Although probably best known for its video doorbells, Ring offers a range of both indoor and security cameras, including the 2K Ring Outdoor Cam Plus launched earlier this year. However, with the Ring Outdoor Cam Pro, the manufacturer has upped its game by going full 4K for the first time.
Available in black or white (we tested the white version), this new model can be used either outdoors or indoors, with a number of different mounting options to suit your individual set up. Screws and wall plugs are provided for mounting on a wall, fence or even a celling. Alternatively, you can use the built-in stand for placing indoors on a bookshelf or a unit.
Unfortunately, unlike other models in the range, the Ring Outdoor Cam Pro is mains-powered only. There are no battery or even solar charging options available for the unit which means it will need to be located close to a power supply (Ring supplies 6m/20ft power cable with the camera). And although there is POE (Power over Ethernet) version of the camera, this will set you back an additional £100 (£279 rather than £179) – rather a hefty premium in our opinion.
(Image credit: Future)
While the lack of battery/solar power options will certainly deter some buyers looking for a quick, wire-free fix, the use of mains power does enable more advanced high-bandwidth features that battery power simply can’t sustain. Chief among these is 24/7 4K recording, turning the camera from a conventional security unit triggered by motion alerts into a fully-fledged surveillance system. However, this will require a Premium Ring subscription currently costing a hefty £15.99 a month. Another Premium feature is Smart Video Search. Using AI, this allows you to type in a word or phrase such as ‘man wearing a red top’ into the search bar and it will automatically scour the captured footage looking for a man in a red top.
Without a monthly subscription, the camera’s functionality is a lot more basic, restricted mostly to viewing live video streams and basic motion alerts. It’s not possible to save or review past recordings. However, it does include Ring’s Smart Responses feature which will play the automated message ‘Hi, you are currently being recorded’ to intruders letting them know they are being filmed.
(Image credit: Future)
Other basic features not requiring a subscription include a loud 85dB Siren option (once pressed this will sound for thirty seconds) and two-way audio so you can speak to whoever is in view. It’s also possible to set motion alerts for certain times of the day (handy if you use the camera indoors and know other family members will be back in, say, the afternoon/evening ), as well as create different motion zones so – for example – the camera doesn’t pick up passers-by walking past the house or activity in the neighbour’s garden.
Finally, motion sensitivity can be adjusted to reduce the number of motion alerts you get, as security cameras can tend to be a little over sensitive picking up the slightest movement such as a branch swaying on a tree!
Ring Outdoor Cam Pro: subscription options
Ring Home Basic (formerly Protect Basic) Cost: $4.99 / £4.99 / AU$4.95 per month or $49.99 / £49.99 / AU$49.95 per year Covers: one doorbell or camera. Features: cloud storage (up to 180 days), person/package alerts, video previews.
Ring Home Standard (formerly Protect Plus) Cost: $9.99 / £7.99 / AU$15 per month or $99.99 / £79.99 / AU$150 per year Covers: All devices at one location Features: All Basic features plus Extended Live View, Picture-in-Picture, Daily Event Summary and 10% off Ring products.
Ring Home Premium (new tier) Cost: $19.99 / £15.99 per month or $200 / £159.99 per year (not currently available in Australia) Covers: All devices at one location Features: everything in Basic and Standard, plus 24/7 recording and unlimited video storage.
Ring Outdoor Cam Pro: price and availability
How much does it cost? $199, £179, AU$329
When is it available? Since November 2025
Where is it available? UK / US / Australia
Given it’s a high-end security camera aimed at those who want the very best video quality on the market, I didn’t expect Ring Outdoor Cam Pro to be cheap. Nevertheless, its near-£200 price tag puts it at the very top of the range when it comes to price.
For example, you can now buy the Ring Stick Up Cam for under £50. And while the Stick Up Cam only offers 1080p video resolution (compared to 4K on the Ring Outdoor Cam Pro), it is – unlike its high-performance sister model - battery-powered. This gives you much more flexibility when it comes to installation, especially if you want to cite the camera a long distance away from mains power.
Nor is it just the price of the hardware you have to think about when investing in a security camera. There’s also the monthly subscription. Ring isn’t alone in charging a monthly subscription for its premium features, but with prices starting at £4.99 a month it is one of the more expensive. What’s more, if you want the most advanced features, such as 24/7 video recording and Smart Video Search, you will need to pay £15.99 a month – more than many people’s monthly mobile phone subscriptions.
Value score: 3/5
Ring Outdoor Cam Pro: design
Solidly built camera
Various mounting options
IP65 weather-resistance
When it comes to design, the Ring Outdoor Cam Pro certainly doesn’t disappoint. Standing around 6 inches / 15cm tall, it’s a solid-enough design with a base that can be easily angled to match your needs. Various mounting options are provided for indoor and outdoor use and set up is straightforward enough thanks to an easy-to-use app and a QR code that you can scan with your phone’s camera.
(Image credit: Future)
Plenty of cable is provided although this is divided up with a slightly ugly power adapter (this can be screwed into the wall). On the one side of the power adaptor is the mains cable, on the other is a flatter USB-C cable that goes into the back of the camera.
(Image credit: Future)
Turn the camera around and there’s the 4K lens, offering a 140° horizontal and 85° vertical field of view, plus a small microphone and speaker at the bottom running along the bottom of the unit. Boasting an IP (Ingress Protection) rating of 65 – an improvement on earlier models - the Ring Outdoor Cam Pro offers protection from dust and low-pressure water jets, but isn’t suitable for submersion or high-pressure jets. It can also be used in temperatures as low as -5°F and as high as 120°F (-20°C to 50°C).
Design score: 4/5
Ring Outdoor Cam Pro: performance
Retinal 4K resolution
10x digital zoom
Adaptive night vision
One of the first of the manufacturer’s cameras to incorporate Retinal 4K technology (3840 x 2160 pixels), the Ring Outdoor Camera Pro certainly stands out when it comes to performance. Indeed, we found that the higher pixel density, coupled with a 140° field of view and 10x digital zoom, meant it was possible to capture detail from footage filmed during the day that wasn’t previously possible.
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However, night vision was a little bit more of a mixed bag. Ring advertises ‘adaptive and colour night vision’, but the colour functionality requires quite a bit of ambient light to work. Generally, we found that while it was very high quality most of the footage we captured at night was black and white, unless movement triggered one of the nearby security lights.
One area where the Ring Outdoor Cam Pro does excel is ease of use. Like many of Ring’s products, set-up is straightforward and the product’s menus are straightforward to use. Alerts are sent directly to your phone in an instant, complete with details such as ‘person detected’ (providing you subscribe to a Ring plan). It is also linked with the Alexa skill so you can activate the camera with a voice command such as ‘Alexa, show me the garden camera’.
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Finally, it’s possible to reduce the number of false alerts that you get using the Ring’s innovative Bird’s Eye View feature. This works by combining 3D motion detection (with radar) with a satellite map of your property to track an intruder’s path with pinpoint accuracy! It’s also a good idea to reduce the motion sensitivity of the camera using the onscreen menu.
Performance score: 4.5/5
Ring Outdoor Cam Pro:
Should you buy the Ring Outdoor Cam Pro?
Attribute
Notes
Score
Value
With a price tag close to £200, the Ring Outdoor Cam Pro is one of the pricier home security cameras on the market. And that’s before you add in the additional cost of the monthly subs.
3.5 / 5
Design
Available in black or white, the Ring camera is well designed with different mounting options both for indoor and outdoor use.
4 / 5
Performance
When it comes to performance, the 4K camera generally excels with 10x digital zoom providing particularly detailed close-ups.
4.5/5
Overall
The Outdoor Cam Pro represents a leap into high-resolution surveillance for Ring. However, the high levels of performance come at a fairly hefty price, especially when you factor in the subscription plan.
4/5
Buy it if
You want high quality video footage
The Ring Outdoor Cam Pro offers exceptional video quality thanks to 4K resolution and 10x digital zoom.
You already have Ring products
This camera fits neatly into the Ring ecosystem, enabling you to link to other Ring products including cameras, video doorbells and alarms.
Don't buy it if
You are on a limited budget
The Ring Outdoor Cam Pro is one of the more expensive models on the market and functionality is limited without spending at least £4.99 on a monthly subscription.
Mains power isn’t available where you want the camera
The high performance levels of this camera, including the option of 24/7 recording, mean that it must be connected to the mains.
Ring Outdoor Cam Pro: also consider
Attribute
Ring Outdoor Cam Pro
Ring Spotlight Cam Pro (Battery)
Eufy 4K S330 Security Camera
Subscription price
From £4.99 a month
From £4.99 a month
None
Viewing angle
140° horizontal, 85° vertical
140° view horizontal, 80° vertical
360° view
Network connection
Wi-Fi (2.4GHz/5GHz)
Wi-Fi (2.4GHz/5GHz)
Wi-Fi/4G
Audio
Two-way audio
Two-way audio
Two-way audio
Video
4K video resolution
1080p Full HD resolution
4K video resolution
Power
Mains-powered
Battery
Battery
Hardware price
£179 (mains only)
£199 (battery model only)
£189 (with solar panel)
Ring Spotlight Cam Pro (battery)
Available in black or white, this outdoor security camera from Amazon-owned Ring boasts two 3000°K spotlights. You can also buy a mains-powered version as well as a separate solar panel.
An extremely innovative battery and solar-powered camera, the Eufy can be used with the supplied 4G Sim card to capture recordings, making it ideal for those who live in areas with poor Wi-Fi/broadband.
To test this camera, I first connected it to the mains plug in my garden and placed it in various positions and in all weathers – including sunshine, rain and heavy wind! I also tested it both during daylight and at night (it was dark in London from about 4.30pm onwards). During this time, I didn’t have any performance issues, despite extremely inclement weather conditions (thanks Storm Bram).
I then moved indoors to complete the testing with the device in various locations including the kitchen and my home office. One of the great things I noticed during the testing period was just how flexible the Ring camera is. All of the fittings are provided for installing on a wall or ceiling. However, it can quite as easily be moved around for placing on a desk or a bookshelf – handy if you go away and just want to monitor a particular area for a short period of time.
The Dreame Matrix10 Ultra is probably the most advanced hybrid robot floor cleaner that I've ever reviewed. At the heart of the design is a unique mop-swapping system that works like a vending machine. Instead of having a single pair of spinning mop pads like its competitors, this model's docking station stores three sets of mop pads, each tailored for different surfaces or rooms.
These mops are swapped automatically, depending on the room or surface it has been tasked to clean. Oh, and there are three cleaning fluid options, which can auto-switch, too. The aim is to ensure each floor receives an appropriate type of cleaning, and to help prevent cross-contamination. Not everyone will feel the need for that, but if you're meticulous about hygiene, or have more extreme mopping needs, this could well be the best robot vacuum for you.
Mopping performance is reinforced by dual rotating mop heads that apply consistent pressure to deliver deeper cleaning. And, like all good mopping systems, water flow is adjusted based on floor type and the mops are always lifted when the robot transitions onto carpets. The base station also handles self-cleaning of the mops (with hot-water washing and drying) and auto-emptying of detritus into a larger-than-average 3.2-liter bin bag.
Given that this robovac boasts an industry-leading 30,000 Pascals of suction power, I had high hopes for its vacuuming ability. In practice, it handled its everyday tasks exceptionally well, including collecting an awful lot of hair shed by my two Labradors, and delivering thorough hard floor vacuuming. However, it struggled to pick up large debris from a carpeted floor – it made a decent fist of it, but it wasn't quite as thorough as I'd expect given those stunning suction specs.
Navigation and mobility are extremely impressive since the bot has a retractable navigation puck to sneaking beneath low furniture, AI-assisted obstacle avoidance, and a chassis that can launch it over thresholds and floor obstacles up to a total of 3in / 8cm total height, or 1.6in / 4.2cm if it's a single step.
The enormous dock will rule it out for smaller homes, where in any case, such a complex setup may not be necessary. It's a perfect model for residents of large houses with mixed floor types, hairy pets or a desire to maintain high hygiene standards. I think it's also worth considering for use in most commercial premises like single-level offices, village halls, or small sports halls.
That's the short version; read on for my full Dreame Matrix10 Ultra review.
The Dreame Matrix10 Ultra sits firmly in the premium end of the robot-cleaning arena and its standard price – $1,999.99 in the US, £1,399 in the UK, and AU$3,499 in Australia – reflects that position. However, I've already spotted big discounts that suggest you might not need to pay that kind of price – I've seen it on sale for $1,800 in the US, just £999 from the UK, and AU$2,499 in Australia. It's available to buy direct from Dreame, as well as via various third-party retailers.
Those discounts – in the UK and Australia, at least – bring the Matrix10 Ultra within reach of buyers who want high-end automation without tipping into the ultra-luxury tier. Granted, even at this reduced price it's still a substantial investment, but given the convenience and the ace level of autonomy it offers, I think it still delivers impressive value for money. I'd perhaps hold out for a better discount if you live Stateside, though.
(Image credit: Future)
The Matrix10 Ultra's high level of sophistication does come with trade-offs. For instance, the mop-swapping dock is enormous by comparison to others on the market, and the machinery is complex. Hence, if you live in a small space, have uniform flooring or don't need frequent mopping, its advantages dramatically shrink and the upfront cost feels harder to justify. But for large homes with mixed surfaces (and even some commercial properties), this type of hybrid bot starts to make a lot of financial sense.
If the Dreame Matrix10 Ultra seems like too big a financial commitment, perhaps give one of the Chinese company's earlier models some consideration. The L40 Ultra might not have swappable mops but it's still a cracking bot that now retails at a significantly lower price than the Matrix10 Ultra. Alternatively consider the equally excellent Roborock Qrevo Series, for a similarly affordable price.
Value for money score: 3.5 out of 5
Dreame Matrix10 Ultra specs
Max suction:
30,000Pa
Robot size (L x W):
in / 35 x 35.1cm
Robot height:
3.5 in / 8.9cm
Dock dimensions (H x W x D):
23.2 x 16.4 x 17.9 in / 58.9 x 41.6 x 45.5 cm
Dust bin volume (base):
3.2L
Water tank volume (base):
5.5L (clean); 4L (dirty)
Mop type:
Auto-interchangeable dual spinning mop pages
Base type:
Charge, empty dust, wash mop pads with hot water, dry mop pads with hot air, automatically swap from three mop pad sets, auto-dispense one of three cleaning fluids
Max threshold clearance:
1.6 in / 4.2cm (one step) or 3in / 8cm (two steps)
Navigation:
Retractable LiDAR Pathfinder
Obstacle avoidance:
Double laser+AI+RGB+LED
Carpet detection:
Ultrasonic
Dreame Matrix10 Ultra review: design
Features include step-vaulting feet and a retracting LiDAR puck
Enormous dock vends different mop types and cleaning solutions
Hi-tech and advanced navigation and object avoidance systems
The Dreame Matrix10 Ultra is a cutting-edge robovacs, starting with its navigation system, which is one of the most technically impressive I've come across. There's a retractable DToF LiDAR unit (complete with attractive blue ring light), 3D sensing and an AI-enhanced RGB camera that combine to deliver fast, accurate 360-degree mapping while still allowing the robot to lower its profile and slip under furniture with a clearance of just 3.5in / 9cm.
Like the Roborock Saros 10, this ability to retract its LiDAR turret gives the Matrix10 Ultra both the precision of high-end LiDAR mapping and the physical flexibility to reach recessed areas many robots miss.
(Image credit: Future)
Its vision system, meanwhile, adds a second layer of intelligence: a structured-light 3D sensor paired with the aforementioned RGB camera. Together, these navigation tools identify and classify a wide range of objects, allowing the robot to plan collision-free routes that seem logical, at least when compared with some other models I've reviewed.
I've been astonished by how confidently and intelligently this model has mapped and navigated my home – and even a huge village hall – without any hiccups whatsoever. It just works.
Robot design
The Dreame Matrix10 Ultra's industry-leading 30,000 Pascals of suction power is a major bonus, especially when it comes to removing most trapped dust particles in carpet and rugs. Couple this suction power with Dreame's dual rollers (one with added bristles) and and an extendable side sweeping brush for great pick-up coverage along skirting boards and furniture edges, and you have one very efficient floor sweeping system. Like most Roborocks, you're offered five levels of suction with this model – Quiet, Standard, Turbo, Max and Max+.
(Image credit: Future)
However, what really sets this model apart from almost all others bar the Mova Mobius 60 (a sub-brand of Dreame) is its advanced mopping hardware. Instead of using a single pair of spinning mop pads to clean the entire floorspace, the Matrix10 Ultra supports a range of three different mop types that can be allocated to different rooms, and these mops are swapped automatically in the charging dock (more on this in the section directly below).
Like all good modern hybrid robot vacuums, the Matrix10 Ultra automatically lifts its mops when moving over carpets, or leaves them in the dock if not required. And when it's mopping, it also raises both the twin brush rollers and the side brush so they remain muck-free.
Many high-end bots are capable of scaling thresholds and low steps but this one performs better than most. It's able to quite literally climb up a pair of steps, a sliding door track up to 3in / 8cm in height, or single steps up to 1.6in / 4.2cm, by raising its chassis and launching itself forward. (You can see the system in action on a different Dreame bot in TechRadar's Dreame X50 Ultra Complete review.)
(Image credit: Future)
Because this model is equipped with a decent RGB camera up front, you can also use the Dreame app to manually steer the robot around like an RC car. I've always thought of this function as a bit of a gimmick, but I was proven wrong the other day in our village hall: the Matrix10 Ultra got stuck in a tight spot to the side of a toilet bowl and its sensitive sensors prevented it from jiggling itself out of trouble. I simply launched the app from my location, selected the camera icon and managed to steer it out manually. I then tasked it to continue cleaning and all was well again.
(Image credit: Dreame / Future)
However, there is one genuine gimmick added to the camera function that I see no use for, aside from a bit of amusement. If you select the speaker-and-dog icon you can choose from a selection of noises – a cat meowing, purring, a dog bark, some footsteps and the ticking of a clock.
Dock design
Let's first address the elephant in the room – the size of the dock. While attractive enough to look at, it is huge by comparison to the majority of other models. In fact most people might ask why you elected to put an under-counter fridge in your living room. It certainly looks a bit like one.
At 23.2in / 58.9cm in height, a whopping 16.4in / 41.6cm in width and a depth of 17.9in / 45.5cm with robot ramp attached, this dock dwarfs most others on the market and that will most certainly be an issue for anyone with a smaller home. But then again, Dreame likely never envisaged this model being used in anything other than large homes – its unique multi-mop system bears this out.
(Image credit: Future)
The Dreame Matrix10 Ultra's dock is one of the most technically sophisticated charging stations ever paired with a hybrid robot. Aside from automatically emptying the contents of the robot's tiny bin into its larger-than-average 3.2-litre dust bag, the dock can also store multiple mop types and automatically switch them using a jukebox-style system.
In a nutshell, the bot leaves the dock and waits a minute or so while a module behind the front door raises up to grab the required magnetically-affixed mops from their holding base before placing them face down on the dock's cleaning plate mechanism. The robot then returns to the dock where the mops are attached. It's a very clever system, no doubt, but the jury's out on the amount of moving parts involved and the reliability of the system in the long term.
(Image credit: Future)
You get three sets of pads included and each one is slightly different and designed for a specific purpose: the yellow pads have scrubbers fitted for deeper cleaning in greasy areas like a kitchen; the grey pads are thicker and more absorbent for bathrooms or flooring where you want less streaking; and blue are for general-purpose mopping of living areas. However, you can use the Dreame app to set which types of mops you want used for each room.
(Image credit: Future)
The million dollar question is whether you really need three sets of mops for different rooms. Dreame says it's mostly for hygiene purposes and the prevention of cross-contamination and I can see this being a valid reason for anyone with toddlers on the floor who doesn't want a toilet mop to then clean the living room floor, even if it's self-cleaned between tasks. But is avoidance of the possibility of cross-contamination really that important? If it is, then this model is unequivocally the one for you.
Given that this model is best suited to larger abodes, the dock houses two extra-large water tanks – a huge 5.5-liter tank for clean water and a 4-liter tank for the filthy stuff. Once a mopping task is completed, the bot returns to dock where the mops are thoroughly washed in hot water at 212F / 100C. This water is then purged into the dirty water reservoir ready for emptying at your leisure or whenever the app tells you to do so.
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This hot-water cleaning cycle does a far better job of breaking down grease, grime and detergent residues than the lukewarm rinses found in many competing systems. Once cleaned, the mop pads are dried with hot air to prevent bacterial growth and eliminate damp smells.
Meanwhile, the multi-solution compartment – a first in my book – lets the dock dose different cleaning fluids automatically, adjusting formulas to match floors or cleaning modes. You get three types of solution in the package – one liter of Dreame Floor Cleaning Solution, 200ml of Pet Odor Solution and 200ml of Wood Floor Care Solution.
I'm always slightly wary of gadgets with lots of moving parts, because the more complex the engineering, the more potential points of failure there are further down the line. However, I didn't experience any issues with the dock – or the robot itself for that matter – during my review period.
Design score: 4.5 out of 5
Dreame Matrix10 Ultra review: performance
Expert navigation, accurate object avoidance and powerful mapping
Excellent vacuuming on hard floor, and very decent on carpet
Complex mop system works well and mopping is a cut above average
So how does the Dreame Matrix10 Ultra hold up in practice? Let's take a look at the performance. I've broken this section up into different parts to make it easier to digest.
Navigation performance
I've been extremely impressed by this bot's navigation performance and its initial mapping sequence was insanely good. In fact, it's the first robot vac to ever accurately map my open plan home with all spaces highlighted correctly and with no dividing or merging of rooms required. It even automatically named four of the five rooms it had mapped. This means it was accurately spotting the dining table in the dining room, the sofa in the living room and the kitchen by its layout. Furthermore, it did all this in a smidge under five minutes.
I then installed the whole system in our huge village hall – 121 square meters – and it mapped the hall, kitchen and toilets in 10 minutes, and even correctly named the two toilets and dividing hallway. Moreover, unlike other models I've tested in the hall, the Dreame's main map has remained stable with no shifts in the map's perspective. LiDAR is known to struggle when mapping huge areas like a commercial hall, especially if it has many windows with bright sunlight pouring in. But this model has so far bucked that trend.
During my tests the Matrix10 Ultra has planned efficient, seemingly logical cleaning paths rather than wandering around randomly. It's also adjusted dynamically when furniture was moved or when unexpected obstacles appeared, updating its routes mid-clean to maintain full coverage without wasting time or missing too many corners.
Unfortunately I wasn't in a position to test its ability to scale high thresholds and small steps because I don't have any access to them. However, I have seen demonstrations of this bot negotiating a threshold and roll-steel furniture legs and it has simply sailed over them.
Obstacle avoidance
The Dreame Matrix10 Ultra's obstacle avoidance is one of its most impressive performance features, combining advanced sensors and AI to navigate real-world environments with finesse. As mentioned in the Design section, the robot uses a combination of retractable DToF LiDAR for precise distance mapping and structured-light 3D sensing paired with an AI-enhanced RGB camera. This fusion of sensors allows it to detect a wide range of objects, from small items like cables, socks, shoes, bags and pet toys to furniture legs and other household obstacles.
(Image credit: Future)
In practice, this means the Matrix10 Ultra rarely bumps into or gets stuck on objects, though I'll admit that a loose pair of scissors caught it out on one occasion. In my first home test, it manoeuvred between a loose glove and tape measure without any touching, but rode slipshod over the scissors; and yet it avoided the scissors in a subsequent test. I put this first failure down to the robot having approached the scissors from an acute angle beyond the line of sight of its RGB camera.
I then set up another obstacle test in the village hall using a clutch of pens, a book, a plastic Dyson vacuum nozzle and the same tape measure. Remarkably, it negotiated all obstacles without any touching and you can see this in the attached demonstration video.
Would I rely on the Matrix10 Ultra to avoid a dog poop? No I wouldn't, though on evidence of my tests, I'd say that there's a much better chance of this bot avoiding it rather than smearing it all over the carpet.
Vacuum performance
The Dreame Matrix10 Ultra delivers very decent vacuum performance. It dual-brush system lifted dust, debris and pet hair with ease on my hard floors, while its automatic edge brushes did a grand job of scuttling debris from corners into the path of its suction portal.
It has spent two weeks vacuuming my home with no glaring signs of it having missed anything and it's been absolutely faultless in the village hall, too, with a perfectly cleaned swathe of wooden flooring and very little evidence of any forgotten debris along the skirting boards. The Matrix10’s cleaning ability on hard floor is as good as the best I’ve seen from any robot vacuum brand.
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However, I was a little underwhelmed by its performance on a medium-pile rug, even when I had the suction set to Max+. For this test I selected zone cleaning in the app and sprinkled a good dollop of oats, rice and small chunks of crushed dried pasta. The robot duly headed to the rug and proceeded to ramp up the suction power when its sensor detected extra debris. It then performed a series of tight circles in these areas before continuing in an up-and-down parallel fashion to finish the job.
It definitely left more debris behind than I expected, given the ultra-powerful 30,000 Pa suction spec. Despite the supposedly higher suction, it didn't perform as well on carpet as my Roborock 10R or Roborock 10 in this particular high-debris test.
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I am mindful that this was an extreme task and one that would normally be performed to much better effect by a human with a decent cordless stick vac. The Matrix10 Ultra's day-to-day carpet cleaning has been perfectly acceptable – the robot’s bin has always been full enough to suggest it had collected a lot of pet hair – just not quite as outstanding as I'd hoped for. At just 54.9dB from about six feet away, it's also one of the quietest bots I've ever tested.
Mopping performance
The Matrix10 Ultra's mopping is genuinely among the most advanced of any hybrid combos. Its rotating Dual Omni‑Scrub mop technology applies consistent downward pressure, scrubbing hard floors deeply rather than simply swiping across them. Moreover, the base station supports a full cycle of mop‑pad care – heated water washing, drying and automatic water refill of the robot's smaller water tank. This level of automation keeps the mop pads hygienic, fresh and ready for repeated cleaning, without any manual scrubbing or pad wringing.
(Image credit: Future)
Of course, one of this model's most clever touches is its ability to switch mop pad types automatically, depending on what the space demands. Water flow is also regulated automatically depending on floor type and expected dirt levels, which helps avoid over‑wetting.
In my daily tests, the mopping system delivered smooth, even results with no streaking. It also handled a spill of some milk with no issues to report. However, no hybrid robot is flawless when it comes to removing deeply ingrained grime, thick stains or sticky messes.
(Image credit: Future)
While this model will tackle them to some degree, programming it to head to a specific spot by creating a zone in the Dreame app is a world of pain and takes more time to set it up and the robot to perform the task accurately enough than it does to simply grab a mop, kitchen towel of a decent cordless hard floor cleaner like the excellent Roborock F25 Ultra.
Dock performance
As previously mentioned, rather than just charging the robot, the Matrix10 Ultra's dock stores three sets of mop pads and automatically selects the correct one for each room. It also washes them in 212F / 100C water before drying them with hot air. The jukebox-style pad selection system is undeniably clever, but I can't comment on the long-term reliability of this complex mop-swapping innovation. I should add that I personally haven't experienced any issues, but who knows how well it will behave in a year or two.
(Image credit: Future)
What I will wholeheartedly praise is the dock's excellent bin emptying system. I've often experienced issues with some robot vac docks that have clogged up when faced with too much pet hair in the robot's smaller bin. To date this model has performed immeasurably well and I think I know why.
A bit like the Eufy Omni S1 Pro, this model's dock goes through a pre-suction process whereby it performs a full power suck for about a second to loosen any clumped hair in the robot's bin before pausing another second. It then goes into full suction for about 8 seconds. After umpteen emptying sessions, I have no blocked suction tubes to report and that's a major bonus in my book.
(Image credit: Future)
Another point in this dock's favor is the low volume it emits while going through the emptying process. I measured it at 64.2dB from about 10 feet away and this is pretty quiet for a dock of this nature. But perhaps more importantly, the low sound frequency of the emptying process is so much easier on the ears than many other docks, specifically some of those by iRobot which emit an ear-splitting high-frequency scream whenever emptying the contents of their robots' bins.
Battery performance
I was initially concerned about this model's battery capacity when first putting it through its paces. I'd fiddle with it for no longer than 10 minutes with pauses in between and the battery would show something in the region of 91%. Hence I didn't hold out much hope of the battery lasting for an entire vacuum clean of a 121-square meter village hall without having to recharge midway through the cleaning session.
But I was wrong, because I've checked the Dreame app's Care History section and, on average, the Matrix10 Ultra has completed every task – the hall, kitchen and toilets – in one go in around 117 minutes with +/- 28% of battery life remaining. And that's a very reassuring stat for anyone thinking of purchasing this autonomous hybrid vac for their country mansion.
Performance score: 4.5 out of 5
Dreame Matrix10 Ultra review: app
Extremely comprehensive
Slowish to respond
Not that easy to navigate
The Dreame app offers a highly capable and feature-rich experience, giving users minutely detailed control over their robot vacuum and mop. From the first LiDAR scan, it builds an accurate map of your home, allowing you to name rooms, create zones, set no-go zones, create multi-floor maps and adjust cleaning parameters like suction strength or mop water flow rates on a per-room basis. Scheduling, remote control and notifications help keep cleaning convenient, while smart-home integration with Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant adds hands-free flexibility.
However, it took me a while to get a handle on this app and an especially long time to work out how to set up routines. Even then, I needed to make sure I'd saved and tapped on any tick icons or it didn't save anything. I'd have preferred to see a system like that adopted by Roborock which saves its routines (a series of pre-programmed short cuts like ‘vacuum the hall', ‘mop the kitchen' and ‘clean the dog rug') on the homepage for instant accessibility. I've also noticed that the Dreame app is a bit slower to react to commands and send them to the robot – but we're talking seconds here.
Despite these small niggles, I've been mightily impressed by the huge wealth of customisation you can achieve in this app. However, I would advise spending a good deal of time learning about all the settings because, by ignoring them, you almost certainly won't get the most out of this sterling autonomous home helper.
App score: 4 out of 5
Should you buy the Dreame Matrix10 Ultra?
Attribute
Notes
Rating
Value
Ultra-premium at list price, but it looks like discounts won't be hard to come by – and it does boast an awful lot of tech.
3.5 / 5
Design
Ambitious and complex, with a mop-pad dispensing dock, feet for vaulting over steps and a retractable LiDAR puck.
4.5 / 5
Performance
Generally extremely impressive, with excellent mopping and hard floor vacuuming, and accurate navigation and object detection. Its carpet performance not as outstanding as I'd expect for those suction specs.
4 / 5
App
Perhaps a little too comprehensive for its own good – technophobes may have trouble getting a handle on it.
4 / 5
Buy it if...
You have advanced mopping needs
The Matrix10 Ultra really shines when it comes to its mop setup, with multiple mop types and cleaning fluids (and the ability to swap between them automatically).
You're worried about cross-contamination
The Matrix10 Ultra provides different mops for different rooms, to keep things contained.
You have a big home with lots of obstacles
This model delivers some of the most accurate and efficient mapping and navigation I've experienced – perfect for large, challenging spaces.
Don't buy it if...
Youdon't have much room for the dock
The Matrix10 Ultra's dock is about the size of a small fridge, so not ideal if you're short on space.
You don't need auto mop pad swapping
Is the specter of cross-floor contamination really an issue? If you're not fussed about reusing your bathroom mop pads in the kitchen (with a clean in-between), there are plenty of cheaper and simpler alternatives to choose from.
You don't have that much hard floor
The USP here is really the mopping – if you're not going to be making the most of the different mop pad types and cleaning fluids, I'd pick a different bot.
How I tested the Dreame Matrix10 Ultra
I've had this model running on two separate floor spaces – at home and our large village hall, where it currently resides. Aside from evaluating both the robot and unique mop-swapping dock, I let it loose at home for two weeks and left it to its own devices using a series of daily cleaning schedules. I then performed a hard-floor pick-up and mopping test in the kitchen before hauling it up to the hall (it's heavy) where I performed a carpet cleaning and obstacle avoidance test before leaving it to run five scheduled vacuum and mopping sessions per week. It's been doing this for the past two weeks with no hiccups to report.
The Echo Show 8 (2025) is the fourth-generation model of Amazon’s second-smallest smart display, offering a great canvas for hallways, living rooms, offices and beyond. Announced in September 2025 alongside the Echo Dot Max, Echo Studio (2nd-generation) and the Echo Show 11.
Adopting a similar design language to the Echo Show 10 (2020), the Echo Show 8’s speaker is now the base for a floating, thin display, rather than the slightly clunky wedge shape design of previous generations. It’s a lovely change that makes the speaker feel far less utilitarian in the home like many of the best smart displays it's competing against, but there’s a casualty; there’s now no physical camera shutter. You can still mute and blind the Echo Show 8 with a button on the device, or fully switch off the camera in the app (or, of course, cover it with a sticker), but it’s an unfortunate loss for those who want that extra layer of built-in privacy and peace of mind.
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
The new 8.7-inch screen is wonderful to use with minimal lag,and the speakers are pretty accomplished. Everything, from reading recipes to Alexa queries, is zippy thanks to the new AZ3 Pro chip, topped by a great streaming experience. There’s also a great array of smart home features, including the Omnisense technology as well as Thread, Matter, and Zigbee support.
Overall, it's a powerful boost for Amazon's second-smallest smart display, and if you can get past the lack of a physical privacy shutter and the slightly cluttered interface, it's a real crowd-pleaser, and easily one of the best Alexa speakers available today.
(Image credit: Future)
Echo Show 8: Specs
Echo Show 8 (4th-gen, 2025)
Size
21 cm x 15 cm x 13 cm (W x H x D)
Display
8.7-inch HD touchscreen with 1340 x 800 resolution
Camera
13 MP with auto framing
Audio
1x 2.8-inch woofer and 2x full-range drivers
Connectivity
Zigbee, Matter & Thread Border Router, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth
Processor
AZ3 Pro with AI Accelerator
Sensors
Ambient Temperature Sensor, Presence Detection, Camera
Privacy features
Microphone & camera enable/disable button, dedicated physical and in-app camera controls, voice recording management – but no physical camera shutter.
Echo Show 8: Design
Fresh redesign akin to the Echo Show 10 (2020)
Bright and beautiful floating display
No physical camera shutter
The Echo Show 8 gets a fresh new look, modeled after the Echo Show 10 (2020) with a round, pill-shaped speaker base and a floating thin screen. It’s a much more sophisticated look than the Echo Shows of yore, and doing away with the chunky wedge shape is drastically improves the smart display’s appeal. It does, however, make the whole thing a little more space-consuming at 21 cm x 15 cm x 13 cm (W x H x D).
Its speaker base is clad in a mesh fabric, following the suit of other newer smart speakers and similar to the materials used in Apple’s HomePod and Google’s new Home Hub speakers. Inside are housed two full-range, front-facing drivers for spatial sound and a 2.8-inch woofer.
The screen is an all-around upgrade; it measures 8.7 inches (versus the previous generation’s 8 inches) with a resolution of 1,340 by 800 pixels, (versus 1,280-by-800). It’s fully attached to the base, meaning you can’t adjust the height or the orientation; a slight missed opportunity, but the price jump doesn’t quite cover such engineering, perhaps. It's a shame, though, as the Echo Show 10 offered this function, but neither the new Show 8 nor 11 could fit it in.
(Image credit: Future)
Centered at the top of the screen is the 13 MP camera with auto framing; of note is that there’s no more physical privacy shutter, presumably to allow for that lovely thin screen, but that does mark a downgrade for the privacy-conscious. While settings in-app and the on-device mute button do cancel the camera feed, you can just as easily grab an affordable stick-on shutter or use a bit of tape.
On the right side of the screen are the mute buttons and volume rocker, and the rest of the controls are touch-based on the screen.
You win some, you lose some in the world of tech, and the victims of a lovely, more sophisticated design are unfortunately handy screen-adjusting mechanisms and a physical camera shutter. For a lot of customers, neither will be missed, but both are nice to have in a pinch.
Design: 4.5/5
Design: 4/5
Echo Dot Max next to an Echo Dot (5th-gen) (Image credit: Future)
Echo Show 8: Performance
Zippy and responsive touch screen, decent audio
Sensors are accurate and genuinely useful
User interface a little cluttered
In performance, the Echo Show 8 is broadly the same as the Echo Show 11, owing to the components being the same; however, the screen experience differs somewhat.
Starting there, the display is vibrant, clear and plenty bright, making it easily visible from a few meters away unless you need to make out detailed text. The smaller screen real estate means it suffers a little more under the weight of Amazon’s suggested content (i.e. the recipes, TV shows and products it wants you to engage with) than its 11-inch sibling, but I found setting up a photo album for the Echo Show to shuffle through reduced the amount of advertising and recommendations.
Otherwise, the user interface (UI) was easily operated, responding quickly to touch controls. Widgets do feel a little squashed in places, and some buttons within apps can be awkwardly small, but it’s nowhere as bad as trying to do anything more than adjusting volume and brightness on the Echo Show 5.
Every now and then, there’s a slight stutter to an animation, with some customers reporting mild to moderate issues with input delay. I did find that to be the case with the Echo Show 11 I tested, but the Show 8 was very reliable for me on test. You can swipe down the control center to quickly toggle settings and access various hubs, and swipe left on the screen for your customizable widgets. Just be mindful that the screen is an absolute fingerprint magnet when you’re liberally swiping around.
(Image credit: Future)
The speaker on the Echo Show 8 is the same as the Echo Show 11, but I ran the same tests in case the larger screen impacted the sound quality. As long-time Amazon speaker users will know, audio quality is never the main selling point for Echo devices; the performance is often admirable for the size and price, but not one for the audiophiles (though the Echo Studio and Echo Dot Max buck that trend somewhat).
I streamed lossless tracks from Spotify to test the audio quality, starting with Luafey’s Falling Behind. Her jazzy vocals came through warmly with great clarity, underpinned by the lively but slightly dulled staccato of an acoustic guitar. Older tracks began to show the cracks, however. Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain was muddy, with the vocals sinking further into the track than usual; however, the bass was still nice and punchy.
That drive isn’t consistent, though, and some tracks suffer more from the muddiness. Portishead’s Glory Box was flat all around, losing that breathy quality to the vocals and flattening the usually well-rounded bass, and Jeff Buckley’s rich, haunting vocals are thoroughly buried in the higher layers of Last Goodbye. Still, at this price and size, it’s a pretty accomplished speaker, and Amazon has done well to create a truly room-filling sound out of this smart display.
(Image credit: Future)
Inside the Echo Show 8 are a range of sensors that can be used to set up Routines with Alexa and help you monitor your home. There’san auto-framing 13MP camera centered at the top of the screen, just like in the last generation, and the onboard microphones are great for clear audio on video calls or drop-ins.Also housed in the Echo Show 8 are temperature, motion and brightness detectors, all of which worked well in my testing, as did the facial recognition and personalization features that underpin the seamless Alexa experience.
Alexa and VegaOS generally run well, and the Echo Show 8 is fantastically responsive thanks to the AZ3 Pro chip. Queries are rapidly responded to (sometimes prematurely), with Alexa delivering suggested recipes, playing music and summoning your favorite TV shows and movies in double time. I had a few hiccups trying to watch shows on Netflix and YouTube on the Echo Show 11; but the Echo Show 8 worked perfectly out of the box, and Alexa has come on leaps and bounds when it comes to searching and playing your requested media.
We don’t yet have Alexa+ access in the UK, but we’ve got a full Alexa+ review coming soon that will give the full low-down about its performance on a range of Echo devices.
Performance: 4/5
(Image credit: Future)
Echo Show 8: Price and availability
List price: $179.99 / £179.99 / AU$349
Announced September 2025, released November 2025
Announced in September 2025, the Echo Show 8 costs $179.99 / £179.99 / AU$349 and is available in black and white. Of note, this marks a $30 / £30 / AU$100 price increase versus the last generation, which sold for $149.99 / £149.99 / AU$249.
Broadly, this cost increase is due to the design overhaul, which greatly modernizes Amazon’s second-smallest smart display. It’s not a huge jump in price, and it feels somewhat justified given the improvements to the performance and display. There’s also an optional (and stylish) stand, which will set you back $39.99 / £34.99 / AU$69.95.
Still, it's worth highlighting the value of the device depends in part on whether or not you're bothered by Alexa+. Right now, its early access programme is exclusively available in the US, and this device automatically enlists you for that service, but elsewhere in the world we're effectively losing a selling point for the same price for the foreseeable future.
Value: 4/5
Should I buy the Echo Show 8?
Buy it if...
You’re upgrading from older Echo Shows
Especially if you want Alexa+ to work at peak performance, the Echo Show 8 is a must-have; but the refreshed design, zippy AZ3 chip and lovely display also mark significant improvements.
You make good use of smart home features
From its omnisense technology to its smart home connectivity, the Echo Show 8 is fully equipped with clever features to make your home work for you.
Don't buy it if...
You want a physical camera privacy shutter
Sure, you can mod this yourself or disconnect the feed in the app, but some people will just want absolute privacy out of the box.
You’re on a budget
With its new price point, the Echo Show 8 isn’t affordability-first anymore; it’s by no means premium, either, but you could buy a very capable older smart display for less.
Amazon Echo Show 8: also consider
Scorecard
Value
4/5
Price increase versus older models, but in line with redesign and feature additions.
Design
4/5
Big design upgrade versus the Echo Show 8 (3rd gen)
Performance
4/5
Sound is decent enough, especially for the size of room this display is best-suited for
If you're not sure the Amazon Echo Show 11 is the right Alexa smart speaker for you, here are further options to consider from Amazon:
Echo Show 8 (4th-gen, 2025)
Amazon Echo Show 15 (2nd gen)
Echo Show 5
Price
$179.99 / £179.99 / AU$349
$299 / £299.99
$89.99 / £79.99 / AU$129
Size
21 cm x 15 cm x 13 cm (W x H x D)
410 x 260 x 36mm (W x H x D)
147 x 91 x 82 mm (W x H x D)
Display
8.7-inch HD touchscreen with 1340 x 800 resolution
15.6-inch HD touchscreen, 1920 x 1080 resolution
5.5-inch touchscreen, 960 x 480 resolution
Camera
13 MP with auto framing
13MP wide angle camera with shutter
2 MP
Audio
1x 2.8-inch woofer and 2x full-range drivers
2x 2-inch woofers & 2x 0.6-inch tweeters
1x 1.7-inch driver
Connectivity
Zigbee, Matter & Thread Border Router, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth
Zigbee, Matter & Thread Border Router, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth
Matter, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth
Processor
AZ3 Pro with AI Accelerator
AZ2 neural engine
MediaTek's 8169 B chip
Sensors
Ambient Temperature Sensor, Presence Detection, Camera
Camera, presence detection, ALS RGB, Accelerometer
Camera, presence detection
Privacy features
Microphone & camera enable/disable button, dedicated physical and in-app camera controls, voice recording management – but no physical camera shutter.
Microphone and camera enable/disable button, dedicated physical and in-app camera controls, voice recording management, physical camera shutter.
Microphone and camera enable/disable button, dedicated physical and in-app camera controls, voice recording management, physical camera shutter.
Echo Show 15
If you’d rather have a wall-mounted solution and the added benefit of a Fire TV remote, the latest Echo Show 15 is an excellent option. It has fewer sensors but functions more as a small TV or household management display than it does an entertainment center.
For a smaller option that just covers the basics, the 3rd-generation Echo Show 5 offers a lot of the core functions from the Echo Show product line, but it’s less technically advanced and feature-filled.
How I tested the Echo Show 8 (4th gen, 2025)
I used it pretty much non-stop for a week
I tested its smart home features and sensing
I performed our standard audio and movie streaming tests
To put the new Echo Show 8 through its paces, I used all of the advertised features over a week of testing. I tried setting up automations that use its various sensors and connectivity options to ensure everything worked seamlessly, and used Alexa for my everyday household tasks.
I also tested the speakers using a variety of tracks in different genres to see how well the speakers can replicate music for a wide range of customers, and used streaming services like Netflix and YouTube, as well as Amazon Prime Video both to assess the display’s performance and the general user experience.
I’ve been testing smart speakers for four years, and use an Alexa-based smart home setup every day. I’m well-acquainted with the system and its features, but I’ve also spent a lot of time in other ecosystems to learn the pros and cons of each.
The Echo Show 11 is Amazon’s latest mid-size smart display, releasing alongside the latest Echo Show 8, Echo Studio and the new Echo Dot Max. It’s a new screen size for Amazon’s smart displays, but it’s technically the successor to the Echo Show 10 (2020) with a slightly larger screen.
That being said, its positioning isn’t quite as secure as some of its siblings, nor its predecessor. It lacks some of the features we loved from older generations (and in particular from the Echo Show 10 (2020)), and it’s largely packing the same specs as the Echo Show 8, with the main difference being the larger screen.
Still, it’s far from a bad smart display, and still sees improvements over older devices; it’s powered by the latest AZ3 Pro chip, the screen is now 1080p, audio performance is decent,and there are ample smart home features and connectivity benefits, including the addition of Matter and Thread support.
(Image credit: Future)
The refinements to the Echo Show 10’s floating display design are small but mighty, making the whole speaker feel more sleek and less clunky. That is, of course, barring the removal of the rotating screen and a physical camera privacy shutter – but these two features might just be the deciding factor for some customers when choosing the best smart display.
As of writing, it’s also worth noting that there seem to be some software issues when it comes to streaming. I tested the Echo Show 8 alongside the 11 and had no such challenges, so it seems like a bug, albeit one I have seen a fair few consumers complain about online. Still, it’s early days for the product, and I’d expect this to be ironed out within the coming weeks.
Overall, it’s a great option for kitchens and offices, and I’m delighted to see Amazon paying more and more attention to aesthetics with its newer smart speakers. I just wish that didn’t come at the expense of utility.
(Image credit: Future)
Echo Show 11: Specs
Product name
Size
26 cm x 18 cm x 13 cm (W x H x D)
Display
11.95-inch HD touchscreen with 1920 x 1200 resolution
Camera
13 MP with auto framing
Audio
1x 2.8-inch woofer and 2x full-range drivers
Connectivity
Zigbee, Matter & Thread Border Router, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth
Processor
AZ3 Pro with AI Accelerator
Sensors
Ambient Temperature Sensor, Presence Detection, Camera
Privacy features
Microphone & camera enable/disable button, dedicated physical and in-app camera controls, voice recording management – but no physical camera shutter.
Echo Show 11: Design
Refines on Echo Show 10 (2020) design
Bright and beautiful floating display
No physical camera shutter
Much like the Echo Show 10, the Echo Show 11 sees a thin and light display mounted on a rounded speaker stand. While the Echo Show 10 may have introduced Amazon’s newer floating display design language, the Echo Show 11 refines it, squashing the height of the speaker a little into a pill shape and expanding the screen to a lovely 11.95-inches. These subtle changes make an impact, making the latest Echo Shows much more appealing for the home versus the older wedge-shaped devices.
The net size is still pretty minimal at 26 cm x 18 cm x 13 cm, comprised of the mesh fabric-covered speaker base and affixed screen. This marks a slightly negative departure from the Echo Show 10, which allowed you to adjust the screen for optimal viewing; it’s an important feature if you’re often using the device in your kitchen and don’t want to stoop down every time you need to check a recipe.
Otherwise, the screen is a solid upgrade; as well as the size boost, the screen now offers a resolution of 1920 x 1200 (versus the Echo Show 10’s 1280 x 800 pixels). In use, the color HD display is rich and bright, easily enjoyed even from wider viewing angles.
At the center of the top of the screen is its 13 MP camera with auto framing, but there’s no physical privacy shutter this time. This is likely due to the design constraints of thin screens, but privacy-conscious buyers might not like the change. You can kill the camera feed in-app or use the on-device mute button, but you can also just as easily grab an affordable stick-on shutter or a bit of tape.
Located on the screen’s right side are the mute buttons and volume rocker, and the rest of the controls are touch-based on the screen. The speaker houses a 2.8-inch woofer and two front-facing, full-range drivers that can deliver spatial audio.
Overall, it’s a great all-around upgrade for Amazon’s mid-sized screen, and I doubt anyone will disagree that it’s a much-needed improvement, visually. The whole unit feels a lot more premium and of better build quality, but it’s taken a long time for Amazon to come this far. It’s a shame that two really useful, functional design features had to come at the cost of a fresh look, too.
Design: 4.5/5
(Image credit: Future)
Echo Show 11: Performance
Zippy and bright touch screen, decent audio
Sensors are accurate and help with home automation
Streaming features didn’t work very well
So we know the Echo Show 11 looks good, but how is it in use? In short, it’s fast, facile and feature-filled, but it doesn’t always stick the landing.
Let’s start with the display. It’s bright and beautiful, perfect for enjoying TV and movies up close or to glance at your calendar or reminders from across the room. It is, of course, cluttered with suggested content a lot of the time, but that’s par for the course with Echo Shows (as well as other smart displays), and it becomes far less of a problem if you set up an album of your favorite photos to display throughout the day.
The user interface (UI) is generally quite clean and easy to navigate, with widgets rendering nicely on the large canvas screen. Recipes are easy to follow, video content is bright and vibrant, and animations are pretty slick, barring the occasional stutter.
Touch controls are quick and responsive most of the time, though I have had to reboot it a few times after it becomes unresponsive. Some users have also reported some mild to moderate issues with input delay; however, I couldn’t replicate these issues myself. Interestingly, I’ve not faced these issues on the Echo Show 8 I tested in parallel to the 11-inch model, so I have to assume it’s an issue with the UI’s screen optimization. The touch interface is easy to navigate, though; swipe down for the control center and left for your widgets. The screen hasn’t got any smudge-proofing, though, so it becomes grubby rather quickly with regular use.
(Image credit: Future)
Audio performance follows suit with other Amazon Echo devices I’ve tested; it’s not one for audiophiles (those would be better off with the Echo Studio or even the new Echo Dot Max) but the performance is nonetheless decent for its price category.
I tested the speakers by streaming lossless tracks through Spotify, starting with Laufey’s Falling Behind, which was rendered warmly through the Echo Show 11’s speaker base. It had lost some of the crunch from the bossa nova-style acoustic guitars, but Laufey’s voice shone through with great clarity. Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain was muddy, losing the vocals a little more than usual, but still packed a good punch with clear highs.
Overall, it lacks drive, and some tracks make that clearer than others; Jeff Buckley’s haunting vocals get lost in the weaving higher layers of Last Goodbye, while Portishead’s Glory Box felt flat overall, compressing those wonderfully breathy vocals and the big fat bass into a thoroughly clipped mid-range. Still, the clarity and volume are impressive, especially at its size and price point, and the speakers really are room-filling; I had to stand a good 5m away before I felt the volume drop become noticeable.
(Image credit: Future)
The Echo Show 11 houses a range of sensors, too. The camera, centered at the top of the screen, is the same as the last generation; a 13MP auto-framing peeper that works as described, accompanied by microphones that offer great, clear audio pickup for video calls or quick drop-ins to check on your pets and loved ones. Elsewhere, its temperature, motion and brightness detectors all work as expected, and can be used for Alexa Routines. Facial recognition, personalization and screen scaling all work smoothly in the background, just the way all smart devices should.
As always, the range of compatible software and services is great, with a native app for Netflix and Prime and browser-based access to most of the more popular streaming services. For some reason, however, the Echo Show 11 I tested had an issue with launching and searching on streaming services via voice control at first. Using the control center to manually open apps worked fine, so I had to perform a hard reset before I could summon streaming apps hands-free.
Speaking of Amazon’s voice assistant, Alexa is faster than ever with the AZ3 Pro chip on board, and replies come incredibly quickly – once or twice, before I’d even finished speaking. Asking for recipes elicits lightning-quick responses, music loads quickly even through third-party services, and all of Alexa’s standard commands work as expected. I’m based in the UK, so I couldn’t test Alexa+, but we’ll have a full separate review soon.
Performance: 4/5
(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)
Echo Show 11: Price and availability
List price: $219.99 / £219.99 / AU$429
Announced September 2025, launched in November.
Priced at $219.99 / £219.99 / AU$429, the Echo Show 11 is the middle child of Amazon’s smart displays inbetween the Echo Show 5 and 8 and the larger, wall-mountable Echo Show 15 and 21. It’s available in black or white, and there's also a stylish optional stand, which costs $34.99 / £34.99 / AU$69.95.
The Echo Show 11 largely packs the same specs as the smaller Echo Show 8, rather than carrying over some of the defining features from the Echo Show 10 such as its rotating screen. That does make it marginally more affordable than the Show 10 ($249.99 / £239.99 / AU$399.99), but it’s still $40 / £40 / AU$80 more than the latest Echo Show 8.
I’m not entirely convinced that the larger screen alone justifies the price difference between the Show 8 and Show 11; I'd have hoped to see one or two extra premium features exclusive to this slightly larger screen to convince me it has a reason to exist beyond offering more real estate (often swallowed up by suggested content in standby mode). Plus, the price drop from the Echo Show 10 comes at the expense of features I’d really like for this more functional screen. Still, fundamentally it’s still a relatively affordable smart display and a huge upgrade if you have a 5+ year-old Echo Show 5, 8 or 10.
Value: 3.5/5
Value: 3.5/5
Should I buy the Echo Show 11?
Buy it if...
You’ve got an older Echo Show
Whether you just fancy a change or specifically want one that makes you more Alexa+ ready, the Echo Show 11 is a solid purchase that brings some much-needed attention to design and performance.
You use a lot of smart home features
Packing in a range of smarts from Omnisense technology to its smart home connectivity, the Echo Show 11 is well-equipped to help you automate and monitor your home.
Don't buy it if...
You want a physical camera privacy shutter
For peace of mind, that physical shutter is a must-have, and while you can mod your own, it’s a shame to see this dropped from the design.
You don't desperately need the screen size
You can save some money by opting for the slightly smaller Echo Show 8, which packs pretty much identical features and perforance barring the screen size.
Amazon Echo Show 11: also consider
Scorecard
Value
3.5/5
Despite being cheaper than the Echo Show 10 it replaces, it's slightly less feature rich, and can't step out of the better value Echo Show 8's shadow.
Design
4.5/5
Refines the Echo Show 10's floating display design, great improvements to the screen, but removes the privacy shutter.
Performance
4/5
Muddy but powerful, room-filling audio with a decent enough streaming experience once you work around slight software bugs.
If you're not sure the Amazon Show 11 is the right Alexa smart display for you, here are further options to consider from Amazon:
Echo Show 11
Amazon Echo Show 15 (2nd gen)
Echo Show 5
Price
$219.99 / £219.99 / AU$429
$299 / £299.99
$89.99 / £79.99 / AU$129
Size
26 cm x 18 cm x 13 cm (W x H x D)
410 x 260 x 36mm (W x H x D)
147 x 91 x 82 mm (W x H x D)
Display
11.95-inch HD touchscreen with 1920 x 1200 resolution
15.6-inch HD touchscreen, 1920 x 1080 resolution
5.5-inch touchscreen, 960 x 480 resolution
Camera
13 MP with auto framing
13MP wide angle camera with shutter
2 MP
Audio
1x 2.8-inch woofer and 2x full-range drivers
2x 2-inch woofers & 2x 0.6-inch tweeters
1x 1.7-inch driver
Connectivity
Zigbee, Matter & Thread Border Router, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth
Zigbee, Matter & Thread Border Router, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth
Matter, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth
Processor
AZ3 Pro with AI Accelerator
AZ2 neural engine
MediaTek's 8169 B chip
Sensors
Ambient temperature sensor, presence detection, camera
Camera, presence detection, ALS RGB, Accelerometer
Camera, presence detection
Privacy features
Microphone and camera enable/disable button, dedicated physical and in-app camera controls, voice recording management – but no physical camera shutter.
Microphone and camera enable/disable button, dedicated physical and in-app camera controls, voice recording management, physical camera shutter.
Microphone and camera enable/disable button, dedicated physical and in-app camera controls, voice recording management, physical camera shutter.
Echo Show 15
If you’d rather have a wall-mounted solution and the added benefit of a Fire TV remote, the latest Echo Show 15 is an excellent option. It has fewer sensors but functions more as a small TV or household management display than it does an entertainment center.
For a smaller option that just covers the basics, the 3rd-generation Echo Show 5 offers a lot of the core functions from the Echo Show product line, but it’s less technically advanced and feature-filled.Echo Show 15
If you’d rather have a wall-mounted solution and the added benefit of a Fire TV remote, the latest Echo Show 15 is an excellent option. It has fewer sensors but functions more as a small TV or household management display than it does an entertainment center.
For a smaller option that just covers the basics, the 3rd-generation Echo Show 5 offers a lot of the core functions from the Echo Show product line, but it’s less technically advanced and feature-filled.
How I tested the Echo Show 11 (2024)
I tested it at home for a week
I tested its smart home features and sensors
I performed our standard audio and movie streaming tests
To test Amazon’s Echo Show 11, I tried all of the advertised features over a week of testing, from Alexa queries to Omnisense monitoring and automations to streaming.
I played music from a variety of genres, as well as the spoken word, to test the speakers and examine how well the Echo Show 11 replicates sound, and also watched movies and TV through streaming services like Netflix and YouTube, as well as Amazon Prime Video to test out the display’s performance and general user experience.
I’ve been testing smart speakers and other smart home devices for years, and my home runs on an Alexa-based setup. While well-acquainted with Amazon’s system and its features, I’ve also tested other ecosystems to learn the differences, strengths and weaknesses.
Amazon announced its new Echo Dot Max alongside the new Echo Studio, Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11 in September 2025, heralding a new generation of its mid-range smart speakers and smart displays with a focus on better audio, Alexa+ compatibility, smart-home connectivity and a fresh new design-led look that brings them closer in terms of appearance to competitors from Google and Apple.
Although its name suggests that it succeeds the 5th-generation Echo Dot released in 2022, technically, the Echo Dot Max model replaces the 4th-generation Echo speaker, which is quietly phasing out across global markets. Regardless, Amazon is pitching the Max as more of a ‘Pro’-grade improvement to the Echo Dot than a direct follow-up, and it's gearing up to be one of the best smart speakers in Amazon's current line-up.
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
So, what does the ‘Max’ moniker get you versus the standard model? According to Amazon, a two-way speaker system that offers three times the bass, faster processing thanks to the new AZ3 chip, and a stylish re-fit – oh, and it’s twice the price.
Broadly speaking, these upgrades all pay off in one of the best Alexa speakers I've tested: music is noticeably more bassy and carries more weight, Alexa is quick to respond, and the design looks more chic than the rather basic base model. Each of these points comes with a caveat, though: yes, the audio is decent with some smart features for home theatre fans, but still not enough to satisfy audiophiles, and I wouldn’t argue that audio is always strictly “better” than the regular Echo Dot. The speaker’s processor is clearly superior, but without Alexa+ to put it to the test, that difference is hard to notice. The redesign is lovely, but the front-facing controls are a little awkward to use.
All in all, given that the Echo 4th-gen offers a solid audio experience and is only marginally larger, and that Amazon didn’t bring back the 3.5mm jack it removed between the 4th and 5th-generation Echo Dot, calling this Echo Dot a ‘Max’ model feels only partially justified, and it’s hard to tell quite who Amazon has made this speaker for at times.
If ‘Max’ denotes its Alexa+ compatibility, well, that service is still in Early Access and exclusively available in the US as of writing, with no firm plans for global rollouts. From what we do know so far in the US, reception has been mixed. If ‘Max’ denotes audio performance, then yes, the speaker is impressive for its size, but it's still far from audiophile-approved.
Still, I enjoyed my time with the Echo Dot Max, and it's exciting to see this new direction for Amazon's smart speakers take form.
(Image credit: Future)
Echo Dot Max: Specs
Echo Dot Max
Dimensions
4.27 x 4.27 x 3.9 inches / 10.8 x 10.8 x 9.9cm
Speakers
0.8-inch tweeter and 2.5-inch woofer
Processor
AZ3
Connecivity
Zigbee, Matter, Thread Border Router, eero
Voice assistant
Alexa
Weight
17.8oz / 505.3g
Echo Dot Max: Design
New, more premium materials
Neat and petite
Control placement isn’t great
The Echo Dot Max, along with the new Echo Studio, features a new design language – a chunkier knit-fabric exterior, new front-facing controls, and a slightly larger frame than the standard Echo Dot.
Star Wars fans will surely delight in this Death Star-esque design refresh, but if you regularly use touch controls on your Echo speakers you might not love the new button placement. Prodding the controls leads the speaker to scoot across the surface, so you have to hold onto it during use – not a deal-breaker, but a little annoying.
The iconic blue Alexa ring has also moved to surround the control panel, and as with some more recent Echo speakers, it can also show the volume percentage and provide other status cues like notifications, connectivity issues and mute mode. Under the hood, the Echo Dot Max packs a 0.8-inch tweeter and 2.5-inch woofer as well as the new AZ3 chip.
On the rear is a single power port, and just like the last-generation Echo Dot, there’s no 3.5mm jack on this model. That feels like a slightly more glaring omission; this is a really useful utility for streaming music through a better home audio system via the Echo, and while its removal from the 5th-gen Echo Dot could just about be excused given its price and positioning, it’s unfortunate that it hasn’t made a return in this pricier model.
While I do like the new fabric-mesh coating and control panel, overall the Echo Dot Max redesign ends up being more inconvenient in manual operation, and it really is a shame that Amazon opted not to include the 3.5mm jack. The heavier, more robust Echo Studio suits the new form factor quite nicely, but the Echo Dot Max, especially in the purple colorway I tested, isn’t quite as convincing in its Death Star-ness.
Design: 4/5
Echo Dot Max next to an Echo Dot (5th-gen) (Image credit: Future)
Echo Dot Max: Performance
New two-way speaker system
Decent audio features and performance
Alexa is zippy
Amazon’s new Echo Dot Max is a solid all-rounder, with iterative upgrades to the 5th-gen Echo Dot, but it generally comes in just below the 4th-gen Echo base model.
The Echo Dot Max is the first Echo Dot from Amazon with a two-way speaker system. There’s a single 20mm tweeter and a 6cm woofer, meaning your favorite playlist will fill the room better than ever before. However, it’s marginally less powerful than the 1.73-inch speaker found in the 5th-gen Echo Dot, and the Echo 4th gen’s 3-inch woofer and two 20mm front-firing tweeters offer a better all-around audio experience. It’ll be a matter of taste, in some cases, as well as positioning that determines if the Echo Dot, regular Echo or the Echo Dot Max is technically ‘better’ for your audio needs, but it’s nonetheless impressive.
The Echo Dot Max can be surprisingly loud, with lovely clear vocals and highs. Laufey’s Falling Behind is plenty warm and rounded, and while you lose the crispness on the syncopated acoustic guitar hits, the vocals still poke through well. Tracks with less complexity in the rhythm and bass come out quite cleanly, and at times fare better than when played on the Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11 I tested alongside the Echo Dot Max. Jeff Buckey’s Last Goodbye is an excellent example of this, with his dulcet tones ringing out gorgeously, and Bowie’s vocals are also beautifully clear on Heroes, even as the intensity amps up throughout the track.
Other tracks feel far flatter through the Dot Max, which can’t always deliver a rounded, powerful bass; Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain is missing the punchy drive of the drums and feels weaker all round, and the same goes for Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush, where what should be the driving, insistent rhythm lacks the force to lift the emotion of Bush’s chirping vocals. Glory Box by Portishead is far less muddied and clipped than when I played it on the Echo Show 11 and 8, though it still feels compressed too much into the mid-range, and can’t deliver the nicely rounded bass I love in the track. For its size and price, it’s still impressive, and I can forgive its weaknesses, but I wouldn’t say it quite delivers the ‘Max’ experience I’d expect based on audio quality alone.
However, the Echo Dot Max redeems itself with the audio smarts it packs under the hood, including Lossless High Definition and Automatic Room Adaptation. In practice, that means the speaker is able to adapt its audio to wherever it’s placed, and it’s the first time we’ve seen this tech in an Echo Dot. I really value immersive sound over and above a speaker’s power, so these audio smarts make the Echo Dot Max much more to my liking.
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
Soon, the Echo Dot Max will gain another feather to its audio cap; you’ll soon be able to connect up to five Echo Dot Max or Echo Studio speakers plus an optional Echo subwoofer to Fire TV Stick 4K (2nd-gen), Fire TV Stick 4K Plus, Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2nd-gen), or Fire TV Cube (3rd-gen) to use Amazon’s new Home Theatre feature. Simply set it up using the Alexa app and Amazon’s voice assistant will automatically configure the placement and tune the sound using its spatial awareness sensors for an immersive surround sound experience. This setup will support Dolby Atmos from selected streaming services, and you’ll be able to control volume with voice commands or a Fire TV remote.
The Echo Dot Max has the same temperature and ultrasound motion sensors as the Echo Dot (4th gen), but also adds a new Wi-Fi sensing capability. All of these worked well on test, and are great for setting up even smarter Alexa Routines. For instance, I set up an automation that turns on my smart lights when I enter a room as well as one that turns on my electric heater when the temperature drops too low for my liking.
When it comes to the more standardized Alexa features, the Echo Dot Max performs as expected. If you’ve used more recent Echo devices, you likely won’t really feel the speed boost from the AZ3 chipset, but it’s a marked difference compared to older models. Alexa responds in rapid fashion, pulling up information and executing commands quicker than ever; it’s unlikely that the base version of Amazon’s voice assistant can actually get much quicker without pre-empting your query – and given that Alexa on the Dot Max actually cut me off once or twice, we should be careful what we wish for here.
Of course, all that new computing power is really in service of powering Alexa+, which, at the time of writing, is not available in the UK, where I’ve been testing the Echo Dot Max. We’ve got a full review of Amazon’s agentic AI platform coming soon, so keep your eyes peeled for that or check back here for updates.
Personally, I enjoyed my time with the Echo Dot Max. Along a similar vein to my verdict on the design, I'm not sure its performance improvements justify the price increase, and the fact it won't quite be good enough for audiophiles yet still offers better audio makes it hard to place in Amazon's line-up of Echo Speakers.
Performance: 4/5
(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
Echo Dot Max: Price and availability
List price: $99 / £99 / AU$199
Released November 2025
The Echo Dot Max sits in the mid-range of Amazon’s Echo family, positioned as a step up for Echo Dot fans who want a slight boost to audio, and better AI experiences when Alexa+ is eventually available to them. It’s available in black, white, and a bold purple colorway.
It’s $50 / £50 / AU$100 more expensive than the 5th-generation Echo Dot, which for the foreseeable future, is still available for purchase. For that extra cost you do get some decent improvements, but it still can’t beat the 4th-generation full-size Echo for audio, which sold at a similar price point.
For me, the differences between the Echo Dot and Max models aren’t quite enough to justify the jump in list price; and especially not when one of the key selling points – that being Alexa+ compatibility – is only available in Early Access the US at the time of writing, and costs more on top – unless, of course, you have an Amazon Prime subscription. I probably wouldn’t buy this at list price, but as we all know, Amazon loves a juicy discount around sales events.
Value: 3.5/5
Should I buy the Echo Dot Max?
Buy it if...
You want room-filling audio
While I’m 50/50 on whether or not the Echo Dot Max’s audio performance can be considered truly “better” than the regular Echo Dot, it’s certainly better at filling a space thanks to the addition of Lossless High Definition, and Automatic Room Adaptation.
You’re upgrading from an older Echo speaker
More recent Echo smart speakers pack fairly similar specs and performance, but the AZ3 chip brings a marked improvement.
Don't buy it if...
You are an audiophile
It’s impressive what the Echo Dot Max does within the boundaries of its size and price point, but the speaker is still far from perfect and won’t render your favorite tracks perfectly.
You don’t like Death Stars
I’m being a little tongue-in-cheek here, but the design won’t be for everyone - especially if you’re a fan of using the manual controls, which, when pressed, can push the speaker across surface.
Amazon Echo Dot Max: also consider
Scorecard
Value
3.5/5
Far from pricey, but doesn't quite live up to its premium positioning or price point
Design
4/5
New design shape may be divisive, control panel a bit annoying, but lovely build quality
Performance
4/5
You win some, you lose some; smart, both in sound and home automation, but not quite powerful enough.
If you're not sure the Amazon Dot Max is the right Alexa smart speaker for you, here are further options to consider from Amazon:
Echo Dot Max
Echo Dot (5th-gen)
Echo (4th-gen)
Dimensions
4.27 x 4.27 x 3.9 inches
3.53 inches x 3.94 inches x 3.94 inches
5.7-inch x 5.7-inch x 5.2-inch
Speakers
0.8-inch tweeter and 2.5-inch woofer
1.73-inch front-firing speaker
3.0" (76.2 mm) neodymium woofer and two 0.8" (20 mm) front-firing tweeters with Dolby Audio support
Zigbee, Matter, Thread border router. Dual-band Wi-Fi, eero, Bluetooth
3.5mm audio line-in/out.
Weight
505.3g
328g
970g
Also consider Echo Dot (5th-gen)
The 5th-gen Echo Dot is the predecessor to the Echo Dot Max, and while its audio specs aren’t quite as adaptable, the sound quality will be slightly better for some owing to the slightly more powerful speaker.
The 4th generation of Amazon’s base model Echo speaker may be getting long in the tooth, its audio performance is admirable, it’s often on sale at bargain prices, and offers a similar performance.
I used the Echo Dot Max as part of my personal smart home setup
I played lossless audio through Spotify
I tried the standard Alexa and other advertised features.
I tried all of the advertised features of the Echo Dot Max (barring Alexa+, which is not currently available in the UK) to examine its value for money, performance and how successfully Amazon’s redesign accounts for user experience.
In addition to using Alexa for a variety of tasks like browsing, searching and connecting to third-party apps and services, as well as controlling smart home devices, I also used my Echo Dot Max as a speaker for lossless tracks streamed through Spotify. I tested a range of genres of music and different moods to see how well it represented some of my favorite tracks and testing playlist.
I’ve been using Alexa speakers for years, and professionally testing smart home devices for 3+ years. In addition to my at-home Alexa setup, I’ve also used both Google and Apple devices to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the most popular smart home ecosystems.
The SwitchBot S20 is a hybrid robot vacuum with a particularly impressive mopping setup. While most robot vacuums feature flat mop pads that tend to spread spillages around, the S20 is equipped with a roller that's fed a continuous stream of fresh water, while any dirt is scraped off as it goes. The model also arrives with a comprehensive dock that not only empties the bot's onboard bin, but drains its dirty water tanks, refills the clean water tank and dries the mop pads, too.
I tested it out and was generally impressed, although a few quirks prevent me from recommending it as one of the best robot vacuums on the market right now. The mopping works as advertised, providing a more thorough clean than I've seen with most bots. Vacuuming is solid, too, while object detection and avoidance are perhaps the best I've encountered.
However, the S20 gets into a pickle if set to vacuum after it has completed a mopping run, when its roller is still a bit damp. In this situation, any debris on the floor is spread around, and no discernible vacuuming takes place. That's okay if your home's layout makes it easy to keep vacuuming and mopping completely separate (with the mopping last on the list), but I wouldn't recommend the S20 as a bot that can transition smoothly between the two tasks.
It's also rather noisy. I'd say it's louder than average in every cleaning mode, but the sound of it auto-emptying is especially alarming. For navigation the bot performed well, but did prove occasionally erratic – perhaps down to that ultra-sensitive object avoidance – and the app could be improved with a few tweaks.
At full price, this bot sits in the premium bracket, but hefty discounts are common and deliver much better value for money. If mopping is your priority and you spot a decent deal, the S20 could be a great buy.
A final note before I begin with my full SwitchBot S20 review. If you're here because you heard that SwitchBot makes mini robot vacuums, be advised that the S20 isn't one of those bots. The robot itself and the dock are full-sized, and also a little chunkier than average. Check out the SwitchBot K11+ if you're after a tiny home-helper that can tuck into tight spaces.
(Image credit: Future)
SwitchBot S20 review: price & availability
List price: $799.99 / £799.99
Launched: September 2025
Available: US / UK
The SwitchBot K20 launched in September 2025, with a list price of $799.99 in the US and £799.99 in the UK. At time of writing, there was a voucher on the SwitchBot US site to activate a 44% discount (taking it to $448) and one for 39% off on the UK sites (taking it down to £488). Given the availability of big discounts so close to launch, it seems likely that this bot will not be sold at full price very often.
There's also an "Auto-Fill & Drain System" version of this model, which you plumb into your home's water supply. It costs the same at ticket price.
At full price this is a premium robot vacuum, but those chunky discounts see it sit more middle of the pack. On paper, at the discounted price it's a decent value proposition, but just make sure you're happy to live with the various quirks before you take the plunge.
Dock empties dust, dries roller and drains/refills the onboard tanks
SwitchBot is known for making tiny little robot vacuums, such as the dinky SwitchBot K11+, so I was quite surprised when I unpacked the K20 to find that it wasn't small at all. In fact, far from being scaled-down, this bot is on the chunkier side for a modern robot vacuum.
By way of example, the Roborock Qrevo Master (a not especially swish or streamlined robovac) measures 13.9in / 35.3 cm in diameter and 4.1in / 10.3 cm tall, whereas the K20 is 14.4in / 36.5cm wide and 4.5in / 11.5cm tall.
The SwitchBot S20 (right) next to the brand's dinky K11+ (Image credit: Future)
The headline feature is the mop setup. The K20 has a roller mop that applies 1kg of pressure to scrub dirt from your hard floors. The roller is continually fed with clean water as it rolls across your floor, while a scraper siphons off the grime and dirty water and holds it in a small secondary water tank. While the roller can't kick out to the side of the machine for edge cleaning, as some premium models offer, it's still a very modern mop setup.
(Image credit: Future)
The suction stats are good, too, topping out at 10,000Pa. Until recently, that was about the maximum you'd find anywhere. Nowadays, there are premium bots that can manage twice that; but 10,000Pa should still be ample for most people's needs. There's a fixed side-sweeper brush and a single rubber roller.
Many modern robovac brands are exploring ways to help their bots scale tall room thresholds, but not so much SwitchBot. The chunky wheels should enable the S20 to make its way over steps up to 0.8in / 2cm – and perhaps a bit over that, based on my tests – but beware if your home has thresholds beyond that figure.
(Image credit: Future)
On the top side of the S20 you'll find three physical buttons. One is your on/off, another sends the bot back to its dock, and the third I'm not quite sure about. In any case, you'll generally be controlling your bot using the companion app. It's also Matter-compatible, so you can control it using Alexa, Google Assistant and so on.
(Image credit: Future)
There's also the LiDAR turret – or rather the LiDAR SLAM, as a label informs me. SLAM is an older, less-efficient method of robovac navigation (here's more on LiDAR vs SLAM in robot navigation), but there's no mention of it anywhere else in the literature. This is bolstered by an AI camera mounted at the front, for object identification and avoidance.
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(Image credit: Future)
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(Image credit: Future)
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(Image credit: Future)
The dock is designed to be able to take care of a number of maintenance tasks for you. It sucks the dust from the small onboard bin into a larger dust bag, drains the bot's dirty water tank and refills its clean one, and washes the roller and dries it with warm air (122ºF / 50ºC).
Unlike other similar models I've tested, the bot here docks only a short way into the base station, rather than driving right inside. I'm not sure exactly how it dries because the roller is hidden under the bot, away from the dock.
Design score: 4 out of 5
SwitchBot S20 review: performance
Excellent mopping and solid vacuuming, but a little noisy
Setup for the S20 was fairly standard. I performed a "quick mapping" run, where the bot ventured into all the rooms it could find, looked around a bit (without trying to clean them) and started to put together a map. No major issues here, although the bot did miss a room (I was confident it would find it later, and it did). I then edited the map and we were ready to start cleaning.
In terms of cleaning options, you can vacuum and mop together, just vacuum, or vacuum then mop. There are four suction modes (Quiet, Standard, Strong and Max) and Moist or Wet mopping modes.
Vacuum performance
To kick things off, I sent the bot off on a whole-floor vacuum, using the Strong suction mode, to get a general feel of its performance. My initial reaction was that it seemed noisier than other bots I'd used, with a vacuuming pitch that was a little irritating.
On the plus side, though, I could hear it ramping suction up and down as it moved from hard floor to carpet. When I paused and checked the onboard bin, I found plenty of dust and dog hair in there. The following auto-empty process was the loudest I've experienced in all my time reviewing robot vacuums.
(Image credit: Future)
Now on to TechRadar's standard suction tests. I sprinkled a mix of dry oats, lentils (to represent chunky debris) and dry tea leaves (to represent fine debris) on a carpeted floor, and asked the bot to clean the area twice, in Strong suction mode.
It performed fairly well, sucking up the lentil/oat mix efficiently, and clearing a good amount of the tea as well. I followed up with an area clean in Max mode, which removed even more tea, leaving only a light sprinkling. This is a solid result – it's a purposefully tricky test.
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Dry tea and oat / lentil mix on carpet before the suction test (Image credit: Future)
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After two passes in Strong mode (Image credit: Future)
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And the final result after a further pass in Max mode (Image credit: Future)
On hard floor, the test didn't go quite as smoothly. I ran my first hard floor test after I'd used the S20 for some mopping, and it was a disaster – by the time the S20 made its proud "Cleaning complete" announcement, there was tea, oats and lentils all over my kitchen floor.
Repeating the test on a different day, with the mop roller completely dry, yielded much better results. Although the bot flicked some particles about and left some in the grouting between tiles, it cleared most of the mess on the first pass.
With most robovacs, the mop pad(s) can either be removed entirely or will lift to traverse hard floors, but there's no such option here. It isn't the end of the world – you just need to make sure you save the mopping for the last task of the day.
Mop performance
I was dismayed and confused to see there isn't a "mop only" mode here, especially since it looks like this bot can do both things separately ("Vacuum then mop" is an option). The mopping here is more involved than usual – the bot isn't just feeding water onto the mop pads, it's also scraping them clean as it goes. Perhaps for that reason, the S20 emits a rather grating, droning noise when it's mopping.
It also takes quite a while for the roller to completely soak through – in my test, I found it had almost completed mopping my whole (quite large) kitchen before the striped track marks became solid. It isn't unusual for hybrid robot vacuums to take a while to get their mops properly wet – I usually like to remove the pad and wet it down myself before setting any bot out on a mopping run. That's more of a hassle here, though, due to the way it's attached to the bot.
(Image credit: Future)
While mopping tests didn't go completely smoothly, I got good results in the end. First, I drizzled soy sauce and soy milk on a tiled floor, and asked the bot to do an area clean in Wet mode.
The first area clean was scuppered by the fact the bot seemed to identify the milk as an object to avoid. It skirted carefully around the puddle, smearing the soy sauce in the process, but not really achieving any actual cleaning.
After spreading the puddle of milk around a bit to blur the edges, it was more successful on the my second run (shown in the video below). It delivered on its promise of clearing the spillage rather than spreading it about, as can happen with flat mop pads.
Buoyed by my success, I also ran a test to see if it could clear smeared ketchup from the floor. Unfortunately, it didn't manage to make much of a difference to the mess after one pass in Wet mode. That's not unusual – it's a difficult test – but I had gone in with quite high hopes for the roller mop.
xxxx does the dock dry the roller successfully?
Navigation and object avoidance
Moving on to navigation. Again, my experience was a little hit-and-miss. The SwitchBot S20 generally followed a logical up-and-down pattern, but there were plenty of occasions where it decided to – in the words of Fleetwood Mac – go its own way. It also had a little trouble clearing taller room thresholds, but managed them all in the end.
To test object avoidance, I placed a tissue box, shoe and charging cable on the carpeted floor in my lounge, and asked the bot to conduct an area clean. As you might have suspected from the its behavior in the mopping test, the S20 certainly has some object avoidance skills.
(Image credit: Future)
It successfully avoided both the cable (unheard of) and the shoe, and after deciding it wouldn't fit between them, took a long route around the coffee table to complete cleaning on the other size of the requested zone. I've never seen that before. It wasn't quite perfect – it did push the tissue box right across the room – but it is still very solid performance.
Performance score: 3.5 out of 5
SwitchBot S20 review: app
Fairly easy to navigate
Some frustrating quirks
Part of a general SwitchBot app, for all the brand's products
The app is generally fine, with all the key adjustment options presented in a logical way. However, there are a few annoying quirks that stop it from being perfect.
I had a seriously frustrating time trying to divide the hall from the toilet, with the app refusing to give me the solid line required for an acceptable room division; it repeatedly bumped my adjuster off to elsewhere on the map. I managed to create a divider eventually, but it's on the slant, and not at right angles to any wall (to be clear, this is not the situation in real life).
(Image credit: Future)
Maps and rooms have an eight-character limit so you can't, for example, create a "Top floor". Oh, and there's no "Hall" or "Corridor" option within the room defaults – you can make one (just about, in the case of "corridor", and that pesky character limit) but I'm baffled as to why it isn't there in the first place.
Finally, because it's part of a general SwitchBot app for all the brand's products, you'll have to click through a couple of screens before you reach the robovac options. It's fine if you've bought into the SwitchBot ecosystem and have multiple products to control, but a bit annoying if you're using the robot vac on its own.
App score: 3.5 out of 5
Should you buy the SwitchBot S20?
Attribute
Notes
Rating
Value
Premium at list price but regular large discounts deliver decent value.
3.5 / 5
Design
Larger than average, with an advanced roller mop setup and comprehensive clean station.
4 / 5
Performance
Above-average mopping and decent vacuuming, but don't try to vacuum with a damp roller. Excellent object detection. Rather noisy overall.
3.5 / 5
App
Includes all the key information, presented logically, but there are a few annoying quirks.
3.5 / 5
Buy it if...
Mopping is your priority
The mopping here is a cut above average, and this bot will come into its own in homes with lots of tiled or lino floors that need regular upkeep.
You have other SwitchBot products
SwitchBot has a whole bunch of smart home products – if you're already in the ecosystem, it makes sense to stick with the brand for your robovac. The app is designed for all SwitchBot gadgets.
You spot a good deal
I wouldn't pay full price for the S20, but I've seen some strong discounts that make it much better value – especially if you want the roller mop, because these are generally only found on pricier models.
Don't buy it if...
You have a mix of hard floor and carpet
This bot operates best when the mopping and vacuuming are kept completely separate. If you want something that will switch seamlessly between the two tasks, there are other bots that will suit your needs much better.
You want a tiny robovac
If you're here expecting for one of SwitchBot's tiny robovacs, you're in for a shock – this one is not only full-sized, but it's actually chunkier than average.
You're sensitive to noise
This is one of the noisier bots I've tested, with the self-empty mechanism especially loud. One to avoid if you're noise-sensitive, or live with someone who is.
How I tested the SwitchBot S20
I used the SwitchBot S20 as my regular robot vacuum for a fortnight, to get a feel for how it performs day-to-day. I also ran a series of standardized vacuuming and mopping tests, to see how it would cope with spillages of all kinds. I dug into the app and assessed the different options there, as well as gauging how easy it would be to use and if things are presented in an intuitive way. I compared my findings to other robot vacuums I've tested, and weighed everything up against the cost to ascertain if the bot delivered good value for money.
Pexar Starlight 15.6-inch digital photo frame: review
The Pexar Starlight 15.6-inch digital photo frame is an innovative photo frame built on the third-party Frameo platform. While its premium styling and large, glare-free display are undoubtedly a visual treat, the feature most likely to draw admiring comments from visitors to your home will be the rear-facing wall light, described by the manufacturer Lexar as the ‘world’s first’.
If you’ve read any of my past reviews of digital photo frames built on the Frameo platform, you’ll be familiar with how easy the app is to use. Adding users is a cinch. You simply tap ‘Add Friend’ on the frame, and it generates a code. Once you or your loved ones have downloaded the app, you can enter the code, and you’re good to go.
Sending photos to the frame has been improved since I last used the Frameo app. You can still select up to 10 photos to send at a time or upgrade to the Frameo+ app for $1.99 / £0.99 a month or $16.99 / £7.99 a year to unlock unlimited sends. Once you’ve selected which frame you want to send the photos to, you can add captions and adjust their alignment. In a marked improvement over earlier versions of the app, you can now manually select the positioning of images in both landscape and portrait orientation, ensuring your snaps are cropped exactly how you want them.
Once my snaps were loaded on it, I was generally impressed. It certainly gives some of the best digital photo frames a run for their money. From a decent viewing distance, my black-and-white shots of the Puente Romano in Córdoba look crisply detailed. Up close, though, it doesn’t always look quite as precise – that’s an inevitable side effect of that larger screen size, which gives it a pixel density of 141 PPI, rather than the staggering 212 PPI of the Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame.
(Image credit: Future / Josh Russell)
Another area where it falls a little short of the excellent example set by its predecessor is color balance. One of the things that blew me away about the older Pexar frame was its impressively vibrant hues, but the Starlight looks more muted to me. Even compared to the screen of my iPhone 16 Pro – not a device notorious for its hyper-saturated colors – the Barbie pink of camellias or blazing gold of rhododendron blooms look more conservative and less exuberant. It’s not miles off the mark, but it’s just enough that photos look a little more subdued than I’d like.
Despite these slight missteps, the Pexar Starlight’s performance is still impressive, giving your photos plenty of pop. In a large part, this is thanks to the frame’s bright display and super-dynamic, contrasty pictures – even if the colors look a little duller from time to time, photographs I’ve uploaded still look bold and assertive, making for an impressive focal point in my living room.
Naturally, this is helped by the design of the Pexar Starlight 15.6-inch digital photo frame, which is flat out gorgeous. That 15.6-inch screen is bright and almost entirely glare-free – honestly, it’s so unperturbed by all the artificial light in my office that it’s like it’s subject to some kind of quantum tunnelling effect where the light just passes straight through it.
(Image credit: Future)
The frame is a bit of a stunner as well. Its wood grain finish is beautiful and feels delightfully tactile, while the bezels around the screen are nicely textured to mimic a proper mount. Admittedly, the plastic this is made from doesn’t feel quite as authentic as the paper-like effect on the Aura Aspen but the overall effect still gives it a more premium feel than the Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame before it.
Given its name, you probably won’t be surprised to hear that the biggest new feature of the Starlight is backlighting. I didn’t notice it a whole lot when viewing the frame stand-mounted or under bright light, but mounted on the wall or in the evening, it looks picture perfect. Honestly, it makes the frame a statement piece in its own right. I do wish there was an option to change the warmth of the backlight, though, as it can look a little cool for the kind of soft amber light I prefer after dark.
Ultimately, I feel like the Pexar Starlight 15.6-inch is the difficult sequel to Pexar’s breakthrough album, the Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame. It’s more ambitious, more innovative and yet it compromises on a few of the things that made its predecessor such a hit. It still features pretty highly on my list of favorite digital photo frames but for $159.99 / £149.99 you can snap up its stablemate instead.
(Image credit: Future / Josh Russell)
Pexar Starlight 15.6-inch digital photo frame review: price & release date
Launched November 6, 2025
Retails for $349.99 / £349.99
Released on November 6, 2025, the Pexar Starlight 15.6-inch digital photo frame is available in both the US and UK for a list price of $349.99 / £349.99.
While that’s not exactly cheap, it’s still reasonably priced. For example, the Aura Aspen costs $229 (around £175) for a smaller 11.8-inch display, though it does offer better pixel density and color reproduction. By contrast, the huge 27-inch Netgear Meural Canvas II will set you back a whopping $599.99 / £649.99 – for that spend, you get great features and better color, yet it has a much lower pixel density as a result of its bulk.
(Image credit: Future)
Pexar Starlight 15.6-inch digital photo frame review: specs
Dimensions
7.1 x 10.2 x 1 inches (180 x 259 x 25mm)
Display size
15.6-inch
Resolution
1920 x 1080, 144 pixels per inch
Aspect Ratio
16:9
Touch Screen
Yes
Sound
Built-in speaker
Orientation
Portrait or landscape
Storage
64GB
Connectivity
Wi-Fi, SD card, USB-A, USB-C
(Image credit: Future / Josh Russell)
Should I buy the Pexar Starlight 15.6-inch digital photo frame?
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Features
The Frameo app is easier to use than ever, thanks to new settings for cropping your photos.
4/5
Design
The Pexar Starlight is stunningly designed, with a gorgeous wood-grain frame, textured white bezels and that classy backlight.
5/5
Performance
Impressively bright and glare-free, the Starlight offers crisp, contrasty images – it’s just a shame its colors can occasionally look a little more subdued than other frames.
4/5
Value
With an increased price and build quality, the Pexar has also lost some detail and color accuracy, which is a real shame. But it’s still not a bad frame for this kind of spend.
4/5
Buy it if…
You want a bright, expansive screen Not only does the Pexar Starlight offer a generous 15.6-inch screen, it’s also pleasingly bright, looking bold and eye-catching even in bright daylight.
You want a truly gorgeous looking frame With its wonderfully tactile wood-grain finish and textured mount, this frame looks very close to its analog counterparts. But add that innovative backlight and you’ve got something that almost no frame currently offers.
Don’t buy it if…
You want the absolute crispest photo frame you can get While the Pexar Starlight looks reasonably sharp, its 141 PPI pixel density is dwarfed by that of some frames on the market, such as the 212 PPI Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame.
You’re looking for striking, true-to-life color The Pexar Starlight handles earth tones well enough but it’s a bit of shrinking violet when it comes to primary and secondary colors, lacking the vibrancy of some rival digital photo frames.
Pexar Starlight 15.6-inch digital photo frame review: also consider
Pexar Starlight 15.6-inch digital photo frame
Aura Aspen
Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame
Dimensions
7.1 x 10.2 x 1 inches (180 x 259 x 25mm)
12.7 x 10.1 x 1.1 inches (323 x 257 x 28mm)
7.4 x 11.2 inches (18.9 x 28.4cm)
Display size
15.6-inch
11.8-inch
11-inch
Resolution
1920 x 1080, 144 pixels per inch
1600 x 1200, 170 pixels per inch
2000 x 1200, 212 pixels per inch
Aspect Ratio
16:9
4:3
5:3
Touch Screen
Yes
No
Yes
Sound
Built-in speaker
Built-in speaker
Built-in speaker
Orientation
Portrait or landscape
Portrait or landscape
Portrait or landscape
Storage
64GB
Unlimited cloud storage
32GB
Connectivity
Wi-Fi, SD card, USB-A, USB-C
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi, SD card, USB-A, USB-C
Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame If you care most about performance over style, Pexar’s previous digital photo frame is the one to go for. Thanks to its huge 2000 x 1200 resolution display crammed into a 11-inch screen, this Pexar rocks a whopping 212 PPI pixel density and is also capable of truly glorious color, with pinks, reds and yellows positively glowing in my photos. Read my full Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame review for more.
Aura Aspen Alternatively, the Aura Aspen offers a fantastic sweet spot between both form and function. Its build is exquisite – its bezels have a matte, textured-paper effect that feels like real mount, while its body and stand are satisfyingly sturdy. Meanwhile, it still has an impressive display, rocking a 170 PPI pixel density and some of the best color accuracy I’ve ever seen. Read my full Aura Aspen review.
(Image credit: Future)
How I tested the Pexar Starlight 15.6-inch digital photo frame
Tested over several weeks
Uploaded a range of color and monochrome photos
Have many years of experience working with photography
I spent several weeks testing the Pexar Starlight 15.6-inch digital photo frame. To test out how easy it is to use, I first set up the frame and added several users to it. I then sent over a range of photos using the Frameo app, both individually and in large batches to see how easy the transfer process is, before tweaking the fit and alignment of each image.
I made sure I uploaded a significant variety of photos to test out how the frame’s display performed against different criteria. To test its resolution and contrast, I used a variety of black-and-white photographs, from mountains in the Scottish Highlands to Spanish architecture. When assessing its color performance, I used vibrant shots of blossoms, flowers and fireworks, comparing its color reproduction against the screen of my iPhone 16 Pro.
Not only have I tested over half a dozen of the best digital photo frames released over the last 18 months, I’m also a keen photographer, having snapped over 40,000 images on my Canon SLR and iPhone 16 Pro. On top of this, I spent over a decade working in print publishing, meaning that I have a keen eye for managing photography and assessing how it’s translated to another medium.
Pexar Starlight 15.6-inch digital photo frame: review
The Pexar Starlight 15.6-inch digital photo frame is an innovative photo frame built on the third-party Frameo platform. While its premium styling and large, glare-free display are undoubtedly a visual treat, the feature most likely to draw admiring comments from visitors to your home will be the rear-facing wall light, described by the manufacturer Lexar as the ‘world’s first’.
If you’ve read any of my past reviews of digital photo frames built on the Frameo platform, you’ll be familiar with how easy the app is to use. Adding users is a cinch. You simply tap ‘Add Friend’ on the frame, and it generates a code. Once you or your loved ones have downloaded the app, you can enter the code, and you’re good to go.
Sending photos to the frame has been improved since I last used the Frameo app. You can still select up to 10 photos to send at a time or upgrade to the Frameo+ app for $1.99 / £0.99 a month or $16.99 / £7.99 a year to unlock unlimited sends. Once you’ve selected which frame you want to send the photos to, you can add captions and adjust their alignment. In a marked improvement over earlier versions of the app, you can now manually select the positioning of images in both landscape and portrait orientation, ensuring your snaps are cropped exactly how you want them.
Once my snaps were loaded on it, I was generally impressed. It certainly gives some of the best digital photo frames a run for their money. From a decent viewing distance, my black-and-white shots of the Puente Romano in Córdoba look crisply detailed. Up close, though, it doesn’t always look quite as precise – that’s an inevitable side effect of that larger screen size, which gives it a pixel density of 141 PPI, rather than the staggering 212 PPI of the Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame.
(Image credit: Future / Josh Russell)
Another area where it falls a little short of the excellent example set by its predecessor is color balance. One of the things that blew me away about the older Pexar frame was its impressively vibrant hues, but the Starlight looks more muted to me. Even compared to the screen of my iPhone 16 Pro – not a device notorious for its hyper-saturated colors – the Barbie pink of camellias or blazing gold of rhododendron blooms look more conservative and less exuberant. It’s not miles off the mark, but it’s just enough that photos look a little more subdued than I’d like.
Despite these slight missteps, the Pexar Starlight’s performance is still impressive, giving your photos plenty of pop. In a large part, this is thanks to the frame’s bright display and super-dynamic, contrasty pictures – even if the colors look a little duller from time to time, photographs I’ve uploaded still look bold and assertive, making for an impressive focal point in my living room.
Naturally, this is helped by the design of the Pexar Starlight 15.6-inch digital photo frame, which is flat out gorgeous. That 15.6-inch screen is bright and almost entirely glare-free – honestly, it’s so unperturbed by all the artificial light in my office that it’s like it’s subject to some kind of quantum tunnelling effect where the light just passes straight through it.
(Image credit: Future)
The frame is a bit of a stunner as well. Its wood grain finish is beautiful and feels delightfully tactile, while the bezels around the screen are nicely textured to mimic a proper mount. Admittedly, the plastic this is made from doesn’t feel quite as authentic as the paper-like effect on the Aura Aspen but the overall effect still gives it a more premium feel than the Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame before it.
Given its name, you probably won’t be surprised to hear that the biggest new feature of the Starlight is backlighting. I didn’t notice it a whole lot when viewing the frame stand-mounted or under bright light, but mounted on the wall or in the evening, it looks picture perfect. Honestly, it makes the frame a statement piece in its own right. I do wish there was an option to change the warmth of the backlight, though, as it can look a little cool for the kind of soft amber light I prefer after dark.
Ultimately, I feel like the Pexar Starlight 15.6-inch is the difficult sequel to Pexar’s breakthrough album, the Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame. It’s more ambitious, more innovative and yet it compromises on a few of the things that made its predecessor such a hit. It still features pretty highly on my list of favorite digital photo frames but for $159.99 / £149.99 you can snap up its stablemate instead.
(Image credit: Future / Josh Russell)
Pexar Starlight 15.6-inch digital photo frame review: price & release date
Launched November 6, 2025
Retails for $349.99 / £349.99
Released on November 6, 2025, the Pexar Starlight 15.6-inch digital photo frame is available in both the US and UK for a list price of $349.99 / £349.99.
While that’s not exactly cheap, it’s still reasonably priced. For example, the Aura Aspen costs $229 (around £175) for a smaller 11.8-inch display, though it does offer better pixel density and color reproduction. By contrast, the huge 27-inch Netgear Meural Canvas II will set you back a whopping $599.99 / £649.99 – for that spend, you get great features and better color, yet it has a much lower pixel density as a result of its bulk.
(Image credit: Future)
Pexar Starlight 15.6-inch digital photo frame review: specs
Dimensions
7.1 x 10.2 x 1 inches (180 x 259 x 25mm)
Display size
15.6-inch
Resolution
1920 x 1080, 144 pixels per inch
Aspect Ratio
16:9
Touch Screen
Yes
Sound
Built-in speaker
Orientation
Portrait or landscape
Storage
64GB
Connectivity
Wi-Fi, SD card, USB-A, USB-C
(Image credit: Future / Josh Russell)
Should I buy the Pexar Starlight 15.6-inch digital photo frame?
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Features
The Frameo app is easier to use than ever, thanks to new settings for cropping your photos.
4/5
Design
The Pexar Starlight is stunningly designed, with a gorgeous wood-grain frame, textured white bezels and that classy backlight.
5/5
Performance
Impressively bright and glare-free, the Starlight offers crisp, contrasty images – it’s just a shame its colors can occasionally look a little more subdued than other frames.
4/5
Value
With an increased price and build quality, the Pexar has also lost some detail and color accuracy, which is a real shame. But it’s still not a bad frame for this kind of spend.
4/5
Buy it if…
You want a bright, expansive screen Not only does the Pexar Starlight offer a generous 15.6-inch screen, it’s also pleasingly bright, looking bold and eye-catching even in bright daylight.
You want a truly gorgeous looking frame With its wonderfully tactile wood-grain finish and textured mount, this frame looks very close to its analog counterparts. But add that innovative backlight and you’ve got something that almost no frame currently offers.
Don’t buy it if…
You want the absolute crispest photo frame you can get While the Pexar Starlight looks reasonably sharp, its 141 PPI pixel density is dwarfed by that of some frames on the market, such as the 212 PPI Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame.
You’re looking for striking, true-to-life color The Pexar Starlight handles earth tones well enough but it’s a bit of shrinking violet when it comes to primary and secondary colors, lacking the vibrancy of some rival digital photo frames.
Pexar Starlight 15.6-inch digital photo frame review: also consider
Pexar Starlight 15.6-inch digital photo frame
Aura Aspen
Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame
Dimensions
7.1 x 10.2 x 1 inches (180 x 259 x 25mm)
12.7 x 10.1 x 1.1 inches (323 x 257 x 28mm)
7.4 x 11.2 inches (18.9 x 28.4cm)
Display size
15.6-inch
11.8-inch
11-inch
Resolution
1920 x 1080, 144 pixels per inch
1600 x 1200, 170 pixels per inch
2000 x 1200, 212 pixels per inch
Aspect Ratio
16:9
4:3
5:3
Touch Screen
Yes
No
Yes
Sound
Built-in speaker
Built-in speaker
Built-in speaker
Orientation
Portrait or landscape
Portrait or landscape
Portrait or landscape
Storage
64GB
Unlimited cloud storage
32GB
Connectivity
Wi-Fi, SD card, USB-A, USB-C
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi, SD card, USB-A, USB-C
Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame If you care most about performance over style, Pexar’s previous digital photo frame is the one to go for. Thanks to its huge 2000 x 1200 resolution display crammed into a 11-inch screen, this Pexar rocks a whopping 212 PPI pixel density and is also capable of truly glorious color, with pinks, reds and yellows positively glowing in my photos. Read my full Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame review for more.
Aura Aspen Alternatively, the Aura Aspen offers a fantastic sweet spot between both form and function. Its build is exquisite – its bezels have a matte, textured-paper effect that feels like real mount, while its body and stand are satisfyingly sturdy. Meanwhile, it still has an impressive display, rocking a 170 PPI pixel density and some of the best color accuracy I’ve ever seen. Read my full Aura Aspen review.
(Image credit: Future)
How I tested the Pexar Starlight 15.6-inch digital photo frame
Tested over several weeks
Uploaded a range of color and monochrome photos
Have many years of experience working with photography
I spent several weeks testing the Pexar Starlight 15.6-inch digital photo frame. To test out how easy it is to use, I first set up the frame and added several users to it. I then sent over a range of photos using the Frameo app, both individually and in large batches to see how easy the transfer process is, before tweaking the fit and alignment of each image.
I made sure I uploaded a significant variety of photos to test out how the frame’s display performed against different criteria. To test its resolution and contrast, I used a variety of black-and-white photographs, from mountains in the Scottish Highlands to Spanish architecture. When assessing its color performance, I used vibrant shots of blossoms, flowers and fireworks, comparing its color reproduction against the screen of my iPhone 16 Pro.
Not only have I tested over half a dozen of the best digital photo frames released over the last 18 months, I’m also a keen photographer, having snapped over 40,000 images on my Canon SLR and iPhone 16 Pro. On top of this, I spent over a decade working in print publishing, meaning that I have a keen eye for managing photography and assessing how it’s translated to another medium.
The Govee Uplighter Floor Lamp is a feature-packed smart light that combines practical lighting with vivid and eye-catching visual effects through preset scenes and custom settings.
Since its launch in June 2025, the Govee Uplighter Floor Lamp has been available to buy direct from Govee, as well as Amazon and other retailers.It has a list price of $179.99 / £179.99, which is great value for money considering how convenient and versatile it is.
Better still, at the time of writing, Govee is offering a discount of $30 / £30, taking the cost down to just $149.99 / £149.99, which is a fantastic price considering this is one of the best smart lights I’ve tested. There’s a similar deal at Amazon, lowering the cost to £149.99 in the UK, but it's just $20 off in the US, so it’s worth purchasing from Govee if you’re buying from across the pond.
The process of assembling the Uplighter was straightforward, although I suggest having someone assist with attaching the lamp section to the pole if you have limited shoulder mobility. Alternatively, if you have the floorspace, you can do what I did and prop up the pole with boxes so you can build the lamp on its side, but it’s much more of a faff than assembling it standing up.
While the Uplighter is pretty lanky at 66.9 inches / 170cm, it’s reassuringly stable thanks to its weighted base. It has a simple aesthetic when it’s not in use. The majority of its outer surfaces are plastic apart from the aluminium stand, which appears to have a powder-coated finish.
I can’t help but find the lampshade somewhat uninspiring when not lit up, but that’s simply because I’m obsessed with how pretty it is when the colors are flowing. Nonetheless, it has a nice finish, featuring a combination of clear and smoky black translucent plastics separated by a black band with a matte finish.
(Image credit: Cesci Angell)
A little word of warning: the clear dome of the lampshade is easy to scuff. I accidentally scuffed mine when it gently knocked against the sloped section of my living room ceiling as I was testing the lamp’s stability. It’s not noticeable when the sidelamp is turned on, but I still recommend taking extra care when shifting the Uplighter about.
The Govee Uplighter Floor Lamp had me hooked in seconds with the bright and colorful effects that were projected from its ripple light. The color-shifting sidelight is a satisfying element too, especially for someone as addicted to color as I am. The downlighter proved satisfyingly practical, too, especially with its easy-to-adjust color temperature and brightness settings.
Govee states this lamp can emit up to 1000lm of brightness, and I can confirm that the downlighter makes for convenient task lighting. The uplighter’s brightness means that the ripple effects are beautifully vivid, even during the daytime, and it looks utterly fantastic when ramped up to 100 percent at night.
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(Image credit: Cesci Angell)
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(Image credit: Cesci Angell)
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(Image credit: Cesci Angell)
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(Image credit: Cesci Angell)
At the time of writing, only two of the lamp’s elements can be used simultaneously, though I’ve heard murmurings that we may be able to enable all three in the future. This limitation isn’t really an issue, and I’m sure some may consider using all three lights as overkill; however, I’d love it if I didn’t have to sacrifice one of the colorful elements when using the downlighter.
In terms of onboard controls, there are two buttons located on the front of the pole, one for power and the other for switching between scenes and color temperatures. They work just fine, but I primarily use the Govee Home app or my Echo Dot (5th Gen) to control my Uplighter.
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(Image credit: Cesci Angell)
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(Image credit: Cesci Angell)
The Govee Home app is the best app for smart lights I’ve used to date – and I’ve tested a bunch of them. After taking a few moments to sync with the Uplighter, the app gave me access to a range of device settings, including preset features, smart home assistant, and Matter syncing.
More excitingly, there’s a boatload of preset scenes to explore, from multi-colored aurora effects to floating mists from the ripple light, to themed side and downlighter combos. There’s plenty of opportunity to finetune the effects, too, with DIY and AI creation sections, along with adjustable speed settings on many of the existing scenes.
There’s also a super convenient auto-run feature, which is great to have, especially if you don’t own a smart home assistant – it allows you to assign different scenes and settings to specific times of the day.
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(Image credit: Cesci Angell)
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(Image credit: Cesci Angell)
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(Image credit: Cesci Angell)
In summary, this is a fantastic, multi-functional lamp that makes an eye-catching feature, while also providing adjustable and convenient task lighting. So, if you love the sound of the Govee Uplighter Floor Lamp, I highly recommend purchasing one to experience its mesmerizing and colorful displays for yourself.
If you enjoy getting lost in captivating visuals to help you unwind, but you’re looking for something a little smaller, then I suggest checking out the Govee Table Lamp 2, which offers a huge range of stunning preset scenes, as well as a bunch of customizable settings. Better yet, if you happen to be looking for a smart speaker as well, the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro comes with built-in JBL sound, and its larger size means there’s more space for all those calming colors to swirl about.
Govee Uplighter Floor Lamp review: Price and specs
Price
$179.99 / £179.99
Model
H60B0
Colors
RGBWW, RGBIC, WW
Lumens
1000lm
Color temperature
2700K-6500K
Dimensions
12.2 x 12.2 x 66.9 inches / 310 x 310 x 170cm
Connectivity
2.4GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
App
Yes
Control methods
App, voice control, pushbutton controls
Additional features
3-in-1 lighting effects, dynamic ripple effect
Should I buy the Govee Uplighter Floor Lamp?
Buy it if...
If you love colorful lighting Whether you’re a color addict like me, or you love unwinding by losing yourself in colorful, sensory-calming visuals, this uplighter will be right up your street.
You want a lamp that’s pretty and practical With the downlighter’s adjustable temperature and brightness, Govee has struck the perfect balance between attractive lighting effects and practical task lighting with this floor lamp.
Don't buy it if...
You want a subtle floor lamp While it works well as a task lamp, and the color-changing shade makes for a great feature, the standout feature of this uplighter is its vivid aurora-like projections.
You want a lamp that looks pretty when it’s off I’ll be honest, I’m scraping the bottom of the barrel a bit here, as I don’t have many negative points on the Uplighter. However, if you’re not into simple, modern lamps, then you might not appreciate the look of this floor lamp when it’s not in action.
Govee Uplighter Floor Lamp review: Also consider
Nanoleaf Smart Multicolor Floor Lamp If you’d prefer to wash your walls with color instead, and would rather be kinder to your budget, then this colorful column is the perfect choice. This easy-to-assemble wall washer was considered pleasingly sturdy by our reviewer, and its slim design makes it a more discreet option. Like the uplighter, there’s a range of scenes and DIY settings to explore, and it’s easy to control via its app and voice control via your smart home system. If you’d like to learn more, check out our full Nanoleaf Smart Multicolor Floor Lamp review.
How I tested the Govee Uplighter Floor Lamp
I used the Govee Uplighter Floor Lamp regularly over a few weeks
I tested the different features and customizable settings
I observed the brightness and visibility of the scenes in light and dark environments
I used the Govee Uplighter Floor Lamp to light up my bedroom and living room ceilings with colorful loveliness for a few weeks. I also used the downlighter as a gentle source of light in the evening, as well as task lighting whenever required.
I explored all of the Uplighter’s features, trying out the different preset scenes, creating my own, and experimenting with various lamp combinations.
I used the app regularly for customization, but I mostly used voice control to power it on and off, via my Amazon Echo Dot.
I used the Govee Uplighter Floor Lamp in my living room most days, and moved it to my bedroom so that I could enjoy the calming ripple effect lighting while lying in bed. I used it on sunny days and at night, so that I could assess how visible the effects were with various levels of ambient light.
Security cameras now come in many different varieties, including those meant solely for indoor use and those meant mainly for outdoors. However, what the Aqara G100 offers is, on the face of it, the best of both worlds
Weatherproof with an IP65 rating, it can be used indoors (to keep an eye on pets and children), or outdoors (to see who is at the front door or in the backyard). It’s small too, perfect for placing on a bookshelf or mounting upside down in a porch using the screw and wall plug provided.
However, what really differentiates the Aqara G100 from many of its competitors is its comprehensive smart home compatibility. Whereas many of the best home security cameras are now compatible with Amazon’s Alexa (including the Amazon-owned Ring and Blink, of course), the Aqara G100 is also compatible with Google Home, Samsung SmartThings and – crucially for those invested in the Apple ecosystem – Apple HomeKit including Home KitSecureVideo (HSV).
Not only can the camera’s built-in motion sensor and spotlight be used within home automation routines, it’s also possible to stream a live feed from the Aqara G100 on Apple TV. The only technical limitation here is that Apple caps the video resolution at 1080p for some reason, despite the camera being capable of a more impressive 2K resolution (2,304 x 1,296 pixels). It’s even possible to hook up your Apple Photos library to the Aqara camera to recognize faces it captures via the motion sensor.
Nor is smart home compatibility the only trick up the Aqara’s sleeve either. It works perfectly well as a standalone security camera too. Indeed that’s how most buyers will probably use it. Mains powered via a USB-C cable, it usefully boasts a MicroSD card slot for storing up to 512Gb of footage. This means you don’t have to pay a monthly fee to store video in the cloud as you do with many cameras, especially some of the cheaper models (Apple users can also use their iCloud storage via HomeKit Secure Video).
(Image credit: Chris Price)
You don’t even have to pay a monthly subscription fee for basic AI functionality. However, if you want the full shebang, including pet and parcel detection, then you will need to pay for Aqara’s HomeGuardian subscription service (see details below).
If you have multiple Aqara cameras, the HomeGuardian Unlimited package also includes an innovative Fire Detection feature based on a flame recognition function. However, this isn’t intended to replace conventional fire-detection systems such as smoke alarms and heat sensors
Finally, the camera offers two-way audio so you can reassure your pets if they seem distressed, or tell your family members when you’ll be home.
(Image credit: Chris Price)
Aqara Camera G100: subscription options
HomeGuardian Single Camera: £3.99 (about $5 / AU$8) per month, or £39.99 (about $50 / AU$80) per year for a single device. Includes: 90 days of video event history, person, animal, vehicle, package, fire detection.
HomeGuardian Unlimited: £7.99 (about $10 / AU$16) per month, or £79.99 (about $100 / AU$160) per year. Supports unlimited cameras in one home, 90 days of video event history, person, face, animal, vehicle, package, fire detection, Premium AI Event Detection, AI Video Summary, AI Video Search.
Aqara Camera G100: price and availability
Costs £34.99, $34.99, AU$89
Available since July 2025
Sold in the US, UK, and Australia
Generally, security cameras are not expensive to buy. Even the most advanced models offering solar power and mobile phone (4G/5G) connectivity tend to cost less than £200. However, many are priced quite cheaply because you need to pay a monthly fee to store video clips in the cloud.
The Aqara G100 is unusual in that not only is it very cheap, it also comes with a built in MicroSD card slot for video storage. Yes, you will have to buy a MicroSD card, but these only cost around $15 / £10 / AU$20 so you soon make your money back from not having to fork out the cost of a subscription. That said, you can pay a monthly fee for storage if you want (Aqara’s HomeGuardian costs from £3.99 (about $5 / AU$8) a month) if you want advanced AI functionality, such as the ability to differentiate between different people and objects.
Given its low price tag, it’s also worth noting just how well equipped the Aqara G100 is for the money. One of my criticisms of Aqara’s recently-launched G410 Video Doorbell is that, despite costing over £100, it didn’t incorporate waterproofing – unbelievably remiss for a product that’s going to sit on the outside of your house all year round.
Yet this G100 camera – which is intended for indoor and outdoor use – does feature decent IP65 water resistance. Not only that, but it also comes with other useful features that make it a very versatile piece of kit. These include compatibility with a number of smart home platforms as well as AI functionality.
Value score: 5/5
Aqara Camera G100: design
Versatile indoor/outdoor mounting
Available in black or white
Waterproof connectivity
Again, one of my criticisms of the recently reviewed Aqara G410 video doorbell was its design which was extremely big and bulky. In fairness, that’s partly because it is powered by four AA batteries, whereas the G100 only uses mains power. Nevertheless, it’s true to say that its stablemate, the G100, is a much more compact and better-looking piece of kit – similar in looks to a Nest camera, but not quite so sturdy.
Available in black or white (we tested the black), it comes with a simple mount for standing on top of a cupboard or bookshelf. Alternatively, you can do what I did and install it inside a cabinet using the wall plug and screw provided (remembering to change the viewing setting to upside down in the Aqara app). Usefully, the camera can be rotated 360 degrees within the mount to get the perfect angle, while the field of view is a decent 140 degrees.
(Image credit: Chris Price)
While most people will probably choose to use the camera indoors, there is the option for mounting it outdoors providing you have access to mains power (it doesn’t have a built-in rechargeable lithium battery). Unusually, the USB-C cable provided connects to the camera via a waterproof sleeve below the camera. This can easily be swapped over to a much longer USB cable if you're running the cable from an indoor power source.
A waterproof cover is also provided for the MicroSD card slot and reset buttons while at the back of the camera is a small speaker. On the front of the camera is the lens itself plus a surprisingly powerful spotlight, blue power light button and a microphone.
Design score: 4.5/5
Aqara Camera G100: performance
2K image quality
Good night vision
Slightly complex menus
When it comes to performance it’s fair to say that the Aqara Camera G100 is solid, rather than spectacular. Certainly, the 2K camera won’t win any awards and the field of view isn’t the widest either. However, for the super-low price tag we didn’t have any major complaints – it simply does the job.
Night vision is actually quite good thanks to dual night vision modes that gives you a choice between color night vision (with the built-in spotlight) or black and white night vision which is the default mode. The camera isn’t overly sensitive either which is a good thing as sometimes they are triggered by the slightest movement.
(Image credit: Chris Price)
Less impressive is the two-way audio through the tinny speaker, but again this isn’t unusual and in reality you probably won’t use it that often (unless you want to have a chat with your dog while you are out!). One unusual feature is the voice disguising option which can turn your voice into that of a robot or clown, or otherwise disguise it.
This feature is also provided on Aqara’s recently launched G410 video doorbell where it makes more sense, especially for women who may want to protect their identity from those ringing the doorbell. However, it probably isn’t that useful on a general camera which is probably going to be used mostly indoors.
(Image credit: Chris Price)
One small gripe is around the onscreen menus within the app which take a little bit of getting used to, partly because there are so many different options. For example, as well as being able to see a Live View from the camera, you can view a Video Event history divided into different categories (person, motion etc). You can also program different actions, such as turning on the lights in the house when the motion sensor is triggered or opening and closing the curtains.
(Image credit: Chris Price)
For advanced users, these are all useful perhaps, but if you want a simple plug and play solution, then there are easier cameras to use. That said, it's not difficult to set the camera up in the first place thanks to voice-based instructions, and we didn’t have any issues with broadband connectivity between the camera and router despite the device only working on the 2.4GHz Wi-Fi frequency, not 5GHz. It was also straightforward adding the Aqara camera to Apple HomeKit, although as previously noted, picture resolution is restricted to 1080p.
Performance score: 3.5/5
Should you buy the Aqara Camera G100?
Attribute
Notes
Score
Value
Put simply, the Aqara is unbelievably good value for money. Featuring a MicroSD card slot you don’t even have to pay a monthly subscription for storing video clips.
5/5
Design
Available in black or white, the Aqara is a compact circular shaped camera with a versatile mount and waterproofing for installation either indoors or outdoors.
4.5/5
Performance
Offering 2K video quality, the Aqara Camera G100 provides reasonable quality images although sound quality from the built-in speaker isn’t the best.
3.5/5
Overall
An extremely versatile security camera with a very competitive price tag. Can be used indoors or outdoors and with multiple smart home platforms - including Apple Home.
4.5/5
Buy it if
You need a versatile home security solution
Undoubtedly this is one of the most versatile security cameras on the market, suitable for either an indoor or outdoor installation and compatible with multiple smart home platforms.
You have a limited budget
It’s difficult to imagine a security camera offering better value for money, especially when you consider you can store video clips on a MicroSD card rather than having to pay a monthly subscription.
Don't buy it if
You want to install outdoors but don’t have mains power nearby
The Aqara can certainly be used outdoors but will need to be connected to the mains as it doesn’t offer battery power. At the very least, you will probably need to invest in a new USB-C lead for outdoor use.
You want the highest sound and video quality available
Don’t get me wrong, the Aqara’s sound and video quality is OK, but there are much better performing security cameras around if you have a bigger budget.
Aqara Camera G100: also consider
Product
Aqara Camera G100
Blink Outdoor 4
Ring Spotlight Cam Pro (Battery)
Eufy 4K S330 Security Camera
Subscription price
From £3.99 a month
From £2.50 a month
From £4.99 a month
None
Viewing angle
140 degrees horizontal
143 degrees horizontal
140 degrees horizontal
360 degree view
Network connection
Wi-Fi (2.4GHz)
Wi-Fi (2.4GHz)
Wi-Fi (2.4G/5Hz)
Wi-Fi/4G
Audio
Two-way audio
Two-way audio
Two-way audio
Two-way audio
Video
2,304 x 1,296 pixels
1080p
1080p Full HD resolution
4K video resolution
Power
Mains
Battery
Battery
Battery, solar
Hardware price
£34.99
£69
£199 (battery model only)
£189 (with solar panel)
Ring Spotlight Cam Pro (battery)
Available in black or white, this outdoor security camera boasts two 3000°K spotlights. You can also buy a mains-powered version as well as a separate solar panel.
An extremely innovative battery and solar-powered camera, the Eufy 4K S330 can be used with the supplied 4G Sim card to capture recordings - ideal for those who live in areas with poor Wi-Fi/broadband.
As is clear from the review, the Aqara Camera is a very versatile piece of kit, so I installed it in several places around the home – including the kitchen and my home office. However, it wasn’t installed outside because I didn’t have a suitable mains power connection outdoors.
Using the wall plug and screw provided I mounted the camera inside a cabinet to focus on a small balcony. I also adjusted the mount to focus on the door and other areas of the room to see how sensitive the lens was to movement (it is quite sensitive).
The camera was used over a period of seven days mostly via the Aqara app. However, I also connected it to Apple Home, where I was also able to control the camera’s functionality including switching the spotlight on and off, testing two-way audio and viewing live footage.