Ultenic T10 Vacuum review: Clean floors and clean hands for the win

It's been about six months since I reviewed the Roborock S6 Pure. Though it has continued to do a great job of helping out around my house, the idea of not manually emptying the dustbin after each cleaning cycle sounds lovely. So, when I got the opportunity to do an Ultenic T10 vacuum review, I was very excited.

While Ultenic isn't one of the names most commonly thought of when it comes to robot vacuums, it should be watched. The T10 is a system that is comprised of both an advanced robot 2-in-1 vacuum/mop combo and a self-emptying charging station. No, this isn't the only system like it on the market today, but the Ultenic T10 has many features missing from the offerings of more recognizable names usually found on the best robot vacuums lists.

I've spent the last two months with the Ultenic T10 at my rural Kansas home. Has it done the job of keeping up with all of the gravel dust, pet hair, messes of my two kids, and everything else that inevitably makes it into my home through daily life? Let's get into the nitty-gritty of how the Ultenic T10 has fared out in the country.

Ultenic T10: Price and availability

The Ultenic T10 launched on April 22, 2021, on Amazon and the Ultenic website for $599. Unfortunately, the vacuum and self-emptying charging station are only available in white. Since its launch, the Ultenic website is still selling the vacuum at the initial price of $599, whereas Amazon has seen a price drop to $539.

Ultenic T10: What's good

When unpacking the Ultenic T10 vacuum system, along with the vacuum and charging station, there are extras to almost all of the accessories. It comes with an extra side brush, washable mop, HEPA filter with a sponge filter, two extra dust bags, and a cleaning tool for brush maintenance. The only part that you don't get a spare for is the main vacuum brush, but it is a hearty brush that I don't see being a problem so long as it is cleaned periodically.

Setting up everything is pretty straightforward since the dust bag is already installed in the charging station. All it took was plugging the base station in and pressing the home button on the vacuum. The two located each other, and the vacuum lined itself up and began to back up to the station. This position not only allows the T10 to charge, but it's also where the base station's suction point is for clearing out the dust bin.

Ultenic T10 Vacuum

Base Station

While the T10 charged up, I downloaded the Ultenic app from the Play Store and connected the vacuum after setting up my account. After I had that done, I also decided to link my Ultenic account with my Google Assistant to allow some basic controls via voice commands.

During the initial run by the vacuum, while cleaning the floors, it maps out the home's layout, including determining divisions of rooms. The T10 does this using a using Lidar navigation system resulting in very accurate mapping. If you have multiple levels in your home, you can save each floor so that you can move the vacuum to each area without requiring it to relearn the layout each time it cleans. Should the Ultenic T10 designate a room division improperly, you can make adjustments in the app.

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Having your room designations just the way you want is helpful because you can have the T10 clean specific rooms if you want just to tidy up that space rather than your entire home. But, making room adjustments is only a small part of what the Ultenic app can do. You can also use the app to create virtual walls and no-go zones that prevent the vacuum from entering. There's even the ability to create custom areas that you do want the unit to clean.

When you do send the vacuum to clean, it has three suction modes — Eco, Normal, and HyperDrive. Naturally, the stronger the suction, the louder the T10 is, but I was surprised that it didn't seem too loud even in its most powerful setting. Although, if you were trying to have a conversation with it running on that setting, it would be a bit obnoxious.

You can schedule the vacuum to run automatically for a time that's convenient to you. If you want to manually start the vacuum each time your home is ready to be cleaned, that can be done either by voice, pressing the button on the vacuum, starting it from the app, or with the physical remote. The remote has basic navigation controls and the ability to adjust the suction power, change to mopping mode, and set to spot cleaning.

The vacuum uses a very efficient cleaning pattern while doing a great job getting up against walls with its rotating side brush. The Ultenic T10 does miss some debris in corners due to the round shape of the unit, but if this isn't a problem unique to this vacuum. My home is mostly tile and laminate flooring, aside from an area rug in my living room and a carpeted area in my kid's playroom, and the T10 did a great job transitioning between areas.

I only had to rescue the vacuum one time when it got caught on a cord, but it never had an obstacle it couldn't go over. Plus, thanks to the cliff detection sensors, it didn't tumble over the small step separating rooms for my kid's playroom area.

When the Ultenic T10 was done cleaning, it made its way back to the base station to charge and empty the dustbin. This is a quick process, but not quiet, so you may want to schedule cleaning when you aren't home as the noise may wake you during the night.

In the app, there are options for how frequently the vacuum will empty into the base station. For example, if your home is smaller or doesn't have much in the way of messes, you may choose only to have it dump every three times. Doing this would also be a way to cut down on the noise from the vacuum emptying at the base station.

The base station holds quite a lot of debris in the dust bag. It is a 4L bag that can hold up to 60 days of collection, and I'd say that's about right. I'm nearing the point of replacing the bag myself, and that 60-day rating is lining up pretty well even with my home full of pets and kids. There is an indicator light on top of the base station and changing the bag is easy.

Simply open the top door, pull the cardboard tab that seals up the bag, and slot in a new bag. The tab system on the bag keeps all of the dust, hair, and crumbs in the bag, so you never have to see or mess with any of the stuff your vacuum picks up.

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Another feature in the Ultenic T10 is the mopping mode. Again, not a feature unique to this cleaning system, but what is uncommon is the cleaning pattern and the water tank. The 300ml water tank is part of the dust bin, so you don't have to keep track of an extra part to put the water into. Also, the water tank is electronically controlled, so you can adjust the amount of water it uses when cleaning via the app.

After sliding the washable mop pad onto the mop base, it's ready to clip under the T10 and it's ready to mop. The app had options to have the Ultenic T10 vacuum and mop simultaneously or just mop. If it is doing both, the cleaning pattern will follow what it typically does when only vacuuming. However, if you choose Power Mop only, it will use a unique cleaning pattern.

Instead of only going in a straight line, the Ultenic T10 uses a Y-pattern to mop. This does a better job of simulating an actual mopping method that you may use if you were doing the job manually. I was pretty impressed with the cleaning job the device did when mopping. When on the high setting for water usage, there was quite a bit of moisture coming out of the tank, but it didn't run out when cleaning a large area.

Ultenic T10: What's not good

In my time using the Ultenic T10, I had very little to dislike. My only real criticism is of the app. It has many features and options within the app, and while that's great, it can also be overwhelming. Much of the app is well laid out and easy to navigate. However, with so many options available, it can take some time to go through all of it to fine-tune the Ultenic T10 for how you want it to clean. I'm not saying I want any of it taken away, but some of the options could be better explained or have a tutorial to help walk through the capabilities.

The other note I have for the app is that it would be helpful if there were a notification when the vacuum gets stuck. Like I mentioned above, I only had one instance where the T10 got caught on a cord, but I didn't know it until I walked past the base station and the vacuum wasn't there. I used the Find Robot feature to locate it and untangle it, but had I known, I could have resolved the issue sooner.

Ultenic T10: Competition

There are many options when it comes to looking at robot vacuums, but not as many with self-emptying base stations. One of those choices is the ECOVAC Auto-Empty Station that pairs up with the ECOVACS Deebot OZMO T8 AIVI. The vacuum has advanced sensors with AI for object recognition and obstacle avoidance. You can also use those cameras to see what the vacuum does while controlling it.

The vacuum has good suction power and an electronically controlled water tank for mopping. When done cleaning, the robot will go back to the base station to empty out. The base station has a capacity of 2.5L or 30-days, smaller than the Ultenic T10's. You'll also have to purchase the base station separate from the Deebot OZMO T8 AIVI, which is $750 itself, for $250.

Another choice is the Shark IQ Robot XL with a self-empty base. The vacuum has dual side brushes to help get debris away from the edges and towards the main brush. You'll have complete control over the vacuum through the SharkClean app. When done picking up the mess around the house, the base station is rated to hold up to 30 days of debris. While this Shark IQ combo costs less than the Ultenic T10, it doesn't mop, has less suction power, and the base station will need to be emptied more frequently.

Ultenic T10: Should you buy it?

You should buy this if ...

• You want a powerful vacuum that can do almost all of your floor cleaning
• You don't want to empty your vacuum cleaner yourself
• You want a base station that only needs emptying every 60 days
• You want full control over the cleaning options of your floors

You shouldn't buy this if...

• You want a cheap robot vacuum
• You get overwhelmed easily with multiple options

The Ultenic T10 does a great job of cleaning almost all floor types. Its powerful suction picks up dust and debris well when vacuuming, and the mop feature does a wonderful job thanks to the electronically controlled water tank and Y cleaning pattern. The app offers a lot of options to set your T10 and home up just the way you want. However, it doesn't come cheap, and the app can be overwhelming with all of the options.

4.5 out of 5

In my time with the Ultenic T10, I have been pleased with its ability to keep up with the cleaning regimen in my home — that's no easy task. From avoiding getting caught up on cords to sucking up all of the pet hair and messes from the family, this vacuum has proved itself a valued member of my home. Plus, its highly capable mopping feature keeps my floors shiny clean.

The Ultenic T10 isn't my first robot vacuum, but it is my first with a self-emptying base station. I can't see myself going back to manually emptying the vacuum again. While it may seem lazy, the tedious task is one that I'm more than OK letting go of, and thanks to the Ultenic T10 — I can.

Ultenic T10

Bottom line: The Ultenic T10 has a self-emptying base station that can hold up to 60 days of debris from the vacuum. When it's not doing an excellent job of mopping floors, the T10's powerful suction does a fantastic job of picking up dust and crumbs from the floor — all ready to be deposited at the base station while recharging.

• $539 at Amazon