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We lab-tested Ecovac's next-gen robot mop - here's where it shines (and struggles)
Ecovacs Deebot X12 OmniCyclone
pros and cons
- Excellent obstacle avoidance.
- Strong mopping with a self-cleaning roller.
- Advanced navigation with accurate pet waste recognition
- Below average debris pickup on carpet and poor fine debris pickup on hard floors.
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Ecovacs has been hard at work improving the navigation and maintenance on their robot vacuums -- and it's been successful. So much so, that after releasing the Deebot X11 OmniCyclone, I was a bit stumped on what the company could do to upgrade its next robot.
The X11 OmniCyclone was already a flagship robot with great features: a bagless self-emptying system, roller mop, great suction, and good navigation. But Ecovacs optimized its successor, the Deebot X12 OmniCyclone, to make it an even more powerful robot mop with advanced obstacle avoidance.
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The X12's flagship features
As a premium robot vacuum and mop, Ecovacs puts a lot of emphasis on the X12 OmniCyclone's hands-free experience. This robot vacuum automatically empties its contents into a bagless canister similar to the dustbin on a traditional upright vacuum. Once the canister at the dock is full, you empty it into the trash can and return the canister to the dock without needing to replace dust bags.
The Deebot X12 also features 22,000Pa of suction power. While this isn't the highest on the market right now (that'd be the Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete with 35,000Pa), it's still quite powerful.
The robot mop feature on the X12 performs exceedingly well in real-world scenarios, thanks to its self-cleaning roller mop that uses clean water. The X12 features an AI Jet Mop, an unprecedented feature in robot vacuum-and-mop combinations. It uses AI to detect stains on the floor as it navigates, then sprays water from its clean-water tank to loosen them and aid in deep cleaning.
When the robot finishes a cleaning session, it returns to the dock to wash and dry its mop to avoid odors from bacteria growth. All you have to do is empty the dock's dirty water and periodically refill its clean water tank.
How this robot's tests compare to others
I've tried a lot of robot vacuums, so I've developed a system to test them at home. ZDNET also has a lab in Kentucky that performs structured tests on multiple device categories, including robot vacuums. Overall, I found that the Deebot X12 OmniCyclone's lab results coincided with my in-home tests. Our assessment is that the X12 has excellent intelligence and mopping, but a somewhat disappointing vacuum performance.
Sand Pickup on Hardwood
| Overall Rank | Robot vacuum | Percentage picked up |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Matic | 100% |
| 2nd | Mova P10 Pro Ultra | 99.27% |
| 3rd | Shark NeverTouch Pro | 99.27% |
| 4th | Roomba 205 Compactor | 99.27% |
| 5th | Yeedi S14 Plus | 98.54% |
| ... 41st | X12 OmniCyclone | 64.23% |
Our testing results indicate that the 22,000Pa suction specification isn't translating into real-world debris pickup.
Among the robots we've tested, the X12 OmniCyclone ranks 41st in hardwood floor performance. We found that fine debris, such as sand and dust particles, was the biggest challenge for this robot. In my home, the robot did really well picking up dry rice, dirt, crumbs, and pet hair from hard floors, while avoiding obstacles around it, but it didn't perform as well on sand.
Sand Pickup on Low-Pile Carpet
| Overall Rank | Robot vacuum | Percentage picked up |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Roomba Combo 10 Max | 73.62% |
| 2nd | Dreame L40S Ultra | 65.22% |
| 3rd | Dreame D10S Plus | 64.35% |
| 4th | Mova P10 Pro Ultra | 63.48% |
| 5th | Eureka J15 Pro Ultra | 60.58% |
| ... 52nd | X12 OmniCyclone | 18.84% |
I was also disappointed with the X12's performance on carpets, so I wasn't surprised to see it didn't rank highly in our lab testing. My Deebot X12 did pretty well on hardwood, but it didn't pick up even visible dirt and pet hair on low-pile carpet. It picked up some, but left behind debris, even after the robot went over it. In our lab tests, the X12 OmniCyclone picked up 18.84% of sand on low-pile carpet, ranking 52nd among the robots we tested.
Where the X12 succeeds
The Deebot X12 OmniCyclone has a really great mop -- one of the top five I've ever tested in a combination robot. It did very well against dry and sticky spills, effectively removing them, and its extendable mop gets up close to the wall edge to clean the entire floor surface.
The robot's navigation and obstacle avoidance are also excellent. The X12 OmniCyclone repeatedly avoided over 83% of small obstacles on the floor, including cords and small toys. Each time we tested it against pet waste at home and in our lab, the Deebot X12 avoided all samples (don't worry, they're silicone and rubber -- not real samples).
This gives users a bit of peace of mind, though I never recommend running a robot blindly if your pet isn't potty-trained.
ZDNET's buying advice
I think that Ecovacs focused a lot of its optimizations on the X12's roller mop system and navigation rather than maximizing airflow at the floor to upgrade its vacuuming performance. In that sense, the Ecovacs Deebot X12 OmniCyclone is more of a premium mopping robot with vacuum functionality.
It's currently listed in the Ecovacs site at a 40% discount, bringing its price down to $900. At that price, the Deebot X12 OmniCyclone is worth every penny. I might not be able to justify its full price of $1,500, but this discount is definitely worthwhile.
A lot goes into a robot's vacuuming performance, not just suction power. The X12's 22,000Pa advertised suction is measured under controlled conditions during manufacture, and doesn't necessarily reflect how effectively a robot picks up dirt and debris in real-world scenarios. However, you also have to consider that the brush design, airflow path, and nozzle architecture play significant roles in vacuuming performance.