Ecovacs celebrates yet another new addition to its lineup of robot vacuums. At least on paper, the T20 OMNI does not only seem to offer the full equipment package of an X1 OMNI (test). In some points, the manufacturer even focuses on improvements. Among other things, Ecovacs wants to have eliminated a sensitive Achilles’ heel of the flagship of the Deebot series with liftable wiping pads. On top of that, the company emphasizes the strong performance of the hot air drying. This aims to eliminate every last bacterium at a whopping 55 °C to prevent foul odors and keep floors hygienically clean. In the Ecovacs Deebot T20 OMNI test, we want to check whether the ambitious goals are also achieved, or whether the expert for smart household helpers has put its foot in its mouth a bit too much.
Strong competition for the in-house upper class
What represents the Q-series at Roborock, is considered the T-series at Ecovacs. These have so far been slightly slimmed-down versions of the company’s own flagships. The company has been able to prove that it regularly launches real price-performance hitters here, for example with the Deebot T10 Plus (test). But with the release of the Deebot T20 OMNI, there seems to be a bit of a paradigm shift. After all, the company is now not simply offering a slightly weaker equipped variant of the X1 OMNI. In some points, they even want to have reworked known weak points.
Perhaps most significant is the liftability of the two rotating mops on the bottom. This means the T20 OMNI no longer has to simply drive around carpets, as the X1 OMNI did. Instead, it simply drives over them without touching the floor with the damp mops. But sacrifices must also be made. For example, the T20 OMNI does not offer AIVI 3D and thus not the latest camera technology from Ecovacs at the front. On top of that, the robot vacuum itself does not have an integrated water tank. Whether this really bothers in practice or Ecovacs itself has launched a much cheaper competitor to the X1 OMNI here, we want to take a closer look.
Scope of delivery
First, let’s take a look at the packaging. Here it should be said in advance that you should not expect too big surprises. In addition to the vacuuming and mopping robot itself, you will of course find the base station here. Ecovacs also includes a large and a small cleaning tool for maintenance. And that’s about it.
Given that the T20 OMNI also relies on replaceable dust bags, I would have liked to see at least one bag as a replacement. Of course, I don’t want to chalk that up to Ecovacs too much in view of the comparatively low price. Nevertheless, it leaves a bad taste. After all, the use of a dust bag is not optional, but mandatory.
Ecovacs Deebot T20 OMNI Test: Noble Design
- Looks strongly reminiscent of X1 OMNI
- Excellent build quality
- Removable top
Once unboxed, let’s say a few words about the looks. After all, this is a real hobbyhorse of the X1 OMNI, which was designed in collaboration with the design experts at Jacob Jensen. Even without the Danish design company, Ecovacs can score here. After all, the exterior of the T20 OMNI strictly speaking resembles an X1 OMNI like two peas in a pod. That is at least true for the design. The colors, on the other hand, show differences.
Thus, Ecovacs relies on a combination of gray and white here. I find it particularly good that the manufacturer relies on matte colors. This avoids annoying micro scratches and is effective against ugly fingerprints, according to experience. Otherwise, the upper side impresses with a modern look that can best be described as “clean”. Besides the obligatory turret, under whose hood the LiDAR sensor is located, the manufacturer only relies on one button.
This makes it clear that Ecovacs is fully committed to app control. We’ll clarify how well that works later. To get to the inner workings, you gain access via a flap on the top. Once again, Ecovacs does not use a hinged solution. Instead, you can remove the entire cover. Whether you like that or not is up to you. Personally, I prefer the classic flap as it also offers, for example, a Roborock S8 Pro Ultra (test). Under the hood, you then get access to the reset button, on/off button as well as the dust bin.
Ecovacs Deebot T20 OMNI review: main brush made of solid rubber
- Two rotating wiping pads
- Main brush made of solid rubber
- Base station houses water tanks and dust bag
Both the smart household helper and the accompanying base station score with excellent build quality. Of course, a closer look reveals that plastic is used first and foremost. However, this is not really annoying in view of the chic look and the fact that it does not crack or creak at any point. The dirt and fresh water tanks are located under the lid of the station. To reach the dust bag, you have to open the flap underneath. The station also only has one button. This again emphasizes the focus on the app.
If you turn the vacuuming and mopping robot around once, the sight turns out to be pleasing. So you don’t only get to see the two rotating wiping pads here. On top of that, Ecovacs has obviously reworked the main brush compared to the X1 OMNI. While the flagship uses an old-fashioned combination of bristles and rubber lamellas, the T20 OMNI uses a solid rubber solution. This pays off especially in terms of maintenance. After all, pet owners in particular suffer from hair regularly getting caught in the bristles of other models. With the solid rubber design, this is much less likely to happen. The revised main brush receives support from two side brushes.
Ecovacs Deebot T20 OMNI review: setup is a breeze
- Commissioning within a few minutes
- Suction robot and base station almost completely pre-assembled
- Only side brushes need to be installed
Only a few minutes pass between unpacking and the first cleaning tour of the T20 OMNI. This is due to the fact that the commissioning of the combo of vacuum cleaning robot as well as base station is uncomplicated by hand. That is not surprising. After all, Ecovacs delivers the smart household helper in an almost completely pre-assembled state. All you have to do is install the two mop pads and the side brushes. There is not much to do with the base station either. All you have to do is fill up the 4-liter fresh water tank. The dust bag, on the other hand, is already in the device ex works.
Now you can turn on the robot vacuum for the first time. After it’s turned on, download the Ecovacs app. After opening the app, you can add the T20 OMNI as a device and connect it to your home network. All you have to do is scan the QR code under the cover. Once in the network, the robot vacuum starts mapping your own four walls. It only needs a short time for this first spin. After the maiden voyage has been completed, the robot vacuum cleaner has been able to get a comprehensive picture of your home and is ready for the cleaning tour.
Ecovacs Deebot T20 OMNI test: navigation technology
- LiDAR technology for mapping
- Camera system TrueDetect 3D 3.0 for object detection
- AIVI 3D and thus surveillance camera feature is missing
Ecovacs has equipped the T20 OMNI with modern navigation technology. Thus, the smart household helper finds its way around your own four walls with the help of various sensors. The LiDAR system is again at the heart of this. With the help of the most precise laser technology, the robot measures your premises and then creates the corresponding map. Since lasers are used here, the robot vacuum cleaner can also find its way around in absolute darkness. The smart household helper uses a camera system at the front for object detection. With the help of TrueDetect 3D 3.0, the system is supposed to detect and avoid even flat obstacles. Compared to the X1 OMNI, the only serious downgrade has been in the camera system.
Finally, the flagship AIVI 3D is working, which we know from other Ecovacs devices like the T9 AIVI (test) or the Goat G1 robotic mower (test). This eliminates one big feature. After all, you can’t use the T20 OMNI as a walking surveillance camera. Whether that’s a major drawback is up to each person to decide for themselves. Personally, I still consider the AIVI 3D technology a small gimmick. On the other hand, those who consider it an important feature should keep this in mind. On the underside, the bulging sensor package is rounded off by camber and carpet sensors. These live up to their name and are supposed to detect carpets and avoid falling down stairs.
The sensors provide a very good orientation in interaction. Even the object detection surprised me positively. You don’t have to worry about your slippers here. The situation is different for very small objects. In the test, the robot almost sucked up a very short USB cable. However, this cannot really be blamed on the smart household helper. After all, the T20 OMNI shares this problem with pretty much every other vacuum robot – even in the premium class. All in all, the robot vacuum convinces with its navigation. The omission of the AIVI technology should certainly only hurt the fewest.
Ecovacs Deebot T20 OMNI test: app control
- Ecovacs app scores with many setting options
The app from Ecovacs scores again with its familiar scope. Here you can customize the cleaning of the T20 OMNI to your liking. So you can not only regulate the wiping and suction level. On top of that, you can make settings in the created map. In the test, for example, I drew a virtual wall to my dog’s feeding area. This way, the four-legged friend is not disturbed by the smart household helper. You can also define no-go areas or send the robot to a specific cleaning location. To make it even easier for the robot, you can add details to the map. For example, furniture can be added so that the T20 OMNI knows what it is dealing with. What is important for owners of a long-floor carpet is to visit the special settings for carpet cleaning.
Although the T20 OMNI can pass carpets with the mop pads raised, this is not advisable for carpeting with very long fibers. After all, the lifting height is limited due to the overall height. For these cases, you can also regulate in the settings that carpets are simply bypassed. Naturally, features like a cleaning schedule are also on board. Here, you can determine at which times the smart household helper should set off on its cleaning tour within your own four walls. I also found the so-called housekeeping mode exciting. Here, the device recognizes over time which areas in your home get dirty quite quickly. These will then be cleaned more thoroughly during future cleaning tours.
Ecovacs Deebot T20 OMNI test: voice control via YIKO
Away from the app control and rudimentary operation via the buttons, you can also use the in-house voice assistant from Ecovacs. This goes by the name of YIKO and can be operated similarly to the usual suspects Siri, Google Assistant or Alexa. This means that you can instruct your vacuuming and mopping robot to clean a certain room, for example. The whole thing worked quite well in the test, except for a few minor glitches. However, I am personally not a big fan of it and rather prefer the operation via the app. A fun and practical gimmick, however, it certainly is.
Ecovacs Deebot T20 OMNI test: cleaning performance
Now let’s take a closer look at how the Deebot T20 OMNI performs in practice. Can it possibly achieve better results than the X1 OMNI? The technical data speaks for it. While the flagship offers “only” 5,000 Pascal suction power, the newcomer boasts an impressive 6,000 Pascal. That is a considerable increase.
Suction power
At 6,000 pascals, the suction power of the T20 OMNI is the same as that of the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra, which is also still quite new. So it’s not surprising that the smart household helper also conjures up a similarly good performance on a wide variety of floors.
Even areas with heavy soiling are reliably vacuumed by the robot. As the owner of two Persian cats and a heavily hairy Golden Retriever, I rely on the daily ride of a vacuum robot to get rid of all the pet hair.
And here, too, the T20 OMNI comes up trumps. Hair sucks this namely playfully easily. The main brush in solid rubber design also pays off here. No hair got tangled here during the entire test phase. In terms of suction performance, the mid-range model does not have to hide behind the high-priced upper class.
Wiping performance
The wiping performance is also on a very high level. However, in view of the two rotating wiping pads, I did not expect anything else. Thus, the results are on a similar level to those of an X1 OMNI or a Dreame L10s Ultra (test). It doesn’t matter if it’s wood, stone or vinyl flooring. Here you can look forward to a pore-deep cleaning thanks to the rotating mopping technology. In the test, I also confronted the robot with a few challenges. The crunchiest was certainly the dried jam stain.
Without the powerful base station, the very good wiping results would not be possible. After all, this cleans the mop pads of the suction and mopping robot at regular intervals. The two mops are rinsed extensively before being used again when freshly cleaned. This ensures that, unlike other robotic mops, the dirt is not simply spread around the apartment.
Compared to the X1 OMNI, the T20 OMNI has both an advantage and a disadvantage in this regard. On the one hand, the robot is now cleaned with hot water. This ensures that stubborn stains like the aforementioned jam stain can be removed more easily. However, Ecovacs does not have a separate water tank in the device itself. However, I did not really feel the missing tank compared to the X1 OMNI. Accordingly, this is also not a noticeable disadvantage.
Base station
The base station is not only used during cleaning. After the cleaning tour has been completed, the vacuuming and mopping robot visits its “home” on top of that. Here, the two wiping pads are once again vigorously rinsed with hot water. Since this is pleasantly hot, you don’t have to worry about bacteria formation. Bad odors are therefore prevented from developing in the first place. The resulting dirty water ends up in the 4-liter dirty water tank. After cleaning, the two pads are dried by means of hot air at a temperature of 55 °C. The cleaning water is then removed by suction. In addition, the station vacuums the collected dust and other dirt from the robot vacuum.
In total, the T20 OMNI is supposed to be able to clean up to 260 minutes at a time. Whether you really reach this value in practice, however, is more than questionable. However, it is also questionable who would want to use a vacuum robot for over four hours. In my test, it turned out that the smart household assistant can easily clean areas of 100 m² at a stretch without serious problems with the battery life. Despite the high performance, the robot vacuum is not deafeningly loud. Here, it roughly corresponds to the mediocrity of current top models.
Conclusion
The Ecovacs Deebot T20 OMNI goes to the start at an MSRP of 1,099 euros. What the expert for smart household helpers offers at this price is really impressive. The T20 OMNI is not only on par with the company’s flagship X1 OMNI in pretty much every discipline. Sometimes it even does a few things better and thus compensates for the upper class device’s weaknesses. This already starts with small things like the main roller. This is now made entirely of rubber, which makes maintenance much easier. On top of that, Ecovacs increases the suction power from 5,000 pascals to a proud 6,000 pascals.
In my opinion, however, it’s the liftable wipe pads that make the difference. These ensure that the smart household helper no longer simply drives around carpets, but simply drives over them with raised wiping surfaces. On top of that, the base station ensures maximum hygiene with its 55 °C drying air. For costs that are 500 Euros less than the introductory price of the X1 OMNI, you really only have to cut back on the camera technology. However, if you don’t need this anyway, the T20 OMNI undoubtedly offers the best price-performance ratio by far at the moment.
ECOVACS T20 OMNI
Design & workmanship
Hardware
Usability
Value for money
96/100
The ECOVACS T20 OMNI could put the fear of God into the high-priced competition given its great performance.
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