Ultenic T10 robot vacuum review: A slick and stylish supplement to your regular vac

Few of us relish getting out the vacuum cleaner, which is probably why there's been a huge increase in the range of robotic options on the market. As you’ll see from our best robot vacuum cleaner’s guide, this means there’s plenty to choose from. The list is growing too, and now the Ultenic T10 robot vacuum cleaner joins the dust-munching party.

Robot vacuum cleaners are great in that they'll do some of the housework for you, but they’re not really a replacement for a standard vacuum model or upright stick vacuum option. In fact, we tend to think of them as a supplement, because used in the right location at the right time a robot vacuum can be ideal.

However, if you don't set them up correctly they can go astray and even vacuum up the wrong things, including doggy doo! Thankfully, they tend to come with an app that allows you to tell the thing exactly what it should, and shouldn’t be cleaning up.

If you’re thinking of buying one then models invariably come with the vacuum itself, along with a docking unit, all of which is controlled by the aforementioned app. You’ll need to have a space for the unit to sit when it’s not in use though, or you could just pick it all up and pack it away until it’s needed again.

So, there is a degree of faff initially with a robot vacuum to ensure you've set it up correctly, but purchasing one does also lessen the need for pushing a regular cleaner around your home. Used correctly they can be a real boon. And with that in mind, let's take the covers off the Ultenic T10.

Ultenic T10: Price and availability 

The Ultenic T10 is available from online outlets such as Amazon for $599 in the US or for around £445 from Amazon in the UK. You’ll know when you see one as it comes in a dazzling white finish, as opposed to other products in the Ultenic robot vacuum range, like the cheap and cheerful D5, that comes out of the box with a glossy black finish. In fact, black seems to be the default colour scheme for robot vacs.

Ultenic T10: What is it?

The Ultenic T10 is a robot vacuum cleaner that features several key features including app control, voice control, carpet detection and laser-based navigation. On top of that, this robotic vac can empty itself so you don't have to do that either, which is thanks to a larger bin that’s built into the docking station.

On top of that the Ultenic T10 also comes with dual-action functionality in that it not only can it vacuum dust and dirt, but it can mop floors too. There’s a supporting app that lets you set up the Ultenic T10 so that it only cleans where it’s told to, although you’ll need to spend a little time getting this configured to ensure the machine doesn't stray into unwanted territory.

The Ultenic T10 employs 360-degree laser scanning in order to find its way around those predesignated routes in your home. Meanwhile, it comes with a 2-in-1 dustbin and water tank, that allows it to get on with the dual-action cleaning as you look on in awe. Possibly. The docking station also acts as the main refuse collection point, and also recharges the machine when it’s done its thing.

Ultenic T10: What’s in the box?

The Ultenic T10 robot vacuum arrives with everything inside the box needed to get the job done. There’s the vacuum unit, which measures 35 x 35 x 9.8 cm and weighs in at 7.5 kilograms. It’s supplemented with a docking or ‘dust-collect’ station, which is the upright bit that recharges the vacuum when it’s not working and also contains a decent-sized paper bin bag.

Dust and dirt is sucked out of the vacuum and into this when it returns too, so there are a couple of extra bags in the box for good measure. You also get an extra HEPA filter, sponge and side brush, additional mop on top of the on-board mop and a replacement mop hold board. Plus, there’s a cleaning tool. 

The Ultenic T10 also comes with the added benefit of a remote control, which is handy if it’s going to be used by anyone who can’t or won't use the app. A power adapter rounds out the package.

Ultenic T10: Design & build

The design and build of the Ultenic T10 follows the common theme for robot vacuums, with a docking station that also acts as a receptacle for collected dust and detritus, and the cleaning unit itself. The circular vacuum part of the design equation looks the part and delivers a fresh feel thanks to the shiny white plastic construction. The same goes for the docking station, although it’s quite chunky, so you’ll need some space to accommodate it.

The Ultenic T10 also features an auto-emptying feature, which means that after it’s done the rounds of your room or rooms the vacuum returns to the base and is auto-emptied. There’s a 4.3 litre dust bag integrated into the design of the docking station, which Ultenic reckons needs changing every 60 days. However, that largely depends on how much cleaning you do and the general state of your home, we think.

Ultenic has also integrated a water tank into the vacuum, so that the unit can carry out minor cleaning activities using its mop functionality. This, like most other robot vacuum cleaners, features additional attachments that work alongside the normal brushes in order to clean hard surfaces, such as wood or laminate floors and tiles.

Ultenic T10: Performance

A common issue with robot vacuums is their apparent lack of oomph, but the Ultenic T10 is respectable enough. It’s got 50W, which delivers 3000Pa of suction power. The fully-charged 5200mAh lithium-ion battery is supposed to deliver up to 280 minutes of cleaning if you’re doing a full-on spring clean, which amounts to coverage of 2690 square feet according to the manufacturers.

We found the initial setup pretty straightforward and there’s not much physical effort involved in getting the Ultenic T10 ready for its first dust and dirt foray. The unit does come supplied with a remote control, which is useful especially if you’re not keen on using apps. It’ll also work with Alexa or Google Assistant using voice commands. However, it's the app that is really the driving force behind the Ultenic T10, which needs to be configured correctly during the setup procedure to ensure problem-free performance.

Ultenic’s app works much like other models in that you set the cleaner off on a first run, whereby the top-mounted 360-degree laser scanner maps the room. It’ll log where there are obstacles and gradually build up a picture, or map, of the room layout. The trick is getting good at managing how this data is configured in the app because successive vacuum and mop operations will be based around this data. The app shows a picture of the room layout, and if you’ve done multiple rooms such as an entire downstairs, these can subsequently be divided into chunks. It’s a little bit tedious, but worth persevering with.

Once you’ve completed all that the Ultenic T10 does a pretty effective job of reasonably lightweight cleaning, on both the vacuuming and mopping fronts. Robot vacuums aren’t cleaning heavyweights though, and so while it’s very adept at picking up crumbs, fluff, pet hair, human hair and god knows what else from your hard floors and carpets it’s not good enough to let you throw away your standard vacuum. Mopping is pretty impressive, but this too is more for light wipe overs than tackling ingrained muck.

The vacuum is reasonably quiet in use, sticks to its predefined cleaning maps just as long as you’ve taken the time to set them up accurately, and can generally be left to get on with the job. Having that extra bin in the docking station is a real bonus as many similar robot vacuums with on-board trash containers end up being full in no time at all.

So, is the Ultenic T10 any good?

Overall, the Ultenic T10 does a very respectable job of tackling lightweight cleaning chores. It can even navigate carpets successfully, which is more than can be said of rivals we’ve tested. However, this model like so many others is best used on hard floors, such as laminate, wood and tiled surfaces, with as few obstacles in its way as possible. While that does narrow down its appeal somewhat, if you’ve got a home that ticks those boxes it’ll certainly do the trick.

We’re also pretty pleased with the featherlight mopping action of the Ultenic T10, although this too is a function that’s designed to supplement regular more vigorous floor cleaning activities. You might get away with using it as your primary cleaner for a while, but over time we think this robot vacuum cleaner will show its weaknesses like all the others. Nevertheless, if you’ve got a chunk of change going spare and fancy a helping hand around the home you could certainly buy worse.