Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni robot vacuum and mop review: powerful, but not perfect

Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni robot vacuum two-minute review

The Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni is a capable robot vacuum and mop that is unfortunately a little hard to recommend. Having just reviewed the cheaper (but still pricey) Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo, the X2 Omni seems almost outdated. It’s a very good model, but is really only one of the best robot vacuums out there in terms of features on hand and object avoidance, which I’ll admit is important, especially for those with pets.

The things that keep it from being one of the best options for those who just want a set-and-forget setup is the fact that it’s not great at mopping the edges, unlike the aforementioned Deebot T30S, and that the accompanying price tag is much higher than many models that cover a lot of the same ground. Some of the extra features that you get, such as remote control and video stream, are nice, but unnecessary to most.

That said, it’s still very good. It does a good job sucking up debris and mopping up messes, leaving the floors very, very clean, edges notwithstanding. And, it has all the conveniences you could ask for, such as a voice assistant and easy-to-use app, scheduling, self-emptying and self-cleaning base station (specifically mop pad washing and drying), and retractable mop pads so that it can mop and then vacuum areas in one go. You don’t have to worry about removing any mopping attachments for a vacuum-only run or getting any carpeting or rugs wet.

Since this model has been on sale for a while, it probably seemed a little more cutting-edge a year ago. And, despite its hefty price tag, you'll probably see it discounted regularly.

Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni robot vacuum review: specs

Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni robot vacuum review: price and availability

• List price: $1,499.99 / £1,299 / AU$2,499
• Availability: US, UK and Australia

As Ecovacs’ flagship robot vacuum, the Deebot X2 Omni comes at quite a high price, retailing for $1,499.99 / £1,299 / AU$2,499. Sure, there are a whole host of aspects related to design, performance, and features, such as object avoidance, a self-emptying base station with hot water mop pad washing and drying, and voice assistant support to name just a few. But, there are cheaper (though still relatively expensive) models out there that cover a lot of the same ground.

Looking to Ecovac’s own Deebot T30S Combo, which admittedly is a newer model, I’m surprised that the X2 Omni is as pricey as it is. The T30S Combo covers a lot of the same ground, though the object avoidance isn’t quite on par, and comes with an extra handheld vacuum for a more affordable price tag of $1,199.99 (about £950 / AU$1,800). However, it’s currently limited to the US, unlike the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni, which is available in the US, UK and Australia, although those in the UK will have to live with it only being available in white.

With that said, if you’re looking at cheaper options, you’re going to miss out on a lot of that extra functionality. The Eureka E10s might also vacuum and mop, not to mention comes with a self-emptying base station, but it gets more easily obstructed by debris, so requires a bit more hand-holding. It also needs a little more regular maintenance. However, it’s much more affordable at $699.99 / AU$1,099 (about £550).

• Value for money score: 3 out of 5

Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni robot vacuum review: design

• Relatively slim base station
• Squarish robot vacuum, which pushes side brush further out
• Retractable mop pads

The Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni, which is available in black or white, has two immediately distinguishing design aspects when first encountering it. The first is the fact that the base station is fairly slim for such a multi-functional and full-featured product (it measures 15.5 x 17.4 x 20.8 inches or 394 x 443 x 527.5mm). That’s despite the fact that it houses two large-ish water reservoirs, with the clean water one having a 4L capacity and the dirty water one with a 3.5L capacity.

There’s a panel on the front that pops open for access to the 3L dust bag that the vacuum empties into every time it wraps up cleaning. The only part of the base station that needs assembly (beyond the power cord) is the base plate for the robot vacuum to enter and exit its storage dock. Worth noting is that the base station has self-emptying capabilities as well as auto mop pad washing and drying.

The second unusual design aspect is the fact that the robot vacuum itself has an unusual squarish shape that supposedly is more ideal for cleaning. It’s also shorter than the majority of robot vacuums since it doesn’t have the raised center that you'll find on most others. That improves its ability to vacuum underneath furniture, though that hasn’t been much of a deal breaker with other robot vacuums so far.

The X2 Omni comes with just one side brush, but that squarish shape pushes it out further than where the side brush typically sits on robot vacuums, and this helps with a wider coverage when vacuuming. Also, the brush roll is completely made of silicon with fins that keep it from having tangle-related issues. Lastly, there are two mop pads for that  retract when over carpeting, but neither of them extend out when mopping, which is why the X2 Omni doesn’t mop edges the way the T30S does.

• Design score: 4 out of 5

Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni robot vacuum review: performance

• Great cleaning performance
• Mopping doesn’t get to the edges
• Great object avoidance

If I had reviewed the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni at launch, it would have been all raves. Since then, however, I’ve tested two different robot vacuums that have managed to mop right to the edge of rooms, whereas that’s not the case here. Before I dig into that, it’s important to note that this robot vacuum still performs excellently outside of that particular situation.

It vacuums up small and large debris alike, be it pet dander or pieces of food (such as crumbled up potato chips). And, when vacuuming, the Deebot X2 Omni gets right up to the edges of rooms thanks to the positioning of that square brush.

When mopping, it does a wonderful job leaving floors spectacularly clean as it uses two spinning mop pads that put just the right amount of pressure down on the floor to leave it clean. The only place it doesn’t quite live up to some of the competition, such as the cheaper  T30S Combo I keep referring to, is in the way its mop pads don’t extend out and therefore leave an inch of untouched floor at the edges of rooms as well as around objects.

While the mop pads don’t extend out, they do retract when going over carpeting (or in my case, a bathroom rug used for testing). This means that the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni can seamlessly go from mopping one part of the house to vacuuming only another part of the house without getting that area wet.

Speaking of object avoidance, the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni has the best I’ve seen. The two dogs that live in this space are on the oblivious side and will walk right in front of it or just sit in front of it, looking at the robot vacuum go. The robot vacuum, however, sees the dogs (and any other obstructions that quickly get in front of it) and it will turn out of the way relatively quickly.

In terms of noise, the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni kicks out about 62dB when running, which is not bad, but not great either.

• Performance score: 4.5 out of 5

Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni robot vacuum review: app

• Easy to use and navigate
• Issues drawing rooms in the map
• Tons of features available through app

The app is easy to use and navigate, no matter what you’re trying to do, and it doesn’t take too long to pair the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni (or any Ecovacs robot vacuum for that matter). Selecting controls, such as vacuum or mop only, levels of cleaning, etc. is literally just a swipe up.

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Really the only issue, as I’ve said with every robot vacuum that’s not a Shark or Bissell, is with marking off rooms in the map view. If you have a typical apartment setup or an old home where the entrance to every room has its own doorway, you won’t have an issue. Every room will be automatically separated and all you have to do is rename them. 

However, if you have an open or semi-open floor plan, you can really only demarcate it once, as you partition using a line tool, which cannot crossover another previously drawn line. Hopefully, the makers of all these vacuums, and it’s not limited to Ecovacs, will soon realize that many people have spaces that are more open and need a different way to permanently draw in those rooms.

Still, there are plenty of other features available through the app. This is where you can turn on/off the voice assistant, named Yiko, schedule cleanings throughout the week, and more. You can even turn the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni into a video drone, accessing a camera on the front and manually driving it around to see what’s going on at home. It even has a mic that you can access to talk to someone in the house.

• App score: 4 out of 5

Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni robot vacuum review: battery life

• Very good battery life
• Can charge back up relatively quickly

The battery on the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni can keep going for up to 212 minutes. While that’s very good for a robot vacuum, that’s on the lowest setting. Vacuuming and mopping at the same time will bring that maximum runtime down to 161 minutes. However, you probably won’t notice because, like a lot of robot vacuum and mops that employ the whole mop pad washing, the robot vacuum returns to the base station very regularly, every 20 to 30 minutes, to wash the pads, during which time it will charge back up.

With its 6400 mAh Li-On battery, it charges back up 45% faster than its predecessor, the X1, so you don’t have to wait as long for it to go back out and continue cleaning. That said, it still takes plenty of breaks so actually cleaning a decently large space can end up taking four hours or so.

• Battery score: 4 out of 5

Should you buy the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni robot vacuum?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni robot vacuum review: also consider

Ecovacs Deebot T30 S Combo

The Ecovacs Deebot T30 S Combo has that extendable mop pad to mop edges, and extra handheld vacuum that auto-empties and stores in the same base station and is just a little cheaper. However, it doesn’t look quite as interesting and doesn’t come with cleaning solution.

Read our full Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo review

Yeedi Cube

The Yeedi Cube is not quite as good as the X2 Omni, but it covers a lot of the same ground for half the price. It has similar mapping issues and is even worse on the edges, but does a great job vacuuming and mopping otherwise, not to mention it does the whole mop pad drying thing to avoid mold and bacteria.

Read our full Yeedi Cube review

How I tested the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni robot vacuum

To test the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni, I used it for a couple weeks to vacuum and mop the hardwood floors and carpeting in my house. I also tested all the features listed in the app, from mapping to scheduling. I took note of how well the vacuum cleaned the edges of a room as well as around obstacles.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed July 2024