Ecovacs recently released their latest robot vacuum, the Ecovacs Deebot T30s. It lands in the mid-level price range, which means it isn’t their new flagship model – that title still belongs to the X2 Omni, their most expensive offering. Interestingly, however, our recent evaluations over the past few weeks reveal that the T30s outperforms the X2 Omni in several areas. Essentially, the Deebot T30s offers the experience of an Ecovacs flagship robot vacuum at a reduced cost, albeit with a few minor notable drawbacks that we’ll discuss in this Ecovacs Deebot T30s review.
The Ecovacs Deebot T30s
This Ecovacs robot vacuum is available in three packages: the T30s (what we bought), the T30s Combo, and the T30s Combo Complete.
The T30s is the standard model, while the Combo and Combo Complete include an onboard cordless vacuum. The T30s Combo Complete also comes with a wand attachment, which allows it to function as a stick vacuum for floors.
In contrast, the T30s Combo only has the handheld unit and attachments designed for above-floor cleaning jobs.
Ecovacs Deebot T30s review: evaluation and performance
For our Ecovacs Deebot T30s review, we put the robot vacuum through a series of evaluations to gauge its performance, and the results were very impressive.
Power
The T30s robot vacuum is significantly powerful. Ecovacs claims it has 11,000 pascals of suction, surpassing the X2 Omni’s 8,000 pascals. And in our suction and airflow evaluation, we confirmed this claim. The T30s not only has more suction but also more airflow than the X2. In fact, its airflow score is tied for the highest among nearly 100 modern robot vacuums we’ve evaluated.
Debris pick up
Ecovacs’s new robot vacuum mop combo also excels in debris pickup on both hard floors and carpets. It features a silicon main brush in a floating brush housing and a single side brush to sweep up debris.
On hard floors, it performed exceptionally well with debris of all sizes, from fine particles to extra-large pieces. It showed the same high performance on carpets, handling everything without issues.
Mopping
The Ecovacs Deebot T30s also has impressive mopping abilities. It features two spinning mop pads that exert 6 Newtons of downward pressure, performing remarkably well even on tough stains like dried coffee and grape juice. It also did really well in our glow-in-the-dark wet evaluation.
This robot vacuum mop combo also has a new mop pad feature called TruEdge Adaptive Edge Mopping, where one mop pad extends automatically for better coverage of edges and corners, matching the performance of more expensive models.
Interestingly, this feature can be turned on continuously, although it initially leaves the middle of the robot’s path unmopped. However, the app suggests this approach is more efficient in the long run, though we did not evaluate this aspect.
Ecovacs Deebot T30s robot vacuum features
Omni station
A major advantage of the T30s is its all-in-one Omni Station. This station not only automatically empties the vacuum’s dust bin into a disposable bag but also offers 158-degree hot water mop pad washing, auto water refilling, and hot air drying.
Additionally, the station includes an internal sensor that detects how dirty the mop water is, so it knows if the mop pads need extra washing or if the floors require extra mopping.
There’s also a removable tray, which is another newer feature that allows for easy cleanup.
Lifting mop pads
The T30s automatically lifts its mop pads up to nine millimeters whenever it senses carpets, preventing them from getting wet during vacuuming.
While this is not as high as the X2’s 15-millimeter lift, making the T30s pads more likely to touch longer pile carpets, there is a solution. The app allows you to vacuum carpets first while the pads are still dry, then return to the base to wet the pads for vacuuming and mopping hard floors.
Obstacle Avoidance system
Another notable advantage of the T30s is the excellent obstacle avoidance system. It uses a 3D structured light system and two crossed lasers mounted at the front to detect objects.
Unlike the top-of-the-line X2 Omni, which also uses a camera along with these sensors, the T30s relies solely on these advanced sensors. It also performed slightly better than the X2 in obstacle avoidance during our evaluations, much to our surprise.
However, we had to enable high sensitivity in the app to achieve optimal results. That should probably be the default setting.
Navigation
The Deebot T30s has an impressive navigation system. It uses a top-mounted LiDAR sensor, unlike the internal LiDAR sensor on the Deebot X2 Omni, which we are not a fan of. It also has fast mopping and mapped our floor plans in under five minutes. It achieved one of the highest navigation efficiency scores on record, significantly above average.
However, there were a few issues, such as an incomplete room cleaning during one run and an unexplained instance of getting stuck. But despite these minor setbacks, the T30s excelled in coverage and general navigation.
App features
As for app features, the Ecovacs Deebot T30s has many strong ones. It has virtual barriers, multi-level mapping, room and zone cleaning, and various options to adjust bin emptying and mopping settings. Additionally, it comes with 3D mapping and an advanced voice assistant.
Essentially, this robot vacuum mop combo provides all the functionalities of the top-tier X2 except for camera-based features. For example, there’s no live video monitoring because the T30s doesn’t have a camera.
Cons of the Ecovacs Deebot T30s robot vacuum
While the Deebot T30s boasts numerous strengths, it may not meet everyone’s expectations. So, it’s good to understand its limitations before purchasing. Here are some potential drawbacks to consider.
Crevice pickup evaluation
Despite its impressive raw power, the T30s didn’t excel in all practical evaluations. During the crevice pickup test, its performance was just about average.
Carpet deep clean evaluation
In our carpet deep clean evaluation, which measures the vacuum’s ability to pick up deeply embedded debris like sand, the T30s performed slightly below average. While its performance wasn’t terrible and was similar to the X2, we had higher expectations for this feature.
Hair tangles
Even though the Deebot T30s’ new feature is designed to remove hair from its brush roll automatically, our evaluations showed it wasn’t very effective. However, it’s worth noting that this feature is meant to work gradually by combing hair out of the brush over time. Our evaluating conditions might not have allowed sufficient time for this process. So you should take our result in this area with a grain of salt.
Battery efficiency
Another consideration is its battery efficiency. Ecovacs claims the T30s has a 180-minute battery life on low power, which is lower than the X2 but still higher than average. However, in our battery efficiency evaluation, which involves running the robot vacuum on all power settings over a fixed floor plan, the T30s performed slightly below average.
The Ecovacs Deebot T30s: value and final thoughts
Ultimately, the T30s stands out for its value in the mid-level price range and it currently has a place in our Best Robot Vacuums list. It offers a fully automated floor care system with most features found in top-tier robot vacuums at a reasonable price, with only minor sacrifices. Still, you should consider any potential deal-breakers that might have been overlooked. All in all, if you want a robot vacuum that provides premium features without hurting your wallet, the T30s may be the one for your home.
