ECOVACS DEEBOT X2 OMNI: In-Home Review

When there’s so many new and cool things in a product, where do you start? Is it with the strongest suction ever in a robot vacuum? Maybe it’s the unusual shape. Faster auto-emptying? Longer runtime? … there’s more! That’s the story behind the all new Ecovacs Deebot X2 OMNI. In this review I’m going to take a look at the new ECOVACS DEEBOT X2 OMNI, I’ll show you the more than TEN new or upgraded features you’ll be getting including way better suction, and improved design and new shape, I’ll test out how well it cleans (I will also test this out by adding some new challenges to my typical array of robot vacuum tests!) To wrap I’ll go over the pros and cons to see if this vacuum is something you think you should add to your home.

I have long been a fan of Ecovacs vacuums because they work extremely well, operate entirely bug free, and the company keeps innovating and making its robots smarter with every new device. That’s why I would like to thank Ecovacs for sponsoring this post, since their support is helping me keep the blog and the YouTube channel running so for that I am very grateful. Though they are paying for my time, they have not told me what I have to say and what I can’t say and I got to test the bot however I wanted to, so these thoughts are all my own.

What you get: ECOVACS DEEBOT X2 OMNI

What do you get with the ECOVACS DEEBOT X2 OMNI? This is a dual vacuum and mopping robot that can also empty its own dustbin, and wash and dry its scrubbing mopping pads with hot water and hot air.

What’s new?

There is a lot to cover here when it comes to what’s new. So I’m going to break this down into a kind of Top 10 list.

1. New (old) shape

There are a couple of notable differences in terms of the aesthetics, but when it comes to the shape, this is more than just straightening a few curves. ECOVACS DEEBOT X2 OMNI goes back to robot vacuum roots by squaring off the front of the bot, and that helps with two things; First, allows it to handle corners and edges a lot better. Second thing that squoval shape does is actually number two on our list…

2. Wider Roller Brush

ECOVACS DEEBOT X2 OMNI has a wider roller brush underneath—now 20 cm long or nearly 8-inches, which should allow it to pick up more dust and debris in a single pass. In fact, ECOVACS says it should pick up nearly 20-percent more debris at once (as compared to the X1 model). We will fact check this in the cleaning tests coming up.

3. More compact base station

X2 at left and T20 at right.

ECOVACS did a bit of a redesign on the Omni station. They have slimmed it down and shortened it slightly, particularly when compared to the X1 version or the T20 OMNI. Other changes to the base station are things you won’t notice and that brings us to item number five…

4. Streamlined design touches

The overall design of this floor bot seems to push it towards minimalist look and I think it looks fantastic; one of the key things I noticed right away is that there are no visible buttons anywhere on the device to break up the lines. You won’t see a big power button or any others for that matter; there’s just one tiny button all but hidden under the lip of the lid. There’s still substantially sized water tanks in here; a large 4 litre for freshwater and 3.5L for dirty water, from the mop cleaning process.

5. Slimmer vacuum for tight spaces

Ecovacs keeps the downsizing theme going with a shorter robot vacuum profile; the bot itself is designed to be able to get under lower furniture , standing just about 95 mm or about 3.5-inches tall, and with no more lighthouse on top like the X1, it’s far less likely to get caught on things when it’s cleaning.

6. Stronger suction

Speaking of cleaning, number seven on our list of major improvements is suction power.

The ECOVACS DEEBOT X2 OMNI now has an astounding 8,000 pascals of suction—ECOVACS calls it Hurricane Power; in some cases that’s at least double and up to three and four times as powerful as most other vacuum robots, and it’s up even from the substantial 5,000 pa on the X1.

This should mean it will do an even better job of suctioning nearly every thing from your floors. I will also test this out by adding some new challenges to my typical array of robot vacuum tests… Can it vacuum up spare change? We’ll find out…

7. Faster auto-emptying

That leads me to number SEVEN on our list… And that is quicker auto emptying. The new ECOVACS DEEBOT X2 OMNI can empty a full dustbin in about 10 seconds—I timed it!— which is about half the time of many other competitors.

8. Removable tray

The tray in the base of the cleaning station is also now removable for a more thorough cleaning every so often.

9. Longer runtime

This new DEEBOT also has substantially increased its runtime, making it even better for larger homes. With about 140 minutes when used at full power, you can get up to 210 minutes or 3.5 hours if you run it at lower power and in vacuum only mode.

10. S-shaped scrubbing & best in class mop-lifting

There’s yet another excellent feature I’m looking forward to putting into practice; it has what’s called deep scrubbing option which is where the robot will move more in an S-shaped fashion, wiggling it’s mopping pads back-and-forth across your floor to give it even better scrubbing capabilities. This makes it ideal for removing stubborn dried-on stains, which has been a challenge for many a robot vacuum and mop. The new mop also features a lifting plate which clears even the plushest carpets. With 15mm mop-lifting, that makes the X2 the best on the market for ensuring your carpets don’t get wet.

How well does it clean?

I have a standard set of robot vacuum cleaning tests that all bots go through. I run them for a week or so just to see how they handle day to day dirt. Then I create an array of specially challenging spills; finer flour or sugar, oatmeal or rice, and bigger cracker bit. To test the mopping, I spill coffee or wine and let some liquids dry.

With this robot I’m adding a brand new cleaning test; scattered change on the floor to see if that 8000 Pa of suction can lift heavier bits.

I can say the ECOVACS DEEBOT X2 OMNI is a cleaning machine. It was a great day to day housekeeper, and on all my vacuuming tests it worked like a dream, on both carpet and hardwood.

It was even able to pick up coins of all denominations about 70% of the time.

When it came to the mopping, it easily wiped up small spills, and did a fine job of powering away smaller dried on stains. There is an onboard water tank which isn’t visible, but this is refilled by the main tank in the OMNI station to ensure constant moisture with the mopping. You can also add Ecovacs’ cleaning solution for a boosted clean too.

Self cleaning: Hot water washing and hot air drying

When it comes to the self cleaning, the auto emptying of the dust bin is just one of the most straightforward features.

The bot will also scrub and dry its mopping pads with warm water and hot air to keep them from smelling.

The tray in the base of the cleaning station is also now removable for a more thorough cleaning every so often.

The other thing I noticed in my hands on testing is that the robot is much better at entering and exiting the base station; it docks and undocks itself far more deliberately than most other robot vacuums I have seen.

Enhanced smarts

Mop lifting up to 11mm.

ECOVACS bots have always been standouts in terms of being able to recognize and avoid obstacles, and the X2 OMNI only improves on its record. Hazard recognition in a robot is important because if it constantly gets caught up on things that typically end up on the floor of our homes, that means the vacuum can’t finish the job.

Embedded LIDAR

There’s a two-pronged system for navigation and obstacle avoidance. With embedded LIDAR (standing for Light Detection and Ranging) the X2 uses laser beams and its camera to ‘see’ objects as small as 2mm, allowing Deebot to avoid them more effectively, even in low-light conditions.

That embedded LIDAR , which is positioned inside the robot’s front-left side, is an industry first when it comes to the placement.

Prior to X2 OMNI, LiDAR modules were enclosed within the round turret (hockey puck looking thing) on top of the robot.  Integration of this new dual-laser LiDAR system into the chassis of the robot helps lower the overall height, allowing the robot to navigate in tighter spaces (under lower beds/couches/chairs, etc).  This new “embedded LiDAR” system also enables greater accuracy, greater range of motion, faster mapping, and faster response times.

The robot “learns” and “thinks” through its upgraded RGBD sensor and achieves smoother obstacle avoidance and and more precise cleaning experience.

I laid a few “traps” for the X2 OMNI just to see if I could catch it up in anything… but it was too smart for my spygames.

The all new X2 uses AIVI 3D 2.0 and Dual-Laser LiDAR technology for smarter and smoother navigation; in plain English it uses laser technology to see its way around your home, and AIVI cameras to sharpen the view.

HD roving camera is back

That camera can do more than just avoid stray socks. Like the X1, the X2 Starlight-level 960P RGB camera can be used as a roving security camera, to check up on your pets, see if you left a door ajar, or just to identify something your vacuum may be caught on.

Built in roving camera.

AI Housekeeper

And yet another very cool and futuristic feature, the robot uses what’s called intelligent AI housekeeper mode which can recognize room type, floor material and
historical cleaning data, then proactively command the bot to use the best type of cleaning method.

Voice Control : Yiko returns

Yiko is ECOVACS’ AI voice assistant, in my previous experience using it it has been extremely effective at following commands without needing to repeat and without getting things wrong. It also has voice localization which allows you to go to a certain spot in your home and call the robot to you and it will know exactly where you are based on the distance of your voice.

Yiko continues to add intelligence that in my opinion rivals even AI helpers like Google and Siri. Now Yiko can have a deeper conversation with you to clarify what you mean; for example if you ask it to clean under the bed, it may reply by asking, which bed in which room?

It is also now able to add cleaning areas during cleaning, which was not previously possible. In most robot vacuums if you want to add rooms to your list you needed to end the current cleaning and start over. With the new intelligence and voice control, you can now tack on areas much more easily.

You can also connect your robot to either Google or Alexa, but with as intelligent as Yiko is, that’s truly not necessary, unless you want it to interact with other smart home routines you have going.

Battery life and charging

Scrubbing mops.

With a runtime that lasts up about 140 minutes in vac and mopping mode, and up to 3 hours (or 210 minutes, when using the vacuum only at lower suction), DEEBOT X2 OMNI is made for marathon cleaning, making it great for larger homes.

Overall thoughts: ECOVACS DEEBOT X2 OMNI

In short, the all new ECOVACS DEEBOT X2 OMNI is truly all new—and impressive, even for someone like me who has truly seen it all when it comes to robot vacuums. The X2 adds a boatload of cleaning features and improvements, all in a more compact, stylish base station. With the ability to vacuum stronger, mop better and clean and empty itself thoroughly, it’s truly a talented robot floor-keeper.

After having the X2 in my home for about 3 weeks I can recommend it to you without any reservations.

The ECOVACS Deebot X2 OMNI sells for about $1499US and you can get it from the ECOVACS website, Amazon or BestBuy.com or BestBuy.ca

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