Even though window robot cleaner has been in existence for more than a decade, I have never tried one before, until now, thanks to ECOVACS reaching out to me for this opportunity. The Winbot Mini is officially retailing in Singapore S$1,199, but the launch price is S$499 available from Lazada and Shopee.
A quick search on any shopping sites will reveal dozens of robot window cleaners that appear similar to Ecovacs Winbot but sold for a fraction of its price. The price is astonishingly low which worries me. If the cost of manufacturing a robot window cleaner is so low, then what is Ecovacs offering that is better?
Apart from the brand reliability, Ecovacs Winbot Mini offers strong assurance of user safety with a 9-stage protection system. It features fall protection measures like a 7500Pa suction power that ensures a firm hold on the window surface, automatic air pressure compensation that detects air leaks in just 0.04 seconds to maintain constant suction, a gravitational acceleration sensor that will sound alarm if it detects any slippage, an octocoupler sensor detects the edges of frameless glass in just 0.02 seconds. In case of a power outage, the backup battery keeps the robot attached to the window for over 30 minutes while sounding an alarm. A durable nylon and latex wire safety rope with a tensile strength of at least 1900N provides an extra layer of security.
I’m not sure if the cheap knock-offs can offer such assurances, but to entrust a machine to crawl on a glass surface, I would not take any chances. Else, a handheld glass-cleaning mop can do just that for just a few dollars.
The Winbot Mini is a lot smaller than I had imagined, and so compact. I think this size works better for the urban homes, as it is more nimble and can move around in between window grilles. The cable length is 3.5-metre with a separate safety rope of 3.3-metre length. The power cable is detachable and if you want to tap the wall socket at a greater distance, you could get the extension cable, or just buy a universal extension cord to bring the power closer to the windows.
The companion smartphone app connects to the Winbot Mini via Bluetooth and not Wi-Fi, so the app needs to be within the 10-metre range to communicate with the robot cleaner. The app provides a few essential functions like selecting one of the three cleaning modes, remote control, adjusting audio volume, selecting the auto spray option, and clean driving threads. There are only two consumables that you need for the Winbot: the cleaning solution and the cleaning pad, both are included in the package.
The Winbot Mini does the cleaning by moving forward and backward, unlike the floor cleaner where the robot is moving forward all the time to do the cleaning. The ultrasonic spray is located at the front and rear and will squirt the cleaning fluid based on the moving direction of the Winbot Mini. The spray area is rather small, so hopefully future versions will have more nozzles to spray a larger surface area.
When the Winbot Mini encounters obstacles like the window handle, it will just reverse in the opposite direction. The app does not support window-mapping unlike floor cleaners, but neither is there a need to map the window panels since Winbot Mini cannot move from across window panels and track the cleaning progress for the whole house.
Once the cleaning is completed, the Winbot Mini moves back to the starting position and makes a voice announcement that cleaning was completed, while the suction motor still operates at full power. This is a different experience from the floor vacuum cleaner, where the vaccum power is reduced once cleaning is completed. So for window cleaning, the home owner cannot use the vacuum sound as an audio indicator that cleaning is completed.
Needless to say, my wife was thoroughly impressed with the window cleaner. We rarely could do such a thorough clean on our apartment window because it was such a hassle to clean the outside manually, notwithstanding the human risk. The Winbot Mini absolves all our fears, and now our windows are devoid of rain marks. As long as the window is the normal flat surface, the Winbot Mini will stay secure and move along the surface with no risk of detaching. I even tested by turning off the AC power midway, and the Winbot Mini promptly chimes an alarm sound to warn the power is off while the suction power was reduced. During this time, the robot is still stuck onto the glass, but I am able to pull away from the window. This experiment gave me great assurance.
Verdict
The Ecovacs Winbot Mini feels like a solid piece of tech made of quality plastic and a leather-like handle that feels comfortable to hold. At 1.3 kg, it weighs about the same as a laptop. It launches in Feb 2025 in Singapore and you can get it from Shopee, Lazada at S$499. My wife loves it and she seems more impressed than any of the robot vacuum cleaners I reviewed because she actually sees the result of Winbot Mini – how clean our windows look now.
