Ecovacs Deebot X2 PRO: New Design, Top Station, Complete Kit

The new Ecovacs Deebot X2 PRO robot vacuum cleaner is the company's flagship for 2023. Its key feature is its D-shaped body, which is expected to improve corner cleaning. Engineers have also managed to slightly reduce the height of the body, increase battery capacity, lengthen the central brush, increase suction power, and raise the cleaning pad height when entering carpets. The design of the brushes and the cleaning station have also been improved. In short, a number of minor improvements have been made, which together should improve the robot's efficiency and battery life. Below, I'll thoroughly test the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Pro and then express my opinion on whether it's worth buying. The price at the time of writing is between $95-$1,250, or $1,065-$1,400, placing it in the premium segment. So, let's get started!

Regionalism

First, a few words about the model's regional availability. The Ecovacs Deebot X2 Pro is produced for both the Chinese and European markets. Local stores in Russia and on AliExpress most often sell the Chinese version, as is the case with mine.

There are several points here:

1. To connect a robot vacuum to a smartphone, you need a Chinese SIM card to register an account. Stores typically provide unique login credentials, but it's best to check this before ordering. In the video description, I've included a link to a trusted seller I purchased from, who provided all the necessary credentials to operate the robot.
2. Given that the robot is intended for the Chinese market, voice notifications are implemented in Chinese. The YIKO voice assistant also only understands phrases in Chinese. But at least the app interface is in English. It's easy to figure out and intuitive.

As for concerns about Chinese Ecovacs robots being blocked due to use outside of China, there's no need to worry. Ecovacs' official website states that the company does not prohibit the use of its Chinese products outside of China. The main thing is to register an account with a Chinese phone number. So, don't worry about bricking your robot. That won't happen.

Equipment

The robot vacuum cleaner arrived in a branded box like this:

This is a Pro version with an extended package, which includes:

1. The robot vacuum cleaner itself with a station.
2. Power adapter with Chinese plug.
3. Branded cleaning product.
4. Two spare bags for the station.
5. Silicone turbo brush with cover. The robot comes with a bristle-petal brush right out of the box.
6. Two spare HEPA filters.
7. Spare disinfection module for the clean water tank.
8. Robot documentation in Chinese.

The package is very good, including all the necessary accessories and spare parts. That's a plus!

Appearance

Now let's take a look at how the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Pro works. Let's start with the robot vacuum itself. It comes in white and black. I received the latter.

Two wall sensors are installed on each side of the robot. The ones closest to the center ensure the robot carefully sweeps around chair legs, a problem common with D-shaped robots.

A system of cameras is installed at the front to detect and carefully avoid obstacles.

The technology was named AIVI 3D and was already integrated into its predecessor. Ecovacs Deebot X1 OmniSo, in addition to avoiding obstacles, this robot can also transmit images from its camera to a smartphone, and for many, this is very important.

You can see that the lidar sensor is not on the body. It's hidden inside the body and positioned in a corner. This allowed us to reduce the body's height slightly—from 103 to 95 mm, compared to previous Ecovacs robots. This isn't a significant achievement, as the typical height of other lidar robots with a so-called tower on the body is 96-98 mm.

On top of the body there is a Y-shaped panel with a touch button for starting/stopping the cleaning process, as well as speakers that operate the built-in YIKO brand assistant.

The top cover is removable and held in place by magnets. Underneath it are the power switch, a Wi-Fi reset button, and a dust container. The dust container features a triple filtration system: HEPA, foam, and mesh filters. The container holds up to 420 ml of dry waste. A self-cleaning curtain is located on the side. The water tank is housed inside the robot. It is non-removable and holds up to 180 ml of water, which is automatically pumped into the station through a special nozzle.

The robot is equipped with six fall protection sensors on the bottom. A carpet sensor is located next to the swivel roller. The side brush is a three-beam, quick-release unit. The central brush unit is floating.

The robot comes with a bristle-petal brush out of the box, which can be removed on one side to remove tangled hair and fur. The brush has been slightly extended. It's approximately 200 mm long, while the standard brush on Ecowax robots is approximately 168 mm.

Instead of the standard turbo brush, you can install a silicone one, which comes with an extended kit. It's easier to remove hair and fur and is suitable for those with pets.

Wet cleaning is performed by two rotating pads, which can automatically lift 15 mm when entering carpets. This is a record-breaking figure on the market at the end of 2023. The pads still don't extend to the edges of the body, so there will be a blind spot, the width of which I will verify in tests.

Speaking of the station, the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Pro self-cleans the dust bin, washes the cloths with hot water, and dries them with warm air.

The robot's entry ramp and the internal tray where the wipes are washed are removable, making it very convenient for cleaning. Above is a compartment with a waste bag. Press the top cover to open it.

The bag holds up to 3 liters of dry waste. It's important to note that the bag is four-layered, with the inside, as I understand it, containing a membrane layer with silver ions and a black layer of activated carbon, providing antibacterial protection.

Under the top cover are tanks for clean and dirty water. The clean water tank contains a water disinfection module. The manufacturer doesn't specify the tank capacity, but they are quite capacious, approximately 4-4.5 liters each. There's still no detergent container; detergent must be added manually at the correct concentration.

If necessary, the station can be connected to a sewer or water supply by purchasing the appropriate module. It's important to note that this module is updated and is not compatible with previous models. Therefore, modules from other Ecovacs robots will not fit the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Pro. This module does have a compartment for detergent, allowing it to be automatically mixed into the water, which is more convenient.

In conclusion, I can say that the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Pro has received a number of minor improvements compared to its predecessors, the Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni and T20 Pro. We'll be testing how this robot compares to its predecessors in our tests.

Technical specifications

The main characteristics of the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Pro, as stated by the manufacturer:

• Li-Ion 6400 mAh battery
• Suction power up to 8300 Pa
• Operating time up to 210 min
• Dust collector 420 ml
• Water tank 180 ml
• Tanks in the station ≈ 4 + 4 l
• Bag in the station: 3 l
• Obstacle clearance up to 22 mm
• Robot dimensions: 320*95 mm
• Station dimensions: 394*528*444 mm

The manufacturer's stated suction power is immediately noticeable. I'll definitely test it out. They've also increased the battery capacity and water tank size. That's a plus.

Functional capabilities

Speaking of the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Pro's features, the robot vacuum is controlled via the proprietary Ecovacs Home mobile app. I discussed the specifics of the Chinese version at the beginning of the review.

The main functions of the robot are displayed on the screen:

• Self-cleaning dust collector.
• Washing napkins with hot water at the station.
• Drying napkins with hot air.
• Identifying objects on the floor.
• Remote home monitoring via camera.
• Saving multiple cleaning maps in memory.
• 3D map of the room.
• Automatic zoning of premises into rooms.
• Selecting areas and rooms for cleaning.
• Virtual walls and no-go zones (and for wet cleaning mode).
• Suction power adjustment.
• Setting the frequency of rinsing wipes (by time and by zones).
• Cleaning log.
• Setting up cleaning according to a schedule.
• User mode.
• Automatic power increase on carpet.
• Carpet cleaning in wet cleaning mode.
• Automatic lifting of napkins when driving onto carpets.

There are a plethora of features, allowing for flexible cleaning settings. Unfortunately, the "Corner Deep Cleaning" mode, which allows for cleaning along baseboards by turning the robot's rear end while cleaning the perimeter, has been removed, as was implemented in the X1 Omni and T20 Pro. It's unclear whether this is due to the robot's body shape, marketing, or simply a forgotten feature that will be added in future software versions. However, it's currently missing, and that's a drawback.

However, there is a remote home monitoring function and a new smart cleaning technology using artificial intelligence, in which the robot vacuum cleaner automatically determines cleaning parameters depending on the type of room and type of flooring.

Testing

A detailed video review of the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Pro, including all tests, has already been prepared and published on the channel:

Navigation

And finally, let's move on to the tests. First, we'll test the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Pro's navigation in a room with obstacles. The robot vacuum first circles the room's perimeter, then cleans the entire accessible area in a serpentine pattern. The dryer's legs didn't cause any significant problems; it navigated around one and ran over the other. It also swept around a box and chair legs, then returned to its station.

Speaking of navigating within the home, the robot vacuum cleaner cleans room by room, following the perimeter, then in a serpentine pattern. A mode was selected to wash the cleaning cloths after each zone, but interestingly, the robot automatically detects how large or small the room is and adjusts the cleaning frequency accordingly.

This may not be as convenient for some. If you want the robot to wash the cloths after each area, there should be an option to set that frequency. In my case, the first time, it went to the station after cleaning four rooms, two of which were really small. That's 19 square meters. Then it cleaned one room and returned to the station again at 26 square meters. It cleaned that room twice, because the algorithms decided it needed it. Then it returned to the station after the second cleaning of the already cleaned room, at 35 square meters. And cleaned the last room. In total, the robot cleaned the 70 square meter apartment, of which 46 square meters were usable, in 50 minutes, washing the cloths at the station three times. There were no uncleaned areas left; this model has good navigation! The test was successful.

Identifying objects on the floor

The floor detection system was tested separately. In good lighting, the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Pro avoided five of the six traps, including the simulated pet surprise. It only chewed the wire on the floor. However, it didn't make a mistake, which is a plus! In complete darkness, the situation was slightly different. It also avoided five of the six traps, but this time it drove over the simulated pet surprise, without chewing the wire.

Ultimately, I can say that the robot does clean thoroughly and sweeps up most items, and it even seemed like the system had become more accurate, as the manufacturer claimed. So, this feature simply requires further refinement. I should also note that the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Pro detects objects but doesn't recognize them. It doesn't display icons of identified objects on the map, unlike Roborococ and Dreame. Therefore, the presence of artificial intelligence is questionable.

Suction power

As for suction power, that's a highly questionable issue. It claims a whopping 8,300 Pa. But in the end, the robot was only able to suck up debris from 2- and 4-mm gaps.

I ran the test several times with different turbo brushes (both silicone and bristle-petal). Then, instead of the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Pro, I immediately switched to the Dreame Bot L30 Ultra, which I tested simultaneously. The Dreame performed better, vacuuming debris from the remaining crevices, including those 10 mm wide. So this isn't a coincidence. Meanwhile, the previously released X1 Omni and T20 Pro models showed excellent results on the test bench.

The new X2 Pro's motor is likely at least as powerful, and likely even more so. I suspect the issue lies in the brushes and aerodynamics. The longer brush length indicates a design flaw, resulting in a loss of suction power.

Many may call the test unfair, but I'm used to evaluating power based on actual cleaning results, so the test results didn't confirm the claimed high power, although it did turn out to be higher.

Dry cleaning

However, the quality of picking up debris of varying textures on laminate flooring is good. The robot vacuum cleaner can even sweep debris into corners, although not always. In the first test with the bristle-petal brush, it swept one corner, but not the other. The turbo brush also caught fur and hair.

The second time, using the silicone brush, the robot also removed most of the debris, but didn't completely sweep the corners. However, the silicone brush didn't tangle up any fur or hair, which is its main advantage.

Speaking of sweeping out corners, the robot's body shape allows it to handle this task perfectly, but its algorithms are a bit crude, as international reviewers have also noted. The robot doesn't always get right into corners, even with the object detection system disabled. But when it does, it cleans the corner very well!

Carpet cleaning

The Ecovacs Deebot X2 Pro also does a great job cleaning carpets, even with its silicone brush. The carpet was thoroughly cleaned! That's a plus!

Wiping off dirt

This robot vacuum cleaner handles dirt removal with an intermediate stop at the cleaning station to rinse the cloths. This is the main advantage of such robots. Dirt won't be ground into the floor during the entire cleaning process. Consequently, in just a few passes, the robot can actually clean the floor, rather than just mop it.

As expected, there remains a narrow blind spot along the baseboard due to the fact that the cleaning pads don't extend to the edge of the unit and the removal of the baseboard cleaning mode. With the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Pro, the blind spot is just under 3 cm wide.

Removing difficult stains

I was also very pleased that, like its predecessors, it can remove even the toughest stains, like dried-on coffee and sauce stains in my case. This robot's wipers press harder against the floor than similar machines with the same wipers, making wet cleaning more effective.

Wet cleaning and carpets

When it comes to wet cleaning on carpeted floors, you can choose from several robot behavior options. The first and most important is the automatic lifting of the cleaning cloths when entering carpets, allowing the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Pro to simultaneously vacuum and mop, leaving carpets dry and clean.

You can also enable the automatic carpet avoidance feature in wet cleaning mode or the option to drive over the carpet with rotating pads that will press against the carpet. I don't see any point in using it.

Station efficiency and maintenance

I also tested the effectiveness of the station itself. Regarding the cleaning quality of the wipes, after cleaning the floor, the wipes are in a poor condition. Even after rinsing, I can say they are actually clean. A minimal amount of dirt is removed under the pressure of warm water. However, I didn't notice any difference between washing the wipes with room temperature water and hot water, as I did with the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Pro. Perhaps there is a difference, and it's a small but significant advantage compared to its competitors.

Drying wipes with hot air is truly effective. After the drying cycle, the wipes are completely dry and odor-free. That's a plus!

We've also simplified the station's maintenance thanks to a redesigned design. Now you can remove the robot's access ramp and the litter tray, rinse them in the sink, and return them to the station. Very convenient! As a reminder, the station can also be connected to a sewer or water supply. I demonstrated how to do this and how the module works using the Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni. I recommend watching the video on the channel. The principle is the same.

Self-cleaning quality

The self-cleaning performance of the dust bin is close to perfect. I ran the robot vacuum in a room with a lot of debris. It cleaned everything, but we saw that the dust bin was full. We returned the robot vacuum to the docking station and saw that the dust bin was completely empty after self-cleaning. One small clump of hair remained, but that was because I removed the full dust bin and must have crushed it when I put it back. If you don't interfere, the self-cleaning performance will be close to perfect.

Obstacle clearance

The robot can easily navigate 2cm-high thresholds. That's a plus!

Driving on black surfaces

It's also not afraid of black surfaces, easily driving on completely black carpet. This is another advantage of the robot!

Noise level

As for the noise level, it ranges from 58 to 72 dB. This is a standard noise level, especially for robotic vacuum cleaners with increased suction power.

Personal opinion

The Ecovacs Deebot X2 Pro has been thoroughly reviewed and tested. According to our rating system, it scored 185 points and rise to the TOP-5 in overall ranking of tested robotic vacuum cleaners, having ousted his predecessor Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro, which lost by only 1 point with a score of 184 points.

I'll highlight the pros and cons of this new product, after which I'll express my own opinion of the robot. I liked the following:

1. High-quality waste collection on both hard surfaces and carpets.
2. It sweeps up corners better than most other round robots thanks to its D-shaped body.
3. The included silicone turbo brush makes it easier to clean hair and fur.
4. Effectively removes dirt from the floor.
5. Availability of a station for self-cleaning the dust collector, rinsing and drying wipes.
6. Spacious tanks at the station.
7. Multi-stage waste and water disinfection system at the station.
8. The station can be connected to the sewer and water supply by purchasing the appropriate module.
9. The station design is easy to maintain thanks to the removable ladder and tray.
10. Washing napkins with hot water.
11. High-quality self-cleaning.
12. Automatically lifts the wipers when entering carpets. Moreover, the wipers lift higher than any other similar system.
13. Touch objects and furniture more accurately thanks to the object detection system.
14. Remote home monitoring function via smartphone.
15. A large number of customizable parameters in the application.
16. Smart automatic cleaning mode, in which the robot independently selects cleaning parameters based on artificial intelligence algorithms.
17. Not afraid of black coatings.
18. Good cross-country ability.
19. Complete set.
20. High quality assembly.

Speaking about the disadvantages, there are the following comments about the robot:

1. The model is designed for the Chinese market, so the app interface is in English, the built-in voice assistant does not work, and the robot connects to the app only via a Chinese phone number.
2. Full service and warranty support from the manufacturers are not provided. Again, this is because this version is for the Chinese market.
3. Does not support popular voice assistants.
4. The claimed suction power wasn't confirmed in tests. Although the robot did demonstrate slightly increased suction power, the results were weak compared to previous models in the Ecovax line.
5. Not capable of scrubbing the area close to the baseboard.
6. The robot's movement algorithms need to be refined to ensure it can sweep debris out of corners more effectively.
7. There is no automatic detergent supply in the standard station configuration.
8. The object detection system still requires further development. Moreover, the implemented system doesn't prove that the robot recognizes objects on the floor or uses artificial intelligence.

Now that I've reviewed the comments, I'll form my opinion on this robot, as it has many advantages. The first three downsides are typical of Chinese ecovacs, and many have come to terms with them, although for a premium robot costing over $1,000, this isn't a good thing. The advertised power is one of the main blows below the belt. I wouldn't want this to discourage anyone who's interested in this robot from purchasing it, and those who have already ordered shouldn't be upset. In fact, the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Pro cleans effectively on both hard floors and carpets. Yes, there's a loss of power, but in a home environment, you likely won't notice the difference.

But the fact that they removed the baseboard cleaning mode, or made it impossible for the current machine shape, without offering any alternative solutions, is a more serious criticism. If they add the feature later, great. No—in fact, the X1 Omni and T20 Pro would be preferable for wet cleaning.

And now, moving on to the next issue—the crude algorithm for corner entry, which, if implemented correctly, could have been the main selling point of this model—engineers need to address this issue urgently. This is the main feature of the D-shaped Ecovax, and it could be a selling point for many. Even now, the robot drives right into the corner and clears out more than half the time. The algorithms need to be refined so that the robot can handle this task perfectly every time.

Automatic detergent dispensing isn't as bad, but it's also unclear why they haven't added a compartment next to the regular tanks yet. And the object detection system—again, the top brand Ecovacs—for some reason still hasn't implemented everything like Roborock and Dreame do, with icons on the map and photos, so the robot can navigate around objects even more precisely.

So, it's late 2023, and Ecovacs is rushing to release its flagship. It seems like they've created a cool robot, the new body design sets it apart from the competition, and the minor flaws of previous models have been addressed. The work has been done, but not as diligently as it could have been.

In any case, the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Pro has more advantages than disadvantages, and I'm sure some of the issues will be addressed in upcoming firmware updates. I believe this robot deservedly ranks among the top five in 2023 and is truly recommended. It's a reliable, efficient, and functional robot vacuum cleaner that sets new trends in the market.

On that note, I'd like to end this review. If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments. Happy shopping. Bye.