Review: Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni

According to Ecovacs, the Deebot X2 Omni is their smartest robot vacuum cleaner, claiming to reach every nook and cranny. It confidently offers a “fully automated cleaning solution that includes automatic cleaning with mop wash with 55 degrees hot water, automatic dust bin emptying, automatic hot air drying, automatic water refill and self-maintenance”. Let’s take it one step at a time, I guess.

The first thing that surprises me when I unpack this big thing is that the vacuum cleaner itself is not round, but square.

The charging/emptying station itself is quite large and requires space, but is still slightly smaller than the previously tested Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni.

Getting started with the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni

It’s easy to get started and add the vacuum cleaner, which I immediately christen SpongeBob in the Ecovacs Home app.

The app is relatively easy to understand. There is a bit of language confusion in places, but after a while you realise what things mean.

In the app, I can make as many different settings as I want. The only limits are my time, patience and commitment. Once the map of the home is made (it can take a few rounds before it feels completely relevant), it’s easy to create zones, demarcate and name the different rooms. If I feel the need, I can also mark where the furniture is located so I can send SpongeBob out by voice command to vacuum under the bed, for example.

I can also decide when, where and how I want him to vacuum. In which rooms should he both mop and vacuum? In the same cleaning round, should he vacuum once in the bedroom, but both vacuum and mop in the kitchen? What suction power should he use and what water flow do I want? Should it be cleaned once or twice?

If you want to make things easier for yourself and you appreciate AI, there is also an AI smart hosting feature that lets the vacuum cleaner decide what needs to be done in the current room.

It should be possible to create maps for different floors, but as I live in a single-storey apartment, it’s hard to say how well it works.

Ecovacs’ Deebot X2 Omni is equipped with a camera. If I want, I can have it running while I clean, or I can just switch it on and let the vacuum cleaner patrol the house when I’m not home. In other words, a mobile surveillance camera.

Vacuum cleaning

SpongeBob has a strong suction power and gets into corners well. I really can’t complain. I also can’t complain about the noise level or the fact that he drives into a lot of furniture. One of the challenges was some doorsteps, but it only took a lap or two before he figured out the best way to get over them. Clever!

SpongeBob takes care of the carpet in the living room without any problems, and for the first time I don’t have to go into the app to set it to vacuum harder when it senses the carpet, it does it itself. Hooray!

Floor cleaning

The mop pads and mop cloths are ready when I unpack the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni. I’m not entirely sure this is how it’s “supposed” to be, but since I can’t get the pads off despite a few attempts, I guess that’s the idea. Personally, I don’t mind, because that way I always know where they are.

When the mop function is not activated, the mops are raised so that they do not touch the floor or carpets. The distance is about 1.5 cm according to the manufacturer, which is also how much the vacuum cleaner lifts the mops when it’s in mop mode and lands on a carpet (to avoid getting the carpet wet). You may need to think about this depending on the carpets in your home and possibly add a mop-free zone if you have a thick carpet.

When I mop, the mops are washed first before the vacuum cleaner goes on a mission. In the app, I can choose how often I want it to return to clean the mops or whether it should decide for itself depending on how dirty it is. I can also choose whether I want the cleaning method to be effective, hot water washing or deep cleaning. I choose hot water. The water tank is not that small, but the water level drops quickly. I think this is a sign that it actually cleans the mops thoroughly before going out again.

No vacuum cleaner I’ve tried (and there have been quite a few) has quite passed the coffee test – until now. I also challenge him with Coca-Cola and he passes that too. Gold star for Ecovacs!

When the cleaning is done, the vacuum cleaner quickly returns to the charging/emptying station, reverses and backs in. Fast, smooth and easy. There’s no question whatsoever about how it finds its way home or to the right place for emptying and charging. Awesome!

Once home, the dust container is emptied (not entirely silently) and the mops are washed. According to the manufacturer, the mops are washed with 55 degrees hot water. Whether that’s true or not, I don’t really know, but I do know that after washing they are dried with hot air for 2, 3 or 4 hours (also up to me). I know the air is hot because I can actually feel it on the outside of the loading and unloading station. The drying process is not completely silent, but it makes a monotonous sound until it’s finished.

The drying process is not completely silent, but it makes a monotonous sound until it’s finished. There’s a lot of talk about coloured sound/noise when you go to sleep, so maybe Ecovacs could use that in their marketing and recommend people to place it in the bedroom.

Is it time to say goodbye to manual cleaning?

Ecovacs’ Deebot X2 Omni is anything but dumb. But it needs time to get to know its surroundings. The more it cleans, the smarter it gets. At first, I noticed confusion when a chair was moved, but after a few rounds, SpongeBob navigates seamlessly around both old and new obstacles. And if you’ve read my recent test of robotic vacuum cleaners, you’ll know the problems many test participants had with the cat’s food bowls – SpongeBob SquarePants shows no interest in them. To the delight of both me and the cats. But the price is also quite a bit higher.

Once SpongeBob has had a few rounds and thus experience, I have to say that he cleans and mops really well. Double-rotating mops are completely different from a small wet cloth dragged across the floor. The fact that the vacuum cleaner also returns to the loading/unloading station and cleans the mops during the cleaning process naturally contributes to a really good result.

Of course, it’s not completely maintenance-free. Depending on how often I choose to mop the floors, I have to fill the water tank with clean water and empty it of dirty water. Of course, the vacuum cleaner bag also needs to be changed at some point, but how often this is necessary also depends on how often I clean and how dirty it is. And the vacuum cleaner needs to be wiped down, the brush underneath needs to be cleaned of hair and dust, and even the charging/emptying station needs some love sometimes. But when and if it’s needed is clearly stated in the app.

Unfortunately, Ecovacs only included a single vacuum cleaner bag, which I personally think is a bit stingy. An extra bag and maybe an extra side brush would have been nice, especially considering the price. The app also says that there is a special detergent that I can use when mopping the floor. This is also missing from the package and I think it would have been a bit clever to include a small test to attract future upselling.

I don’t actually dare vouch for the fact that you can run down to the nearest store and get your own Deebot X2 Omni and throw away the vacuum cleaner and floor bucket. But for me personally, I can say that I won’t be using a vacuum cleaner or a dustpan for the next month – or six months. Hooray for that!

Conclusion

Ecovacs’ Deebot X2 Omni may not be the answer to all of life’s tough questions. But if you have money to spare, are a smaller household that doesn’t make a lot of mess, it’s probably close to being able to get rid of both a “regular” vacuum cleaner and a dustbin.