing robot vacuum with a roller mop that can go over tough stains a second time if needed. The charging dock also includes a built-in deep cleaner that sprays water to tackle stains before sucking the mess into a separate wastewater tank.
The Ecovacs X11 OmniCyclone is a $1,499.99 bagless robot vacuum mop with a multifunction dock, a roller mop, and a whopping 19,500Pa of suction power, alongside Ecovacs’ new BLAST tech designed to improve debris removal. The mop can extend up to 15mm to reach corners. It can also tackle transitions better than the X8 and X9, thanks to “mechanical climbing levers.”
The Narwal Flow ($1,499.99) features the company’s first roller mop, which can also extend. It uses a multifunction dock for emptying the bin and refilling the water, and has a deep carpet boost mode.
The Eureka J15 Max Ultra ($1,199) is an upgrade to the J15 Pro Ultra ($999.99). A robot vacuum and mop, it can accurately spot liquids and automatically rotate its body to tackle wet spills with its dual spinning mopping pads, while avoiding getting its vacuum duct wet. Something few mopping vacs can do.
The Switchbot S20 ($799.99) is the second generation of our previous pick for the best mopping vacuum, the Switchbot S10. It adds an extendable roller mop/side brush, 15,000Pa of suction power, and the option of a multifunction dock if you don’t like the split dock design of the S10.
SharkNinja’s PowerDetect NeverTouch Pro 2-in-1 robot vacuum mop ($999.99) can lift itself up to 20mm to get over rugs and transitions. Its multifunction dock doesn’t require bags, either.
The Roborock Q10 S5 Plus ($549.99) has an impressive 10,000Pa of suction power for a budget bot and uses Roborock’s sonic mop system, vibrating 3,000 times per minute to scrub the floors. It comes with a 2.7-liter self-emptying base that can hold up to 70 days’ worth of debris, or you can get it without for less.
The Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai Robot is its first combo robot vacuum and mop. It uses a roller mop, lidar navigation, and Dyson’s first multifunctional dock. There’s no pricing or release date yet. Read our hands-on impressions.
DJI’s first robot vacuum, the Romo, comes in three configurations, with the flagship model being the transparent Romo P for €1,899 (around $2,200). Then there’s the Romo A for €1,599 (around $1,700), and the more affordable Romo S, at €1,299 (around $1,500). They are currently only available in Europe. All three have multifunction docks and use wide-angle dual-transmitter solid-state lidar for navigation — the same tech found in DJI’s flagship drones — along with a pair of fish-eye vision sensors for obstacle detection.
The $1,599.99 Dreame Aqua10 Ultra Roller Complete features a roller-style mopping system that continuously cleans itself in real time. Its companion model, the Aqua10 Ultra Track Complete, adds hot-water mopping and automatically adds cleaning solution as it moves about, so you don’t have to stop and refill anything.
The $1,999.99 Dreame Matrix 10 Ultra comes with a multi-mop switching multifunction dock that automatically swaps between nylon scrub pads, sponge pads, and thermal mop pads based on where it’s cleaning. Its three-solution compartment also holds separate cleaners for tackling pet odors, wood floors, and general messes, which the robovac will dispense on its own depending on the situation.
Roborock’s Saros Rover, which we named one of the best smart home gadgets at CES 2026, is the world’s first robot vacuum capable of climbing — and cleaning — stairs, thanks to set of articulating legs. The robot moves in a smooth, frog-like manner, taking just under three minutes to climb a five-step staircase. It can navigate slopes, hop between steps, and quickly change direction; however, Roborock hasn’t shared pricing or a release date yet.
Roborock also introduced the Saros 20 and Saros 20 Sonic at CES, both of which feature an upgraded chassis that automatically adjusts the robot’s height to better handle different carpet types. Each model can climb over thresholds up to 3.3 inches tall, but the upgraded model features an improved sonic mop that extends into baseboards and offers customizable water flow and vibration settings. Both robot vacuums are slated to arrive later this year, though Roborock has yet to share pricing details.
In addition to the aforementioned Rover and S20 models, Roborock recently introduced the Qrevo Curv 2 Flo, which is the company’s first robovac to feature a self-cleaning roller mop. It boasts AI-powered dirt detection, 20,000Pa of suction power, and Matter support, as well as a multifunctional dock that cleans the mop and auto-empties the bin. It will retail for $999 when it launches on January 19th.
The recently introduced Narwal Flow 2, the successor to the edge-mopping Flow, also made its debut at CES. It can detect dropped valuables like phones and keys, avoid them while cleaning, and alert you via an app with a photo and their location. It also offers new cleaning modes tailored for pets and children, including a deep-clean setting for areas where pets spend the most time and the ability to automatically switch to a quieter cleaning mode when approaching a crib. Additional upgrades include up to 30,000Pa of suction power — up from 22,000Pa — and 158°F hot-water mopping. The Flow 2 is slated to launch in April, though pricing hasn’t been announced yet.
Anker’s forthcoming Eufy S2 is a robot vacuum and mop hybrid that stands out for its built-in “aromatherapy system,” which is designed to leave your home smelling fresh as it cleans. Other highlights include a self-cleaning roller mop, powerful 30,000Pa suction, and AI-powered obstacle detection.
Ecovacs just announced the Deebot X12 OmniCyclone, the successor to the X11, which can pretreat stains and includes a smart cover to keep carpets dry. The company also debuted the midrange T90 Pro Omni, a successor to the T80 Omni that allows the robot to recharge whenever it returns to the base to clean itself. Pricing and release details for both models haven’t been shared yet.
How I test robot vacuums
Alongside everyday use, I put robot vacuums through a gauntlet of specific tests. I test object detection and avoidance with phone chargers, socks, a pencil, and fake pet poop. I throw in Cheerios or popcorn to see if they know to vacuum that up rather than avoid it. I run them over oatmeal and flour to see how well they pick up fine debris and have them tackle both thick and low-pile carpets. I monitor how they handle rug tassels, my high pile living room rug, skinny chair legs, and room transitions.
For mopping, I test on hardwood and tile floors with dried milk, fresh OJ, and ketchup. I monitor how quickly they fill up their bin / auto-empty dock and how efficiently they use water and clean their mop pads. I set schedules, hook them up to voice assistants, and play with the app’s advanced features.
I evaluate navigation by running them on all three floors of my house and evaluating how well they map and how easy the maps are to edit and use. I also test any advanced features, such as home security camera capabilities, AI cleaning programs, and automatic mop removal.
Photos by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
Update, January 12th: Adjusted pricing / availability and added details regarding several new models introduced at CES 2026. Sheena Vasani also contributed to this post.
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Jennifer Pattison Tuohy<![CDATA[I tested Apple’s hands-free Home Key — and it’s a big upgrade]]>https://www.theverge.com/?p=8547572026-02-08T12:32:22-05:002026-01-06T09:00:00-05:00
Aqara’s U400 is the first smart lock you can buy that works with Apple’s Home Key hands-free unlocking.
Aqara has announced a new smart deadbolt lock at CES this week. The U400 ($269.99) is the first to support Apple's Home Key's hands-free unlocking. This uses the U1 ultra-wideband (UWB) chip in many iPhones and Apple Watches to automatically unlock your door as you approach - no physical interaction required. I tested the U400 at my home earlier this month, and it's been a significant upgrade for my front door.
I still have to physically open the door, but there's no need to punch in a code, use a fingerprint, pull out my phone, or bring my watch up to the lock; the door is unlocked by the time I get there. This makes it faster and easier t …
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Jennifer Pattison Tuohy<![CDATA[This smart home controller is literally a piece of wood]]>https://www.theverge.com/?p=8525982026-01-10T12:01:50-05:002026-01-03T09:00:00-05:00
The Mui Board is a minimalist, screen-free interface for controlling tech in your home.
One of the fun parts of being a tech journalist for over a decade is that occasionally you get to watch a truly unique gadget go from concept to reality - and, eventually, into your living room. That's the case with the Mui Board, a smart home controller built into a piece of wood.
The Mui was first demoed at CES in 2019, and I've seen it at several shows over the years, in various iterations, always with the promise that it would ship soon. Well, this year it did (in limited quantities!), and I finally got to try one out in my living room.
Mui Board
A minimalist smart home controller made from a piece of wood, the Mui Board works with Mat …
