Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro vs. Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni: What's the Difference and Which One to Choose?

Hello to all readers of the project! In this review, I decided to compare two top robot vacuum cleaners from Ecovacs: the 2022 flagship Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni and the 2023 flagship - Ecovacs Deebot T20 ProI'll point out right away that I compared the T20 Pro, which was the one I reviewed. There's also a T20 Pro Plus version, but aside from the robot's differently colored lid, I couldn't find any other differences between the two versions. The Plus version should come with a module for connecting to utility lines instead of tanks out of the box. However, according to customers, they received the robot with the standard package but with Pro Plus stickers. This is odd. If anyone knows of any other differences, please let me know in the comments. One more thing: I'm comparing the latest version of the Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni, the one I reviewed. The station on the latest version is essentially the same as the X1 Pro Omni; it connects to both the sewer and water supply. I'll cover this separately in the video. So, I'll be comparing the design, specifications, functionality, and test results. After that, I'll share my opinion on which robot vacuum cleaner is better: the Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni or the Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro. So, let's get started!

Regionalism

The first thing I'd like to point out and keep in mind is that the Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni and T20 Pro are versions for the Chinese market. To connect these robot vacuums to a smartphone and Wi-Fi network, you need a Chinese SIM card, which is used to register an account. There's no other way. Not all sellers provide access to individual accounts for each buyer. Keep this in mind before ordering. Below in the table, I've included links to a verified seller in Russia who provides all the necessary access rights. They also provided the project audience with access to robovac.washerhouse.com and a discount on purchases using the unique promo code robovac.washerhouse.com ($30).

But a Chinese SIM card isn't everything. Both robots speak Chinese, but the app menu is in English. Furthermore, popular voice assistants like Yandex.Alice and Google Home aren't supported, and the YIKO voice assistant only accepts English, and even then, it's very poorly implemented. But that's where the bad news ends. In fact, looking ahead, the regional issues aren't critical, and most importantly, all the app functions work correctly, and the robots themselves are quite effective. It's no wonder they made it to the top. Overall rating of tested robotic vacuum cleaners from the robovac.washerhouse.com project.

Price

Now let's compare the prices of the robots. The Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni is priced between $620 and $860, or between $775 and $1,075 at the exchange rate at the time of this comparison. The lower price is listed on AliExpress. The upper price is from local sellers in Russia. The Ecovacs X1 PRO OMNI costs between $670 and $860 (or $835 to $1,075). The Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro ranges from $670 to $1,060, or $835 to $1,325. It's worth noting that the new product costs about the same on AliExpress as its predecessor. Moreover, there's no real price difference between the Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro and the Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro PLUS, which is also suspicious.

Design

Now, regarding the design, a few things should be clearer. Firstly, the Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni and Ecovacs Deebot X1 PRO Omni are virtually identical visually. The only difference is the color: black and silver versus black and gold. The latter looks more premium.

The stations are significantly different: the Ecovacs Deebot X1 Pro OMNI, like the latest version of the Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni, has a cover on the back of the station that conceals outlets for connecting the station to utility lines. We purchase a special module and connect the robot vacuum to the water supply and sewer lines. The first versions of the Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni do not have these outlets, so be sure to confirm this with the seller when ordering this model.

The Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro and Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro PLUS are visually distinguished only by the color of the robot's top cover. The Pro version's is gray, while the PRO PLUS version's is white.

Now, about the major differences between the Ecovacs Deebot X1 OMNI and the Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro. I reviewed both robots, and I'll show you the differences clearly. The robots themselves are very similar. They have identical top covers, identical dust collectors, which, by the way, are interchangeable. And they also have identical hidden water tanks, which are filled through the station. There are only two major differences.

The first is the object detection system on the front bumper. The Ecovacs Deebot X1 OMNI uses the AIVI 3.0 system, which is based on a system of sensors, including 3D, and an active camera that can be connected to a smartphone for remote home monitoring. The Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro uses a technology called TrueDetect, which also combines 3D sensors and a camera. This camera does not transmit images to a smartphone screen, meaning remote home monitoring is not possible.

The cleaning modules of the robots are also identical at first glance. They have identical carpet detection sensors, floating blocks with central turbo brushes (which, by the way, are made of bristles and petals), and identical two rotating round pads. But there's a second important difference between the robots: the Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro's pads automatically lift when they reach carpets, while the Ecovacs Deebot X1 OMNI's pads don't have a so-called lift.

The stations are identical in size and design. They differ only in color, like the robots themselves. In my case, both stations are connected to the water and sewer lines, and both stations are equipped with a water disinfection function thanks to a silver module installed. The stations themselves are equipped with identically sized bags and reservoirs and feature a hot-air drying function for the wipes. However, the Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro has one difference in the station: it rinses the wipes with hot water, which should, in theory, improve the cleaning quality. There is another small, but less significant, difference: new waste collection bags in the station. The T20 Pro has a four-layer bag, with what I understand to be a layer of a membrane with silver ions and a layer of black activated carbon inside, providing antibacterial protection.

Ultimately, we see that there are design differences between the Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni and the Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro. The updated model features a cleaning pad lift function on carpets and a hot water rinse. However, the previous model has an equally important advantage: remote home monitoring via a camera.

Technical specifications

Let's compare the specifications of the Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni and Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro separately. I've included them in a table for easy reference:

	Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni/X1 Pro Omni	Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro/T20 Pro Plus
Battery	Li-Ion 5200 mAh	Li-Ion 6000 mA*h
Suction power	Up to 5000/5500 Pa	up to 6000 Pa
Dust collector	400 ml	400 ml
Water tank (in the robot)	80 ml	80 ml
Obstacle clearance	up to 20 mm	up to 20 mm
Dimensions of the robot	362*103 mm	362*103 mm
Clean water tank (station)	4 l	4 l
Dirty water tank (station)	4 l	4 l
Bag in the station	3 l	3 l
Dimensions of the station	430*450*580 mm (with the lid raised, height 785 mm)	430*450*580 mm (with the lid raised, height 785 mm)

We see a difference in power and battery capacity. In fact, the X1 Pro Omni is actually slightly more powerful than the X1 Omni. Otherwise, the specifications are identical, further suggesting that the year-over-year update isn't as significant as expected.

Functional capabilities

I have also included the functionality of the compared robotic vacuum cleaners in a table for easy reference:

	Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni/Pro Omni	Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro/T20 Pro Plus
Self-cleaning	+	+
Rinsing napkins at the station	+	+
Drying napkins with hot air	+	+
Automatic addition of detergent	Only with the communications module installed	Only with the communications module installed
Identifying objects on the floor	+	+
Saving multiple cleaning maps in memory	+	+
3D map of the room	+	+
Zoning the premises into rooms	+	+
Selecting areas and rooms for cleaning	+	+
Restricted areas (and for wet cleaning)	+	+
Suction power adjustment	+	+
Setting the frequency of rinsing wipes	+	+
User mode	+	+
Cleaning log	+	+
Setting up a cleaning schedule	+	+
Automatic power increase on carpet	+	+
Carpet sweeping in wet cleaning mode	+	+
Built-in proprietary voice assistant	+	+
Connection to sewerage and water supply	Only the latest version/+	+
Lifting napkins on the carpet	—	+
Rinsing wipes with hot water	—	+
Remote home monitoring via smartphone	+	—

We are only interested in the last four rows, this is the main difference in the capabilities of the robots, and this was already mentioned when comparing the designs.

Test results

I'll also compare the test results of the Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni and Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro separately. I've written everything down below, but it's best to watch the detailed video comparison, which clearly demonstrates all the results:

Both robots navigate very well. They clean quickly, leaving no uncleaned areas, and they sweep around chair legs, furniture, and other objects.

The object detection system on both the predecessor and the new model is crude. Both robots are prone to getting caught in traps, chewing wires, sometimes socks, and, of course, imitating a pet's surprise. So, despite the different types of sensors on the front, Ecovacs engineers haven't yet been able to improve the object detection system.

The suction power of both the Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni and the Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro is actually very strong. Both robots were able to vacuum debris from a 10 mm gap. But the T20 Pro did so much more confidently. It feels more powerful than the already powerful previous model.

Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro:

The collection quality of various types of debris on laminate floors is good. Only a small amount of debris remains in corners, which round robot vacuums can't reach. However, I should note that Ecovax robots are better at sweeping corner debris than other round robots. Only a small amount remains in the corners.

The Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro and X1 Omni also do a good job of cleaning carpets. The carpet was thoroughly cleaned! That's a plus!

Ecovax's flagship models also boast high-quality wet cleaning, and are even capable of scrubbing tough stains from floors and cleaning right up to baseboards thanks to the "Corner Deep Cleaning" mode, which backs up to the baseboard.

The wipes' self-cleaning and rinsing performance are equally good; there are no complaints whatsoever. However, I'd like to point out that I didn't notice any difference between rinsing the wipes with cold water and hot water, as I did with the T20 Pro. It's probably minimal, but it's there.

The robots confidently navigate 2 cm high thresholds with their cleaning pads and are also resistant to black surfaces. Everything is equally good here. I'll just note that the T20 Pro is less likely to get stuck when driving over obstacles, as the cleaning pads lift up when driving over thresholds and carpets, preventing them from getting caught.

Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni:

Regarding noise levels, the Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro is even slightly quieter, despite its higher power. Its noise level ranges from 60-65 dB, depending on the selected mode. The Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni, on the other hand, ranges from 60-71 dB.

Personal opinion

So what's the bottom line? Ultimately, I can say that the differences between the robots, although minimal, are there. The Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro, thanks to its carpet lift feature, can vacuum and mop simultaneously, leaving carpets dry and clean. But even if you don't have carpets, this robot will be more effective than the X1 Omni for the simple reason that the cloth lifts not only on carpets but also when the robot returns to the cleaning station and from the station to where it finished cleaning.

What does this mean for us? It's simple. For example, the X1 Omni, after cleaning 20 square meters, will return to the station and wipe the floor with dirty wipes. And when returning from the station to the cleaning area, the clean, wet wipes will lose their so-called "lifespan" of cleanliness and moisture. The T20 Pro, on the other hand, will return to the station with its wipes raised, without soiling the floor. And it will return to the cleaning area with its wipes raised, without wasting their lifespan. This is a very important point that many people miss.

Well, the T20 is actually more powerful, more modern, and, no less importantly, it connects to the water supply and sewer system, while the standard X1 Omni cannot. This is unless you consider the new versions or the X1 Pro Omni.

Considering that there's currently no price difference between the Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni and the Ecovacs Deebot T20 Pro on AliExpress, it's certainly more logical and appropriate to order the updated model. However, if you don't have carpets and remote home monitoring is important, it might make sense to switch to the X1 Omni or X1 Pro Omni. The decision is yours.

I'll duplicate the table with prices and purchase links again:

On this note, I'd like to conclude this comparison. I hope you now understand the differences between these robot vacuum cleaners and that it will now be easier to choose the right one for your needs. Happy shopping. Bye!