Neato D10 Review: Putting the D in deep clean

Robot vacuums are one of the most popular types of smart home products. After all, what’s not to love? You get a sleek, intelligent device that does all of your vacuuming for you with next to no input required from you. The Neato D10 encompasses that ideal in a big way.

The Neato D10 is the company’s flagship model — the big brother to the Neato D9 and Neato D8. Maybe it’s better to say that the D10 combines the best aspects of the D9 and D8 into what becomes the ultimate robot vacuum.

So does it deliver on its promise of an amazing clean? Absolutely.

A shapely cleaner

Let’s cut right to the chase: The Neato D10 looks great. That might seem like an odd thing to say about a robot vacuum, but it’s true — the distinctive D shape stands out from the dozens of flying-saucer shaped robot vacuums on the market, but it’s more than just an aesthetic choice.

The shape allows the Neato D10 to clean right up against walls, bookshelves, and more. The cleaning brush goes directly up to the edge of the robot vacuum, too; it isn’t just focused in the middle of the device. This allows it to actually clean more effectively against edges, rather than relying on a spinning brush. The end result is a deeper, more thorough clean.

The functional design is a huge selling point, but I’ll be honest: I love the look of the device. It’s sleek and looks good, which is more than I can say about many robot vacuums. At best, many have a functional appearance. The Neato D10 looks like what I expect a robot vacuum to look like in 2022.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t have an auto-empty base. The Neato D10 tucks its charging points up against the base, but you’ll have to empty it out yourself. In my testing, the D10 could clean for just over an hour before it needed to be emptied. This will vary based on how clean or dirty your floor is, though.

Versatile cleaning modes

The new My Neato app simplifies and streamlines operation of the Neato D10. It displays your cleaning history (which shows what day and time you’ve cleaned, as well as in which mode), allows you to set up Routines, displays any recorded maps, and provides easy access to your robot vacuum.

There are also a couple of interesting features. The Locate feature pings your Neato D10 and makes it emit a sound, just in case you lose track of where it is. After all, no one wants to play hide and seek with their smart home devices. The other feature is multiple modes.

The Neato D10 has three modes: Eco, Turbo, and Max. Eco Mode gives you the greatest battery life (an impressive 300 minutes), but is by far the weakest of the three modes. It’s ideal for day-to-day cleaning, and can handle up to 2,700 square foot on a single charge. Turbo Mode gives you more cleaning power at the expense of battery life.

Max Mode throws caution to the wind. It’s significantly louder than the other two modes, and Neato claims it “deep cleans the dirt and debris that you can and can’t see.” After testing that out, I can’t argue with the result.

I had already cleaned the floor twice — once with Eco mode and once with Turbo Mode — and things seemed very clean. Even the carpet felt softer. Then I ran Max Mode, and I worried whether my carpet would remain attached. It really does introduce a tremendous amount of suction power, and it filled the dust bin with even more debris. Of course, Max Mode has the shortest battery life, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing given the level of clean it provides.

The Neato D10 will finish cleaning whether it runs out of power or not. How? Simple: It just goes back to its base and recharges until it’s ready to continue cleaning. The Quick Boost feature lets it get just enough charge to finish the job before returning for a longer, more complete recharge.

The Neato D10 will speak to you during operation. If it gets stuck, it will alert you and ask for help. Sometimes it might say it needs to orient itself based on its surroundings. If you want to change its voice, there are a lot of language options — a fact I appreciate, since it means non-English speakers can use this device with ease.

Zones and no-go zones

One of the coolest features of the Neato D10 is the ability to create zones. After it creates a map of your home, you can designate specific areas and give them names. After that, you can ask it to clean only those zones — perfect for quick cleans around the dining room table.

You can also set up no-go zones that the robot vacuum will avoid. If you notice it gets hung on a certain spot, like a hump in the floor, or it gets tangled in cords, just designate that area as a no-go zone and the vacuum will avoid it.

Our take

The Neato D10 doesn’t really revolutionize anything or have features different than other robot vacuums on the market, but it does everything you expect it to do really well. It’s like the classic advice in sports: Focus on the basics. The Neato D10 does that extraordinarily well, with versatile cleaning modes, an incredible battery life, and most of all, it’s iconic shape. Though it lacks some bells and whistles, you’ll get a satisfyingly thorough clean.

Is there a better alternative?

At $800, the Neato D10 is not inexpensive. It’s shape is unique among robot vacuums, but you could also spend $600 and get the iRobot Roomba i3 Plus that does come with a self-emptying base, albeit at the expense of virtual zoning.

How long will it last?

The Neato D10 is sturdily built. Every aspect of the machine has a quality feel to it, so I suspect it to last for years to come. If something does go wrong, Neato Robotics provides a one-year limited warranty.

Should you buy it?

Yes. The shape of the Neato D10 means it cleans more thoroughly than other models, and its range of features make it useful in basically any home.

Editors’ Recommendations