The De'Longhi Dedica Duo is an excellent entry-level espresso machine that looks great and performs extremely well, despite its modest price tag.
It has a similar appearance to its predecessor, the De'Longhi Dedica Style, but with some key improvements – including a wider drip tray that can accommodate two espresso cups. The steam wand has been upgraded with a cool-touch handle and a knurled control dial for better grip, and the machine is available in a choice of four colors (including three gelato-inspired pastel shades).
The Dedica Duo's accessories, such as the color-coordinated portafilter handle, feel robust. It comes with two pressurized portafilter baskets, a coffee scoop, a pin tool, a descaler pack, a tamper, and a stainless-steel milk pitcher. The water tank is easily accessible at the back, with a hinged lid to keep water fresh, and it can be fitted with an optional water filter.
(Image credit: Future)
The machine is operated by illustrated buttons on top for single shot, double shot, cold brew, and steam. Colored lights on these buttons indicate the machine's status, requiring reference to the manual for full understanding.
Although it takes a little while to heat up, the Dedica Duo delivers a good shot with a fine grind consistently. There is some minor dripping after the pump finishes due to the absence of a three-way solenoid valve.
The Dedica Duo's cold-extraction mode, while slower than preparing hot espresso, is much faster than traditional overnight cold-brewing and produces a full, mellow flavor. This cold brew is versatile, suitable for drinking straight, with milk and ice, or in blended drinks and cocktails.
My only real complaint is that the system of lights to indicate the machine's current status and any problems (such as scale, or air in the system) can be confusing, and you'll find yourself having to refer back to the manual quite regularly while you're getting a handle on things. Other than that, though, this is an easy machine to recommend and worthy of a full five stars.
De'Longhi Dedica Duo: price and availability
Released in August 2025
List price of $299.95 / £279.99 (about AU$600)
Sold in the UK and US, but not yet in Australia
The De’Longhi Dedica Duo launched in August 2025 with a list price of $299.95 / £279.99. At the time of writing (September 2025), it isn't yet available in Australia, but hopefully that will change soon.
At that price, it's one of the most affordable espresso machines I’ve tested in the past year. The Casabrews 5418 Pro is in the same entry-level bracket with a list price of $299.99 (about £220 / AU$460), but it’s clear that Casabrews has cut quite a lot of corners, and it can’t compete with the Dedica Duo for build quality and performance.
Value score: 5/5
De'Longhi Dedica Duo: design
Updated design with refined details and new colors
Wider drip tray to accommodate two espresso cups
Accessories feel substantial and well made
The De’Longhi Dedica Duo is a compact, smart-looking espresso machine. At first glance it bears a strong similarity to its predecessor, the Dedica Style. It’s almost exactly the same size, but on closer inspection you’ll notice lots of refinements and improvements.
Most noticeably, the Dedica Duo comes in an updated range of colors, with classic stainless steel accompanied by soft shades of white, pink and green, which De’Longhi says were inspired by different flavors of gelato. Candy-colored appliances have become increasingly popular in 2025, and they look good, with a satin finish rather than gloss.
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(Image credit: Future)
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(Image credit: Future)
For me, one of the most notable updates is to the drip tray, which is now considerably wider, making it easier to fit two espresso cups underneath the portafiter when pulling a double shot. If you have a particularly tall cup, you can remove the stainless steel grille and place the cup directly on a removable ridged plate at the bottom of the tray. A nice touch, and one that helps make clean-up easier.
The steam wand now has a cool-touch handle, which is a nice upgrade, and its control dial sports a knurled texture that looks good and provides extra grip. The wand doesn’t bend, but it does pivot, and its angle makes it easy to achieve a good whirlpool movement when texturizing your milk.
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(Image credit: Future)
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(Image credit: Future)
All of the Dedica Duo’s accessories feel robust in the hand, unlike those of some other entry-level coffee machines I’ve tested recently (I’m looking at you, Casabrews). The portafilter handle is satisfyingly weighty, with a textured end that matches the steam wand dial, and is colored to match the body of the machine.
You get two pressurized portafilter baskets (one for single shots and one for doubles), a coffee scoop, a pin tool for clearing the hole of the steam wand if it becomes blocked, a pack of descaler, a weighty tamper that makes it easy to put sufficient pressure on your ground, and a stainless steel milk pitcher (with a fine spout ideal for pouring latte art).
(Image credit: Future)
The machine’s water tank slides onto the back, and has a sturdy-feeling hinged lid to keep water fresh. It can also be fitted with an optional water filter, but this needs to be purchased separately. The tank lifts out easily and is simple to slot back into place. You’ll need to pull the machine away from the wall to do this, but it’s so small and light, this shouldn't present a problem.
The Dedica Duo has a power switch on its right-hand side, and is operated using a set of illustrated buttons on top: single shot, double shot, cold brew, and steam. Pressing combinations of these buttons, or pressing and holding, provides access to certain menus, and the colored lights on them give you information about the machine’s current status, so it’s useful to keep the manual on hand for reference. For example, a solid white light on only the steam button means there’s probably air in the system that needs clearing.
Design score: 5/5
De'Longhi Dedica Duo: performance
Steady pressure for consistently extracted hot espresso
Cold-extraction works well, too, producing a smooth flavor
System of indicator lights can be confusing
The Dedica Duo is an excellent entry-level espresso machine, providing the steady pressure necessary for preparing consistently good coffee. The Casabrews 5418 Pro I reviewed a few weeks ago was so variable, it had me questioning whether I actually knew how to make espresso at all; the Dedica Duo has restored my faith in my own abilities. It takes a little while to heat up, but once it does, and the espresso buttons on top are illuminated, you can be confident that you're going to get a very good shot. I've been using a fairly fine grind for my coffee, and the results have been faultless.
There's no three-way solenoid, so you can expect a little dripping after the pump has finished, but that certainly isn't the end of the world.
(Image credit: Future)
The Dedica Duo’s star feature is cold extraction, and it works very well. Whereas some other espresso machines I’ve tested recently create "chilled" drinks by asking you to fill a cup with ice and then dumping a shot of hot espresso on top, the Duo’s cold brew mode bypasses the Thermoblock heater and uses ambient-temperature water direct from the tank.
This takes longer than brewing hot espresso (measured in minutes rather than seconds), but it's still a lot faster than preparing cold-brewed coffee in the traditional way (by infusing the grounds in the fridge overnight), yet the resulting flavor profile is very similar. The flavor is full and rounded, but more mellow than the same coffee extracted hot. Whether you drink it straight, add milk and ice, or use it in blended drinks and cocktails, it’s very tasty.
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(Image credit: Future)
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(Image credit: Future)
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(Image credit: Future)
It’s worth noting that the Dedica Duo isn’t a quiet machine. Unlike some advanced machines from the likes of KitchenAid or Jura, the Duo has no space in its compact chassis for sound-deadening material, so you’ll be able to hear its pump working away at full volume. Pumping water doesn’t take very long, though; but if you’re sensitive to noise then it’s something to be aware of.
For me, the only disadvantage of the Dedica Duo is the system of lights that change colour and/or blink to indicate your machine’s status or any problems. These aren’t always self-explanatory, and until you’ve learned what they all mean, you’ll find yourself referring back to the manual regularly. Perhaps it would be better to have a small row of status lights for common issues in the interest of clarity.
Performance score: 5/5
Should you buy the De'Longhi Dedica Duo?
De'Longhi Dedica Duo score card
Attribute
Notes
Score
Value
Very reasonably priced, squarely in the "budget" bracket for an espresso machine of this type.
5/5
Design
Modern and stylish, with thoughtful touches such as a wide, adjustable drip tray and cool-touch steam wand.
5/5
Performance
Brews consistently well hot or cold, with steady pressure from the pump. Status lights can be confusing, though.
4.5/5
Buy it if
You're shopping for your first espresso machine
The De'Longhi Dedica Duo is much better made than most coffee makers in this price bracket, and the designers haven't cut corners to keep its price down.
You have limited space
At just 15cm wide, the Dedica Duo is one of the smallest espresso machines I've ever tested. It tucked in easily beside my toaster, and I'm sure you'll find space for it, even on a countertop that's short on space.
Don't buy it if
You don't want cold extraction
The biggest difference between the Dedica Style and Dedica Duo is the latter machine's cold espresso mode. If you're not intending to use that, you could save some cash by opting for the older Dedica Style instead.
You're an experienced barista already
The Dedica Duo only comes with pressurized filter baskets, so if you want the control of a single-walled basket, you might be better off looking elsewhere.
De'Longhi Dedica Duo: also consider
If the De’Longhi Dedica Duo doesn’t sound like quite the right espresso machine for you, here are two alternatives in the same price bracket, both of which come highly recommended.
De’Longhi Dedica Style
If you’re unlikely to use the Duo’s cold brew function, you could save a little cash by opting for the older Dedica Duo. It doesn’t look quite as modern, and we found it difficult to fit two espresso cups onto its drip tray, but it’s still an excellent little entry-level espresso machine that comes highly recommended.
The Bambino Plus is another compact espresso machine that comes highly recommended for beginners making their first foray into speciality coffee. Unlike the two Dedica machines, it has an adjustable steam wand with three texture and temperature settings, making it easier for newcomers to prepare the right type of foam for lattes, cappuccinos and other drinks.
I used the De'Longhi Dedica Duo for three weeks in place of my usual coffee machine, and brewed coffee using a blend of fresh Brazilian and Colombian arabica beans, freshly ground using a Sage Dose Control Pro grinder. I used the tamper provided with the machine to tamp the coffee. I tested the steam wand with chilled, full-fat dairy milk and oat milk.
I flushed the machine with hot water before and after brewing to make sure it was clean, and purged the steam wand and wiped it with a damp cloth after making each drink.
True to its name, the Nutribullet Triple Prep System is a blender combo that provides the functionality of three kinds of kitchen appliances in one. Nutribullet as a brand may have made its start with personal blenders, but the lineup has expanded to include
Alongside a 1,500 watt motor base, the system includes a long list of accessories: a 64oz pitcher, two travel cups with lids, a food processor work bowl, a shredding/slicing disc, a tamper, a food pusher, and a dough blade. So, it’s pretty much a full toolkit for any home chef looking to whip up smoothies, shakes, soup, dips, and more.
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
As expected, during my tests, there was almost no hurdle the Nutribullet Triple Prep System stumbled at. From chopping carrots to crushing ice, the machine proved to be an exceptionally useful assistant in the kitchen again and again. What’s more, it was more user-friendly than many
There are a few problems that held the Triple Prep System back from perfection though. For one, the blades in the pitcher can’t be removed, which makes hand washing a good bit more difficult than it needs to be. As well as that, it doesn’t perform well with very small batches, given its smallest container is 24oz.
Nutribullet Triple Prep System: price and availability
List price: $244.99 / £229.99 / AU$349.95
Available in the US, UK, and Australia
Sold through Nutribullet’s website and other third-party retailers
The Nutribullet Triple Prep System is widely available to buy in the US, UK, and Australia. Across all three of these regions, you can pick up the Triple Prep System directly from the Nutribullet site or on Amazon. When it comes to third-party retailers in the States specifically, some of your other options are Target, Best Buy, and Walmart.
At over $200, the Triple Prep System is undoubtedly on the higher end of the Nutribullet range. It is one of the brand’s most multifunctional machines though, so it makes sense that it would set you back more than the rest. For context, you can get a basic Nutribullet personal blender for as little as $80.
Even with that higher price tag, if it saves you the cost of buying a blender and food processor separately, the Triple Prep System is incredible value for money. That said, it’s probably not a great idea to opt for it if you don’t plan to make use of its full suite of features.
Slightly large footprint, but accessories nest for storage
One of my favorite features of the Triple Prep System is how it smartly recognizes which container you have attached to the base, and changes which presets are available based on that knowledge. It even modifies the duration of presets depending on which attachment you’re using.
For example, the Smoothie preset runs for 50 seconds with the pitcher and 60 seconds when using the travel cups. More blending time for a smaller container may sound counterintuitive, but your ingredients having less space to move around means that the motor has to process for longer to ensure all of the mix comes in contact with the blades.
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
You wouldn’t have to know all that though, because the Triple Prep System makes that change for you. The touch button layout is clean and intuitive: you’ve got start/stop controls, a pulse button, and clearly labeled presets for smoothies, soups, frozen drinks, and food processing tasks. Any preset that isn’t suitable for your attached container conveniently disappears too, helping to make using the machine an almost foolproof experience.
The majority of parts are dishwasher-safe, which offers a welcome reprieve from having to scrub out smoothie remnants and soup leftovers by hand. The extractor blade isn’t suitable for dishwasher cleaning, but given the fixed pitcher blades caused me far more struggle when cleaning than the extractor blade, I didn’t find this to be too much of an issue.
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
Given the sheer number of functions this machine serves, its slighter larger footprint feels like a worthy trade. If you cook from scratch or make fancy drinks at home regularly enough, you can probably justify keeping the motor base on your kitchen counter between uses. When you go to store the Triple Prep System away in your kitchen cupboards, you’ll probably find its wealth of accessories and attachments more of a curse than a blessing.
Certain parts of the system (like the shred/slice disc) slot together or into each other so it does seem like there was some effort made to save space. However, it still is a system that requires some generous-sized kitchen cupboards.
Design: 4.5/5
Nutribullet Triple Prep System: performance
Consistently great results with smoothies and soups
Does a great job crushing ice
Struggles with very small batches
Blenders are Nutribullet’s bread and butter – particularly ones for making smoothies. With that in mind, it made a lot of sense to start my testing there.
The smoothie recipe that’s used during TechRadar’s testing processes is a doozy in a couple of respects. It includes blueberries, which have skin and tiny seeds for the blender’s blades to try to contend with. But it also contains kale: the fibrous leafy vegetable that’s the enemy of many at-home smoothie lovers. While kale is great for sneaking nutrients in your drinks, it can be really difficult to completely break down if your blender isn’t up to the task – and plenty of blenders aren’t.
Image 1 of 1
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
Thanks to the Triple Prep System’s 1,500W motor and the guidance of its smoothie preset, I managed to blitz up a thick, tasty smoothie with virtually no off-putting ‘bits’. Any grittiness from the berries’ seeds disappeared entirely and no chunks of leaf remained.
Roughly the same was true when I tried to replicate the smoothie in one of the travel cups. Upon very, very careful inspection, there were minuscule flecks of unprocessed kale floating in the smoothie but these were few and far between, and weren’t large enough to detect in the mouth when drunk.
Crushing the ice in the travel cup gleaned far less than ideal results so I opted to try it in the pitcher instead. Don’t get me wrong, I was reasonably satisfied with what the travel cup produced: well-crushed ice with some little chunks that escaped the wrath of the extractor blade. However, I wanted to see if the added surface of the pitcher would produce a better end result.
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
Sure enough, without much fuss, the pitcher’s blades managed to pulverize the cubes into fine, icy grounds that were just perfect for a snow cone or daiquiri. The Triple Prep System’s volume output hit a peak of 96db during this part of the test (roughly equivalent to some power tools). While this level of noise is certainly not pleasant to be exposed to for too long, it is a good bit higher than the blender’s average which was closer to 87db.
As testing continued, the Triple Prep System continued to impress. After mixing up a hummus recipe in the food processor’s work bowl on the ‘dip’ preset and scraping the sides, I was treated to a creamy dip with zero unincorporated segments of chickpeas. Thicker blends sticking under the blades and on the edge of the container was a notable problem with the Nutribullet SmartSense that I found added extra time to making this simple, delicious recipe. Thankfully, the Triple Prep System avoids the same mistake.
Image 1 of 2
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
Image 2 of 2
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
Next, I put its shred/slice disc to work on a block of cheese and found that it provided a result that was really consistent. However, the slight inconvenience of chopping the cheese small enough to fit through the narrow gap in the food processor’s lid might make this a less attractive option in the future.
The only real disappointment I experienced during testing was how the Triple Prep System performed making mayonnaise. The pitcher was obviously too large to properly blend a batch, so I opted to use the food processor work bowl instead. The issue is that – even when I doubled the usual recipe – the container was still far too spacious.
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
An alternative mayonnaise recipe written specifically for a Nutribullet suggested using a 18oz cup, but the Triple Prep System not only doesn’t include a container that small but doesn’t have any more compact attachments that would allow you to gradually drip oil into the emulsion as it’s blending. So, unless you’re anticipating mixing up an industrial-sized tub of mayo, it’s worth doing this recipe by hand or with an immersion blender.
Performance score: 4.5/5
Should you buy the Nutribullet Triple Prep System?
Nutribullet Triple Prep System score card
Attribute
Notes
Score
Value
It’s far from the lowest-cost option when it comes to blenders. But given the breadth of tasks it can be used for, it’s very good value.
4/5
Design
Takes up more space than many blending solutions but attachments nest for storage. Build quality is very strong.
4.5/5
Performance
Excels in almost every test. Great for smoothies, hummus, and crushing ice. Struggles with small batches.
4.5/5
Buy it if
You want a complete food prep system
If you're in the market for a personal blender, jug blender, and food processor all in one, the Nutribullet Triple Prep System has you covered.
You’d like a blender with dishwasher-safe parts
Once you’re done blitzing up something tasty, you can just pop your pitcher, processor, or cup into the dishwasher. There’s no need to hang over the sink and wash them by hand.
You struggle with chopping or dicing
If your knife skills are lacking or you just want to save yourself some time and effort in the kitchen, the Nutribullet Triple Prep System is more than suited to stepping in as your sous chef.
Don't buy it if
You just need a blender for drink prep
If you’re not much of a home chef and solely see yourself using your blender for mixing up smoothies and shakes, the Triple Prep System is seriously overkill.
You’re on a super tight budget
At over $200, there are definitely lower-cost blenders you can opt for instead.
Nutribullet Triple Prep System: also consider
If you’re on the look-out for options that are similar to the Nutribullet Triple Prep System, here’s some alternatives worth considering:
Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo
If you need a powerful base and multiple blender cup sizes but don’t care for having a food processor, this is a slightly cheaper and more pared back alternative from the same brand.
If you’re a home cook but don’t see yourself batch blending too often, it probably makes more sense to opt for a jug blender that’s on the smaller side. While you don’t get travel cups with this blender, it has a variety of useful presets and is ideal for singletons or small families.
Alongside my usual kitchen tasks, my testing involved using the Nutribullet Triple Prep System to make TechRadar’s standard test recipes.
Throughout this process, I assessed the effectiveness of both manual and preset blending. I used a decibel tracker to determine how loud the blender is during use and after each blend, I cleaned the blender attachments and accessories by hand.
True to its name, the Nutribullet Triple Prep System is a blender combo that provides the functionality of three kinds of kitchen appliances in one. Nutribullet as a brand may have made its start with personal blenders, but the lineup has expanded to include
Alongside a 1,500 watt motor base, the system includes a long list of accessories: a 64oz pitcher, two travel cups with lids, a food processor work bowl, a shredding/slicing disc, a tamper, a food pusher, and a dough blade. So, it’s pretty much a full toolkit for any home chef looking to whip up smoothies, shakes, soup, dips, and more.
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
As expected, during my tests, there was almost no hurdle the Nutribullet Triple Prep System stumbled at. From chopping carrots to crushing ice, the machine proved to be an exceptionally useful assistant in the kitchen again and again. What’s more, it was more user-friendly than many
There are a few problems that held the Triple Prep System back from perfection though. For one, the blades in the pitcher can’t be removed, which makes hand washing a good bit more difficult than it needs to be. As well as that, it doesn’t perform well with very small batches, given its smallest container is 24oz.
Nutribullet Triple Prep System: price and availability
List price: $244.99 / £229.99 / AU$349.95
Available in the US, UK, and Australia
Sold through Nutribullet’s website and other third-party retailers
The Nutribullet Triple Prep System is widely available to buy in the US, UK, and Australia. Across all three of these regions, you can pick up the Triple Prep System directly from the Nutribullet site or on Amazon. When it comes to third-party retailers in the States specifically, some of your other options are Target, Best Buy, and Walmart.
At over $200, the Triple Prep System is undoubtedly on the higher end of the Nutribullet range. It is one of the brand’s most multifunctional machines though, so it makes sense that it would set you back more than the rest. For context, you can get a basic Nutribullet personal blender for as little as $80.
Even with that higher price tag, if it saves you the cost of buying a blender and food processor separately, the Triple Prep System is incredible value for money. That said, it’s probably not a great idea to opt for it if you don’t plan to make use of its full suite of features.
Slightly large footprint, but accessories nest for storage
One of my favorite features of the Triple Prep System is how it smartly recognizes which container you have attached to the base, and changes which presets are available based on that knowledge. It even modifies the duration of presets depending on which attachment you’re using.
For example, the Smoothie preset runs for 50 seconds with the pitcher and 60 seconds when using the travel cups. More blending time for a smaller container may sound counterintuitive, but your ingredients having less space to move around means that the motor has to process for longer to ensure all of the mix comes in contact with the blades.
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
You wouldn’t have to know all that though, because the Triple Prep System makes that change for you. The touch button layout is clean and intuitive: you’ve got start/stop controls, a pulse button, and clearly labeled presets for smoothies, soups, frozen drinks, and food processing tasks. Any preset that isn’t suitable for your attached container conveniently disappears too, helping to make using the machine an almost foolproof experience.
The majority of parts are dishwasher-safe, which offers a welcome reprieve from having to scrub out smoothie remnants and soup leftovers by hand. The extractor blade isn’t suitable for dishwasher cleaning, but given the fixed pitcher blades caused me far more struggle when cleaning than the extractor blade, I didn’t find this to be too much of an issue.
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
Given the sheer number of functions this machine serves, its slighter larger footprint feels like a worthy trade. If you cook from scratch or make fancy drinks at home regularly enough, you can probably justify keeping the motor base on your kitchen counter between uses. When you go to store the Triple Prep System away in your kitchen cupboards, you’ll probably find its wealth of accessories and attachments more of a curse than a blessing.
Certain parts of the system (like the shred/slice disc) slot together or into each other so it does seem like there was some effort made to save space. However, it still is a system that requires some generous-sized kitchen cupboards.
Design: 4.5/5
Nutribullet Triple Prep System: performance
Consistently great results with smoothies and soups
Does a great job crushing ice
Struggles with very small batches
Blenders are Nutribullet’s bread and butter – particularly ones for making smoothies. With that in mind, it made a lot of sense to start my testing there.
The smoothie recipe that’s used during TechRadar’s testing processes is a doozy in a couple of respects. It includes blueberries, which have skin and tiny seeds for the blender’s blades to try to contend with. But it also contains kale: the fibrous leafy vegetable that’s the enemy of many at-home smoothie lovers. While kale is great for sneaking nutrients in your drinks, it can be really difficult to completely break down if your blender isn’t up to the task – and plenty of blenders aren’t.
Image 1 of 1
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
Thanks to the Triple Prep System’s 1,500W motor and the guidance of its smoothie preset, I managed to blitz up a thick, tasty smoothie with virtually no off-putting ‘bits’. Any grittiness from the berries’ seeds disappeared entirely and no chunks of leaf remained.
Roughly the same was true when I tried to replicate the smoothie in one of the travel cups. Upon very, very careful inspection, there were minuscule flecks of unprocessed kale floating in the smoothie but these were few and far between, and weren’t large enough to detect in the mouth when drunk.
Crushing the ice in the travel cup gleaned far less than ideal results so I opted to try it in the pitcher instead. Don’t get me wrong, I was reasonably satisfied with what the travel cup produced: well-crushed ice with some little chunks that escaped the wrath of the extractor blade. However, I wanted to see if the added surface of the pitcher would produce a better end result.
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
Sure enough, without much fuss, the pitcher’s blades managed to pulverize the cubes into fine, icy grounds that were just perfect for a snow cone or daiquiri. The Triple Prep System’s volume output hit a peak of 96db during this part of the test (roughly equivalent to some power tools). While this level of noise is certainly not pleasant to be exposed to for too long, it is a good bit higher than the blender’s average which was closer to 87db.
As testing continued, the Triple Prep System continued to impress. After mixing up a hummus recipe in the food processor’s work bowl on the ‘dip’ preset and scraping the sides, I was treated to a creamy dip with zero unincorporated segments of chickpeas. Thicker blends sticking under the blades and on the edge of the container was a notable problem with the Nutribullet SmartSense that I found added extra time to making this simple, delicious recipe. Thankfully, the Triple Prep System avoids the same mistake.
Image 1 of 2
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
Image 2 of 2
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
Next, I put its shred/slice disc to work on a block of cheese and found that it provided a result that was really consistent. However, the slight inconvenience of chopping the cheese small enough to fit through the narrow gap in the food processor’s lid might make this a less attractive option in the future.
The only real disappointment I experienced during testing was how the Triple Prep System performed making mayonnaise. The pitcher was obviously too large to properly blend a batch, so I opted to use the food processor work bowl instead. The issue is that – even when I doubled the usual recipe – the container was still far too spacious.
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
An alternative mayonnaise recipe written specifically for a Nutribullet suggested using a 18oz cup, but the Triple Prep System not only doesn’t include a container that small but doesn’t have any more compact attachments that would allow you to gradually drip oil into the emulsion as it’s blending. So, unless you’re anticipating mixing up an industrial-sized tub of mayo, it’s worth doing this recipe by hand or with an immersion blender.
Performance score: 4.5/5
Should you buy the Nutribullet Triple Prep System?
Nutribullet Triple Prep System score card
Attribute
Notes
Score
Value
It’s far from the lowest-cost option when it comes to blenders. But given the breadth of tasks it can be used for, it’s very good value.
4/5
Design
Takes up more space than many blending solutions but attachments nest for storage. Build quality is very strong.
4.5/5
Performance
Excels in almost every test. Great for smoothies, hummus, and crushing ice. Struggles with small batches.
4.5/5
Buy it if
You want a complete food prep system
If you're in the market for a personal blender, jug blender, and food processor all in one, the Nutribullet Triple Prep System has you covered.
You’d like a blender with dishwasher-safe parts
Once you’re done blitzing up something tasty, you can just pop your pitcher, processor, or cup into the dishwasher. There’s no need to hang over the sink and wash them by hand.
You struggle with chopping or dicing
If your knife skills are lacking or you just want to save yourself some time and effort in the kitchen, the Nutribullet Triple Prep System is more than suited to stepping in as your sous chef.
Don't buy it if
You just need a blender for drink prep
If you’re not much of a home chef and solely see yourself using your blender for mixing up smoothies and shakes, the Triple Prep System is seriously overkill.
You’re on a super tight budget
At over $200, there are definitely lower-cost blenders you can opt for instead.
Nutribullet Triple Prep System: also consider
If you’re on the look-out for options that are similar to the Nutribullet Triple Prep System, here’s some alternatives worth considering:
Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo
If you need a powerful base and multiple blender cup sizes but don’t care for having a food processor, this is a slightly cheaper and more pared back alternative from the same brand.
If you’re a home cook but don’t see yourself batch blending too often, it probably makes more sense to opt for a jug blender that’s on the smaller side. While you don’t get travel cups with this blender, it has a variety of useful presets and is ideal for singletons or small families.
Alongside my usual kitchen tasks, my testing involved using the Nutribullet Triple Prep System to make TechRadar’s standard test recipes.
Throughout this process, I assessed the effectiveness of both manual and preset blending. I used a decibel tracker to determine how loud the blender is during use and after each blend, I cleaned the blender attachments and accessories by hand.
True to its name, the Nutribullet Triple Prep System is a blender combo that provides the functionality of three kinds of kitchen appliances in one. Nutribullet as a brand may have made its start with personal blenders, but the lineup has expanded to include
Alongside a 1,500 watt motor base, the system includes a long list of accessories: a 64oz pitcher, two travel cups with lids, a food processor work bowl, a shredding/slicing disc, a tamper, a food pusher, and a dough blade. So, it’s pretty much a full toolkit for any home chef looking to whip up smoothies, shakes, soup, dips, and more.
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
As expected, during my tests, there was almost no hurdle the Nutribullet Triple Prep System stumbled at. From chopping carrots to crushing ice, the machine proved to be an exceptionally useful assistant in the kitchen again and again. What’s more, it was more user-friendly than many
There are a few problems that held the Triple Prep System back from perfection though. For one, the blades in the pitcher can’t be removed, which makes hand washing a good bit more difficult than it needs to be. As well as that, it doesn’t perform well with very small batches, given its smallest container is 24oz.
Nutribullet Triple Prep System: price and availability
List price: $244.99 / £229.99 / AU$349.95
Available in the US, UK, and Australia
Sold through Nutribullet’s website and other third-party retailers
The Nutribullet Triple Prep System is widely available to buy in the US, UK, and Australia. Across all three of these regions, you can pick up the Triple Prep System directly from the Nutribullet site or on Amazon. When it comes to third-party retailers in the States specifically, some of your other options are Target, Best Buy, and Walmart.
At over $200, the Triple Prep System is undoubtedly on the higher end of the Nutribullet range. It is one of the brand’s most multifunctional machines though, so it makes sense that it would set you back more than the rest. For context, you can get a basic Nutribullet personal blender for as little as $80.
Even with that higher price tag, if it saves you the cost of buying a blender and food processor separately, the Triple Prep System is incredible value for money. That said, it’s probably not a great idea to opt for it if you don’t plan to make use of its full suite of features.
Slightly large footprint, but accessories nest for storage
One of my favorite features of the Triple Prep System is how it smartly recognizes which container you have attached to the base, and changes which presets are available based on that knowledge. It even modifies the duration of presets depending on which attachment you’re using.
For example, the Smoothie preset runs for 50 seconds with the pitcher and 60 seconds when using the travel cups. More blending time for a smaller container may sound counterintuitive, but your ingredients having less space to move around means that the motor has to process for longer to ensure all of the mix comes in contact with the blades.
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
You wouldn’t have to know all that though, because the Triple Prep System makes that change for you. The touch button layout is clean and intuitive: you’ve got start/stop controls, a pulse button, and clearly labeled presets for smoothies, soups, frozen drinks, and food processing tasks. Any preset that isn’t suitable for your attached container conveniently disappears too, helping to make using the machine an almost foolproof experience.
The majority of parts are dishwasher-safe, which offers a welcome reprieve from having to scrub out smoothie remnants and soup leftovers by hand. The extractor blade isn’t suitable for dishwasher cleaning, but given the fixed pitcher blades caused me far more struggle when cleaning than the extractor blade, I didn’t find this to be too much of an issue.
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
Given the sheer number of functions this machine serves, its slighter larger footprint feels like a worthy trade. If you cook from scratch or make fancy drinks at home regularly enough, you can probably justify keeping the motor base on your kitchen counter between uses. When you go to store the Triple Prep System away in your kitchen cupboards, you’ll probably find its wealth of accessories and attachments more of a curse than a blessing.
Certain parts of the system (like the shred/slice disc) slot together or into each other so it does seem like there was some effort made to save space. However, it still is a system that requires some generous-sized kitchen cupboards.
Design: 4.5/5
Nutribullet Triple Prep System: performance
Consistently great results with smoothies and soups
Does a great job crushing ice
Struggles with very small batches
Blenders are Nutribullet’s bread and butter – particularly ones for making smoothies. With that in mind, it made a lot of sense to start my testing there.
The smoothie recipe that’s used during TechRadar’s testing processes is a doozy in a couple of respects. It includes blueberries, which have skin and tiny seeds for the blender’s blades to try to contend with. But it also contains kale: the fibrous leafy vegetable that’s the enemy of many at-home smoothie lovers. While kale is great for sneaking nutrients in your drinks, it can be really difficult to completely break down if your blender isn’t up to the task – and plenty of blenders aren’t.
Image 1 of 1
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
Thanks to the Triple Prep System’s 1,500W motor and the guidance of its smoothie preset, I managed to blitz up a thick, tasty smoothie with virtually no off-putting ‘bits’. Any grittiness from the berries’ seeds disappeared entirely and no chunks of leaf remained.
Roughly the same was true when I tried to replicate the smoothie in one of the travel cups. Upon very, very careful inspection, there were minuscule flecks of unprocessed kale floating in the smoothie but these were few and far between, and weren’t large enough to detect in the mouth when drunk.
Crushing the ice in the travel cup gleaned far less than ideal results so I opted to try it in the pitcher instead. Don’t get me wrong, I was reasonably satisfied with what the travel cup produced: well-crushed ice with some little chunks that escaped the wrath of the extractor blade. However, I wanted to see if the added surface of the pitcher would produce a better end result.
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
Sure enough, without much fuss, the pitcher’s blades managed to pulverize the cubes into fine, icy grounds that were just perfect for a snow cone or daiquiri. The Triple Prep System’s volume output hit a peak of 96db during this part of the test (roughly equivalent to some power tools). While this level of noise is certainly not pleasant to be exposed to for too long, it is a good bit higher than the blender’s average which was closer to 87db.
As testing continued, the Triple Prep System continued to impress. After mixing up a hummus recipe in the food processor’s work bowl on the ‘dip’ preset and scraping the sides, I was treated to a creamy dip with zero unincorporated segments of chickpeas. Thicker blends sticking under the blades and on the edge of the container was a notable problem with the Nutribullet SmartSense that I found added extra time to making this simple, delicious recipe. Thankfully, the Triple Prep System avoids the same mistake.
Image 1 of 2
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
Image 2 of 2
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
Next, I put its shred/slice disc to work on a block of cheese and found that it provided a result that was really consistent. However, the slight inconvenience of chopping the cheese small enough to fit through the narrow gap in the food processor’s lid might make this a less attractive option in the future.
The only real disappointment I experienced during testing was how the Triple Prep System performed making mayonnaise. The pitcher was obviously too large to properly blend a batch, so I opted to use the food processor work bowl instead. The issue is that – even when I doubled the usual recipe – the container was still far too spacious.
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
An alternative mayonnaise recipe written specifically for a Nutribullet suggested using a 18oz cup, but the Triple Prep System not only doesn’t include a container that small but doesn’t have any more compact attachments that would allow you to gradually drip oil into the emulsion as it’s blending. So, unless you’re anticipating mixing up an industrial-sized tub of mayo, it’s worth doing this recipe by hand or with an immersion blender.
Performance score: 4.5/5
Should you buy the Nutribullet Triple Prep System?
Nutribullet Triple Prep System score card
Attribute
Notes
Score
Value
It’s far from the lowest-cost option when it comes to blenders. But given the breadth of tasks it can be used for, it’s very good value.
4/5
Design
Takes up more space than many blending solutions but attachments nest for storage. Build quality is very strong.
4.5/5
Performance
Excels in almost every test. Great for smoothies, hummus, and crushing ice. Struggles with small batches.
4.5/5
Buy it if
You want a complete food prep system
If you're in the market for a personal blender, jug blender, and food processor all in one, the Nutribullet Triple Prep System has you covered.
You’d like a blender with dishwasher-safe parts
Once you’re done blitzing up something tasty, you can just pop your pitcher, processor, or cup into the dishwasher. There’s no need to hang over the sink and wash them by hand.
You struggle with chopping or dicing
If your knife skills are lacking or you just want to save yourself some time and effort in the kitchen, the Nutribullet Triple Prep System is more than suited to stepping in as your sous chef.
Don't buy it if
You just need a blender for drink prep
If you’re not much of a home chef and solely see yourself using your blender for mixing up smoothies and shakes, the Triple Prep System is seriously overkill.
You’re on a super tight budget
At over $200, there are definitely lower-cost blenders you can opt for instead.
Nutribullet Triple Prep System: also consider
If you’re on the look-out for options that are similar to the Nutribullet Triple Prep System, here’s some alternatives worth considering:
Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo
If you need a powerful base and multiple blender cup sizes but don’t care for having a food processor, this is a slightly cheaper and more pared back alternative from the same brand.
If you’re a home cook but don’t see yourself batch blending too often, it probably makes more sense to opt for a jug blender that’s on the smaller side. While you don’t get travel cups with this blender, it has a variety of useful presets and is ideal for singletons or small families.
Alongside my usual kitchen tasks, my testing involved using the Nutribullet Triple Prep System to make TechRadar’s standard test recipes.
Throughout this process, I assessed the effectiveness of both manual and preset blending. I used a decibel tracker to determine how loud the blender is during use and after each blend, I cleaned the blender attachments and accessories by hand.
Nutribullet is a brand most well known for its compact personal blenders which – while suited to blitzing up smoothies and protein shakes – aren’t exactly heavy duty pieces of culinary tech. But models like the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo aim to up the power and functionality without compromising too much on simplicity or affordability.
By combining a full-sized pitcher with Nutribullet’s familiar single-serve cups, and adding a smart auto-cycle that adapts blending power on the fly, it aims to cover the needs of both speedy smoothie lovers and home chefs.
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
For the most part, it succeeds. Most everyday tasks are handled quickly and consistently. The SmartSense auto cycle is genuinely useful for hands-off blending and the 1,500W motor packs more punch than most people will ever need.
But all that isn’t without its caveats. The SmartSense Blender Combo struggles with thick or dry blends and requires you to intervene a couple of times during the blending process to ensure all the ingredients are within reach of the blades. You’ll also find that very small batches of dips don’t quite reach high up enough to get blended.
Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo: price and availability
List price: $164.99 / £149.99 / AU$299.95
Available in the US, UK, and Australia
Reasonable price for a two-in-one blender combo
In the US, UK, and Australia, the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo is available to purchase on the Nutribullet site. and from third-party retailers like Amazon.
In terms of cost, the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo sits on the mid/high end of the Nutribullet range. Understandably, you’re paying more than you would for a dinky personal blender, but it won’t quite set back as much as a top-of-the-line food processor/blender combo.
The Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo consists of a blender base which can either be attached to the included 64oz pitcher, 32oz travel cup, or 24oz handled travel cup. All three of these add-ons are made from BPA-free plastic, meaning you can enjoy the lightness and durability of the material without worrying about harmful chemicals leaching into your soups and smoothies.
The SmartSense Blender Combo box contents also included a tamper but during testing, I found that it offered very little in the way of practical help. A far more useful tool was a cheap silicone spatula I tend to use while baking. It had the flexibility necessary to scrap the edges of the blender jug, but didn’t tend to get ingredients stuck to it like tamper did.
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
Like the rest of the build, the attachments of the SmartSense Blender Combo are sturdy enough to inspire confidence. The only real concern I’d have is the possibility of stains or scratches developing after long-term use, but even this would just be a superficial complaint. Not to mention, a good thorough clean after every use helps to prevent this. Thankfully, attachments for the SmartSense are dishwasher-safe so this task is a little easier.
Blending with the travel cups is done with a separate extractor blade but in the case of the pitcher attachment, the blade is sealed into the base. This means that, when you’re hand-washing your blender (which those of us without dishwashers are cursed to do) it’s a little difficult to clean. Without being able to pop the blade out and wipe it down, it’s best to blitz some warm water and soap in the pitcher to loosen some of the debris that tends to get stuck underneath. This isn’t a dealbreaker, but it definitely adds an awkward extra step to maintaining the machine.
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
One great thing about the pitcher’s design is that its lid has a vent which allows you to add ingredients mid-blend and – crucially – allows for steam to escape when making hot recipes. I’ll admit that throughout my years in the kitchen, I’ve occasionally taken my chances blending hot sauces and soups against manufacturers’ instructions. To try to reduce steam production and the chances of the lid blowing off from the pressure, I’d let everything cool down a bit before pouring it in. But even with these attempts to mitigate risk, the likelihood of getting scalded (or at the very least making a mess of your kitchen) means that blending hot food in an unvented blender is a terrible idea. A tiny gap in the lid makes a big difference when it comes to making this blender an even more versatile piece of kitchen kit.
Controls on the motor base are exceedingly simple to navigate. There’s an on/off button, which – alongside powering the machine on and off – also prompts the appearance of rather cute “hello” and “goodbye” messages on the base’s LED screen. The plus and minus buttons are used to adjust between the 5 power settings, but you can skip all that by using the Auto button that activates the load-sensing setting and estimates the right blending speed and time for you.
Design score: 4.5/5
Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo: performance
Makes stellar smoothies with virtually no nasty bits
Crushes ice (with some assistance from you)
Dry blends were a disappointment
Coming in at 1500W, the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo should have more than enough power to handle most jobs. Testing started with a smoothie recipe from the Nutribullet site consisting of blueberries, milk, banana, and kale.
Fibrous green veg really puts blenders through their paces, so it’s a great way to reveal just how well it performs. Frozen kale tends to produce fewer gritty chunks than its non-frozen counterpart, but it turns out it’s oddly difficult to find pre-frozen kale in the UK, so I just proceeded with the fresh version instead.
Image 1 of 3
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
Image 2 of 3
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
Image 3 of 3
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
Thankfully, the power of the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender managed to blitz away any unpleasant texture to produce a smooth, thick end result. Despite my expectations, the kale didn’t pose any problem for the SmartSense.
In fact, the only inconsistencies that were left after blending were the tiny seeds from the blueberries. Personally, this isn’t the kind of textural inconsistency that gives me the ick but even if it was, it seems a tad unfair to expect a blender under $200 to have the seed-pulverizing powers of something like a Vitamix A3500.
The SmartSense Blender Combo also makes light work of crushing ice cubes, on the condition you scrape the ice from the sides midway through. The blades certainly don’t have any difficulty slicing through rock solid chunks of ice (and in fact, the machine doesn’t even go past 95db while doing it) but the structure of the pitcher means that the ice tends to pool around the edges before it’s done being crushed. The good news is after a little intervention, you should be able to rustle up your own daiquiris or frappuccinos at home no problem.
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
Despite delivering a pretty stellar performance in the realm of drinkable delights, the next hurdles for the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender really exposed the machine’s weak points. One of the fatal flaws of the SmartSense Blender Combo is the placement of the pitcher’s fixed blades. They sit just a little too high and don’t cover enough surface area across the pitcher’s bottom so it’s frustratingly easy for ingredients to escape the blender’s vortex.
During the hummus-making phase of testing, I found that the machine consistently created a tasty, well-incorporated dip. However, achieving that result required me to intervene two or three times to redistribute the ingredients and make sure none of my chickpea mixture avoided blending.
Image 1 of 2
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
Image 2 of 2
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
This blade placement problem majorly impacted my ability to make mayonnaise with the blender too. Due to the sheer size of the pitcher, I found I had to double a normal batch in order to have my yolk/vinegar/mustard emulsion even touch the blades at all.
Even then, I couldn’t maintain a consistent enough vortex to create a satisfying result. If you’re truly set on making mayonnaise with the SmartSense Blender Combo, the best way to do it is to mix up your emulsion by hand and then put it back into the blender for the step where you gradually incorporate oil.
Image 1 of 2
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
Image 2 of 2
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
One other very notable development during my tests is just how redundant the Auto function felt. While the SmartSense name definitely provides a fancy selling point, I found that I actually didn’t appreciate the automation of the blending process. It’s not like the SmartSense Auto blending ever got things too far wrong but rather I preferred to keep my eye on what I was working on and adjust the power as needed.
I can definitely see the appeal of this for folks who find their attention pulled by kids or pets while in the kitchen, but the removal of control actually made things less convenient in my experience, so I mostly opted for the manual options.
Performance score: 3/5
Should you buy the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo?
Buy it if
You want a blender for drink and food prep
Thanks to the varied attachments and vented pitcher lid, the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo is well suited for whipping up smoothies, shakes, sauces, and soups.
You need a blender with dishwasher-safe parts
If you want to avoid the tedium of washing your blender by hand, you can with the SmartSense Blender Combo.
You’d like a large-capacity blender
The pitcher included with the SmartSense Blender Combo is a hefty 64oz, making it ideal for batch blending multiple servings to enjoy with your family or by yourself over the course of the week.
Don't buy it if
You’re big on dips, butters, and doughs
The SmartSense Blender Combo works best with recipes that contain a decent bit of liquid. If you’re using it to mix up something like peanut butter, you’ll notice that this isn’t its strong point.
You need a personal blender
If you see yourself ever only using your blender for making small servings of smoothies, the SmartSense Blender Combo is a tad OTT.
Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo: also consider
If you’re on the look-out for options that are similar to the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo, here’s some alternatives worth considering:
Braun Tri-Force / PowerBlend 9
This jug-style blender sports a slightly higher price tag than the SmartSense Blender Combo, but it’s ranked as our best blender for a reason. It’s super efficient and its unique triangular design prevents the kind of frustrating side stickage seen with the SmartSense. The Tri-Force’s presets also have the kind of true ‘hands-off’ experience you’d expect from an auto mode.
This 3-in-1 bullet blender/jug blender/food processor combo system is a bit of an upgrade from the SmartSense. If you see yourself using your Nutribullet for preparing food just as often (if not more often) than you use it for creating drinks, consider the Triple Prep System instead.
How I tested the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo
Alongside using it for some of my usual kitchen tasks, I put the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo through its paces with TechRadar’s usual test recipes. During my tests, I alternated between using the Auto and manual speed controls to determine the best approach for each recipe. I used a decibel tracker to determine how loud the blender is during use. After each blend, I cleaned the blender attachments and accessories by hand.
Nutribullet is a brand most well known for its compact personal blenders which – while suited to blitzing up smoothies and protein shakes – aren’t exactly heavy duty pieces of culinary tech. But models like the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo aim to up the power and functionality without compromising too much on simplicity or affordability.
By combining a full-sized pitcher with Nutribullet’s familiar single-serve cups, and adding a smart auto-cycle that adapts blending power on the fly, it aims to cover the needs of both speedy smoothie lovers and home chefs.
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
For the most part, it succeeds. Most everyday tasks are handled quickly and consistently. The SmartSense auto cycle is genuinely useful for hands-off blending and the 1,500W motor packs more punch than most people will ever need.
But all that isn’t without its caveats. The SmartSense Blender Combo struggles with thick or dry blends and requires you to intervene a couple of times during the blending process to ensure all the ingredients are within reach of the blades. You’ll also find that very small batches of dips don’t quite reach high up enough to get blended.
Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo: price and availability
List price: $164.99 / £149.99 / AU$299.95
Available in the US, UK, and Australia
Reasonable price for a two-in-one blender combo
In the US, UK, and Australia, the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo is available to purchase on the Nutribullet site. and from third-party retailers like Amazon.
In terms of cost, the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo sits on the mid/high end of the Nutribullet range. Understandably, you’re paying more than you would for a dinky personal blender, but it won’t quite set back as much as a top-of-the-line food processor/blender combo.
The Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo consists of a blender base which can either be attached to the included 64oz pitcher, 32oz travel cup, or 24oz handled travel cup. All three of these add-ons are made from BPA-free plastic, meaning you can enjoy the lightness and durability of the material without worrying about harmful chemicals leaching into your soups and smoothies.
The SmartSense Blender Combo box contents also included a tamper but during testing, I found that it offered very little in the way of practical help. A far more useful tool was a cheap silicone spatula I tend to use while baking. It had the flexibility necessary to scrap the edges of the blender jug, but didn’t tend to get ingredients stuck to it like tamper did.
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
Like the rest of the build, the attachments of the SmartSense Blender Combo are sturdy enough to inspire confidence. The only real concern I’d have is the possibility of stains or scratches developing after long-term use, but even this would just be a superficial complaint. Not to mention, a good thorough clean after every use helps to prevent this. Thankfully, attachments for the SmartSense are dishwasher-safe so this task is a little easier.
Blending with the travel cups is done with a separate extractor blade but in the case of the pitcher attachment, the blade is sealed into the base. This means that, when you’re hand-washing your blender (which those of us without dishwashers are cursed to do) it’s a little difficult to clean. Without being able to pop the blade out and wipe it down, it’s best to blitz some warm water and soap in the pitcher to loosen some of the debris that tends to get stuck underneath. This isn’t a dealbreaker, but it definitely adds an awkward extra step to maintaining the machine.
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
One great thing about the pitcher’s design is that its lid has a vent which allows you to add ingredients mid-blend and – crucially – allows for steam to escape when making hot recipes. I’ll admit that throughout my years in the kitchen, I’ve occasionally taken my chances blending hot sauces and soups against manufacturers’ instructions. To try to reduce steam production and the chances of the lid blowing off from the pressure, I’d let everything cool down a bit before pouring it in. But even with these attempts to mitigate risk, the likelihood of getting scalded (or at the very least making a mess of your kitchen) means that blending hot food in an unvented blender is a terrible idea. A tiny gap in the lid makes a big difference when it comes to making this blender an even more versatile piece of kitchen kit.
Controls on the motor base are exceedingly simple to navigate. There’s an on/off button, which – alongside powering the machine on and off – also prompts the appearance of rather cute “hello” and “goodbye” messages on the base’s LED screen. The plus and minus buttons are used to adjust between the 5 power settings, but you can skip all that by using the Auto button that activates the load-sensing setting and estimates the right blending speed and time for you.
Design score: 4.5/5
Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo: performance
Makes stellar smoothies with virtually no nasty bits
Crushes ice (with some assistance from you)
Dry blends were a disappointment
Coming in at 1500W, the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo should have more than enough power to handle most jobs. Testing started with a smoothie recipe from the Nutribullet site consisting of blueberries, milk, banana, and kale.
Fibrous green veg really puts blenders through their paces, so it’s a great way to reveal just how well it performs. Frozen kale tends to produce fewer gritty chunks than its non-frozen counterpart, but it turns out it’s oddly difficult to find pre-frozen kale in the UK, so I just proceeded with the fresh version instead.
Image 1 of 3
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
Image 2 of 3
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
Image 3 of 3
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
Thankfully, the power of the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender managed to blitz away any unpleasant texture to produce a smooth, thick end result. Despite my expectations, the kale didn’t pose any problem for the SmartSense.
In fact, the only inconsistencies that were left after blending were the tiny seeds from the blueberries. Personally, this isn’t the kind of textural inconsistency that gives me the ick but even if it was, it seems a tad unfair to expect a blender under $200 to have the seed-pulverizing powers of something like a Vitamix A3500.
The SmartSense Blender Combo also makes light work of crushing ice cubes, on the condition you scrape the ice from the sides midway through. The blades certainly don’t have any difficulty slicing through rock solid chunks of ice (and in fact, the machine doesn’t even go past 95db while doing it) but the structure of the pitcher means that the ice tends to pool around the edges before it’s done being crushed. The good news is after a little intervention, you should be able to rustle up your own daiquiris or frappuccinos at home no problem.
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
Despite delivering a pretty stellar performance in the realm of drinkable delights, the next hurdles for the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender really exposed the machine’s weak points. One of the fatal flaws of the SmartSense Blender Combo is the placement of the pitcher’s fixed blades. They sit just a little too high and don’t cover enough surface area across the pitcher’s bottom so it’s frustratingly easy for ingredients to escape the blender’s vortex.
During the hummus-making phase of testing, I found that the machine consistently created a tasty, well-incorporated dip. However, achieving that result required me to intervene two or three times to redistribute the ingredients and make sure none of my chickpea mixture avoided blending.
Image 1 of 2
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
Image 2 of 2
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
This blade placement problem majorly impacted my ability to make mayonnaise with the blender too. Due to the sheer size of the pitcher, I found I had to double a normal batch in order to have my yolk/vinegar/mustard emulsion even touch the blades at all.
Even then, I couldn’t maintain a consistent enough vortex to create a satisfying result. If you’re truly set on making mayonnaise with the SmartSense Blender Combo, the best way to do it is to mix up your emulsion by hand and then put it back into the blender for the step where you gradually incorporate oil.
Image 1 of 2
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
Image 2 of 2
(Image credit: Abigail Shannon)
One other very notable development during my tests is just how redundant the Auto function felt. While the SmartSense name definitely provides a fancy selling point, I found that I actually didn’t appreciate the automation of the blending process. It’s not like the SmartSense Auto blending ever got things too far wrong but rather I preferred to keep my eye on what I was working on and adjust the power as needed.
I can definitely see the appeal of this for folks who find their attention pulled by kids or pets while in the kitchen, but the removal of control actually made things less convenient in my experience, so I mostly opted for the manual options.
Performance score: 3/5
Should you buy the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo?
Buy it if
You want a blender for drink and food prep
Thanks to the varied attachments and vented pitcher lid, the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo is well suited for whipping up smoothies, shakes, sauces, and soups.
You need a blender with dishwasher-safe parts
If you want to avoid the tedium of washing your blender by hand, you can with the SmartSense Blender Combo.
You’d like a large-capacity blender
The pitcher included with the SmartSense Blender Combo is a hefty 64oz, making it ideal for batch blending multiple servings to enjoy with your family or by yourself over the course of the week.
Don't buy it if
You’re big on dips, butters, and doughs
The SmartSense Blender Combo works best with recipes that contain a decent bit of liquid. If you’re using it to mix up something like peanut butter, you’ll notice that this isn’t its strong point.
You need a personal blender
If you see yourself ever only using your blender for making small servings of smoothies, the SmartSense Blender Combo is a tad OTT.
Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo: also consider
If you’re on the look-out for options that are similar to the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo, here’s some alternatives worth considering:
Braun Tri-Force / PowerBlend 9
This jug-style blender sports a slightly higher price tag than the SmartSense Blender Combo, but it’s ranked as our best blender for a reason. It’s super efficient and its unique triangular design prevents the kind of frustrating side stickage seen with the SmartSense. The Tri-Force’s presets also have the kind of true ‘hands-off’ experience you’d expect from an auto mode.
This 3-in-1 bullet blender/jug blender/food processor combo system is a bit of an upgrade from the SmartSense. If you see yourself using your Nutribullet for preparing food just as often (if not more often) than you use it for creating drinks, consider the Triple Prep System instead.
How I tested the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo
Alongside using it for some of my usual kitchen tasks, I put the Nutribullet SmartSense Blender Combo through its paces with TechRadar’s usual test recipes. During my tests, I alternated between using the Auto and manual speed controls to determine the best approach for each recipe. I used a decibel tracker to determine how loud the blender is during use. After each blend, I cleaned the blender attachments and accessories by hand.
The SwitchBot K11+ is a scaled-down robot vacuum that's perfect for cramped homes. It delivers solid vacuuming and navigates with surprising speed and confidence, even if it doesn't always avoid all the obstacles it should. If you have a home with lots of nooks and crannies, it will be compact enough to squeeze into them, although note that while it's small in width, it's about standard height.
The dock is perhaps the smallest auto-empty option I've seen – sitting happily out of the way beneath my bed – and packs a surprisingly generous 4L dust bag. For that reason alone, it's a contender for the best robot vacuum for small homes.
The only major disappointment here is the "mop", which takes the form of a disposable wet-wipe that the bot drags across the floor. For the level of cleaning it delivers, it isn't worth the effort of attaching it. In fact, if you ignore the mopping capabilities altogether and just treat the K11+ as a vacuum-only bot, it becomes a far stronger proposition overall.
It isn't perfect, however. Aside from the dodgy mop, the app has a few weird quirks – and the auto-empty function is rather noisy. Overall, though, there's something very charming and appealing about this little bot. At full price it's clear you're paying a bit of a premium for the small size, but discounts are easy to come by, and if you snag one of these it can be very strong value for money.
That's the short version; read on for my full SwitchBot K11+ review.
(Image credit: Future)
SwitchBot K11+ review: price & availability
List price: $399.99 / £399.99
Available: US, UK
Launched: September 2025
The SwitchBot K11+ launched in September 2025, and is available to buy direct from SwitchBot, but also via Amazon. At list price it costs $399.99 in the US and £399.99 in the UK. However, at time of writing, there were significant discounts available one both sides of the shore. You're paying a bit of a premium for the dinky size here, although even at full price I think it's decent value for money.
Two of the best cheap robot vacuums on the market, the Dreame D9 Max Gen 2 and the Roborock Q7 M5 are both cheaper and offer far more capable mopping than the K11+, but neither come with an auto-empty dock. You'll be able to pick up better-value auto-empty hybrid robot vacuums if you're happy to go for an older model – a good example is the Roborock Q5 Pro+. Note, though, that the dock is much bigger, and is unlikely to fit under your bed.
Value for money score: 4 out of 5
SwitchBot K11+ specs
Max suction:
6,000Pa
Robot diameter:
9.8in / 24.8cm
Robot height:
3.6in / 9.2cm
Dock dimensions (W x D x H):
9.4 x 7.1 x 9.8in / 24 x 18 x 25cm
Dust bin volume (base):
4L
Water tank volume:
None
Base type:
Charge, auto-empty
Max threshold clearance:
0.7in / 1.7cm
Smart home compatibility:
Matter (Apple Home, Alexa, Google Home)
SwitchBot K11+ review: design
Small (but not short) robot with rubber roller and side brush
Mop is a wet-wipe dragged across the floor, then disposed of
Compact dock with auto-empty and storage for mop plate
The SwitchBot K11+ is a dinky robot vacuum with an equally compact base. The bot itself measures 9.8in / 24.8cm in diameter, whereas most bots these days are about 13in / 33cm. This means it can clean in narrow spots – although note that at 3.6in / 9.2cm, height-wise it's pretty average, so it won't be sneaking under a low sofa – for example – to clean.
Below you can see it next to the Roborock Saros 10 – while the K11+ is significantly smaller in diameter, its puck makes it taller; the Roborock's puck is retractible.
The pint-sized K11+ next to the more normally proportioned Roborock Saros 10 (Image credit: Future)
On the top of the K11+ you'll find buttons for On and Return to dock. Lift off the cover (which appears to just sit in place – I'd prefer some magnets to hold it a little more securely – and you'll find the dust cup clipped to the side.
There's a raised LiDAR puck, bumpers around the edge, and a camera at the front. Flip the K11+ over and you'll find a rubber roller. Sensibly, SwitchBot has made this almost the full width of the robot, which means the suction area is actually relatively large. There's also an angled side brush, to avoid hair from becoming tangled around it.
Image 1 of 4
There are a couple of manual buttons, and a raised LiDAR puck (Image credit: Future)
Image 2 of 4
The rubber roller takes up most of the width of the robot (Image credit: Future)
Image 3 of 4
The dust cup clips on the side of the bot (Image credit: Future)
Image 4 of 4
The mopping setup is just a wet wipe (Image credit: Future)
The K11+'s mopping capabilities appear to have very much been an afterthought. To launch the function, you attach a wet-wipe to a base plate, and clip this to the underside of the bot, on top of the suction area. The wipe is then dragged across the floor, and disposed of afterwards. Note that the wet-wipe isn't biodegradable.
Although you need to attach the mop plate to activate "mopping", it is possible to specify carpet and no-mop zones on the map, to avoid the mop wiping down any areas that should not be wiped. However, you can't set a no-mop zone where the dock sits.
(Image credit: Future)
Speaking of the dock, the K11+'s station is far smaller than those you find accompanying the vast majority of bots nowadays. In fact, it's significantly more compact than the already-small dock that came with this model's predecessor, the SwitchBot K10+ (specifically, 2.9in / 7.3cm shorter and 0.8in / 2.1cm narrower).
(Image credit: Future)
This dock has TARDIS-like properties, though: lift the lid and you'll find a far larger than usual 4L dust bag. SwitchBot has also added storage for the mop plate beneath the lid – just one of a number of thoughtful design touches (my other favorite is that the handle on the onboard bin doubles up as a clip to secure it in place).
It's far from the most fully featured dock in town, though. There's no mop pad cleaning or refilling of water tanks (because there is no mop pad, nor is there a tank to fill). However, I'd wager that there are plenty of people who'd prefer a smaller dock with a large dust bag to a gigantic one with tanks included.
Design score: 4 out of 5
SwitchBot K11+ review: performance
Navigates quickly and confidently, decent obstacle avoidance
Good suction performance but bin emptying rather loud
Mopping not worth the effort, and dock can't be in a no-mop zone
When I set the SwitchBot K11+ off on its first cleaning run, the first thing that struck me was its speed. This bot powers up and down floors like there's no time to waste.
Despite that, it seems to do a good job at picking up dust and debris – I paused it before it could auto-empty, and the onboard bin had plenty in it, even though the room had been vacuumed the previous day, and I was using the second-weakest suction mode. (You can choose to clean a room once or twice, and there are four suction options: Quiet, Standard, Strong and Max.)
This dinky bot navigates with speed and confidence (Image credit: Future)
As usual, you can request the bot clean a room or a zone. However, the "Spot clean" function – where a robot will clean an area that's about a square meter or so around a chosen position – was still in beta testing at the time of writing, which is a little annoying if you want to clear a spillage.
Although fairly quiet in operation, the auto-empty process is really rather noisy. However, you can set different auto-empty durations via the app, to save at least some unnecessary disruption.
The auto-empty process is a little noisy (Image credit: Future)
Mopping is a different story. Attaching the wet wipe is fiddly, and ends up with a lot of the wipe on the underside of the base plate. It barely left my bathroom floor damp – imagine trying to clean the entire floor of a room with half a single wet-wipe. It also deposited bits of grime next to every grouting line.
I'll get into the results of the mopping tests in a second, but the short version is that if I owned this bot, I just wouldn't bother with the mopping functionality – in my opinion, it just isn't worth the effort.
The wet-wipe mop setup deposited grime whenever it hit an uneven bit of floor (Image credit: Future)
Navigation and obstacle avoidance
As a result of its speed, you might assume the K11+ experiences a fair few collisions, but this isn't the case. On test, it skirted its way around furniture and avoided permanent obstacles with impressive accuracy and reliability.
Ad hoc obstacle avoidance was less consistent. During one cleaning run, the K11+ drove into the dog (who, thankfully, remained unbothered) and then went on to push his water bowl across to the other side of the room.
During my set obstacle avoidance tests it hit my shoe, but on encountering the same shoe a second time, the bot carefully skirted around it before continuing. The K11+ also sucked up a red ribbon I'd used in place of a charge cable, but I wound't say that was surprising – I've yet to find a robovac that can successfully avoid cables, whatever the manufacturers may claim.
Image 1 of 2
The K11+ didn't always avoid obstacles (Image credit: Future)
Image 2 of 2
Definitely tidy away cables before sending it out (Image credit: Future)
Cleaning tests
Next I moved on to TechRadar's official suction tests. For this, I sprinkled dry tea (from a tea bag) and a handful of oats onto the carpet, and monitored how effectively the bot sucked them up.
A single pass in Standard mode took care of most of the oats but only the top layer of tea, and a second in Max sucked up the rest of the oat crumbs and a decent amount of tea. That's a good result – the tea test is purposefully tricky (I used a Dyson V15 Detect to clear it completely).
Image 1 of 3
Tea and oats on carpet, ready for suction tests (Image credit: Future)
Image 2 of 3
This was what remained after a single pass with the K11+... (Image credit: Future)
Image 3 of 3
... and after two passes (Image credit: Future)
Moving onto the mopping tests. This one felt unfair because it isn't so much a mop as a wet-wipe. Nevertheless, I persevered. I smeared a tiny amount of ketchup on a tiled floor and left it to dry, and also spilled a little soy sauce, to see how the K11+ could clear it.
Predictably, it could not. The soy sauce ended up smeared all over the floor and the ketchup was completely unaffected. I sent my Roborock Saros 10 in to clean up after it.
The K11+'s wet-wipe "mop" did not impress in the mopping tests (Image credit: Future)
If I owned this bot, I wouldn't bother with the mopping function at all. For the level of cleaning it delivers, it isn't worth the effort of attaching the wet-wipe. It also limits where you can position the dock, because it can't live in a no-mop zone.
Performance score: 3.5 out of 5
SwitchBot K11+ review: app
Pretty well designed and easy enough to use
Fine-tuning options are limited
Some minor illogical quirks
Since SwitchBot is a brand that makes a number of smart home products, its app is a hub for any SwitchBot gadgets you might own, rather than being dedicated to robovacs only. That means you'll have to click through twice from the homescreen to reach the K11+'s control options.
Image 1 of 2
(Image credit: SwitchBot / Future)
Image 2 of 2
(Image credit: SwitchBot / Future)
Once you reach the right section, it's much like most other robovac apps I've used. Editing a map is straightforward, and you can easily add no-go zones and merge or split spaces. The control options are more limited than you'll find in other, pricier robot vacuums, but all the main bases are covered.
There are a few niggles, though. I was pleased to find a Boost mode for carpets. However, specifying an area of carpet adds a pattern on top of the map that's so dark you then can't see the robot's cleaning path. Slightly annoyingly, there's an 8-character limit on room names that prevents you from, for example, labelling "Top floor", and bafflingly, there's no "Hall" or "Corridor" type option within the room defaults.
App score: 3.5 out of 5
Should you buy the SwitchBot K11+?
Attribute
Notes
Rating
Value
Budget / mid-range at full price, but big discounts are common. Paying a bit of a premium for the small size, but still decent value.
4 / 5
Design
Tiny robovac with an equally compact dock. Not exactly feature-packed, and mopping is very basic, but it looks great with some useful design features.
4 / 5
Performance
Vacuuming is solid and navigation is good, but emptying is noisy and mopping isn't worth bothering with.
3.5 / 5
App
Decent app with a few illogical quirks.
3.5 / 5
Buy it if...
You don't have much space for a dock If you want auto-empty capabilities but don't have room for a massive dock, this bot is perfect – it has perhaps the smallest auto-empty dock I've seen.
You're dealing with lots of dust or hair Although the dock is small, its internal dust bag is far bigger than you'll find in most auto-empty docs, with space for plenty of dust or pet hair before it needs replacing.
You want a speedy cleaner The K11+ rattles along at quite a pace, which means despite its small size, it will get your rooms clean quickly.
Don't buy it if...
Your priority is mopping The mopping here is really very basic, and for most people, not worth the effort.
You don't have lots of dust or hair If you're dealing with low levels of dust, you could consider not bothering with auto-emptying at all. There are plenty of excellent full-sized bots with very compact, charge-only docks, for less money than you'll shell out for the K11+.
How I tested the SwitchBot K11+
I used the SwitchBot K11+ as my main vacuum for a fortnight, to get a feel for its general cleaning performance and ease of use. I also ran a series of set suction tests to assess this bot's cleaning powers, seeing how effectively it cleared fine (tea leaves) and chunky (oats) spillages. To assess the mopping, I spilled soy sauce and smeared ketchup on a tiled floor. To test obstacle avoidance, I scattered common items you'd usually find around a home across my living room floor to see if it could correctly identify and avoid them.
During my review period, I assessed how easy it was to set up the SwitchBot K11+, how accurately it made its way around my home, and if there were any annoyances with its performance. I compared my experience with other robot vacuums I've tested, both budget and premium models.
The SwitchBot K11+ is a scaled-down robot vacuum that's perfect for cramped homes. It delivers solid vacuuming and navigates with surprising speed and confidence, even if it doesn't always avoid all the obstacles it should. If you have a home with lots of nooks and crannies, it will be compact enough to squeeze into them, although note that while it's small in width, it's about standard height.
The dock is perhaps the smallest auto-empty option I've seen – sitting happily out of the way beneath my bed – and packs a surprisingly generous 4L dust bag. For that reason alone, it's a contender for the best robot vacuum for small homes.
The only major disappointment here is the "mop", which takes the form of a disposable wet-wipe that the bot drags across the floor. For the level of cleaning it delivers, it isn't worth the effort of attaching it. In fact, if you ignore the mopping capabilities altogether and just treat the K11+ as a vacuum-only bot, it becomes a far stronger proposition overall.
It isn't perfect, however. Aside from the dodgy mop, the app has a few weird quirks – and the auto-empty function is rather noisy. Overall, though, there's something very charming and appealing about this little bot. At full price it's clear you're paying a bit of a premium for the small size, but discounts are easy to come by, and if you snag one of these it can be very strong value for money.
That's the short version; read on for my full SwitchBot K11+ review.
(Image credit: Future)
SwitchBot K11+ review: price & availability
List price: $399.99 / £399.99
Available: US, UK
Launched: September 2025
The SwitchBot K11+ launched in September 2025, and is available to buy direct from SwitchBot, but also via Amazon. At list price it costs $399.99 in the US and £399.99 in the UK. However, at time of writing, there were significant discounts available one both sides of the shore. You're paying a bit of a premium for the dinky size here, although even at full price I think it's decent value for money.
Two of the best cheap robot vacuums on the market, the Dreame D9 Max Gen 2 and the Roborock Q7 M5 are both cheaper and offer far more capable mopping than the K11+, but neither come with an auto-empty dock. You'll be able to pick up better-value auto-empty hybrid robot vacuums if you're happy to go for an older model – a good example is the Roborock Q5 Pro+. Note, though, that the dock is much bigger, and is unlikely to fit under your bed.
Value for money score: 4 out of 5
SwitchBot K11+ specs
Max suction:
6,000Pa
Robot diameter:
9.8in / 24.8cm
Robot height:
3.6in / 9.2cm
Dock dimensions (W x D x H):
9.4 x 7.1 x 9.8in / 24 x 18 x 25cm
Dust bin volume (base):
4L
Water tank volume:
None
Base type:
Charge, auto-empty
Max threshold clearance:
0.7in / 1.7cm
Smart home compatibility:
Matter (Apple Home, Alexa, Google Home)
SwitchBot K11+ review: design
Small (but not short) robot with rubber roller and side brush
Mop is a wet-wipe dragged across the floor, then disposed of
Compact dock with auto-empty and storage for mop plate
The SwitchBot K11+ is a dinky robot vacuum with an equally compact base. The bot itself measures 9.8in / 24.8cm in diameter, whereas most bots these days are about 13in / 33cm. This means it can clean in narrow spots – although note that at 3.6in / 9.2cm, height-wise it's pretty average, so it won't be sneaking under a low sofa – for example – to clean.
Below you can see it next to the Roborock Saros 10 – while the K11+ is significantly smaller in diameter, its puck makes it taller; the Roborock's puck is retractible.
The pint-sized K11+ next to the more normally proportioned Roborock Saros 10 (Image credit: Future)
On the top of the K11+ you'll find buttons for On and Return to dock. Lift off the cover (which appears to just sit in place – I'd prefer some magnets to hold it a little more securely – and you'll find the dust cup clipped to the side.
There's a raised LiDAR puck, bumpers around the edge, and a camera at the front. Flip the K11+ over and you'll find a rubber roller. Sensibly, SwitchBot has made this almost the full width of the robot, which means the suction area is actually relatively large. There's also an angled side brush, to avoid hair from becoming tangled around it.
Image 1 of 4
There are a couple of manual buttons, and a raised LiDAR puck (Image credit: Future)
Image 2 of 4
The rubber roller takes up most of the width of the robot (Image credit: Future)
Image 3 of 4
The dust cup clips on the side of the bot (Image credit: Future)
Image 4 of 4
The mopping setup is just a wet wipe (Image credit: Future)
The K11+'s mopping capabilities appear to have very much been an afterthought. To launch the function, you attach a wet-wipe to a base plate, and clip this to the underside of the bot, on top of the suction area. The wipe is then dragged across the floor, and disposed of afterwards. Note that the wet-wipe isn't biodegradable.
Although you need to attach the mop plate to activate "mopping", it is possible to specify carpet and no-mop zones on the map, to avoid the mop wiping down any areas that should not be wiped. However, you can't set a no-mop zone where the dock sits.
(Image credit: Future)
Speaking of the dock, the K11+'s station is far smaller than those you find accompanying the vast majority of bots nowadays. In fact, it's significantly more compact than the already-small dock that came with this model's predecessor, the SwitchBot K10+ (specifically, 2.9in / 7.3cm shorter and 0.8in / 2.1cm narrower).
(Image credit: Future)
This dock has TARDIS-like properties, though: lift the lid and you'll find a far larger than usual 4L dust bag. SwitchBot has also added storage for the mop plate beneath the lid – just one of a number of thoughtful design touches (my other favorite is that the handle on the onboard bin doubles up as a clip to secure it in place).
It's far from the most fully featured dock in town, though. There's no mop pad cleaning or refilling of water tanks (because there is no mop pad, nor is there a tank to fill). However, I'd wager that there are plenty of people who'd prefer a smaller dock with a large dust bag to a gigantic one with tanks included.
Design score: 4 out of 5
SwitchBot K11+ review: performance
Navigates quickly and confidently, decent obstacle avoidance
Good suction performance but bin emptying rather loud
Mopping not worth the effort, and dock can't be in a no-mop zone
When I set the SwitchBot K11+ off on its first cleaning run, the first thing that struck me was its speed. This bot powers up and down floors like there's no time to waste.
Despite that, it seems to do a good job at picking up dust and debris – I paused it before it could auto-empty, and the onboard bin had plenty in it, even though the room had been vacuumed the previous day, and I was using the second-weakest suction mode. (You can choose to clean a room once or twice, and there are four suction options: Quiet, Standard, Strong and Max.)
This dinky bot navigates with speed and confidence (Image credit: Future)
As usual, you can request the bot clean a room or a zone. However, the "Spot clean" function – where a robot will clean an area that's about a square meter or so around a chosen position – was still in beta testing at the time of writing, which is a little annoying if you want to clear a spillage.
Although fairly quiet in operation, the auto-empty process is really rather noisy. However, you can set different auto-empty durations via the app, to save at least some unnecessary disruption.
The auto-empty process is a little noisy (Image credit: Future)
Mopping is a different story. Attaching the wet wipe is fiddly, and ends up with a lot of the wipe on the underside of the base plate. It barely left my bathroom floor damp – imagine trying to clean the entire floor of a room with half a single wet-wipe. It also deposited bits of grime next to every grouting line.
I'll get into the results of the mopping tests in a second, but the short version is that if I owned this bot, I just wouldn't bother with the mopping functionality – in my opinion, it just isn't worth the effort.
The wet-wipe mop setup deposited grime whenever it hit an uneven bit of floor (Image credit: Future)
Navigation and obstacle avoidance
As a result of its speed, you might assume the K11+ experiences a fair few collisions, but this isn't the case. On test, it skirted its way around furniture and avoided permanent obstacles with impressive accuracy and reliability.
Ad hoc obstacle avoidance was less consistent. During one cleaning run, the K11+ drove into the dog (who, thankfully, remained unbothered) and then went on to push his water bowl across to the other side of the room.
During my set obstacle avoidance tests it hit my shoe, but on encountering the same shoe a second time, the bot carefully skirted around it before continuing. The K11+ also sucked up a red ribbon I'd used in place of a charge cable, but I wound't say that was surprising – I've yet to find a robovac that can successfully avoid cables, whatever the manufacturers may claim.
Image 1 of 2
The K11+ didn't always avoid obstacles (Image credit: Future)
Image 2 of 2
Definitely tidy away cables before sending it out (Image credit: Future)
Cleaning tests
Next I moved on to TechRadar's official suction tests. For this, I sprinkled dry tea (from a tea bag) and a handful of oats onto the carpet, and monitored how effectively the bot sucked them up.
A single pass in Standard mode took care of most of the oats but only the top layer of tea, and a second in Max sucked up the rest of the oat crumbs and a decent amount of tea. That's a good result – the tea test is purposefully tricky (I used a Dyson V15 Detect to clear it completely).
Image 1 of 3
Tea and oats on carpet, ready for suction tests (Image credit: Future)
Image 2 of 3
This was what remained after a single pass with the K11+... (Image credit: Future)
Image 3 of 3
... and after two passes (Image credit: Future)
Moving onto the mopping tests. This one felt unfair because it isn't so much a mop as a wet-wipe. Nevertheless, I persevered. I smeared a tiny amount of ketchup on a tiled floor and left it to dry, and also spilled a little soy sauce, to see how the K11+ could clear it.
Predictably, it could not. The soy sauce ended up smeared all over the floor and the ketchup was completely unaffected. I sent my Roborock Saros 10 in to clean up after it.
The K11+'s wet-wipe "mop" did not impress in the mopping tests (Image credit: Future)
If I owned this bot, I wouldn't bother with the mopping function at all. For the level of cleaning it delivers, it isn't worth the effort of attaching the wet-wipe. It also limits where you can position the dock, because it can't live in a no-mop zone.
Performance score: 3.5 out of 5
SwitchBot K11+ review: app
Pretty well designed and easy enough to use
Fine-tuning options are limited
Some minor illogical quirks
Since SwitchBot is a brand that makes a number of smart home products, its app is a hub for any SwitchBot gadgets you might own, rather than being dedicated to robovacs only. That means you'll have to click through twice from the homescreen to reach the K11+'s control options.
Image 1 of 2
(Image credit: SwitchBot / Future)
Image 2 of 2
(Image credit: SwitchBot / Future)
Once you reach the right section, it's much like most other robovac apps I've used. Editing a map is straightforward, and you can easily add no-go zones and merge or split spaces. The control options are more limited than you'll find in other, pricier robot vacuums, but all the main bases are covered.
There are a few niggles, though. I was pleased to find a Boost mode for carpets. However, specifying an area of carpet adds a pattern on top of the map that's so dark you then can't see the robot's cleaning path. Slightly annoyingly, there's an 8-character limit on room names that prevents you from, for example, labelling "Top floor", and bafflingly, there's no "Hall" or "Corridor" type option within the room defaults.
App score: 3.5 out of 5
Should you buy the SwitchBot K11+?
Attribute
Notes
Rating
Value
Budget / mid-range at full price, but big discounts are common. Paying a bit of a premium for the small size, but still decent value.
4 / 5
Design
Tiny robovac with an equally compact dock. Not exactly feature-packed, and mopping is very basic, but it looks great with some useful design features.
4 / 5
Performance
Vacuuming is solid and navigation is good, but emptying is noisy and mopping isn't worth bothering with.
3.5 / 5
App
Decent app with a few illogical quirks.
3.5 / 5
Buy it if...
You don't have much space for a dock If you want auto-empty capabilities but don't have room for a massive dock, this bot is perfect – it has perhaps the smallest auto-empty dock I've seen.
You're dealing with lots of dust or hair Although the dock is small, its internal dust bag is far bigger than you'll find in most auto-empty docs, with space for plenty of dust or pet hair before it needs replacing.
You want a speedy cleaner The K11+ rattles along at quite a pace, which means despite its small size, it will get your rooms clean quickly.
Don't buy it if...
Your priority is mopping The mopping here is really very basic, and for most people, not worth the effort.
You don't have lots of dust or hair If you're dealing with low levels of dust, you could consider not bothering with auto-emptying at all. There are plenty of excellent full-sized bots with very compact, charge-only docks, for less money than you'll shell out for the K11+.
How I tested the SwitchBot K11+
I used the SwitchBot K11+ as my main vacuum for a fortnight, to get a feel for its general cleaning performance and ease of use. I also ran a series of set suction tests to assess this bot's cleaning powers, seeing how effectively it cleared fine (tea leaves) and chunky (oats) spillages. To assess the mopping, I spilled soy sauce and smeared ketchup on a tiled floor. To test obstacle avoidance, I scattered common items you'd usually find around a home across my living room floor to see if it could correctly identify and avoid them.
During my review period, I assessed how easy it was to set up the SwitchBot K11+, how accurately it made its way around my home, and if there were any annoyances with its performance. I compared my experience with other robot vacuums I've tested, both budget and premium models.
The Honor MagicPad 3 is almost the perfect large tablet. With a bright and colorful 13.3 inch 3.2K display, complete with IMAX Enhanced certification, kicking back with a movie or TV show is an absolute joy. Even simply scrolling the home menu or your favorite social media website impresses thanks to a smooth 165Hz refresh rate.
The tablet’s eight speakers perform well, though lack bass overall; especially in comparison to the superior sound systems found on the likes of the cheaper Lenovo Idea Tab Pro. I think you should immediately disable the Honor Spatial Audio option in the settings menu for the best performance though. It’s on by default and gives a solid impression of depth, but makes everything sound artificial, tinny, and a little hollow.
Still, these minor audio quibbles are easy to overlook considering the tablet's impressively slim and lightweight build. At just 5.79mm thick and coming in at 595g, it's thinner and lighter than even the iPad Air. Honor has managed to cram in a truly massive 12,450mAh silicon-carbon battery too, delivering incredible battery life. Seriously, this tablet can power through a full day of rigorous use and then some without breaking a sweat.
I was shocked when half a day editing Google Docs files in a café followed by two hours of 4K video viewing on the train, all at max brightness, ended with the battery barely below 80%. On top of that, the tablet holds charge between uses effortlessly - I often left it on standby stashed down the side of my bed after a night binge-watching Amazon Prime Video and picked it up a few days later to discover that it lost no charge at all in that time.
(Image credit: Future)
If you’re the kind of person that likes to leave a tablet around the house to use as needed, you never have to worry about finding it out of electrical juice. Some of this is likely due to the rather aggressive AI Power Management System, which might be worth tweaking if you need certain apps to continually refresh in the background, but it’s hard to complain when the resulting battery performance is this strong.
So what stops the Honor MagicPad 3 from being a best-in-class product? Sure, it's a shame that the gorgeous screen isn't an OLED panel and that there's no fingerprint reader, but above all else it's down to the patchy update support.
When quizzed, Honor told us that it plans “at least one major Android version update” and just “two years of security patches”, which is a depressingly short timeframe. In my eyes, the lack of Android version updates isn’t a dealbreaker, as you’re only really missing out on software features, but the two years of security patches is. You generally should avoid using devices once that timeframe is up, so the tablet effectively has a looming expiration date out of the box.
It’s a shame, especially when you can easily find tablets under $200 / £150 with more years of security update support. The brand did at least note that it will “constantly evaluate” its plans and “deploy software upgrades accordingly” which hopefully means there’s scope for this to change in the future.
Honor MagicPad 3 review: price and availability
(Image credit: Future)
£599 retail price
Expect frequent discounts
It’s available in the UK, but not the US or Australia
The Honor MagicPad 3 comes in at £599 (around $800) for a model with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, which is a very fair price for what you get, especially in comparison to the $799 / £799 iPad Air 13-inch that starts with a pitiful 128GB of storage. Sadly, there's no Australian release.
Honor frequently runs promotions that slash that price, however, so expect it to be readily available for at least £100 less. In fact, it has already seen its price fall to £499 in the build up to release. Also be on the lookout for various free gifts, including the excellent Honor MagicPad3 Smart Touch Keyboard, which I tested alongside the tablet for this review, or Honor Magic Pencil 3 stylus. These promotions turn an already good deal into a great one.
The one thing to bear in mind here is that limited update plan. If you’re particularly concerned about getting the latest and greatest version of Android, or worry about using a device that’s no longer receiving security updates, then that otherwise showstopping price tag is a little less tempting.
Value score: 4 / 5
Honor MagicPad 3 review: specs
Starting price
£599
Operating system
Android (MagicOS 9.0.1)
Chipset
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
Memory (RAM)
16GB
Storage
512GB
Display
13.3 inch 3200 x 2136 (3K) LCD
Cameras
13MP, 2MP rear / 9MP front
Battery
12,450mAh
Connectivity
USB-C 3.2, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
Weight
595g
Dimensions
293.88mm x 201.38mm x 5.79mm
Honor MagicPad 3 review: Design
(Image credit: Future)
iPad Air-beating slimness
Surprisingly lightweight
The back cover might be divisive
The Honor MagicPad 3 puts the 13-inch iPad Air to shame with a design that’s both thinner and lighter. It has a 13.3-inch screen with roughly 0.7cm bezels, flanked by a metallic body where you’ll find four large speaker grilles (that’s two along each short edge), a standard volume rocker and power button, a USB Type-C 3.2 port (with support for 66W fast charging) for topping up the battery or connecting an external display, and a small magnetised area where you can affix the compatible Honor Magic Pencil 3 for charging.
The only thing that I would add is a fingerprint reader, which is unfortunately absent. Luckily the face unlocking is quick and responsive and works well even in low light conditions, so it never feels like you’re really missing out on too much.
The back is relatively plain, aside from a camera module with a flash, a 13MP main sensor and a 2MP macro lens, and a row of small electronic contacts for the keyboard case. According to the Honor website, only one colour is available in the UK: a rather basic Grey.
I tested a White model, however, which is available in some other markets, and has an almost bumpy, textured back. It’s certainly a unique feeling, like having a third-party skin applied out of the box, which makes me think that it’s some kind of vinyl sticker.
(Image credit: Future)
I'm in two minds about this. On one hand, I really appreciate the added grip that this material brings, making it far easier to hold the tablet one handed. It’s impressively resistant to fingerprints and, if it came down to it, would probably offer a fair amount of protection from scratches.
It also looks great from a distance, helping the Honor MagicPad 3 stand out in a sea of plain slabs. On the other hand, the strange feel initially made me think that the back of the tablet was constructed entirely from plastic; this somewhat dampened my excitement out of the box.
I tested the Honor MagicPad 3 with the Honor MagicPad3 Smart Touch Keyboard and was very impressed with its performance. The case attaches to the back of the tablet magnetically, with the top half folding down to create a very distinct looking stand that shows off that snazzy back design. The keys are stable with plenty of travel and are very satisfying to press. It also has a large and responsive touchpad, with pronounced mechanical clicks and minimal flex.
It’s a really excellent keyboard and a massive upgrade compared to the Bluetooth model for the Honor MagicPad 2. My only possible complaint is that it seems to only be offered in the US English layout, which took a little getting used to and seems odd given the lack of availability in that region.
Design score: 4.5 / 5
Honor MagicPad 3 review: Display
(Image credit: Future)
Not an OLED, unlike the MagicPad 2
Still bright and vibrant however
Impressive 165Hz refresh rate
The Honor MagicPad 3 has an impressive 3.2K (3200 x 2136) IPS LCD screen. With up to 1,000 nits of brightness it's perfect for indoor use and can hold its own outside on a sunny day.
A variety of media looks absolutely gorgeous on it with cheerful and vibrant colors and plenty of fine detail. At 13.3 inches, the tablet might as well be a portable TV and I love using it to catch up on everything from Amazon Prime Video shows to Netflix movies and YouTube videos.
Honor offers two interesting display features too: Super Dynamic Display and Vivid Display. Super Dynamic Display uses AI to ‘enhance HD video brightness and contrast’ while Vivid Display aims to ‘enhance video clarity and colors’ with the same technology. With both of these features enabled, videos look a tad brighter and slightly clearer but lose a little color accuracy.
The tablet’s display is IMAX Enhanced certified too, which is good news if you want to consume compatible content on services like Disney+ or Rakuten TV. Outside of video watching, the 165Hz refresh rate also makes browsing apps, system menus and websites feel especially smooth.
You should note that this isn't an OLED panel though. I don’t think that this is unreasonable given the tablet's cost, but it is significant when its predecessor, the Honor MagicPad 2, did have an OLED display at a similar price point, which had a significantly brighter screen that offered slightly better colors.
Design score: 4/5
Honor MagicPad 3 review: Cameras
(Image credit: Future)
Decent front camera
Serviceable rear camera
Abysmal macro lens
The Honor MagicPad 3 isn’t going to win any prizes for its camera setup, though that's the case for almost any tablet.
The 13MP front camera is crisp and clear enough for an impromptu video meeting, but not something that you're going to want to be taking your Instagram selfies with.
As for the rear, you're getting a 13MP main shooter that suffers from aggressive post processing that smudges over most of the finer details in almost any shot. It's fine for scanning documents or taking a quick snap of something right in front of you, but gets dicey if you're photographing from a distance or with the 2x digital zoom.
There's also a 2MP macro lens that takes images so blurry that it might as well not be there at all.
Camera score: 2.5/5
Honor MagicPad 3 review: software
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MagicOS might not be your cup of tea...
But it’s easy to use, with lots of features
The desktop mode needs work
The Honor MagicPad 3 runs the brand's MagicOS 9.0.1 operating system; a version of Android 15. It has minimal bloat, at least compared to alternatives like Xiaomi HyperOS, and offers a surprising number of genuinely useful features.
As a former iPhone 15 Plus user that now daily drives the Porsche Design Honor Magic 7 RAR, I think its interface is incredibly intuitive. Its overall design is obviously more than a little ‘inspired’ by Apple, which could upset the Android purists out there, but it's smooth, easy to use, and extremely responsive.
I might be a little biased here, as it's my current favorite mobile operating system, but I find that it delivers the perfect balance between the slick aesthetics of iOS and the freedom and customization of Android. There are loads of options to tweak, from app icon shapes and sizes to home screen and charging animations.
A handful of quirky extras give the operating system plenty of its own personality. One of my favorites is the ability to create a humanoid ‘3D Avatar’ for your live wallpaper. When you unlock the device, you're greeted with a short moving scene of the character going for a stroll through a park, chilling in a cafe, petting a fluffy cat, or a plethora of other possible situations.
Videos of new scenarios are automatically generated when the device is charging and, while undeniably a little unsettling at first, I've grown to love seeing what my little homunculus is up to every time I turn the tablet on.
(Image credit: Future)
Of course, being 2025 the software of the Honor MagicPad 3 also has a suite of AI features including AI-powered widgets that do a surprisingly good job of recommending installed apps based on your usage habits, real-time AI subtitle generation, AI writing tools that help you polish or rephrase your text, and automatic on-device AI deepfake detection for video calls.
This is on top of the Magic Portal - effectively the brand’s take on Google's Circle to Search feature. As with most Android devices, Gemini assistant is also built in and can be summoned by holding the power button for a few seconds.
The only part of the software that I think needs work is the tablet’s desktop mode equivalent: Floating Window mode. It causes each to run in a little window on your screen that you can drag around like a PC desktop environment, but it’s unfortunately quite unresponsive at times.
Filling the screen with two side-by-side apps is awkward and as far as I can tell there’s no way to have a taskbar on screen at all times. It’s not completely unusable, as I still manage to get work done with some fiddling, but is nowhere near as slick or easy to use as the offerings from market leaders in this field like Samsung and Lenovo.
Software score: 4 / 5
Honor MagicPad 3 review: performance
(Image credit: Future)
Robust performance thanks to powerful specs
Zero noticeable slowdown in general use
More than enough for gaming
Powered by the 2023 flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, the Honor MagicPad 3 might not have the very latest chip but it’s certainly plenty powerful.
In general use, be that visiting your favorite websites or watching shows, you’re not going to notice any slowdown at all. Even when switching between multiple apps, the 16GB of RAM keeps everything cached and ready to go.
It supports Wi-Fi 7 for speedy downloads if you have a compatible router, plus Bluetooth 5.4. The 512GB of storage space is generous, especially at this price, so you’ll likely have room for all your favorite apps and plenty of spare space for downloaded videos. I keep multiple full series downloaded on the tablet at a time and haven’t come close to filling it up.
With specs like these, the Honor MagicPad 3 is also a surprisingly capable gaming device. Call of Duty Mobileruns flawlessly on the highest settings. More demanding games like Zenless Zone Zero impress too, with a rock solid 60 frames per second on high settings. With everything cranked up to the max, I found the very top middle portion of the tablet tends to get a little hot to the touch, but it thankfully never overheated or slowed down to a noticeable degree in my testing.
That said, if you intend to use the Honor MagicPad 3 for gaming I would highly recommend investing in a compatible Bluetooth controller as the large size of the tablet makes it very awkward to hold in your hands when you’re using touch controls.
Performance score: 4.5 / 5
Honor MagicPad 3 review: battery
(Image credit: Future)
12,450mAh silicon-carbon battery
Incredible battery life, beating all competition
Features the Honor E2 power management chip
Truthfully, it’s difficult to fully test the Honor MagicPad 3’s battery life because it almost never runs out of charge. With a gigantic 12,450mAh silicon-carbon battery this thing is practically everlasting, easily powering through a whole week of on and off use without dipping below the 60% mark. We’re talking well above 20 hours of screen on time, absolutely decimating the battery performance of any other tablet that I have ever used.
It offers comfortably double the battery life of the latest iPad Air and is a dream for taking on long trips or flights. You can even use the tablet as an impromptu power bank in a pinch and still have more than enough left over for the rest of your day’s use. It’s incredible frankly, so serious props to Honor here.
In addition to its large size, the battery features Honor’s proprietary E2 power management chip. There’s also an AI power management system built into the OS. How much of a difference does all this tech actually make? It’s hard to say, but the results are impossible to argue with.
Battery score: 5 / 5
Should you buy the Honor MagicPad 3?
Honor MagicPad 3 report card
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Value
The Honor MagicPad 3 is incredible value - if you can overlook the patchy update plan.
4/5
Design
Thin, lightweight, and visually attractive. The unusual rear design might prove divisive though, and it lacks a fingerprint reader.
4.5/5
Display
A bright and colorful display that’s perfect for watching movies or TV. It’s 165Hz, though the fact it’s not OLED is a downgrade compared to the previous MagicPad.
4/5
Cameras
Your average tablet camera setup. It gets the job done, but you should just use your phone instead.
2.5/5
Software
MagicOS isn’t for everyone, but it’s easy to use and brimming with quirky charm.
4/5
Performance
Great performance across the board. This tablet is more than powerful enough for general use, and excels at gaming too.
4.5
Battery
Some of the best battery performance of any tablet, period.
5/5
Buy it if…
You want a tablet with serious battery life The battery life of the Honor MagicPad 3 is incredible. It offers more than enough juice for well over a week of use and means the tablet can even come in handy as a power bank for your phone in a pinch.
You crave good value With the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage, you’ll struggle to find a better value tablet at this price point. It becomes an even better deal when you factor in the frequent discounts and free goodies too.
You want a tablet that really stands out The super thin and stylish design of the Honor MagicPad 3 really stands out in a sea of grey slabs. Pick one up if you love the unique look.
Don’t buy it if…
You’re worried about long-term support Unfortunately, Honor has only confirmed one planned Android upgrade and two years of security patches which is a huge disappointment. Unless this changes, you should avoid this tablet if you’re concerned by the lack of support.
Also consider
Not keen on what the Honor MagicPad 3 brings to the table? Here are two compelling alternatives to consider:
Honor Magic Pad 3
Lenovo Idea Tab Pro
iPad Air 13-inch
Price
£599
$349.99 / £379.99
$799 / £799 / AU$1,299
Weight
595g
1.36lbs / 620g
617g
Size
293.88mm x 201.38mm x 5.79mm
189.1mm x 291.8mm x 6.9mm / 7.44″ x 11.49″ x 0.27”
280.6mm x 214.9mm x 6.1mm
Screen size
13.3 inches
12 inches
13 inches
Processor
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
Mediatek Dimensity 8300
M2
Speakers
8 stereo speakers
Quad JBL-tuned speakers
Stereo speakers
Connectivity
USB-C 3.2, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
USB-C, MicroSD card, WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, GPS
USB-C
Battery
12,450mAh
10,200mAh
9,705 mAh
Lenovo Idea Tab Pro The Lenovo Idea Tab Pro is less powerful than the Honor Magic Pad 3 and a bit heavier, but it’s also compatible with a great keyboard and offers a better desktop mode so it’s a good alternative if you’re after a pure productivity device.
iPad Air 13-inch The iPad Air 13-inch is slightly thicker and heavier than the Honor MagicPad 3, but offers significantly better long-term software support. It has worse battery life and is massively more expensive though, especially for that 512GB version.
I tested the Honor MagicPad 3 over the course of multiple weeks in the build up to its announcement and release. It’s become my go-to tablet and has accompanied me on a number of trips.
It’s also seen plenty of use at home, where I’ve been using it for a mix of media consumption and gaming. I tested the tablet in its standard 16GB + 512GB configuration, though in a White colorway that is not currently available.
I used it alongside the compatible Honor MagicPad3 Smart Touch Keyboard which was supplied alongside the tablet. The tablet even replaced my usual work laptop on a handful of occasions, where I evaluated the keyboard’s performance and its overall potential as a productivity device.
The DJI Osmo Nano is the latest in the brand's line of action cameras. Rather than building on a predecessor it's a whole new concept in its own right, although it shares the same-sized 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor as the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro, which landed at the end of 2024.
The range of best action cameras is more diverse today than it was even just a few years ago. The one-block shops of design like the GoPro Hero 13 Black are still popular, for sensible reasons like ruggedness and extended battery times, but modular designs like the Osmo Nano and the new Insta360 Go Ultra are becoming more common.
Why? We don't just want to hold our action cams or use a fiddly mount to attach them to our bike handlebars anymore. The content creation universe is continuing to grow, and so is the number and variety of places where we need our cameras to go.
In a nutshell, the Osmo Nano is a light, wearable action camera. You can wear it around your neck, on your head, on a hat or helmet, plonk it on your car, bike, or even attach it to your dog. It's remarkably small, and at 52g it's a gram lighter than its main competitor, the Insta360 Go Ultra, released a month before it.
The product is modular in design and built as a two-piece system, with a tiny, standalone camera unit that pairs with the Multifunctional Vision Dock underneath. The dock acts as a remote, screen, and charging station, with a small but bright 1.9-inch display to help you compose shots and adjust settings.
(Image credit: Lauren Scott)
These two parts join together via two clips and a strong magnetic system, and it's this magnet that also allows the camera to snap onto DJI's various accessories, for a wide range of hands-free, wearable mounting options.
Although the camera is a fully IPX8-rated unit that's waterproof down to 10m, the dock is only IPX4-rated for splash resistance, which limits its use in heavy rain or near a body of water – a totally rugged design this is not.
Inside the camera is a 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor, which captures a dynamic range of up to 13.5 stops according to DJI. I haven't done any calculations with my test images on this, but I did find great levels of detail and color in bright sky highlights as well as darker, shadowy areas like tunnels. I was genuinely impressed by the level of detail and tone the camera could capture, particularly for a sensor this small (in full-frame terms).
For me, DJI has always been a brand for what I'd call 'serious' creators, and that's something I'm pleased to see the brand has leaned into with the Osmo Nano. There aren't any 'fun' filters or gimmicks in the menus. Instead, the settings are pared back to sensible and helpful options; voice controls and gestures to start recording all work very well to make hands-free shooting that much easier.
A big draw for professionals is the color performance. I was surprised to discover that the Osmo Nano can record in 10-bit color with D-Log M and HLG profiles – a pro-level feature that gives you more leeway for color grading in post-production, if you want to edit manually rather than relying on the automatic outputs from the DJI Mimo app. In 10-bit, I found videos were punchy but still well-balanced.
(Image credit: Lauren Scott)
Performance-wise, the Osmo Nano delivers exceptionally well in some areas but underwhelms in others. The promise of rapid file transfer holds up, with the 128GB version clocking transfer speeds of up to 600MB/s over a USB 3.1 connection. This is a huge time-saver.
Battery life, however, is a clear limitation. While DJI claims up to 90 minutes from the camera and 200 minutes with the dock, I found that shooting at 4K/60fps got me closer to just 60 minutes of continuous recording. On the upside, the dock's ability to fast-charge the camera to 80% in about 20 minutes means you can be back to shooting in no time.
The RockSteady 3.0 and HorizonBalancing stabilization features work well for walking or light activity, and even when I tried recording star jumps and high-intensity workouts, the footage was stable in sports mode. Audio quality is good all-round too, and two built-in microphones capture immersive stereo sound, with decent but not brilliant wind reduction. Another plus for more advanced creators is the ability to pair the Nano with two mics separately, and you won't need receivers if they're from DJI.
While the image quality is good for a camera this small, it’s still bound by the limitations of its form factor. The fixed 143-degree ultra-wide field of view is great for first-person shots, but obviously lacks the versatility of a more zoomed-in lens. And while DJI's SuperNight mode for low-light shooting is better than ever, it's limited to 30fps and 8-bit color.
(Image credit: Lauren Scott)
The Osmo Nano is pricing is really aggressive, coming in much cheaper than the Insta360 Go Ultra and the GoPro Hero 13 Black – and that's with built-in storage too, meaning you can start shooting straight out of the box.
It's not necessarily the most charming camera I've tested, but it's thoroughly dependable and sensible, and for that reason I found it growing on me, while the low price sweetens the deal. The DJI Mimo app is less intuitive than Insta360's, and AI edits are a little less exciting, but it's smart and stable, and puts a clear live feed with access to settings at your fingertips on your smartphone.
DJI isn't marketing the Osmo Nano for family users, and it lacks some of the fun features of the Insta360 lineup, plus Toddler Titan mode for capturing kids. While charging is fairly speedy it doesn't charge as quickly as its main competitor, the Insta360 Go Ultra, either, but the camera does last longer.
If you need a fully rugged and all-in-one device for more extreme sports or environments, the GoPro Hero 13 Black or the DJI Action 5 Pro might be a better choice. But this is a well-thought-out, truly wearable action camera for creators who want to experiment with unique perspectives, and need a B-camera for places their main camera can't go, for a B-cam price.
(Image credit: Lauren Scott)
DJI Osmo Nano: specs
DJI Osmo Nano specs
Sensor
1/1.3-inch CMOS
Max Resolution
35MP (6880 x 5160) photos 4K, 60fps footage
Weight
Camera: 2.54oz / 53g Vision dock: 3.8oz / 72g
Dimensions
Camera: 57 x 29 x 28mm Vision Dock: 59 x 42 x 22mm
ISO Range
100–25600
Lens
FOV: 143 degrees Aperture: f/2.8 Focus: 0.35m to ∞
Operating Time
Camera: 90 mins* Camera + Multifunctional Vision Dock: 200 mins*
Connectivity
Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB-C 3.1
Storage
64GB/128GB built-in microSD card, up to 1TB
Waterproofing
Camera: 33ft (10m) Vision Dock: IPX4-Rated
DJI Osmo Nano: Price and availability
Launched worldwide on September 23 2025, except US
Osmo Nano Standard Combo (64GB) costs £239 / AU$529
Osmo Nano Standard Combo (128GB) costs £259 / AU$589
The DJI Osmo Nano was announced on August 23, 2025, and is now shipping from DJI’s online store and authorized retailers, including Amazon. It won't be available officially in the United States at launch. A DJI Spokesperson told TechRadar that "DJI remains dedicated to the US market and is optimizing our strategy to best serve our customers amidst evolving local conditions."
There are two standard combos to choose between, broken down by the internal storage capacity: the Osmo Nano Standard Combo at 64GB (£239 / AU$529) or 128GB (£259 / AU$589).
Each combo comes with the same content, including the Osmo Nano Camera, Multifunctional Vision Dock, Magnetic Hat Clip, Magnetic Lanyard, a protective case, USB-C cable (USB 3.1), and a Dual-Direction Magnetic Ball-Joint Adapter Mount. The protective case is more just a plastic sheath rather than substantial padded protection.
That price puts it way below the Insta360 Go Ultra Standard Combo ($449.99 / £369 / AU$759), which is more impressive given that you get built-in storage too. It's also less than the GoPro Hero 13 Black (now available for around $359.99 / £315).
Price score 5/5
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DJI Osmo Nano: Design
Standalone camera is waterproof, dock is splashproof
Magnetic base connects easily to mounts
The camera weighs 1.83oz / 52g
The DJI Osmo Nano camera is oblong-shaped, about half as wide as it is long. It sits comfortably between your thumb and forefinger in either portrait or landscape mode, but I didn't find it as pocketable as the Insta360 Go Ultra because of its extra depth.
Without the dock, the Osmo is a light, wearable action camera at just 52g. Adding the dock, by way of two secure mounting clips and a magnetic, adds another 72g and turns the camera into a more complete action companion. It's small, but I found the combo top-heavy on uneven surfaces, making low-level shots without a mount more difficult.
There's just one built-in OLED HD touchscreen on the dock, rather than a screen at the front and back, or a flippable design like the Insta360 Go Ultra. This means you have to detach and remount the camera every time you want to go from shooting your environment to talking to the camera (if you want to see yourself, that is). Unlike the Go Ultra, which simply plops back into place with strong magnets, flipping the Osmo Nano around is a bit fiddly.
The design is gray and plastic, which is familiar territory for both DJI and action cams in general. The body is subtly textured though, meaning it's easy to grab onto with cold, wet or sweaty hands. Ruggedness is key for an action camera, but only the wearable part of the Osmo Nano is waterproof. The camera is IPX8-rated for submersion up to 10 metres underwater.
The dock is only splash, rain and likely sweat resistant, and I wouldn't fancy its chances in a heavy rain shower. This is a shame, because it limits potential usage and introduces a little caution to creativity when shooting. It's also a far cry from DJI's Action 5 Pro, which is verified down to 20m / 65ft.
(Image credit: Lauren Scott)
While the dock isn't waterproof, you can use the whole product in temperatures of -20C to 45C (-4F to 113F), so you're good for everything from winter sports to desert treks. A lens cover screws over the main lens, so if you damage or scratch it a replacement costs a fraction of buying a whole new unit.
The Osmo Nano has just two physical controls: there's a big red record button on the top of the camera and another on one side of the dock. These also act as power switches, and they require some force to push down so that you're not likely to press them accidentally. That's it, other than a small flap that opens up on the other side of the dock to reveal the USB 3.1 port for charging and transferring files, plus the microSD slot, which takes up to a 1TB card.
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I didn't find the DJI Osmo Nano as enjoyable or easy to navigate as other action cameras I've tested. You swipe up to access video settings, down for the main menu, and left to change the shooting mode. To toggle Pro Mode on or off, you tap the slider icon on the right side of the screen.
It's not rocket science, but at 1.96 inches the small screen means you need to be extra precise with your touch gestures to bring up menus and dial in settings. My partner – who has bigger hands and fingers than I – sometimes had to tap the screen a few times to activate settings.
The menus are mainly black and white with yellow accents, and I found this less eye-catching than the GoPro or Insta360 ecosystems, although that may be more a matter of personal preference. Some settings are also overlaid on the live picture and can be difficult to read. The camera doesn't have the same detailed tutorials and guides that you get when you start using the Insta360 Go Ultra, although I'm sure DJI fans will have no trouble finding their way around.
Design score: 4/5
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DJI Osmo Nano: Performance and features
Quick-edit videos on the DJI Osmo Mimo app
Standalone camera charges 80% in about 20 mins
In-built storage and takes microSD cards up to 2TB
The performance of the Osmo Nano is hard to pin down. In some areas I felt it delivered exceptionally well, but in others it was a bit underwhelming. The rapid file transfer ended up being surprisingly helpful, and in my tests with the 128GB version DJI's claim of up to 600 MB/s transfer speed over USB 3.1 holds up, and I found it a huge time-saver compared to sending lots of files wirelessly.
The camera's battery life is a limitation, though, particularly when shooting at higher resolutions like 4K/60fps. I got closer to 60 minutes of continuous recording here – rather than the 90 minutes that DJI claims at 1080p/24fps – which isn't bad for its size, but lags behind the multi-hour endurance of larger cameras like the Osmo Action 5 Pro. The dock can top up the battery on the go, and I was also impressed by its ability to charge to 80% in just 20 minutes, especially if you're as bad as I am at remembering to charge your gear before a shoot.
You then get up to 200 minutes of 1080p/24fps video from the dock, but in reality, I found this closer to two hours once the screen and Wi-Fi are on and you've powered the camera up and down a few times.
If you tend to record short clips throughout a longer day, it's nothing to worry about. If you're the type of shooter to record continuously, you may lament the fact that there aren't replaceable batteries to swap out when you run out of juice. I left the camera running for my battery tests during a particularly warm day, and although it felt hot to the touch during, it never overheated to the point of turning off.
(Image credit: Lauren Scott)
The Osmo Nano is equipped with DJI's RockSteady 3.0 stabilization and HorizonBalancing. It handles a fair amount of shake, but it's not on the same level as a dedicated gimbal like the Osmo Pocket series. In footage of fast-paced, high-impact activities like running on trails you'll still see some micro-jitters, but for walking shots it's pretty impressive.
Using different mounts will dictate how stable your results are. Using the pendant seemed to cause me more wobbles than handholding the camera, for example, but the head mount gave me super-smooth footage when running. It's worth noting that there are different levels of stabilization, with daily, sport, or anti-motion blur options. You can also turn off image stabilization to save battery, or if you're using a secondary DJI product to keep things stable.
The DJI Osmo Nano performs really well in remote shooting scenarios without a phone. The voice commands, like 'start recording', work almost instantaneously in a quiet environment, but require you to shout when it's loud (not a great look in a city center). I found that gestures worked well too, and I liked being able to pat the camera when it was powered off to start recording, or nod my head when it was mounted on my head. Much more subtle.
(Image credit: Lauren Scott)
The Osmo Nano has two built-in microphones for stereo sound, and I found the audio straight out of the camera surprisingly immersive. It picks up sound from a variety of directions when you're shooting in a public place, but still hones in on your voice when you're speaking to the camera clearly.
Like all action cameras, the audio quality sounds muffled underwater, but the clarity returns more quickly than others I've tested when you pull the camera back out into fresh air. There are lower and stronger wind reduction modes, and both did a decent job of reducing disturbance when I captured some clips on a blustery countryside walk, without removing the noise entirely (see the clips below). My voice was clear and free from distortion, but it's not the perfect solution for clean audio; for that, you'll need a separate mic.
A major draw is the ability to connect the Osmo Nano directly to DJI's wireless microphones without needing a separate receiver. I haven't been able to try this yet, but I can see it being convenient for creators who want to capture high-quality audio, especially those already with DJI mics.
Performance score: 4/5
DJI Osmo Nano: Image quality
1/1.3-inch sensor
Video up to 4K/120fps and 35MP photos
10-bit D-Log M and HLG color profile options
The Osmo Nano has a 1/1.3-inch sensor, the same size as you'll find in the Osmo Action 5 Pro and just a fraction smaller than the one in the Insta360 Go Ultra. Video headlines include 4K at 60fps in 16:9 format, and 4K 120fps slow-mo footage, which expands to 1080p 240fps.
The specs are one thing, but the proof is in the pudding; or in this case, in the videos and shots you get from the camera. Overall, I think the image quality is good for an action camera of this size. As ever, it won’t completely replace a full-sized or full-frame camera, but that's not the expectation here. The fixed 143-degree ultra-wide field of view is perfect for first-person POV shots, and I could fit a whole wedding group in the frame (I don't have permission to include the sample shot in the review, sadly), but it's not easy to zoom in on the scene should you want to get closer in.
I tested the Osmo Nano in all weather and lighting scenarios. DJI touts the wide dynamic range of the Osmo Nano, but in direct sunshine I noticed some banding where the highlights had been clipped. You can see this in the video above, which was a test of the one-tap editing feature in the DJI Mimo app.
4K resolution is sharp and punchy, and even in 8-bit color mode the camera seems to capture vibrant blue skies and leafy greens, and handles quick changes in light (coming out of a dark tunnel, from indoors to outdoors) well; however, while I like a bit of lens flare, this is one area that could be handled better. It tended to keep my face exposed when I was talking to the camera, but this wasn't set up anywhere in the camera. If I were to generalize, I'd say footage comes out darker than Insta360's Go Ultra, possibly for greater leeway when editing, where the Insta option is designed for near-automatic use.
DJI's SuperNight mode does a decent job of reducing noise in low light, but it only works at up to 30fps and with 8-bit color, which might limit its utility for serious cinematographers. It’s the best night image quality in a wearable camera I’ve seen, but it’s still bound by the laws of physics – a smaller lens and sensor will always have certain limitations compared to a larger, more dedicated camera. There's some AI-smoothing being applied to reduce noise in low-light footage, but this is less obvious to the untrained eye, and less muddy than some night modes I've seen on earlier action cameras.
DJI's automatic horizon leveling (which can be calibrated) is pretty flawless, and the RockSteady image stabilization is most impressive in sports mode. To really test it out, I wore the camera on DJI's headband mount and recorded the first five minutes of a high-intensity workout. Throughout a gruelling round of burpies, star jumps and squats, the footage was stable and smooth (almost unnaturally so). Trail runs, dog walks, and cycle clips were all just as usable, but the handheld results are slightly more jittery than using a dedicated mount.
Photos from the camera have a medium-range megapixel count (the maximum resolution is 35MP and you can shoot in a 16:9 or 4:3 ratio), and as to their quality, I said the same thing about Insta360 Go Ultra's photo results: they're good enough to insert into videos, but I probably wouldn't use them for standalone social posts or prints as a creator. Consider them as an additive rather than a standalone feature, and you won't be disappointed.
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(Image credit: Lauren Scott)
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(Image credit: Lauren Scott)
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(Image credit: Lauren Scott)
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(Image credit: Lauren Scott)
Impressively, the Osmo Nano gives you the option of recording footage with a flat color profile (DJI's D-Log M setting), designed to preserve the maximum color and brightness info in the video file, especially in lights and darks.
While the footage out of the camera is desaturated in this mode, I found you had far more wiggle room to adjust the colors, contrast, and saturation to achieve a specific, cinematic look without losing any of the detail captured in the original scene. This is also going to benefit creators shooting a project with the Osmo Nano alongside other cameras who want their edited work to look consistent.
Image quality score: 4/5
DJI Osmo Nano: testing scorecard
DJI Osmo Nano
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Price
Much cheaper than the Insta360 Go Ultra, and that includes helpful built-in storage.
5/5
Design
Unexciting but functional, and it's a shame the dock is only splash-proof. The lens replacement adds ruggedness.
4/5
Performance & features
Fewer filters and modes than the Insta360 Go Ultra, but you get the option of manual controls. The DJI Osmo app makes quick, clever edits.
4/5
Image quality
In daylight, colors are vivid and dynamic range is good. Stabilization is excellent, and low light footage is fine. Slow-mo could be crisper.
4/5
Should I buy the DJI Osmo Nano?
Buy it if...
You want a camera that 'disappears' The Osmo Nano is small enough to be worn on a pendant, hat, or headband, thanks to its small size and weight. The magnetic mount allows for quirky mounting solutions like lamp posts, cars, and even washing machines.
You already own DJI products To boost the sound quality, you can connect the Nano directly to two DJI microphone transmitters without needing a receiver. If you've already got a DJI mic, gimbal or camera, sticking with the brand also means greater familiarity with the app.
Don't buy it if...
You like a roomy LCD screen At less than two inches, I found the Osmo Nano's LCD touchscreen a little small for composing shots and reviewing footage. You can use your phone for a larger live view, but this isn't always convenient.
You want a fully waterproof solution The Nano's Vision Dock is only splashproof, and this made me uncomfortable while shooting in the rain or near water. If you're a real action lover, I'd recommend a camera with a more rugged build.
Also consider
Insta360 Go Ultra
The Insta360 Go Ultra has a similar form factor, with a separate camera and action pod. The flip-up screen is more vlog-friendly and bigger at 2.5 inches, while the camera weighs the same as the Osmo Nano but is more square and shallow (which I found easier to mount). Pricing and image quality are similar, but it's a slightly more fun action camera that's great for the whole family.
The GoPro Hero 13 Black is still the flagship of action cams and one I'd recommend for serious filmmakers. It's chunkier than the Osmo, but it also has magnetic mounting. GoPro also has the widest range of mount accessories to open up creative shooting opportunities, and it's possible to squeeze 1.5 hours of 5.3K video from the battery, for recording with fewer interruptions.
I wore it on walks and runs, and mounted it for drives
I recorded videos at all settings and in all modes
DJI sent me a full-production Osmo Nano for review around two weeks before its release date, and I used it at least once a day – often much more – during this period. I always like a camera to become a natural part of my workflow, rather than carrying out one intense period of testing, so that I uncover the nuances for a more informed and helpful review.
I tried all the camera's modes, used it with and without the dock, and mounted it on the magnetic pendant and headband. I mainly used the DJI Mimo app to edit footage right from my iPhone 15 Pro.
