Kick this robot: Ecovacs’ new robovac literally wants you to give it a chance
There are robot vacuum cleaners that only vacuum, others vacuum and mop, some even empty their dust containers and waste water tanks themselves, and others also have their mop pads washed and dried automatically.
So what do you do to ensure you stand out in a crowded and highly competitive robot vacuum market? You come with features you won’t find anywhere else. And that is exactly what Ecovacs Robotics has done with its latest Deebot.
The Ecovacs Deebot T30 Pro Omni comes with quite an impressive list of features and what I’m most excited about is the kick-to-start functionality which I haven’t seen in any other robovac.
Ecovacs calls its Foot Touch Control, but a simple touch is not enough. As long as the T30 is charging in its dock (i.e. idling), you can – literally – give it a good kick to start it up.
Of course, the start-up process takes a while, with the mop pads being cleaned and moistened first, and only then does the T30 Pro Omni roll out of its dock and start vacuuming and mopping at the same time.
Calling for help only works in this scenario; you can’t get him to stop cleaning in the same way. And that’s to ensure that any bumps against furniture don’t tangle and ensure that it stops and makes its way to the self-cleaning charging station.
While the kick-to-start feature is my favorite, there are a plethora of other upgrades that could make the T30 Pro Omni a good investment if you’re looking for a full-featured robot vacuum.
It comes with advanced mapping and obstacle avoidance, and the wand brush has been redesigned to reduce tangles. The bristles are softer and there is a comb just inside the opening that cleans hair and fur as the brush rotates.
Ecovacs promises that the T30 Pro Omni will mop corners better than its competitors, thanks to the new extendable mop pads. These automatically extend when necessary, as there are sensors on board the bot to detect room edges and furniture legs, then retract when it starts to move towards a more open part of a room.
The mop pads automatically raise 9mm to avoid carpets and rugs, although the effective clearance is only about 5-7mm, which may not be enough to keep moisture out of medium or deep pile carpets. To combat that, Ecovacs has added better functionality to the companion app, allowing you to set no-mop zones.
Big power in a smaller package
The suction power has also been increased here, reaching a maximum of a whopping 11,000 Pa – perhaps one of the highest in the robovac device category. In standard mode you hardly notice that it sucks up dust and dirt – the T30 Pro Omni is quiet and does what it’s supposed to do without disturbing you. It’s so quiet that during a demo I asked the Ecovacs rep if the bot was just mopping or also vacuuming – it did both and I couldn’t hear it from the sound. Even at full volume it’s not that loud – well, not 11,000 Pa quite loud and that’s a good thing.
Some robot vacuums I’ve tried and tested before – including Deebots – hated being lifted to be placed elsewhere; it would invariably screw up the bot’s navigation despite a saved map. For the T30 Pro Omni, however, it is a trigger to clean a spot. While this can be set in the app itself, you can now also pick it up, place it where it needs to do its thing and it will clean a 1.5m² area around that spot, no questions asked.
Even better: Ecovacs has managed to reduce the size of the entire unit – the dock with dust bag and water tank – by approximately 30% compared to the Deebot X2 Omni. If you have space under a countertop, it might as well be tucked out of sight.
More control over an autonomous bot
If this all sounds good to you and you decide to purchase a T30 Pro Omni, you won’t necessarily have to fiddle with a Wi-Fi setup like before. Ecovacs promises that the new Bluetooth Quick Pairing feature will have you up and running in no time.
The company’s own voice assistant – Yiko – has been improved and can now understand more commands than before. The bot can also store up to three cards. And if you happen to be an iPhone user, a home screen widget is now available. Apple Watch controls have also been added via the Ecovacs Home app.
You’d think this huge list of upgrades over previous Deebots would eat up your savings (pun intended), but Ecovacs has set a launch price of AU$1,799 for the white T30 Pro Omni livery with the Yiko voice assistant – the same price which the T20 Omni launched in 2023. If you don’t need to talk to the bot, you can opt for the black colorway for just AU$1,749.
For now, the T30 Pro Omni has only been announced for the Australian market, available directly from Ecovacs AU and some authorized third-party retailers, but for the UK it’s listed as ‘coming soon’. Prices are still TBC though.
At the time of writing I was told that this model will not be available in the US. North American customers will instead get another Deebot in the form of the T30S Combo, which adds a handheld unit to the robovac – making it a 3-in-1 – priced at $1,999.99 available directly from Ecovacs US and from Amazon.