Ecovacs has announced new additions to its budget-focused N-family line of robovacs. The Deebot N30 Omni includes a base station that can clean and dry the vacuum’s mopping heads, while the N20 Pro Plus’ dock can empty the robot’s dirt bin and store it in a plastic bin that eliminates the need for replaceable dust bags. Both robovacs debut at under $800.
The Deebot N30 Omni isn’t the cheapest robovac you can buy with mopping capabilities and a dock, but at $799.99, it includes features typically only found on autonomous cleaners well over $1,000, like the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra and the DreameBot X30 Ultra. The robot includes a spiral brush with a design that helps prevent long hairs from getting tangled around it and a pair of spinning mopping heads that can extend outward to clean closer to furniture or up against walls while also retracting when cleaning carpeting.
Ecovacs says the N30 Omni can map a “100-square-meter area” using laser-based lidar technology in about six minutes, allowing custom cleaning routines and schedules to be set up for individual rooms through the company’s mobile app, or using voice commands through a smart speaker. Its battery life is estimated to be upwards of 320 minutes in quiet mode, or up to 220 minutes in its more powerful (and louder) standard cleaning mode.
The Deebot N30 Omni Pro’s dock will apply fresh cleaning solution to its mopping heads.Image: Ecovacs
In addition to charging the robot, the Deebot N30 Omni’s docking station will clean the robovac’s mopheads, dry them with hot air blasted at 104 degrees Fahrenheit, and then dispense fresh cleaning solution onto each one. The dock includes a 2.6-liter dust bag for holding dirt and debris sucked out of the robot making for easier disposal, but it’s a consumable you’ll need to regularly replace.
The Deebot N20 Pro Plus’ docking station eliminates the need for replaceable dust bags.Image: Ecovacs
The $599.99 Deebot N20 Pro Plus is also able to determine its location in a space and avoid obstacles using a laser-based navigation system to create a map accessible through a mobile app. But it lacks voice controls, and its mopping capabilities lag behind the N30 Omni. It uses a large pad on the underside that vibrates to scrub stains as it passes over them, making it less effective at mopping close to edges. Its battery life is estimated to be upwards of 300 minutes, however, without compromises in suction power.
The N20 Pro Plus’ docking station can’t automatically refill the robovac’s 180 mL water tank, but it can empty the robot’s dirt bin using a cyclonic suction system that separates dust from larger debris to ensure it doesn’t lose suction as it fills, similar to what Dyson’s cleaning products rely on. Instead of bags, all of the dirt collected by the docking station is stored in a clear plastic bin so it’s easy to see when it needs to be emptied.
The Deebot N30 Omni is available now through Ecovacs’ website and Amazon. The Deebot N20 Pro Plus is available now through Ecovacs’ website, while a slightly cheaper $549.99 N20 Plus version, with a simpler mopping mechanism, is available through Amazon.
Original author: Andrew Liszewski