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My favorite smart lamp now doubles as a speaker with JBL sound – here’s how it performs
2:59 pm | September 15, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Smart Home Smart Lights | Tags: | Comments: Off

Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL review

The Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL is a smart lamp and Bluetooth speaker combo that enables you to switch up the vibe in moments.

Available to purchase directly from the Govee website or at Amazon, the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL has a list price of $179.99 / £169.99. While the price is certainly on the steep side, if you’re already a big Govee fan and want to save space by incorporating a speaker into your smart light setup, this would be a good way to go about it.

Having said that, the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL already been subject to a $20 / £20 discount in the Govee Fall sale, which sweetens the deal a little. That's despite the fact that it has only been available in the US for around 11 weeks, and less than a week in the UK, at the time of writing.

The Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL is emitting a warm white light.

(Image credit: Future)

Being so used to the Govee Table Lamp 2, which I happen to have two of, the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL looks a little on the chonky side. This is understandable, considering it’s packing a speaker and a 5,200mAh rechargeable battery, which can provide up to four and a half hours of playback if the volume and brightness are set to fifty percent.

There’s a notable difference between the US and UK models when it comes to the power cable. The connector is set at a 90-degree angle in both cases, as the power port is located on the bottom of the lamp, but the US uses a small DC connector, and the UK uses USB-C.

More importantly, the cable for the US model is moulded to a US plug, so you can just plug and play; but in the UK, a USB-C cable is all that’s included, so I needed to source an adapter with a minimum of 35W for it to run efficiently. The first adapter I had to hand turned out to be too low-powered, and the lamp was clearly unimpressed.

A view of the DC connector and power cable of the American model of the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL.

(Image credit: Future)

Getting the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL synced with the app and with the WiFi networks in the office and at home was a quick and simple process. There are two separate Bluetooth connections, one for the lamp itself and one for the speaker. I found this a little inconvenient at times, as it seemed I needed to reconnect the speaker in my phone’s Bluetooth settings whenever I’d been out of the room. But overall, it makes sense that it’s set up this way, as one may want to listen to music on their headphones while still enjoying the features of the lamp.

A close-up of the speaker and controls on the top of the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL.

(Image credit: Future)

There are two elements of the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL’s design that provide eye-catching lighting effects. These are the main body of the lamp, as you’d expect, but also the base, thanks to its clever reflective design. Both elements can be used independently or together, so you can have your lighting effects as stand-out or as subtle as you’d like.

The control panel on the top of the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL was simple to use, with a push power button and four touch buttons for the speakers' volume controls, playing and pausing, and a button for cycling through nine customizable presets.

A close-up of the base of the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL, which is reflecting the purple lights from above.

(Image credit: Future)

My favorite way to control the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL – and all the Govee products I’ve tested, actually – is by taking advantage of the voice control via my Echo Dot (5th Gen) or hopping onto the feature-packed Govee Home app.

If you’ve already read some of my other product reviews, such as the highly rated Govee Neon Rope Light 2, you’ll already have some idea of how fond I am of the Govee Home app.

Along with the run-of-the-mill power, brightness, and volume controls, it also boasts over 100 preset scenes, with themes ranging from the ocean to the universe. The Govee Home app offers opportunities to get creative with lighting effects, too, with a finger sketch feature that allows you to decorate the canvas with random colors or drawings before choosing a motion setting and speed, as well as an AI effect generator.

One small niggle I have stems from the preset audio that plays by default when some of the scenes are selected. I found some of them to be somewhat irritating, especially if they caught me by surprise when cycling through the default presets using the onboard controls. Fortunately, they can be disabled in the app, but only one at a time, so I had to go through and turn them off for all of my favorite scenes that were afflicted.

The Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL is shown in a dark room and is showing a pink and purple sunset effect.

(Image credit: Future)

The audio quality was as I expected from a JBL speaker, by which I mean it was a solid performer. The treble sounds clean, and I could hear a good level of definition in the high-pitched percussion in the background of Sunny Days by Kolter. The bass lacks some impact, but it still has a good weight to it and isn’t bad going, considering the price. Unless you happen to be an audiophile, you’ll probably be perfectly happy with the audio quality on offer here.

The Dynamic Music feature added some fun when listening to music, especially the Gridding and Ripple effects, and was enjoyed by everyone in my office. I did notice they can struggle to hit the right notes if the track has a lot of different elements, but it’s nonetheless a fun dynamic effect, especially when paired with bass-heavy tracks.

A woman is pressing one of the touch buttons on the top of the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL.

(Image credit: Future)

Overall, the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL offers eye-catching and day-brightening lighting effects and a satisfying-sounding speaker for the price. So, if you love the look of the Govee Table Lamp 2 and want a solid speaker to listen to tunes, podcasts, or audiobooks, then you’ll be happy wth the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL.

If you’re in the mood to check out more ambience-altering lighting, then why not take a look at our pick of the best smart lights?

Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL review: Price and specs

Price

$179.99 / £169.99

Model

H6020

Colors

Lamp Body: RGBICWW, Base: RGBIC

Lumens

600

Dimensions

6.1 x 6.1 x 10.1 inches / 18.9 x 18.9 x 34cm

Connectivity

2.4GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth

App

Yes

Control methods

Alexa, Google Home, Matter, IFTTT, Apple Watch, Razer

Speaker

Sound by JBL 2.5-inch 500cc full-range speaker

Additional features

Rechargeable battery

Should I buy the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL?

Buy it if...

You want a fun and feature-packed smart light
Thanks to its rechargeable battery, voice control, and the many eye-catching preset scenes and customizable lighting effects, there’s a lot to appreciate here.

You want a smart light and Bluetooth speaker in one
The combination of pretty lighting effects and satisfying audio makes this a versatile smart lamp, whether you have it at your bedside or in your living space.

Don't buy it if...

You don’t want to be interrupted by random audio
The default sounds linked to some of the preset scenes may prove a little irritating.

You want a subtle smart lamp
Whether it’s lit up in bright colors or being used as a reading light, the built-in speaker makes this a pretty hefty smart lamp.

Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL review: Also consider

Govee Table Lamp 2
If you’re more interested in the smart lighting effects than the audio element of the Table Lamp 2 Pro, then I recommend checking out the previous model. With most of the same features, including a bucket load of preset scenes, customization, and voice control via smart home hubs, the Govee Table Lamp 2 has a lot to offer. Plus, its list price is $100 / £100 cheaper. For more details, and to learn why I awarded it 4.5 stars, check out my full Govee Table Lamp 2 review.

How I tested the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL

  • I tested the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL for a couple of weeks
  • I tested the different features and customizable settings
  • I observed its performance as a smart light and as a speaker

I used the Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL on my desk and next to my bed for a couple of weeks.

I followed the setup process on the Govee Home app and explored its features, testing how different scenes looked, and used the creative features to create my own.

I tested the audio quality by listening to different genres of music and bumping up the volume to assess the output at higher levels.

This WiZ smart bulb may not be the brightest, but its colorful LED filament puts a modern twist on a vintage classic
12:00 am | September 7, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Smart Home Smart Lights | Tags: | Comments: Off

WiZ Filament Bulb review

The WiZ Filament Bulb Clear 25W ST19 E26 is a color-changing smart bulb that features a coiled LED strip in place of a traditional filament.

It’s available in the US and the UK under slightly different names to reflect the difference in wattage, bulb shape, and fitment, but they have the same feature set and look very similar.

Known as the WiZ Filament Bulb Clear 25W ST19 E26 in the US, or the WiZ Filament Bulb Clear 40 W ST64 E27 in the UK, it has a list price of $32.99 / £27.99, and can be found at WiZ and Amazon.

I love the Filament Bulb’s classic shape, and was pleased to find that it didn’t feel overly fragile. I have mixed opinions about the coiled LED strip. I found it looked nice in warmer whites and red, but due to the combination of different colored LEDs, it proved a bit of an eyesore when in other colors, with the brightness turned up when using it in my lamp.

If you want a light that can light up a room in addition to providing some nice mood lighting, then this bulb won’t be suitable. It’ll just about do as a reading light if your book is positioned right next to it, but it’s not ideal – although I believe this is often the case due to the nature of filament-style bulbs.

The WiZ filament bulb is lit up red on a concrete lamp base.

(Image credit: Future)

While it looks pretty on certain settings, the width of the LED strip may prove off-putting if you’re looking for a more authentic-looking filament bulb. If so, you may be better off looking for a non-color filament-style alternative, which you can also find from WiZ, Philips Hue, and various other brands.

The Filament Bulb was pleasingly straightforward to sync with the WiZ V2 app, as it was automatically detected, and it connected to my Wi-Fi quickly and without any fuss.

The LEDs are clearly visible on the strip inside the WiZ filament bulb.

(Image credit: Future)

Unfortunately, the WiZ V2 app isn’t as intuitive as the Govee and Nanoleaf companion apps – although it would take a lot for an app to compare to the Govee Home app, which you’ll have probably guessed if you’ve already read my review of the Govee Table Lamp 2. Despite this, the WiZ V2 app provides access to a variety of useful functions, such as the control menu, which offers some static presets that include warm and cool options, and night, TV, and relax lighting modes, along with a few others.

I could also choose hues from a color graph, adjust the color temperature using a slider, or choose one of the twenty-five dynamic presets, each offering different color palettes and motions. I could also alter the speed of the color changes, though this adjustment was applied to all of the dynamic presets, rather than individually.

The WiZ filament bulb is lit up green.

(Image credit: Future)

The brightness was easy to adjust using a slider on the home screen or when adjusting settings in the control menu. Thanks to the rhythm function, which I set to change between different modes based on the local time, I was able to get the brightness and color temperature to adjust automatically throughout the day. There’s also a schedule feature, which I used to get the Filament Bulb to turn off at a set time.

I found the Filament Bulb could be slow to respond when switching between the Dynamic lights. And it was also a bit long-winded applying each one, as it asked me which room I wanted to apply it to each time, despite only having one setup. But I could set four of my preferred light settings on the home screen, up to eighteen in the quick action folder, or save them as scenes, so at least the process was quicker once I’d picked my favorites.

The WiZ filament bulb is emitting a warm white.

(Image credit: Future)

On the subject of scenes, I found it far more efficient to fine-tune the lighting effect I wanted in the control menu before saving it as a scene. While the same settings are available when creating a new scene, the bulb didn’t immediately reflect any changes I made. Instead I would only get to check the result after creating and enabling the new scene, which wasn’t ideal, meaning it was often better to tweak the lighting settings first.

Connecting the Filament Bulb to my Echo Dot (5th Gen) was nice and simple, as it was automatically detected by my Alexa app. I needed to put the Filament Bulb into pairing mode, which was a case of switching the light off and on until it began to pulse blue, and the syncing process took just moments to complete. I could then use voice commands to get the Filament Bulb to change colors, temperature, and brightness, which was very convenient, especially as my requested changes were applied promptly.

The WiZ filament bulb is pictured switched off on a concrete lamp.

(Image credit: Future)

Despite the disappointing elements of the app, once I’d fine-tuned the lighting effects and set up the automations and voice control, I quite enjoyed testing the Filament Bulb. Overall, I was pleased with the quality for the price. So, if you’re looking for a vintage-style bulb with modern smart features and want to change up the ambience with a little color, it’s worth checking out the WiZ Filament Bulb Clear 25W ST19 E26.

If you love smart lighting as much as I do and want to explore some other fantastic options, then I highly recommend checking out our best smart lights buying guide.

WiZ Filament Bulb review: Price and specs

Price

$32.99 / £27.99

Model

US: Filament Globe Clear 25W ST19 E26

UK: Filament Bulb Clear 40 W ST64 E27

Colors

Multicolor

Lumens

US: 300 / UK: 470

Temperature

US: 1800-2100K / UK: 2200-6500K

Connectivity

2.4GHz WiFi, Bluetooth

App

Yes

Voice control

Yes

Dimmable

Yes, using the app

Additional features

Matter compatible, motion sensor (with 2+ bulbs)

Should I buy the WiZ Filament Bulb?

Buy it if...

You want vintage style with modern features
The shape of the bulb is gorgeous, and while the coiled LED isn’t exactly traditional, it has its own charm in the right setting. This, combined with the smart features, makes it an eye-catching choice.

You want automation and voice control
The rhythms and schedules are easy to set up and work well, and controlling the light becomes pretty effortless when synced to smart home devices like Alexa.

Don't buy it if...

You want to light up the room
This bulb’s definitely destined for mood lighting rather than illuminating a space, so it wouldn’t be the brightest choice if you plan to use it as a solo pendant light.

You want a traditional-looking filament
Although the LED strip allows for colorful lighting effects, it has a noticeably different aesthetic compared to white filament-style smart bulbs.

WiZ Filament Bulb review: Also consider

Nanoleaf Matter Essentials smart bulb
If you’re looking for an alternative smart light with a difference, this Nanoleaf bulb may do the trick, thanks to its quirky faceted bulb. It’s cheaper than the WiZ Filament Bulb, yet also Matter compatible, vividly colorful, and can mirror your PC or Mac screen when used with the desktop app. If you’d like the learn more, check out our full Nanoleaf Matter Essentials smart bulb review.

How I tested the WiZ Filament Bulb

  • I tested the WiZ Filament Bulb for one week
  • I tested the different features and customizable settings
  • I observed its performance and brightness levels

I used the WiZ Filament Bulb on my desk in my office and in my living room. I screwed the bulb into a table lamp before powering it on and evaluating the setup process on the WiZ V2 companion app.

I explored the features, testing how different colors and settings looked, and created my own presets and scenes. I also tested how bright the bulb was both in daylight and in a dark room.

I synced the WiZ Filament Bulb with my Alexa app to check how straightforward the process was and to test out voice commands, which I did by altering the brightness, colors, and powering the bulb on and off.

I upgraded to the Blink Video Doorbell (Gen 2), and it’s one of the easiest security systems I’ve ever installed
1:39 pm | September 1, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Home Security Smart Home | Tags: | Comments: Off

Blink Video Doorbell (Gen 2) and Sync Module Core: two-minute review

The days of traditional ‘analog’ doorbells connected via wires to an internal chime are fast coming to an end. Increasingly, people are turning to video doorbells, which will send an alert to your mobile phone when someone comes to the door. They will even act as an intercom so you can talk to whoever is there whether you are in the house, walking the dog or sitting on a beach.

Like its predecessor, the Blink Video Doorbell doesn’t come with its own indoor chime. Instead, you can pair it with a Blink Mini 2 camera (sold separately) or connect via the Alexa app on your phone to a Fire Stick or Amazon Echo Show. This will allow you to see who is at the front door on your TV screen/multimedia display or you can get a voice message via your Amazon Echo Dot when someone presses the doorbell.

Alternatively, it may be possible to connect existing doorbell wiring from the Blink Video Doorbell to a legacy indoor chime providing its rated between 16 and 24 volts. Batteries are required for use whether you use existing doorbell wiring or not.

Split image showing back and front of Blink Video Doorbell Gen 2

The Blink Video Doorbell (Gen 2) uses three AA lithium batteries (Image credit: Chris Price)

What I like about Blink devices is just how easy they are to add to an existing system. I’ve already got several Blink cameras around the house so adding one more was simply a case of scanning the QR code on the back of the device and adding it to the home set up. However, if you’ve never installed a Blink camera before you will need to download the app (Android or iPhone) as well as connect the sync module provided to your broadband router (this acts as a hub for up to 10 Blink security devices).

Unfortunately, as the one supplied isn’t compatible with local storage via a connected USB flash drive, you will need to pay a monthly subscription for storing video footage and accessing the latest features – see subscription options below.

When it comes to mounting the video doorbell on the door there are two options. You can either use the standard flat mount or a wedge mount if you are placing it on a door architrave. As I was replacing the previous Blink video doorbell (Gen 1) I was hoping I could re-use the mount from that one to save time on installation. However, that wasn’t possible because this unit is a slightly different size.

Instead I used the black mount provided for the black video doorbell supplied by the manufacturer (a white version with white mount is also available). At least I didn’t have to screw two new holes in the wood as they’re positioned in the same place on the mount as the previous version.

Blink Video Doorbell Gen 2 and hub in packaging

Installing the Blink Video Doorbell (Gen 2) is very straightforward, particularly if you already have other Blink devices at home (Image credit: Chris Price)

Once installed, controlling the camera is simply a case of using the Blink app. One of the main differences between this model and its predecessor is the camera’s lens, in particular the aspect ratio. Whereas the previous model offered a more conventional 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio with 1080p resolution, the new video doorbell boats a square 1:1 aspect ratio with improved 1440p resolution.

It also offers a larger field of vision (150 degrees horizontal and 150 degrees vertical) compared to 135 degrees horizontal and just 80 degrees vertical on the previous model. The result is that not only is it possible to get a head-to-toe image of someone coming to the door, you can also view the ground – handy to see any deliveries that have been left outside your front door.

Setting up Blink Video Doorbell Gen 2 in app

The in-app setup process is very simple (Image credit: Chris Price)

Certainly the 1:1 aspect ratio does take a little bit of getting used to, especially the square shape on the Blink home page next to all of the other more conventional widescreen cameras. However, it’s worth bearing in mind that, because the field of view is so much bigger than its predecessor you will need to reduce the device’s sensitivity, especially if you are paying for the Blink subscription with AI-powered Smart Detection.

Otherwise, you may well record every person and vehicle that goes past your house as well as those who come to the door. Not only will this severely reduce the lifespan of the batteries, it is also highly annoying to get pointless alerts every few minutes.

Blink Video Doorbell (Gen 2) and Sync Module Core: subscription options

There are two different subscription plans available depending on the number of Blink devices you own, and which features you require.

Location

Blink Basic Plan

Blink Plus Plan

US

$3/month per device, or subscribe via Amazon for $30/year

$10/month for unlimited devices or subscribe via Amazon for $100/year

UK

£2.50/month per device, or subscribe via Amazon for £24.99/year.

£8/month for unlimited devices or subscribe via Amazon for £80/year

Australia

AU$4.95/month per device, or subscribe via Amazon for AU$49.95/year

AU$15/month for unlimited devices or subscribe via Amazon for AU$150/year

Blink Video Doorbell (Gen 2) and Sync Module Core: price and availability

  • List price $69.99 / £59.99 (about AU$110)
  • Launched August 2025 with Sync Module
  • Currently available in UK and US (not Australia)

With its second-generation video doorbell, Blink has managed to maintain the same $69.99 / £59.99 price point as the original video doorbell (you can now buy the earlier model for under £30 on Amazon in the UK without the sync module). Really, it’s exceptional value for money, much cheaper than a Ring video doorbell device, despite the two companies sharing Amazon ownership.

However, it's not available in Australia at the time of writing, and it’s worth bearing in mind that if you want to benefit from the full functionality of the device, including the ability to store video clips, you will need to pay for a subscription costing from $3 / £2.50 a month. That’s because - unlike the first video doorbell which incorporated a sync module with the option of adding local storage – it’s not the case with the second-generation model.

Video captured by Blink Video Doorbell Gen 2

You won't be able to store videos recorded by the Blink Video Doorbell (Gen 2) on the Sync Module Core (Image credit: Chris Price)

Instead of the Sync Module 2, the second-generation Blink video doorbell features the more basic Sync Module Core. Personally, I find that a little bit cheeky, but then at least the monthly subscription fees are cheaper than most of the rivals (Ring subscription plans start at $4.99 / £4.99 a month).

In addition to unlimited cloud video storage, the Blink subscription package includes Blink Moments which stitches together multiple events from multiple cameras into one video. Then there’s AI-Powered Smart Detection which tells you whether the camera has captured a person coming to the door/walking past your house, or a vehicle in your driveway/driving along the road. To reduce the amount of footage captured, which can be quite overwhelming, we recommend reducing the device’s sensitivity and also editing the ‘motion zones’ (areas of the frame that are active or private).

  • Value score: 4/5

Blink Video Doorbell (Gen 2) and Sync Module Core: design

  • Easy-to-install mounting bracket
  • Chunky design
  • Available in white or black

Blink cameras are renowned for being some of the most compact and lightweight devices on the market. However, the Blink Video Doorbell (Gen 2) is a little bit of an exception. Tipping the scales at 4oz/113g, it’s both heavier than the first-generation model (3.2oz/91g) and also a little thicker too at 1.44in/36.6mm compared to 1inch/27mm.

The main reason for this, of course, is that the new model incorporates space for three AA lithium batteries whereas the original model featured just two batteries. In turn, this means that battery life is much longer though it’s unlikely to be as long as the two-year lifespan that Blink’s marketing suggests.

Like its predecessor, two colour options are available (white or black) and there are two types of mount – one for placing flat on the door frame and another for mounting on a door architrave. Using the standard mount with the screws provided, it only takes around five minutes to install wirelessly, although if you are connecting to existing doorbell wiring the process is much longer. Since there's no built-in chime, you'll need to connect it to Alexa devices or buy a Blink Mini 2 camera to hear the doorbell indoors.

Blink Video Doorbell Gen 2 with mount components

It only took around five minutes to install the doorbell with the included mount (Image credit: Chris Price)

Looks-wise, the second-generation model is a little different from its predecessor with a larger oval shaped button in the middle, compared to the round button on the first generation model. Recording is also more subtle with a small blue light on the top right indicating when video is being captured, rather than the area around the central button becoming illuminated in blue.

When the button in the centre is pushed by a visitor, it illuminates white and a message is sent to the connected phone telling you ‘someone is at the door’. As with the first-generation model, the doorbell sits inside a bracket but can be removed for changing batteries etc. by inserting a small metal ‘key’ in the base. It is also rated IP-65 weather resistant which offers greater protection against the elements than the previous model which was only IP-54 rated.

  • Design score: 4/5

Blink Video Doorbell (Gen 2) and Sync Module Core: performance

  • Good image quality (especially in Best mode)
  • Stable video connection
  • Overly sensitive camera

There’s no question that when it comes to performance Blink has upped its game with this second gen model. The first one was certainly OK, but not as good as some of the admittedly more expensive video doorbells from companies such as Ring. However, in nearly every respect, the Gen 2 model offers better performance than its predecessor.

Not only does it have a wider field of horizontal view (150 degrees compared to 135 degrees for the first model), it also offers a 150-degrees vertical field of view for a perfectly square 1:1 aspect ratio image. At first I thought that was a bit odd, but having used it for a little while it’s incredibly useful. Not only can you see an entire head-to-toe image of someone at the door you can also see if a parcel has been left on your doorstep.

Whereas the previous model offered 1080p video resolution, the second-generation model boasts improved 1440p video resolution. Three video quality settings are on board (Best, Standard, and Saver). I settled on Best as it’s good to be able to see details more clearly although this will obviously reduce battery life. The second-generation model also offers improved night vision.

Of course, it’s not all good news. The downside of the camera lens being much bigger is that it also collects much more footage – too much. Blink cameras are known for being sensitive anyway and this latest model is no exception.

Setting privacy zones for Blink Video Doorbell Gen 2 using app

Even with privacy zones set up, I found it necessary to dial the sensitivity right down to avoid false alerts (Image credit: Chris Price)

With motion sensitivity set to five, I found the camera was recording around 100 events a day, most of them of people walking their dog past the house or delivery vans going by. Even with the ‘privacy zones’ set up to block out the extremes of the frame (including areas of sky) the camera was still extremely active. In the end it was necessary to reduce sensitivity to just two out of 10 so it only captured people actually coming to the door.

Finally, it’s worth mentioning the sync module. Whereas the previous model included the Sync Module 2 with a USB socket so you could insert a USB flash drive for storing video clips, this model comes with the Sync Module Core without local storage. Essentially this means if you want to store video clips you will need to pay a subscription of at least $3 / £2.50 a month.

  • Performance score: 4.5/5

Should you buy the Blink Video Doorbell (Gen 2) and Sync Module Core?

Blink Video Doorbell (Gen 2) score card

Attribute

Notes

Score

Value

This video doorbell represents pretty good value for money. Even the monthly subscription charge for premium features is around half the price of some devices.

4/5

Design

Available in black or white, the Blink doorbell is a much bulkier model than its predecessor. It is accompanied by a small sync module which connects to your router.

4/5

Performance

Although the motion sensor is a little overly-sensitive, performance is very good indeed particularly the 1:1 aspect ratio for ‘head-to-toe’ video capture.

4.5/5

Overall

When it comes to performance Blink have upped their game with improved quality images and longer battery life. Just a shame the supplied sync module can’t be used for storing clips.

4.5/5

Buy it if

You already have a Blink camera

The software makes it easy to use the video doorbell as part of a Blink home security system comprising indoor and outdoor cameras.

You want a wide viewing angle

One of the main benefits of the latest Blink camera is the head-to-toe viewing angle so you can see whoever comes to the door and the parcels that are left on the doorstep.

Don't buy it if

You need a separate chime indoors

The Blink doesn’t come with a chime so you will need to turn up the volume of the device or rely on either a separate Blink camera or connect to Alexa-enabled device.

You don’t want to buy expensive batteries

With this model you will need to buy three expensive Lithium AA batteries. Blink claims up to two years’ battery life but it’s likely to be a lot shorter.

Blink Video Doorbell (Gen 2) and Sync Module Core: also consider

Product

Blink Video Doorbell (Gen 2) and Sync Module

Blink Video Doorbell (Gen 1) and Sync Module

Yale Smart Video Doorbell and Doorbell Chime

Ring Battery Video Doorbell Plus

Subscription price

From £2.50 a month

From £2.50 a month

From £3.50 a month

From £4.99 a month

Viewing angle

150 degrees horizontal

135 degrees horizontal

154 degrees horizontal

150 degrees horizontal

Network connection

Wi-Fi (2.4GHz)

Wi-Fi (2.4GHz)

Wi-Fi (2.4GHz)

Wi-Fi (2.4GHz)

Audio

Two-way audio

Two-way audio

Two-way audio

Two-way audio

Video

1440p Full HD resolution

1080p Full HD resolution

1080p Full HD resolution

1536p Full HD resolution

Power

Battery

Battery

Mains or battery

Battery

Hardware price

£59 (with Sync Module Core)

£59 (with Sync Module 2)

£129 (video doorbell), £29 (chime)

£129 (video doorbell), £139 (with basic chime)

If you're not sure whether the Blink Video Doorbell (Gen 2) and Sync Module Core are the right combo for you, here are two other options to consider.

Ring Battery Video Doorbell Plus

Amazon-owned Ring has firmly established itself as the ‘go to’ company for video doorbells. It offers several models including this wire-free model which also features a head-to-toe view.

Read our full Ring Battery Video Doorbell Plus review

Yale Smart Video Doorbell and Doorbell Chime

A solidly built video doorbell, the Yale device offers good image and sound quality. However, streaming recorded content and speaking to people at the door can be a little slow.

Read our full Yale Smart Video Doorbell review

How I tested the Blink Video Doorbell (Gen 2) and Sync Module Core

  • I used the doorbell every day for 10 days
  • I installed it myself
  • The doorbell was set up on the front door facing towards the road

To test a video doorbell properly you need to use it as part of your home system. Fortunately, I already have other Blink cameras so adding another one was particularly straightforward. But even if I didn’t then downloading the app would have been easy enough.

Installation takes around 15 minutes or so, requiring a screw driver to attach the mount to the door frame before positioning the camera in place. It’s roughly the same size as the previous one, in terms of length and width, so thankfully I didn’t have to worry about unsightly screw holes all over the door frame.

Blink Video Doorbell Gen 2 mounted beside purple door

The new Blink Video Doorbell is roughly the same height and width as its predecessor, so I didn't have to worry about messy screw holes when I upgraded (Image credit: Chris Price)

During the period of testing, I really began to appreciate the device’s head-to-toe viewing. I get a lot of deliveries, so being able to see if they have been left on the doorstep when I’m out is handy. Another bonus is the additional power that having another AA battery brings.

Whereas the previous model relied on two lithium AA batteries that had to be changed every three months, this one has three. However, I think it’s extremely unlikely these will last two years as Blink claims in its marketing blurb. I’m pretty sure I’ll be changing the batteries again in six months time given how sensitive the camera’s motion sensor is!.

For more details, see how we test, review, and rate products at TechRadar.

First reviewed August 2025

I tested this robot mower on the biggest lawn I could find – and it was fast, accurate and a dream to control
1:51 pm | August 30, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Smart Home | Tags: , , | Comments: Off

Segway Navimow X3 Series: two-minute review

The Segway Navimow X3 Series robot lawn mowers are built specifically for sizeable lawns. And when I say sizeable, I mean sizeable – the range covers lawns from 0.5 acres / 1,500 square meters right up to a massive 2.5 acres / 10,000 square meters. To make them suitable for such vast spaces, these bots are designed to operate quickly, efficiently and accurately, with batteries capacious enough to allow for long mowing periods, without having to make the arduous journey back to the dock to recharge.

To see if this lawnbot could deliver on these promises, I sought out the largest yard I knew of. The lawn at my sister's home, measures around 1,000 square meters / 0.25 acre (although Segway sent me the X350, which is designed for even larger areas still). The first thing I was struck by is the speed of the mower. It rolls along at quite the pace, navigating with confidence, even when traversing under trees.

The lawnbot itself is really quite large (and the same size as the other X3 Series models), but if you have a lawn big enough to need one, that's not going to matter so much. It feels solid and high quality, with a friendly orange and grey color scheme and slightly retro-feeling dot-matrix screen to provide key information.

Segway Navimow X350 on reviewer's lawn

(Image credit: Future)

A big reason as to why the experience of using the Segway Navimow X3 Series is so enjoyable is down to the design of the companion app. It's intuitive to use, walking you clearly through all the steps required to complete each process, and providing background information – rather than leaving you to figure things out by yourself. There are plenty of setting options to explore, and planning a schedule is straightforward.

In terms of performance, I had no issues. Throughout the test period, the bot behaved exactly as I'd hoped, mowing neatly and within boundaries, taking a logical route and never missing any spots. It also reliably avoided medium (soccer ball-sized) obstacles, although it did mow over a satsuma-sized ball (understandable, given it was sitting below camera height). Since this bot is two-wheel drive rather than four-wheel, it might struggle with especially rough terrain; but for the average yard, it will be absolutely fine.

Overall, a very strong recommendation for those looking for an efficient, fuss-free mower to take care of larger lawns. That's the short version; read on for my full Segway Navimow X3 Series review.

Segway Navimow X3 review: price & availability

  • List price: from $2,299 / £2,199
  • Available: US, UK, AU
  • Launched: Spring 2025

The Segway Navimow X3 Series was unveiled in spring 2025, and is available to buy in various countries including the US, UK and Australia. You can only purchase direct from Segway Navimow in the US, and in general these lawnbots aren't stocked widely online (you won't be adding one to your Amazon Prime order). Instead, you might need to check the Segway Navimow site for distributors local to you.

When it comes to pricing, brace yourself: the Segway Navimow X3 Series doesn't come cheap. The cheapest in the lineup costs $2,299 / £2,199 at list price, and the priciest is $4,999 / £4,299. That's a significant investment, and if you don't have a large yard – or a yearning for ultra-speedy mowing – there are plenty more affordable alternatives. However, for those in need of large-scale mowing, the Navimow's pricing isn't too far away from what you'd pay elsewhere on the market.

Let's say you want something for a 1-acre / 3,000m² lawn. The Mammotion LUBA 2 AWD 3000 costs $2,499 / £2,549 at list price, and the Navimow X330 is $2,799 / £2,599. The LUBA 2 has slightly more advanced features all round, including all-wheel drive and two cutting decks, which makes it a better-value buy at full price. Nevertheless, both are excellent, advanced, high-quality lawnbots.

Overall, my experience with the Navimow X3 series was extremely positive, and it felt well built and thoughtfully designed, so I think for large lawns it's worth the investment.

  • Value for money score: 4 out of 5

Segway Navimow X3 specs

Segway Navimow X350 (reviewed)

Segway Navimow X315 (cheapest)

Recommended lawn size:

1.5 acres / 5,000m²

0.5 acre / 1,500㎡

Cutting width:

9.3in / 23.7cm

9.3in / 23.7cm

Cutting height:

0.8-2.8in / 2-7cm

0.8-2.8in / 2-7cm

Drivetrain:

2-wheel drive

2-wheel drive

Incline ability:

50% / 27 degrees

50% / 27 degrees

Waterproof:

IP66

IP66

Lawnbot size (L x W x H):

27.5 x 21.7 x 12.1in / 69.8 x 55 x 30.7cm

27.5 x 21.7 x 12.1in / 69.8 x 55 x 30.7cm

Lawnbot weight:

43.7 lbs / 19.8kg

43.2 lbs / 19.6kg

Charge time:

80 mins

60 mins

Mowing time per charge:

200 mins

120 mins

Cutting blades:

6

6

Segway Navimow X3 review: design

  • Available in versions with different batteries for different lawn sizes
  • On-bot info via a screen, and cameras on three sides for obstacle avoidance
  • Comes with RTK receiver (option to add a second) and charge station

The Segway Navimow X3 Series is a big bot for big lawns. There are a few options in the lineup, all of which are identical in design and specs, except the ones at the top end of the range have a bigger battery and as such are suitable for larger areas. These are the options:

Model

Recommended mowing area

Runtime per charge

Charge time

X315

0.5 acre / 1,500m²

120 mins

60 mins

X330

1 acre / 3,000m²

160 mins

65 mins

X350 (tested)

1.5 acres / 5,000m²

200 mins

80 mins

X390

2.5 acres 10,000m²

240 mins

100 mins

Moving on to the lawnbot itself, and the brand has opted for a friendly look, with a dark gray and bright orange color scheme, and a dot matrix screen to provide key information in real time. On test I found this limited in its practical usefulness, although it is quite fun. There are physical buttons for Go, On/OK and Return to charge, plus a big emergency stop button. However, for the most part you'll be controlling the bot via the companion app, which I'll cover in detail in a separate App section below (there's also support for voice control via Alexa or Google Home, if you prefer).

Segway Navimow X350 robot lawn mower on tester's lawn

(Image credit: Future)

The Navimow X350 is rather large, and for the times you might need to manually maneuver it, Segway has added a big handle around the rear of the bot. Unfortunately, there's no grip area at the front – so unless you stick your hand in the charge slot, which goes against an important lesson I learned as a toddler, you'll need to make do with crouching and dragging rather than picking it up.

It's fairly common for modern lawnbots to come equipped with a camera for object identification and avoidance, but the X3 Series has not one, but three: one at the front and one on either side, delivering a 300-degree field of view. Alongside one of the side-mounted cameras you'll find an Expansion Bay section, where you can attach add-ons. There's an edge trimmer attachment that already exists in a few countries (I didn't test this), and open API access means if you have the skills, you can create your own additions.

Also hidden somewhere on the top is a compartment for a tracker, should you wish to add one for added security reasons (there's also an out-of-bounds alarm, lift alerts and GPS tracking to guard against theft).

Segway Navimow X350 robot lawn mower photographed side on in tester's yard

(Image credit: Future)

There are two main wheels, plus two smaller wheels at the front. Since this bot is a two-wheel drive machine, it isn't designed for very uneven terrain, although it can still handle slopes up to 50%, and will be more than up to handling the average yard (or football field).

Flip it over and you'll find the cutting deck, which consists of six blades mounted on a rotating disc, which can be raised or lowered automatically via the app (it can cut at heights of 0.8-2.8in / 2-7cm). The whole thing is designed to avoid the mechanism becoming clogged up with cuttings. Like most lawnbots, there's no grass collection here – instead you're meant to use it regularly enough that the tiny cuttings end up mulching back into the lawn. The Navimow delivers a generous cutting width of 9.3in / 23.7cm.

Segway Navimow X350 robot lawn mower on tester's lawn

(Image credit: Future)

Additional components

The X3 Series is at least partially reliant on satellites for navigation, so in the box you also get an RTK receiver to improve the accuracy of the satellite information. You'll need to find a good spot for this – ideally it needs to sit somewhere high up, with a wide, uninterrupted view of the sky. Since I was only borrowing this machine, I just stuck it on the provided lawn-mount spike, and it worked remarkably well even in this sub-optimal position, as you'll learn in the Performance section. You can purchase a secondary antenna to act as backup if you have an especially large lawn.

Segway Navimow X350 robot lawn mower on tester's lawn

(Image credit: Future)

You're also provided with a charge station, where your lawnbot will return to juice up. This needs to sit on flat ground, with access to a power source.

The lawnbot is IP66 rated, which means it's resistant to both water (everything apart from complete submersion) and dust. Even so, I tend to think a plastic garage roof is a good idea for a little extra protection from the elements in the long term.

Segway Navimow X350 robot lawn mower on its charge station

(Image credit: Future)

Features

Let's look quickly at what's going on under the hood. Like most modern lawnbots, the X3 Series doesn't require boundary wires, but instead uses a combination of RTK satellite navigation, cameras and sensors to find its way around (here's more on how lawnbots navigate, if you're interested).

To ensure the bot always knows where it is, even when being used on a palatial lawn, Segway has introduced a number of navigation upgrades. The RTK system has been improved and can apparently deliver 40% better observation, to keep it moving in potential blind spots such as narrow pathways or under rooftops.

Segway Navimow X350 on reviewer's lawn

(Image credit: Future)

Inside, two complementary wayfinding systems work together to help the bot find its way about: VSLAM, which relies on recognizable visual cues; and VIO, which is great for new, featureless areas. All of that, added to the wide field of view provided by the three onboard cameras, should mean this bot is an absolute pro when it comes to navigation.

  • Design score: 5 out of 5

Segway Navimow X3 review: performance

  • Neat, thorough and very speedy mowing
  • Confident, accurate navigation, even under trees
  • Strong obstacle avoidance, although can't spot very small items

Let's start with setup, which I found fairly painless. There's a bit of self-assembly required of the base station and RTK receiver, but if you hook up the app first then it walks you through the process quite clearly (there's also a paper instruction booklet, if you prefer). The app also guides you through the mapping process.

My test lawn has unclear boundaries and tree coverage, so I opted to create a map manually, by remote-controlling around the perimeter of the area I wanted mowing and then editing the results in-app. I found the process straightforward. If you have a very simple lawn, you'd use AI Assist Mapping, where the bot will automatically map the area for you.

The first thing I was struck by when I started mowing was how speedy the Navimow proved. I was promised efficiency, and the Segway Navimow has delivered. The X3 rolls confidently along at an impressive pace compared to other bots I've tested.

I mostly used the Standard speed for my tests, but bumped it up to Efficient at one point but couldn't really notice a difference. The app states that it's 0.2m/s faster in this mode, which would be noticeable over time if you were mowing an especially large lawn.

Segway Navimow X350 on reviewer's lawn

(Image credit: Future)

I was also very impressed by navigation. My test lawn has a number of large trees, which I thought might cause the X3 to get lost – especially given the RTK receiver was just stuck in the ground, rather than elevated above the trees and buildings, as it really should be. However, all the test-runs were free of issues. The bot made its way around confidently, covering the full lawn in a logical pattern. It also accurately avoided a no-mow zone I'd set up in the center of the lawn, on a patch of ground that had recently been re-sown with grass seed. I guess whatever Segway Navimow has done to "improve the RTK performance by 40%" has worked.

Ball with cuts from being mowed over by Segway Navimow X350

(Image credit: Future)

I also ran a couple of specific object avoidance tests by placing large (a toddler's ride-on car), medium (soccer ball) and small (a tangerine-sized ball) obstacles in the X3's path. It had no issues spotting the car or football, duly skirting around each one, even when I kicked the football about to try to confuse it, but the smallest ball met a grizzly end beneath the X3's blades.

We've yet to test a lawnbot at TechRadar that can spot small obstacles such as this, so it isn't a particular failing on Segway Navimow's part. However, it's worth noting if you have, for example, a dog that likes to poo in your yard, and you don't want to spend an afternoon cleaning it out of wheel crevices.

  • Performance score: 4.5 out of 5

Segway Navimow X3 review: app

  • Lots of useful explanations and info, with diagrams
  • Plenty of fine-adjustment options
  • Well laid out and easy to navigate

From the off, I was super-impressed with the Segway Navimow app. It provides plenty of information and clear explanations – often with diagrams – to walk you through everything from setup to how to map. Other lawnbot apps I've tested use opaque language and leave you to mostly figure things out for yourself, which can be especially confusing if it's your first robot lawn mower.

Screenshots from Segway Navimow app

(Image credit: Segway Navimow / Future)

Here, however, everything is logically laid out and easy to navigate. There are also plenty of options to fine-tune your mowing. There's a straightforward schedule-maker, where you can select days, times and zones for cutting. You can also choose between three mowing speeds (Quiet, Standard and Efficient) and grass length (20-70mm, in increments of 5mm).

Screenshots from Segway Navimow app

(Image credit: Segway Navimow / Future)

There's a section for Map management, where you can split, add or remove sections, or add no-go zones (or, as Segway Navimow whimsically calls them, "BioLife Islands"). It will let you select where you want to start on the map, with the bot cleverly driving itself over to your chosen spot, and then the app will guide you to drive the new boundary line using remote control. I found this process straightforward and logical – again, not always a given.

Segway Navimow also offers a range of "Advanced" features, too. There's an "Animal friendly" mode that will see the bot stop if it spots an animal and take a new route so as not to disturb it, rather than just skirting around it. You can also toggle on "Traction control" for particularly muddy or challenging terrain.

  • App score: 5 out of 5

Should you buy the Segway Navimow X3 Series?

Attribute

Notes

Rating

Value

Very much a premium lawnbot, but performance and features help justify the investment.

4 / 5

Design

Rather large, well-built lawnbot with RTK station and charge dock. Two-wheel drive and cameras to the front and both sides, plus a dot matrix screen on the bot itself.

5 / 5

Performance

Neat, fast, efficient mowing. Confident navigation even in challenging conditions, and solid obstacle avoidance (bar very small objects).

4.5 / 5

App

Extremely usable and well designed, with plenty of useful, clear information.

5 / 5

Buy it if...

You have a massive lawn

The Navimow X3 series is designed specifically to cover large areas quickly, efficiently and without getting lost.

You need something easy to use

The Segway Navimow app guides you through the setup and mapping processes and provides you with useful background information – perfect if this is your first lawnbot.

Your grass grows quickly and needs to look neat

This is a very efficient mower, so it will come into its own when faced with a fast-growing lawn.

Don't buy it if...

You have a small / medium-sized yard

This bot is for big lawns – if you're mowing an area less than 0.5 acre / 1,500m² (or even around that size), there are plenty of cheaper, smaller options that will suit the job better.

Your lawn is very uneven

For challenging terrain, you might need an all-wheel drive model such as the Mammotion LUBA 2 AWD (the Segway Navimow is two-wheel drive).

Segway Navimow X3 review: alternatives to consider

Segway Navimow X330

Mammotion Luba 2 3000

Mammotion Yuka Mini S (US) / Yuka Mini 600 (UK)

Recommended lawn size:

1 acre / 3,000m²

1 acre / 3,000m²

0.15 acres / 600㎡

Cutting width:

9.3in / 23.7cm

15.7in / 40cm

7.5in / 19cm

Cutting height:

0.8-2.8in / 2-7cm

1-2.7in / 2.5-7cm

0.8-2.4in / 2-6cm

Drivetrain:

Two-wheel drive

All-wheel drive

Two-wheel drive

Incline ability:

50% / 27 degrees

80% / 38 degrees

50% / 27 degrees

Waterproof:

IP66

IPX6

IPX6

Lawnbot size (L x W x H):

27.5 x 21.7 x 12.1in / 69.8 x 55 x 30.7cm

27.2 x 20.2 x 27.3in / 69 x 51.3 x 27.3cm

20.7 x 16.3 x 11.1in / 52.5 x 41.3 x 28.1cm

Lawnbot weight:

43.7 lbs / 19.8kg

41 lbs / 18.6kg

23.4 lbs / 10.6kg

Charge time:

65 mins

120 mins

90 mins

Mowing time per charge:

160 mins

190 mins

55 mins

Cutting blades:

6

12

5

Mammotion LUBA 2 AWD
Another hi-tech, premium bot for large yards, the LUBA 2 has the edge if you need something for especially challenging terrain. It boasts all-wheel drive, two cutting decks working in tandem, and the ability to handle steeper inclines.

Read our full Mammotion Luba 2 AWD reviewView Deal

Mammotion Yuka Mini
If you have a much smaller yard, check out this more compact option. The app is nowhere near as intuitive as Segway Navimow's, nor are there as many features or fine-tuning options, but it's still a very capable mower and comes in at a far lower price.

Read my full Mammotion Yuka Mini reviewView Deal

How I tested the Segway Navimow X3

I tested the X350 model of the Segway Navimow X3 Series. I used it for several weeks in the garden of my sister's home. The test lawn measures around 1,000 square meters, and has unclear borders and several large trees. I set up the bot myself from scratch, following the instructions in the app, including constructing the charge station and RTK receiver. I mapped the lawn into different mowing zones and added no-mow areas. I assessed the lawnbot based on the neatness and speed of mowing, accuracy of navigation, and general ease of use. I also explored the different options in the app to see the extent to which I could fine-tune settings, and ran object avoidance tests using different-sized obstacles. I then compared all of my findings to other lawnbots I've used, while also weighing everything up against the price to gauge whether the bot offers good value for money.

Read more about how we test

  • First reviewed August 2025
The Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni is a chatty all-in-one robot vacuum that cleans better than most others I’ve tested
10:19 am | August 21, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Robot Vacuums Smart Home | Comments: Off

Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni: Two-minute review

I'll say one thing about Ecovacs Robotics: the brand might make too many robot vacuums that I, as a reviewer, can’t keep up with, but they all seem well thought out and catering to different needs and budgets. In 2024, it released a good-value robovac that I really liked in my Ecovacs Deebot T30 Omni review, and it’s impressed again with a higher-end model in the Deebot X8 Pro Omni reviewed here.

The X8 has plenty of smarts on board, with Ecovacs’ voice assistant Yiko now better at understanding commands and having a more conversational interaction than its previous iterations on older Deebots. Even if you don't interact with Yiko, the X8 has plenty of automated voice prompts that I very quickly found to be annoying – there's only so many times you can hear it say "don't worry" when its auto-emptying. While you can't switch these off, you can mute the volume entirely and depend on the app notifications to find out if the robot needs help at any time (like if it's stuck somewhere).

There's Google Assistant and Alexa support as well, but Yiko can handle a few extra commands that I found the other two voice assistants couldn't handle. To futureproof your smart home, the X8 Pro Omni also has Matter support, so you can control several smart devices via a single hub.

There's a camera on board that the bot uses to ‘see’ its surroundings for better navigation and obstacle avoidance, but it also provides a live feed that requires a passcode to be set up for access. There’s a Patrol mode here that turns the X8 Pro Omni bot into a security unit and it saves a bunch of photos for you to view whenever you like. You can also speak to your pets or kids if you need to check in on them (spy?) while you're at work. I’ve asked Ecovacs for clarification on how secure the camera is from hackers and will update this review as soon as I hear back.

These smart bells and whistles are all great, but this robot vacuum shines at its most important function: cleaning. It’s arguably one of the best automated cleaners I’ve tested in 2025, with edge cleaning its biggest asset thanks to an extending side brush and wet roller while vacuuming and mopping respectively. In fact, I’ve seen the X8 Pro Omni travel far closer to walls and furniture than many of its competitors, thus allowing its extendable parts to do their job effectively.

The Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni vacuuming on a carpet while traveling right along the edge of a couch

The Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni can get very close to walls and furniture to clean, much closer than other bots I've tested previously (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

It puts its 18,000Pa of suction power to good use, with my carpets looking fresh and clean after a single run on its highest suction setting. It did a better job than what I saw in my Roborock Qrevo Edge review despite 18,500Pa of suction. And its roller mop was quite impressive compared to the mops pads I’d gotten used to previously, and that’s despite Ecovacs saying there’s no pressure applied by the roller on the floor.

There’s also a detergent dispenser on board and use of the soap is automatic provided you toggle it on in the app – Ecovacs says there’s always a ratio of 200:1 detergent and water mix in the pipeline to ensure the correct usage. Even without detergent I found my floors were left stain-free after every mop – in fact, it was better than I experienced in my Narwal Freo Z10 review that, at the time, I said had excellent mopping skills.

In four weeks of testing, the X8 Pro Omni got entangled in a cable just once because the side brush pulled a low-hanging wire towards the bumper, but otherwise its obstacle avoidance is very good. Even more impressive is its overall navigation – it invariably took the path of least resistance in my apartment, which meant it got its tasks done relatively quickly and, importantly, without consuming too much battery life.

Even the base station performance is top notch, with the onboard bin getting cleaned quite well each time it empties, and the wet-roller cleaning is impeccable. Water consumption is also lower than any other robovac I’ve tested before – I’ve previously had to refill the clean water after every full cleaning cycle in my small inner-city apartment, but this time I’ve had to do so once every four or five sessions (depending on its routine).

All in all, this was excellent performance from not just the robot vacuum, but I commend Ecovacs for streamlining its app experience as well. It’s much nicer to use, with plenty of customization options to suit your personal cleaning needs. Importantly, these custom routines are now very easy to access.

It's relatively noisier than some of its newer competitors, and it can't perform the climbing feats of the more expensive Dreame X50 Ultra, but if you value excellent cleaning performance above all else, I'd find it very easy to recommend the Deebot X8 Pro Omni – and it's often discounted.

Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni set up in a corner

It doesn't necessarily stand out visually, but the gold accents lend the Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni some class (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni review: price & availability

  • Available since March 2025
  • List price: $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$2,499
  • Incurs ongoing costs for dust bags and detergent

There are quite a few all-in-one robot vacuum cleaners at the same price point that Ecovacs Robotics is selling the X8 Pro Omni, but I think the Deebot can justify its premium cost on its feature set and performance.

It’s listed for $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$2,499 at full price but, at the time of writing, US and UK customers could pick it up for $899.99 / £999 respectively directly from the Ecovacs website. In Australia, it has dropped to AU$2,199 previously, but I suspect there’ll be better discounts around the world during major shopping events like Black Friday sales. It’s also available from select third-party retailers, including Amazon.

This price gets you not just excellent performance (explained below in detail), but you also get an impressive set of features, including voice assistant and Matter integration for a smarter home setup. With that in mind, I think the X8 Pro Omni is well priced compared to some of the other robovacs on the market, although Ecovacs has cheaper models that clean really well, as proved by the Deebot T30 Omni.

As an example of competitor pricing, the Narwal Freo Z Ultra cost $1,499/ AU$2,499 (unavailable in the UK) and is a good machine, but has 12,000Pa of suction compared to the Deebot’s 18,000Pa. Matching the suction power at 18,500Pa is the Roborock Qrevo Edge, but I found it hard to recommend at its list price of $1,599.99 / AU$2,799 (unavailable in the UK) based on its performance alone. On the other hand, Ecovacs' own Deebot T50 Max Pro Omni has 18,500Pa suction, the Yiko voice assistant and promises good cleaning at a lower price point of $799.99 / £799 / AU$1,799.

If you want more suction power, you’ll have to pay a lot more. For example, the Roborock Saros 10 with its whopping 22,000Pa of power will set you back $1,599.99 / £1,499.99 / AU$2,999 at full price, but is often discounted to match the X8's retail cost. The Dreame X50 Ultra Complete with 20,000Pa of suction is also expensive compared to the X8 Pro Omni, coming in at a list price of $1,699.99 / £1,299 / AU$2,999, but it can climb low steps that many of the newer machines can't.

As with any other hybrid robot vacuum, there is the ongoing cost of purchasing dust bags and detergent to take into consideration, although the latter is an optional add-on but I can see the need for it in homes with toddlers and pets. Unlike other brands, though, Ecovacs doesn’t supply a bottle of detergent in the box – at least not in Australia, where the testing for this review was conducted, due to “customs issues with international shipments” – so that’s $49.98 / £44 right off the bat for two 1L bottles in the US and UK (frequently discounted), but the same two-pack isn't available in Australia where a 1L bottle retails for AU$37.50.

The antibacterial dust bags come in packs of three and are available directly from Ecovacs Robotics for $24.99 / £17.99 / AU$29.90 at the time of writing.

Despite the ongoing cost, I think the Deebot X8 Pro Omni balances its feature set, performance and price well, but I’d recommend picking it up during a sale as it’s frequently discounted.

• Value score: 4 / 5

The buttons and bin under the cover of the Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni robot vacuum

The three-prong button on the Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni doesn't look functional, but it has three tasks it can perform when needed (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni review: specs

Suction power:

18,000Pa

Onboard bin capacity:

220ml

Dust bag capacity:

3L

Clean water tank capacity:

4L

Dirty water tank capacity:

4L

Reservoir capacity:

110ml clean; 95ml dirty

Mop lift:

10mm

Noise level:

up to 75dB

Battery capacity:

6,400mAh

Runtime:

up to 228 minutes / up to 240sqm (2,580 sq ft)

Charging time:

4.6 hours

Dimensions:

Robot = 353 x 351.5 x 98 mm; base station = 350 x 477 x 533 mm

Weight:

Robot = 5.3kg; base station = 7.6kg

Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni review: Design

  • Gold accents give it a classy look
  • Extending side brush and wet roller mop
  • Taller than the average robot but lacks a turret; tall but slim base station

I only had to take the robot out to see that Deebot X8 Pro Omni exudes class, thanks to some gold-colored accents on the otherwise black machine. Unlike the Narwal Freo Z10 that I reviewed prior to the X8 (which was a 11kg weight straight out of the box), the Deebot comes packed in layers, which makes it very easy to set up.

Robot design

Once you remove the wash tray from the top of the box, the next item to emerge is the X8 robot. The first thing that distinguishes it from many other robovacs is the lack of a top turret that typically houses the navigation tech. In the X8 Pro Omni, though, all the necessary sensors are on the front and the sides.

The lack of a turret means the X8 can roll under many low-lying pieces of furniture, although it's doesn't have the slimline form factor of the Roborock Saros 10R – it's a little taller, standing at 9.8cm/3.8in compared to the Saros at 8cm/3in, so there needs to be a minimum clearance of 10cm/4in for the Deebot to clean where many other robovacs can't.

A black plastic disc with the Ecovacs logo in gold covers the top of the robot, with a cutout to show off a gold three-pronged button. There's a tiny power icon in the center of the button to indicate that it's functional, but it's easy to miss and can appear purely decorative, although it lights up when in use and charging. Its functionality is listed on a large piece of cardboard inside the packaging: a short press to start or pause, a double press to extend or retract the wet roller, and a three-second long press to send the bot back to its dock. In the four weeks I spent with the machine, I never found the need to use the button – the robot does everything seamlessly.

Also under the top cover is a removable 220ml/7.4oz dustbin whose filter can be taken out for regular cleaning, plus a toggle switch for power, a Wi-Fi indicator light and a QR code to begin your app setup.

On the front of the robot are LiDAR sensors that it uses for mapping your home, while a camera also peeping through the same front window adds visual information that’s paired with artificial intelligence (AIVI) to navigate around obstacles. Along the sides are edge sensors that prevent it from banging into a wall or furniture, yet allowing the bot to get really close for effective cleaning. A mic and speaker are also housed within the front window.

The back of the robot has two charging points, but there’s also a water compartment inside with a clean capacity of 110ml and 95ml for dirty mop water. While you never have to worry about the water reservoir after setup, it can be released using an inset lever.

The extendable side brush of the Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni robot vacuum

The side brush extends, but given the Deebot X8 Pro Omni travels very close to obstacles, it even managed to clean corners (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

As with nearly every other Deebot I’ve tested (and many other brands besides), the underside of the robot houses the central bar brush that sports bristles arranged in a V shape to help it gather hair and fur without itself getting entangled. A single side brush towards the front of the bot rotates at varying speeds automatically depending on the size of the debris it senses – it slows down for larger pieces, similar to some of the high-end Roborocks. It can also extend out to reach into corners and clean along edges – both of which it manages to do better than many of its competitors because the robot itself gets really close to walls.

The rear of the undercarriage is dominated by a wet roller rather than circular mop pads which, according to Ecovacs, spins at a speed of 200rpm and has a scraper in its holder that constantly cleans out the dirty water as it rotates. 16 nozzles keep it supplied with clean water (and detergent if you’re using any).

The main wheels are quite large and, for the first time in any robot vacuum I’ve tested, I found them to be quite noisy when traveling over the tiles in my home. The sound was akin to very hard or brittle plastic moving over a rough surface, but in my time testing the X8 Pro Omni, I didn’t notice too much wear and tear on the wheels to account for the sound. A small omnidirectional caster wheel completes the robot’s physical setup.

The onboard dustbin of the Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni

It's easy to remove the onboard bin in the Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni to clean out the filter regularly (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Base station design

The base station itself isn’t much to write home about and is quite similar to several other models on the market. However, the gold accents on the lids of the two water tanks and branding on the front of the dock makes it look quite smart. The tanks have a 4L capacity each and are very easy to lift up, refill or clean out, then replace back on the dock.

Below the tanks is a covered nook that houses the detergent dispenser and a 3L dust bag. The dispenser is very easy to slide out and refill, while changing the dust bag is also very intuitive. It’s the cover for this nook that takes a little effort to remove each time you need access to either of its two inmates – it clips in very tightly indeed and you'll need to pull it with some force from the bottom of the panel.

Under the covered nook is the cavity for the robot, which sits on a washing tray. Inside the cavity, on the rear wall of the base station, you'll notice nozzles and charging points that keep the robot doing what it needs to do.

The base station is about as tall as many other brands offer, but it’s a little slimmer than, say, a Narwal dock. It will still need a decent amount of space to house, with enough clearance on the top to allow you to remove and replace the tanks.

• Design score: 4.5 / 5

Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni review: Performance

  • Excellent vacuuming on high suction; top-notch mopping at most waterflow levels
  • Arguably one of the best edge cleaners in the business
  • Very good navigation and obstacle avoidance

The X8 Pro Omni for this review was tested in a 40sqm/430sqft inner-city apartment in Sydney, Australia, with the single bedroom fully carpeted, but the rest of the rooms featuring matte-finish tiles. The bathroom, however, has smoother tiles than the rest of the hard floors and it was part of the full map that the X8 had to clean. There are no stairs in the apartment to test cliff sensors, but there are a couple of low thresholds that were useful to test the X8 Pro Omni’s ability to clear some obstacles.

It’s also important for me to mention that I have no pets, but I’ve always found my bedroom carpet covered in my own (long) hair within 3-4 days of cleaning it, and is usually a very good test for any vacuum cleaner that I review.

Before starting the first cleaning session, I not only set up some custom routines (called Scenario Cleans in the Ecovacs Home app), but I also went through the advanced settings to toggle on some key features, including the carpet-first option as I have mixed flooring. This ensured that no matter what custom cleaning routine I might use, carpets were always vacuumed first to minimize the risk of them getting wet (more on the app experience later).

Overall performance of the X8 Pro Omni was excellent, but it’s important to note that it’s best used for the regular maintenance cleaning sessions that you might need on a daily or a weekly basis. It can’t replace the best cordless vacuum cleaners, but it definitely reduces the human effort and time spent on keeping your floors spick and span.

The dirty-water tank standing open atop the Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni base station

Water usage in the Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni is not a lot compared to other models I've tested (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Vacuuming

Let’s start the performance section with the most basic function: vacuuming. I’ve already mentioned earlier in this review that the X8 Pro Omni was one of the best cleaning machines I’ve tested recently, exceeding the vacuuming performance I got from a Roborock and a Narwal that I tested prior to the Deebot. It really does put the 18,000Pa – which is in no way class-leading now – to very good use, particularly at its higher suction settings.

I usually have to set most robovacs to their maximum suction setting to get a decent clean on the bedroom carpet which, as I’ve described above, can get covered in my own hair within days. It’s been rare for me to see that carpet completely hair free after a single session even using the highest power level on other robovacs, but the X8 Pro Omni was been able to do just that each and every time it’s done a bedroom clean on its Max setting.

The Deebot’s got four suction settings and while I wasn’t particularly keen on the Quiet option which reduces the power significantly, I found the Standard and Strong settings to be perfect for hard floors, not once needing to step it up to Max on tiles.

Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni robot vacuum mopping under a chair on a rug

The Deebot X8 Pro Omni repeatedly does 360º rotations around furniture legs to ensure good cleaning (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

The X8 Pro Omni has a suction-boost option which, as the name suggests, automatically increases power when it detects carpets, but I wasn’t able to notice the dynamic suction from sound alone when it went from hard floor to the mid-pile rug in my living room, although it seemed to do a very good job anyway. The audible change in suction was heard when it was vacuuming tiles in my kitchen, just under a cabinet – go figure.

To check its vacuuming abilities further, I conducted TechRadar’s standard tests of sprinkling tea dust and oats (representing two different-sized debris) on both hard floors and carpets. Doing a Zone clean and set at Strong suction, you can see from the video clip below that the X8 Pro Omni did a fantastic job on the tiles, even sucking up the tea dust from along the edge of the room.

If you look closely, you’ll also notice that the side brush slows down when it detects larger debris (oats) to make sure they all get pulled towards the bar brush.

On the carpet, which was also just a Zone clean done as a separate test, I set the robot to Max suction and found it cleared up the oats very well indeed, although tea dust that went deep into the fibers remained, and is visible in the video clip as a dark patch. I used my finger to loosen the carpet fibers and let the X8 run over it again, and voila, it was all cleaned up.

For both tests, I had the X8 Pro Omni set at moving in the Deep Clean pattern, which covers maximum floor space but time consuming, and I didn’t find the need to go over either of the spots with my Dyson V15s Detect Submarine.

Mopping

This is the first robot vacuum I’ve tested that features a wet roller rather than a pair of rotating mop pads and I really wasn’t sure what to expect. Needless to say, the X8 Pro Omni exceeded my expectations and then some with the way it tackled my hard floors. I will go so far as to say this was arguably the best mopping I’ve seen in a while by a robot vacuum.

From shaved Toblerone on the kitchen floor (I was making Toblerone cheesecake at the time) to a partially dried dollop of coriander-mint chutney, I was very impressed with how well it mopped up different (dry) spills.

I specify dry because you really don’t want a robot vacuum to clean a wet spill like cereal milk or curry sauce as everything in the undercarriage will get wet with the sticky liquid or the sauce, including the wheels and side brush. Cleaning the bot after that will be a chore in itself.

The wet roller extended against a tablet as the Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni mops

It's fun to watch the wet roller slide in and out from under the Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni bot (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

As with many other robot vacuums like itself, the X8 Pro Omni has three waterflow settings (Low, Medium and High) with a total of 50 levels. The lowest settings would be good for sensitive wood floors but, for me, I’ve always found higher waterflow rates better for my tiles, so I had the Deebot set at level 40 most of the time as I found 45 and 50 made my tiles very wet indeed, while 30 and lower barely left a damp streak.

My kitchen floors, in particular, need regular mopping and, given it’s right beside the dining room, this area of my apartment was a good test for the X8 Pro Omni. I found that in its Deep Cleaning speed and water level set to 45 but no detergent, there was a visible difference on my floor after its first run compared to what the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine had done prior to switching to the Deebot.

In fact, I’m not sure how much difference adding the detergent has done to my floors because it mopped up dusty footprints and dried, dusty water stains very well without any soap, and it did just as good a job with.

The stress test I put the X8 under was mopping up a partially dried dollop of coriander and mint chutney – it took a couple of passes at water level 40 with detergent in the dispenser to mop it up entirely, no stain left on the floor. The issue here was that the rotating side brush scattered a tiny bit of dry chutney away, but given it was set to Deep Clean, the bot moved over the entire zone twice (more on this below in the navigation section), running perpendicular to its initial path, which meant that scattered bit got mopped up later.

I enjoyed watching the extendable roller sneak in and out of the robot as soon as it sensed something on its side. This could be a wall or a furniture leg, but I found that it hardly left a dry spot.

On the product listing page on the Ecovacs website, the brand says there's no pressure applied by the wet roller on the floor, but given how well I saw it mop, I'd be surprised if this spec listing is correct. There's surely some pressure being applied for such effective mopping.

Another thing I love about the roller is that it's streak-free, particularly on the lower or mid waterflow rates. The only time I saw streaks (and not dirty ones, mind, just marks to show a mop has passed) was when the roller was saturated with clean water.

With the sole exception of one Zone cleaning session when it took the wrong path out of its dock to get to where it needed to in a different room, the Deebot X8 Pro Omni never once strayed from the path of least resistance.

It’s impressive navigation extends to doing full 360º rotations around furniture legs, and while the side brush didn’t always extend when I expected it to, the robot itself got so close to walls and furniture that I never had cause for complaint when it came to its navigation just millimeters from what is essentially an obstacle.

It’s three different “cleaning speeds” (or its movement pattern in a given space) are a little hit and miss if you really want a thorough job done. The best movement pattern I found was the Deep Cleaning, which means the robot cleans a space twice, first running in parallel lines just centimeters apart, then traveling perpendicular to ensure no spot is missed.

The other two cleaning speeds – Standard and Quick – aren’t bad, but because the parallel pathways are slightly more spread out compared to Deep Cleaning, I found that the occasional hair strand or speck of debris got missed. That said, “cleaning speed” as Ecovacs calls it is apt as these determine how quickly the X8 Pro Omni finishes its cleaning task.

Obstacle avoidance is also fantastic, as you can see from the video above when I conducted TechRadar’s standard test – creating an obstacle course of a slipper, shoe, a cable, socks and a tissue box. It avoided every single one of them without a hiccup, a feat I’ve not yet seen from any robot vacuum I’ve tested to date.

The Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni tangled on a cable

The only time the Deebot X8 Pro Omni got entangled with a cable, it was the side brush that pulled it into the bumper (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

However, during one vacuum-only session in my bedroom, it got entangled in a USB-C cable that had one end dangling close to the floor and the side brush pulled it lower (see above image). I could hear Yiko complaining and a notification popped up on my phone that the X8 Pro Omni needed help. I disentangled it and it carried on with its work after I used a voice command to “restart cleaning”.

During a full-house clean, I shut a door to one room to see how it would react to its map not quite being accurate and it had no issues. It got close to the door, pivoted a little on an axis to see if it could spot an opening, but carried on doing what it needed to in the rest of the apartment without any complaints.

Base station performance

Whether it’s sucking out all the dirt and debris from the onboard dustbin or cleaning the wet roller, the X8 Pro Omni base station performance is so good that it justifies the high price tag this machine demands.

Only the tiniest amount of dirt remains inside the onboard dustbin after each vacuuming run that you, honestly, never have to worry about. The only time you’ll need to remove the small onboard bin is when the filter needs cleaning or replacing, or if something gets stuck inside that requires manual removal (never once happened during my testing).

The dustbag inside the base station has a 3L capacity, so it will last you a long while, albeit that will depend on how often you clean, how large your home is and whether you have pets.

Dispensing detergent happened as required, as did filling up the robot’s onboard 110ml clean water compartment. Even pumping out dirty water from the 90ml partition worked well during my testing – you can remove this compartment to clean out the filter inside.

The washing of the roller was impeccable. It looked nearly new after my running it a few times a week for four weeks and the shortest two-hour hot-air drying is more than enough to ensure there’s no trace of dampness that could encourage bacterial or fungal growth. In fact, at the end of my four-week trial period, I found the roller soft to the touch as it was on day one.

The wash tray can also be cleaned out automatically by the machine from time to time, so the only hands-on task you’ll have to do regularly is clean out the dirty water and refill the fresh water. Every couple of months or so, you’ll also need to swap out the dust bag or refill the detergent dispenser if you’ve been using soap for mopping. The ‘health’ of all the accessories and parts is listed in the app, so you’ll know when to do what anyway.

Battery life

Ecovacs says there’s a 6,400mAh battery pack powering the X8 Pro Omni robot, which is rated for up to 228 minutes or a maximum area coverage of 240sqm / 2,580sq ft. In my testing – which admittedly was done in a much smaller space – I found that a number like that is nigh impossible to achieve unless you run the robot at the lowest settings possible, which I doubt anyone will want to do.

In Standard suction and medium waterflow levels during a full 40sqm clean doing a single vacuum-and-mop pass, the X8’s battery dropped to 20%. Bumping it up to Max suction and high waterflow rates, I found the robot needed to go back for a top up at the mains after completing five out of the six rooms in its map – about 78 minutes. Both these tests were conducted at the Deep Clean speed, so more time consuming.

Extrapolating that for Standard or Quiet cleans, you will be able to run the X8 Pro Omni for around 150 minutes, but keep in mind that it boasts dynamic suction as well, so total battery life will depend on how many carpets it encounters or how tough the cleaning job is.

That’s not bad battery life, but it’s not class-leading as models like the Narwal Freo Z10 and Dreame X40 Ultra can outdo the X8. Larger homes will find that a full cleaning task may well require recharging to complete. That said, the X8 is smart enough to learn how much battery it needs to finish a job, so a full-home clean may not necessarily take all day.

• Performance score: 4.5 / 5

The robot of the Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni

No matter the cleaning task, the Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni performs it well (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni review: app control

  • Improved Ecovacs Home app
  • More streamlined setup for robot and base station settings
  • Map might need extensive editing, but is easy to do

I’ve previously not been very impressed with the Ecovacs Home app as it wasn’t as streamlined as I would have liked, but that’s changed now – the updated version of the app that I used with the X8 Pro Omni is a significant improvement.

It’s now easier to access the custom cleaning routines – renamed Scenario Cleans from just plain ol’ Scenarios – as they're listed on the homepage of the device, and each of these are also very easy to customize and set up.

To access more settings options, the Ecovacs Home app has always allowed you to ‘Enter’ a more detailed page with your home’s map laid out, but now the robot and base station advanced settings are right there on that same screen – the robot stuff is right at the bottom while switching tabs gives you the base station setup. This is a much better app experience than I encountered only a few months ago from the time of publication of this review.

Screenshots of the Ecovacs Home app showing the mapping process and the robot's location

Mapping with the Deebot X8 Pro Omni is quick and it's remarkably easy to edit the final map (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

As I’ve already mentioned, there’s the Yiko voice assistant on board and, in all honesty, I really don’t see the need for verbal communication with the device, but my inner lazy self took a shine to it for a very short time. All routines and settings work so well, that Yiko doesn’t need to be there, but it was nice to see that it can understand commands better than before.

During my testing, it didn’t comprehend its own name (see the screenshot below where it hears its name as "you go"), but that didn’t stop it from performing the task I asked it to do (pause cleaning). I immediately asked it to restart again – no problem whatsoever.

Screenshots of the Ecovacs Home app showing errors and Yiko conversations

You can give Yiko back-to-back commands and you'll hear its voice prompts very often, so much so that it can get annoying (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

You’ll also hear a lot of oral prompts every time the robot has to perform a task. This can quickly get very annoying, particularly when the self-empty of the bin takes place because it’s a long, drawn-out message telling you “don’t worry” about the loud noises. There’s sadly no way to turn these off, but you can drop the volume right down to ‘mute’, but this also means you won’t hear when the bot needs help. Thankfully there are app notifications to help with that. The volume is also associated with a ‘ding’ sound the robot makes every time you adjust a setting – these too will be muted if you turn the volume slider right down.

Screenshots of the Ecovacs Home app showing various settings and custom routines

There's plenty of control via the Ecovacs Home app, which has evolved to become more streamlined than before (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Every setting on the app is well explained and easy to understand in case you want to use it, but I would advise that you take some time to go through all options before you begin using the X8 Pro Omni so that you get the best results possible.

For example, you can set and forget the cleaning sequence for the whole house and, no matter which rooms you choose for whatever custom routine you might have, the X8 Pro Omni will follow that. This can be edited at any time too. As I’ve mentioned before, you can also toggle on carpet-first cleaning in the robot settings, set how you want the auto-empty to take place or how often you want the wet roller washed. You even get control over how long you want the base station to spend drying it with hot air. You’ll also need to toggle on auto detergent use, otherwise the base station won’t use soap even if you’ve filled the dispenser.

There is a lot of control here, although it would be nice to see Ecovacs allow the user to choose how many passes the X8 will do when on an automatic AI-powered cleaning run (it’s always just one in this mode).

• App score: 4 / 5

Should I buy the Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni?

Attribute

Notes

Score

Value

Compared to other similarly specced models, the X8 Pro Omni is very competitively priced, balancing feature set, power, performance and cost quite well – plus it's often discounted.

4 / 5

Design

It’s a very low-maintenance design with several parts that can be taken out to wash if necessary. And it exudes class. The lack of a turret means it can even roll under some low-lying furniture.

4.5 / 5

Performance

As long as you avoid using the X8 to clean wet spills, it will handle your regular cleaning with aplomb. It will even maintain itself well without too much intervention from you.

4.5 / 5

App control

The updated Ecovacs Home app is a lot more streamlined now and easier to use.

4 / 5

You prioritize good cleaning above all else

Considering the X8 Pro Omni passed all my tests with flying colors, it's arguably the best robot vacuum I've tested to date.

You want as much of a hands-off cleaning experience as possible

While you don't really need the voice assistant, Yiko gives you even more opportunity to not have to lift a finger – literally! Just open the app and ask it to start a cleaning routine (even a custom one) and it will do so.

You have wood floors

There are plenty of waterflow levels here to choose from and I think the lower settings will look after wood floors well. Moreover, the roller minimizes streaks on floors that I've previously seen mop pads leave behind in their wake.

You have low-lying furniture

It's a little taller than the Roborock Saros 10, but even then, the lack of a turret allows it to roll under furniture that has a clearing of at least 10cm.

Don't buy it if...

You don't want to spend too much money

The X8 Pro Omni might be a fantastic robovac but it's a premium one. If you can forgo some of the smart home features like Matter integration and voice assistant, and aren't too fussed about mop pads doing the wet cleaning, you can get similar performance from a cheaper model – in fact, the Ecovacs Deebot T50 Max Pro Omni has slightly higher suction and the same Yiko support, but a lower price point.

You want a quiet robot vacuum

On its higher suction settings, the X8 Pro Omni is louder than similar models from Narwal and Roborock. Moreover, the wheels, when moving over the tiles in my test space, were quite rattly too.

Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni review: Also consider

Roborock Saros 10R

Our reviewer called it the "perfect hybrid robot vacuum cleaner even for the most cluttered of homes". Improved navigation and a low profile means it can get to places other robovacs will typically avoid. It's also quiet, has excellent vacuum and mop skills, and it's pretty much a master of its trade. It costs more than the X8 Pro Omni, but it might be a worthwhile investment for some homes.
Read our in-depth Roborock Saros 10R review for more details.

Dreame X50 Ultra

Going by the additional moniker of "Complete" in some markets, the Dreame X50 Ultra is a premium model that not only gives you way more suction than the X8 Pro Omni (a max of 20,000Pa), but it can also tackle some short steps in your home and roll under furniture by retracting its turret.
Find out more in our detailed Dreame X50 Ultra Complete review.

How I tested the Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni

  • Used three to four times a week for four weeks
  • Tried various suction and waterflow levels in a 40sqm test space with mixed flooring
  • Experimented with the Yiko voice assistant and tweaked various advanced settings

A top-down view of the water tanks of Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni

It's very easy to recommend the Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni, despite its higher price tag (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

I received my review unit of the Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni in the third of week of July 2025 and spent the next four weeks running it on various settings and custom routines mostly three times a week, but it has done more sessions during the last week when I conducted my obstacle course test.

I found that once all the settings were as I'd want them, the X8 Pro Omni just did what it needed to do without any fuss. During that time, I found it didn't use as much clean water as other robot vacuums (especially compared to the Narwal Freo Z10 I tested prior to it) and, hence, found I didn't need to keep refilling the clean-water tank as much. Of course, that's also because the test space is small (just 40sqm/430sqft) and has mixed flooring with carpet in the bedroom and a large rug in the living room.

I set up four different custom routines, or Shortcut Cleans as the app labels them, and tested each one 2-3 times over the course of the four-week testing period. I also ran single-room and zone cleaning sessions to see how the X8 Pro Omni performs in its auto-cleaning mode.

While I began testing the X8 without any detergent for the first week, I added a small quantity to the dispenser on week 2 of testing.

I put it through TechRadar's usual tests for vacuuming and mopping (using oats and tea from a bag for the former, and a dollop of chutney for the latter). I also conducted our standard obstacle avoidance test, but threw in two types of socks and a tissue box for good measure.

As you've probably already read, the X8 Pro Omni passed all its tests with flying colors, with only the one hiccup when it got entangled in a low-hanging cable during a vacuum-only session.

Read more about how we test vacuum cleaners

[First reviewed August 2025]

The Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni is a chatty all-in-one robot vacuum that cleans better than most others I’ve tested
10:19 am |

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Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni: Two-minute review

I'll say one thing about Ecovacs Robotics: the brand might make too many robot vacuums that I, as a reviewer, can’t keep up with, but they all seem well thought out and catering to different needs and budgets. In 2024, it released a good-value robovac that I really liked in my Ecovacs Deebot T30 Omni review, and it’s impressed again with a higher-end model in the Deebot X8 Pro Omni reviewed here.

The X8 has plenty of smarts on board, with Ecovacs’ voice assistant Yiko now better at understanding commands and having a more conversational interaction than its previous iterations on older Deebots. Even if you don't interact with Yiko, the X8 has plenty of automated voice prompts that I very quickly found to be annoying – there's only so many times you can hear it say "don't worry" when its auto-emptying. While you can't switch these off, you can mute the volume entirely and depend on the app notifications to find out if the robot needs help at any time (like if it's stuck somewhere).

There's Google Assistant and Alexa support as well, but Yiko can handle a few extra commands that I found the other two voice assistants couldn't handle. To futureproof your smart home, the X8 Pro Omni also has Matter support, so you can control several smart devices via a single hub.

There's a camera on board that the bot uses to ‘see’ its surroundings for better navigation and obstacle avoidance, but it also provides a live feed that requires a passcode to be set up for access. There’s a Patrol mode here that turns the X8 Pro Omni bot into a security unit and it saves a bunch of photos for you to view whenever you like. You can also speak to your pets or kids if you need to check in on them (spy?) while you're at work. I’ve asked Ecovacs for clarification on how secure the camera is from hackers and will update this review as soon as I hear back.

These smart bells and whistles are all great, but this robot vacuum shines at its most important function: cleaning. It’s arguably one of the best automated cleaners I’ve tested in 2025, with edge cleaning its biggest asset thanks to an extending side brush and wet roller while vacuuming and mopping respectively. In fact, I’ve seen the X8 Pro Omni travel far closer to walls and furniture than many of its competitors, thus allowing its extendable parts to do their job effectively.

The Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni vacuuming on a carpet while traveling right along the edge of a couch

The Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni can get very close to walls and furniture to clean, much closer than other bots I've tested previously (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

It puts its 18,000Pa of suction power to good use, with my carpets looking fresh and clean after a single run on its highest suction setting. It did a better job than what I saw in my Roborock Qrevo Edge review despite 18,500Pa of suction. And its roller mop was quite impressive compared to the mops pads I’d gotten used to previously, and that’s despite Ecovacs saying there’s no pressure applied by the roller on the floor.

There’s also a detergent dispenser on board and use of the soap is automatic provided you toggle it on in the app – Ecovacs says there’s always a ratio of 200:1 detergent and water mix in the pipeline to ensure the correct usage. Even without detergent I found my floors were left stain-free after every mop – in fact, it was better than I experienced in my Narwal Freo Z10 review that, at the time, I said had excellent mopping skills.

In four weeks of testing, the X8 Pro Omni got entangled in a cable just once because the side brush pulled a low-hanging wire towards the bumper, but otherwise its obstacle avoidance is very good. Even more impressive is its overall navigation – it invariably took the path of least resistance in my apartment, which meant it got its tasks done relatively quickly and, importantly, without consuming too much battery life.

Even the base station performance is top notch, with the onboard bin getting cleaned quite well each time it empties, and the wet-roller cleaning is impeccable. Water consumption is also lower than any other robovac I’ve tested before – I’ve previously had to refill the clean water after every full cleaning cycle in my small inner-city apartment, but this time I’ve had to do so once every four or five sessions (depending on its routine).

All in all, this was excellent performance from not just the robot vacuum, but I commend Ecovacs for streamlining its app experience as well. It’s much nicer to use, with plenty of customization options to suit your personal cleaning needs. Importantly, these custom routines are now very easy to access.

It's relatively noisier than some of its newer competitors, and it can't perform the climbing feats of the more expensive Dreame X50 Ultra, but if you value excellent cleaning performance above all else, I'd find it very easy to recommend the Deebot X8 Pro Omni – and it's often discounted.

Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni set up in a corner

It doesn't necessarily stand out visually, but the gold accents lend the Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni some class (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni review: price & availability

  • Available since March 2025
  • List price: $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$2,499
  • Incurs ongoing costs for dust bags and detergent

There are quite a few all-in-one robot vacuum cleaners at the same price point that Ecovacs Robotics is selling the X8 Pro Omni, but I think the Deebot can justify its premium cost on its feature set and performance.

It’s listed for $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$2,499 at full price but, at the time of writing, US and UK customers could pick it up for $899.99 / £999 respectively directly from the Ecovacs website. In Australia, it has dropped to AU$2,199 previously, but I suspect there’ll be better discounts around the world during major shopping events like Black Friday sales. It’s also available from select third-party retailers, including Amazon.

This price gets you not just excellent performance (explained below in detail), but you also get an impressive set of features, including voice assistant and Matter integration for a smarter home setup. With that in mind, I think the X8 Pro Omni is well priced compared to some of the other robovacs on the market, although Ecovacs has cheaper models that clean really well, as proved by the Deebot T30 Omni.

As an example of competitor pricing, the Narwal Freo Z Ultra cost $1,499/ AU$2,499 (unavailable in the UK) and is a good machine, but has 12,000Pa of suction compared to the Deebot’s 18,000Pa. Matching the suction power at 18,500Pa is the Roborock Qrevo Edge, but I found it hard to recommend at its list price of $1,599.99 / AU$2,799 (unavailable in the UK) based on its performance alone. On the other hand, Ecovacs' own Deebot T50 Max Pro Omni has 18,500Pa suction, the Yiko voice assistant and promises good cleaning at a lower price point of $799.99 / £799 / AU$1,799.

If you want more suction power, you’ll have to pay a lot more. For example, the Roborock Saros 10 with its whopping 22,000Pa of power will set you back $1,599.99 / £1,499.99 / AU$2,999 at full price, but is often discounted to match the X8's retail cost. The Dreame X50 Ultra Complete with 20,000Pa of suction is also expensive compared to the X8 Pro Omni, coming in at a list price of $1,699.99 / £1,299 / AU$2,999, but it can climb low steps that many of the newer machines can't.

As with any other hybrid robot vacuum, there is the ongoing cost of purchasing dust bags and detergent to take into consideration, although the latter is an optional add-on but I can see the need for it in homes with toddlers and pets. Unlike other brands, though, Ecovacs doesn’t supply a bottle of detergent in the box – at least not in Australia, where the testing for this review was conducted, due to “customs issues with international shipments” – so that’s $49.98 / £44 right off the bat for two 1L bottles in the US and UK (frequently discounted), but the same two-pack isn't available in Australia where a 1L bottle retails for AU$37.50.

The antibacterial dust bags come in packs of three and are available directly from Ecovacs Robotics for $24.99 / £17.99 / AU$29.90 at the time of writing.

Despite the ongoing cost, I think the Deebot X8 Pro Omni balances its feature set, performance and price well, but I’d recommend picking it up during a sale as it’s frequently discounted.

• Value score: 4 / 5

The buttons and bin under the cover of the Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni robot vacuum

The three-prong button on the Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni doesn't look functional, but it has three tasks it can perform when needed (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni review: specs

Suction power:

18,000Pa

Onboard bin capacity:

220ml

Dust bag capacity:

3L

Clean water tank capacity:

4L

Dirty water tank capacity:

4L

Reservoir capacity:

110ml clean; 95ml dirty

Mop lift:

10mm

Noise level:

up to 75dB

Battery capacity:

6,400mAh

Runtime:

up to 228 minutes / up to 240sqm (2,580 sq ft)

Charging time:

4.6 hours

Dimensions:

Robot = 353 x 351.5 x 98 mm; base station = 350 x 477 x 533 mm

Weight:

Robot = 5.3kg; base station = 7.6kg

Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni review: Design

  • Gold accents give it a classy look
  • Extending side brush and wet roller mop
  • Taller than the average robot but lacks a turret; tall but slim base station

I only had to take the robot out to see that Deebot X8 Pro Omni exudes class, thanks to some gold-colored accents on the otherwise black machine. Unlike the Narwal Freo Z10 that I reviewed prior to the X8 (which was a 11kg weight straight out of the box), the Deebot comes packed in layers, which makes it very easy to set up.

Robot design

Once you remove the wash tray from the top of the box, the next item to emerge is the X8 robot. The first thing that distinguishes it from many other robovacs is the lack of a top turret that typically houses the navigation tech. In the X8 Pro Omni, though, all the necessary sensors are on the front and the sides.

The lack of a turret means the X8 can roll under many low-lying pieces of furniture, although it's doesn't have the slimline form factor of the Roborock Saros 10R – it's a little taller, standing at 9.8cm/3.8in compared to the Saros at 8cm/3in, so there needs to be a minimum clearance of 10cm/4in for the Deebot to clean where many other robovacs can't.

A black plastic disc with the Ecovacs logo in gold covers the top of the robot, with a cutout to show off a gold three-pronged button. There's a tiny power icon in the center of the button to indicate that it's functional, but it's easy to miss and can appear purely decorative, although it lights up when in use and charging. Its functionality is listed on a large piece of cardboard inside the packaging: a short press to start or pause, a double press to extend or retract the wet roller, and a three-second long press to send the bot back to its dock. In the four weeks I spent with the machine, I never found the need to use the button – the robot does everything seamlessly.

Also under the top cover is a removable 220ml/7.4oz dustbin whose filter can be taken out for regular cleaning, plus a toggle switch for power, a Wi-Fi indicator light and a QR code to begin your app setup.

On the front of the robot are LiDAR sensors that it uses for mapping your home, while a camera also peeping through the same front window adds visual information that’s paired with artificial intelligence (AIVI) to navigate around obstacles. Along the sides are edge sensors that prevent it from banging into a wall or furniture, yet allowing the bot to get really close for effective cleaning. A mic and speaker are also housed within the front window.

The back of the robot has two charging points, but there’s also a water compartment inside with a clean capacity of 110ml and 95ml for dirty mop water. While you never have to worry about the water reservoir after setup, it can be released using an inset lever.

The extendable side brush of the Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni robot vacuum

The side brush extends, but given the Deebot X8 Pro Omni travels very close to obstacles, it even managed to clean corners (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

As with nearly every other Deebot I’ve tested (and many other brands besides), the underside of the robot houses the central bar brush that sports bristles arranged in a V shape to help it gather hair and fur without itself getting entangled. A single side brush towards the front of the bot rotates at varying speeds automatically depending on the size of the debris it senses – it slows down for larger pieces, similar to some of the high-end Roborocks. It can also extend out to reach into corners and clean along edges – both of which it manages to do better than many of its competitors because the robot itself gets really close to walls.

The rear of the undercarriage is dominated by a wet roller rather than circular mop pads which, according to Ecovacs, spins at a speed of 200rpm and has a scraper in its holder that constantly cleans out the dirty water as it rotates. 16 nozzles keep it supplied with clean water (and detergent if you’re using any).

The main wheels are quite large and, for the first time in any robot vacuum I’ve tested, I found them to be quite noisy when traveling over the tiles in my home. The sound was akin to very hard or brittle plastic moving over a rough surface, but in my time testing the X8 Pro Omni, I didn’t notice too much wear and tear on the wheels to account for the sound. A small omnidirectional caster wheel completes the robot’s physical setup.

The onboard dustbin of the Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni

It's easy to remove the onboard bin in the Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni to clean out the filter regularly (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Base station design

The base station itself isn’t much to write home about and is quite similar to several other models on the market. However, the gold accents on the lids of the two water tanks and branding on the front of the dock makes it look quite smart. The tanks have a 4L capacity each and are very easy to lift up, refill or clean out, then replace back on the dock.

Below the tanks is a covered nook that houses the detergent dispenser and a 3L dust bag. The dispenser is very easy to slide out and refill, while changing the dust bag is also very intuitive. It’s the cover for this nook that takes a little effort to remove each time you need access to either of its two inmates – it clips in very tightly indeed and you'll need to pull it with some force from the bottom of the panel.

Under the covered nook is the cavity for the robot, which sits on a washing tray. Inside the cavity, on the rear wall of the base station, you'll notice nozzles and charging points that keep the robot doing what it needs to do.

The base station is about as tall as many other brands offer, but it’s a little slimmer than, say, a Narwal dock. It will still need a decent amount of space to house, with enough clearance on the top to allow you to remove and replace the tanks.

• Design score: 4.5 / 5

Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni review: Performance

  • Excellent vacuuming on high suction; top-notch mopping at most waterflow levels
  • Arguably one of the best edge cleaners in the business
  • Very good navigation and obstacle avoidance

The X8 Pro Omni for this review was tested in a 40sqm/430sqft inner-city apartment in Sydney, Australia, with the single bedroom fully carpeted, but the rest of the rooms featuring matte-finish tiles. The bathroom, however, has smoother tiles than the rest of the hard floors and it was part of the full map that the X8 had to clean. There are no stairs in the apartment to test cliff sensors, but there are a couple of low thresholds that were useful to test the X8 Pro Omni’s ability to clear some obstacles.

It’s also important for me to mention that I have no pets, but I’ve always found my bedroom carpet covered in my own (long) hair within 3-4 days of cleaning it, and is usually a very good test for any vacuum cleaner that I review.

Before starting the first cleaning session, I not only set up some custom routines (called Scenario Cleans in the Ecovacs Home app), but I also went through the advanced settings to toggle on some key features, including the carpet-first option as I have mixed flooring. This ensured that no matter what custom cleaning routine I might use, carpets were always vacuumed first to minimize the risk of them getting wet (more on the app experience later).

Overall performance of the X8 Pro Omni was excellent, but it’s important to note that it’s best used for the regular maintenance cleaning sessions that you might need on a daily or a weekly basis. It can’t replace the best cordless vacuum cleaners, but it definitely reduces the human effort and time spent on keeping your floors spick and span.

The dirty-water tank standing open atop the Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni base station

Water usage in the Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni is not a lot compared to other models I've tested (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Vacuuming

Let’s start the performance section with the most basic function: vacuuming. I’ve already mentioned earlier in this review that the X8 Pro Omni was one of the best cleaning machines I’ve tested recently, exceeding the vacuuming performance I got from a Roborock and a Narwal that I tested prior to the Deebot. It really does put the 18,000Pa – which is in no way class-leading now – to very good use, particularly at its higher suction settings.

I usually have to set most robovacs to their maximum suction setting to get a decent clean on the bedroom carpet which, as I’ve described above, can get covered in my own hair within days. It’s been rare for me to see that carpet completely hair free after a single session even using the highest power level on other robovacs, but the X8 Pro Omni was been able to do just that each and every time it’s done a bedroom clean on its Max setting.

The Deebot’s got four suction settings and while I wasn’t particularly keen on the Quiet option which reduces the power significantly, I found the Standard and Strong settings to be perfect for hard floors, not once needing to step it up to Max on tiles.

Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni robot vacuum mopping under a chair on a rug

The Deebot X8 Pro Omni repeatedly does 360º rotations around furniture legs to ensure good cleaning (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

The X8 Pro Omni has a suction-boost option which, as the name suggests, automatically increases power when it detects carpets, but I wasn’t able to notice the dynamic suction from sound alone when it went from hard floor to the mid-pile rug in my living room, although it seemed to do a very good job anyway. The audible change in suction was heard when it was vacuuming tiles in my kitchen, just under a cabinet – go figure.

To check its vacuuming abilities further, I conducted TechRadar’s standard tests of sprinkling tea dust and oats (representing two different-sized debris) on both hard floors and carpets. Doing a Zone clean and set at Strong suction, you can see from the video clip below that the X8 Pro Omni did a fantastic job on the tiles, even sucking up the tea dust from along the edge of the room.

If you look closely, you’ll also notice that the side brush slows down when it detects larger debris (oats) to make sure they all get pulled towards the bar brush.

On the carpet, which was also just a Zone clean done as a separate test, I set the robot to Max suction and found it cleared up the oats very well indeed, although tea dust that went deep into the fibers remained, and is visible in the video clip as a dark patch. I used my finger to loosen the carpet fibers and let the X8 run over it again, and voila, it was all cleaned up.

For both tests, I had the X8 Pro Omni set at moving in the Deep Clean pattern, which covers maximum floor space but time consuming, and I didn’t find the need to go over either of the spots with my Dyson V15s Detect Submarine.

Mopping

This is the first robot vacuum I’ve tested that features a wet roller rather than a pair of rotating mop pads and I really wasn’t sure what to expect. Needless to say, the X8 Pro Omni exceeded my expectations and then some with the way it tackled my hard floors. I will go so far as to say this was arguably the best mopping I’ve seen in a while by a robot vacuum.

From shaved Toblerone on the kitchen floor (I was making Toblerone cheesecake at the time) to a partially dried dollop of coriander-mint chutney, I was very impressed with how well it mopped up different (dry) spills.

I specify dry because you really don’t want a robot vacuum to clean a wet spill like cereal milk or curry sauce as everything in the undercarriage will get wet with the sticky liquid or the sauce, including the wheels and side brush. Cleaning the bot after that will be a chore in itself.

The wet roller extended against a tablet as the Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni mops

It's fun to watch the wet roller slide in and out from under the Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni bot (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

As with many other robot vacuums like itself, the X8 Pro Omni has three waterflow settings (Low, Medium and High) with a total of 50 levels. The lowest settings would be good for sensitive wood floors but, for me, I’ve always found higher waterflow rates better for my tiles, so I had the Deebot set at level 40 most of the time as I found 45 and 50 made my tiles very wet indeed, while 30 and lower barely left a damp streak.

My kitchen floors, in particular, need regular mopping and, given it’s right beside the dining room, this area of my apartment was a good test for the X8 Pro Omni. I found that in its Deep Cleaning speed and water level set to 45 but no detergent, there was a visible difference on my floor after its first run compared to what the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine had done prior to switching to the Deebot.

In fact, I’m not sure how much difference adding the detergent has done to my floors because it mopped up dusty footprints and dried, dusty water stains very well without any soap, and it did just as good a job with.

The stress test I put the X8 under was mopping up a partially dried dollop of coriander and mint chutney – it took a couple of passes at water level 40 with detergent in the dispenser to mop it up entirely, no stain left on the floor. The issue here was that the rotating side brush scattered a tiny bit of dry chutney away, but given it was set to Deep Clean, the bot moved over the entire zone twice (more on this below in the navigation section), running perpendicular to its initial path, which meant that scattered bit got mopped up later.

I enjoyed watching the extendable roller sneak in and out of the robot as soon as it sensed something on its side. This could be a wall or a furniture leg, but I found that it hardly left a dry spot.

On the product listing page on the Ecovacs website, the brand says there's no pressure applied by the wet roller on the floor, but given how well I saw it mop, I'd be surprised if this spec listing is correct. There's surely some pressure being applied for such effective mopping.

Another thing I love about the roller is that it's streak-free, particularly on the lower or mid waterflow rates. The only time I saw streaks (and not dirty ones, mind, just marks to show a mop has passed) was when the roller was saturated with clean water.

With the sole exception of one Zone cleaning session when it took the wrong path out of its dock to get to where it needed to in a different room, the Deebot X8 Pro Omni never once strayed from the path of least resistance.

It’s impressive navigation extends to doing full 360º rotations around furniture legs, and while the side brush didn’t always extend when I expected it to, the robot itself got so close to walls and furniture that I never had cause for complaint when it came to its navigation just millimeters from what is essentially an obstacle.

It’s three different “cleaning speeds” (or its movement pattern in a given space) are a little hit and miss if you really want a thorough job done. The best movement pattern I found was the Deep Cleaning, which means the robot cleans a space twice, first running in parallel lines just centimeters apart, then traveling perpendicular to ensure no spot is missed.

The other two cleaning speeds – Standard and Quick – aren’t bad, but because the parallel pathways are slightly more spread out compared to Deep Cleaning, I found that the occasional hair strand or speck of debris got missed. That said, “cleaning speed” as Ecovacs calls it is apt as these determine how quickly the X8 Pro Omni finishes its cleaning task.

Obstacle avoidance is also fantastic, as you can see from the video above when I conducted TechRadar’s standard test – creating an obstacle course of a slipper, shoe, a cable, socks and a tissue box. It avoided every single one of them without a hiccup, a feat I’ve not yet seen from any robot vacuum I’ve tested to date.

The Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni tangled on a cable

The only time the Deebot X8 Pro Omni got entangled with a cable, it was the side brush that pulled it into the bumper (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

However, during one vacuum-only session in my bedroom, it got entangled in a USB-C cable that had one end dangling close to the floor and the side brush pulled it lower (see above image). I could hear Yiko complaining and a notification popped up on my phone that the X8 Pro Omni needed help. I disentangled it and it carried on with its work after I used a voice command to “restart cleaning”.

During a full-house clean, I shut a door to one room to see how it would react to its map not quite being accurate and it had no issues. It got close to the door, pivoted a little on an axis to see if it could spot an opening, but carried on doing what it needed to in the rest of the apartment without any complaints.

Base station performance

Whether it’s sucking out all the dirt and debris from the onboard dustbin or cleaning the wet roller, the X8 Pro Omni base station performance is so good that it justifies the high price tag this machine demands.

Only the tiniest amount of dirt remains inside the onboard dustbin after each vacuuming run that you, honestly, never have to worry about. The only time you’ll need to remove the small onboard bin is when the filter needs cleaning or replacing, or if something gets stuck inside that requires manual removal (never once happened during my testing).

The dustbag inside the base station has a 3L capacity, so it will last you a long while, albeit that will depend on how often you clean, how large your home is and whether you have pets.

Dispensing detergent happened as required, as did filling up the robot’s onboard 110ml clean water compartment. Even pumping out dirty water from the 90ml partition worked well during my testing – you can remove this compartment to clean out the filter inside.

The washing of the roller was impeccable. It looked nearly new after my running it a few times a week for four weeks and the shortest two-hour hot-air drying is more than enough to ensure there’s no trace of dampness that could encourage bacterial or fungal growth. In fact, at the end of my four-week trial period, I found the roller soft to the touch as it was on day one.

The wash tray can also be cleaned out automatically by the machine from time to time, so the only hands-on task you’ll have to do regularly is clean out the dirty water and refill the fresh water. Every couple of months or so, you’ll also need to swap out the dust bag or refill the detergent dispenser if you’ve been using soap for mopping. The ‘health’ of all the accessories and parts is listed in the app, so you’ll know when to do what anyway.

Battery life

Ecovacs says there’s a 6,400mAh battery pack powering the X8 Pro Omni robot, which is rated for up to 228 minutes or a maximum area coverage of 240sqm / 2,580sq ft. In my testing – which admittedly was done in a much smaller space – I found that a number like that is nigh impossible to achieve unless you run the robot at the lowest settings possible, which I doubt anyone will want to do.

In Standard suction and medium waterflow levels during a full 40sqm clean doing a single vacuum-and-mop pass, the X8’s battery dropped to 20%. Bumping it up to Max suction and high waterflow rates, I found the robot needed to go back for a top up at the mains after completing five out of the six rooms in its map – about 78 minutes. Both these tests were conducted at the Deep Clean speed, so more time consuming.

Extrapolating that for Standard or Quiet cleans, you will be able to run the X8 Pro Omni for around 150 minutes, but keep in mind that it boasts dynamic suction as well, so total battery life will depend on how many carpets it encounters or how tough the cleaning job is.

That’s not bad battery life, but it’s not class-leading as models like the Narwal Freo Z10 and Dreame X40 Ultra can outdo the X8. Larger homes will find that a full cleaning task may well require recharging to complete. That said, the X8 is smart enough to learn how much battery it needs to finish a job, so a full-home clean may not necessarily take all day.

• Performance score: 4.5 / 5

The robot of the Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni

No matter the cleaning task, the Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni performs it well (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni review: app control

  • Improved Ecovacs Home app
  • More streamlined setup for robot and base station settings
  • Map might need extensive editing, but is easy to do

I’ve previously not been very impressed with the Ecovacs Home app as it wasn’t as streamlined as I would have liked, but that’s changed now – the updated version of the app that I used with the X8 Pro Omni is a significant improvement.

It’s now easier to access the custom cleaning routines – renamed Scenario Cleans from just plain ol’ Scenarios – as they're listed on the homepage of the device, and each of these are also very easy to customize and set up.

To access more settings options, the Ecovacs Home app has always allowed you to ‘Enter’ a more detailed page with your home’s map laid out, but now the robot and base station advanced settings are right there on that same screen – the robot stuff is right at the bottom while switching tabs gives you the base station setup. This is a much better app experience than I encountered only a few months ago from the time of publication of this review.

Screenshots of the Ecovacs Home app showing the mapping process and the robot's location

Mapping with the Deebot X8 Pro Omni is quick and it's remarkably easy to edit the final map (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

As I’ve already mentioned, there’s the Yiko voice assistant on board and, in all honesty, I really don’t see the need for verbal communication with the device, but my inner lazy self took a shine to it for a very short time. All routines and settings work so well, that Yiko doesn’t need to be there, but it was nice to see that it can understand commands better than before.

During my testing, it didn’t comprehend its own name (see the screenshot below where it hears its name as "you go"), but that didn’t stop it from performing the task I asked it to do (pause cleaning). I immediately asked it to restart again – no problem whatsoever.

Screenshots of the Ecovacs Home app showing errors and Yiko conversations

You can give Yiko back-to-back commands and you'll hear its voice prompts very often, so much so that it can get annoying (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

You’ll also hear a lot of oral prompts every time the robot has to perform a task. This can quickly get very annoying, particularly when the self-empty of the bin takes place because it’s a long, drawn-out message telling you “don’t worry” about the loud noises. There’s sadly no way to turn these off, but you can drop the volume right down to ‘mute’, but this also means you won’t hear when the bot needs help. Thankfully there are app notifications to help with that. The volume is also associated with a ‘ding’ sound the robot makes every time you adjust a setting – these too will be muted if you turn the volume slider right down.

Screenshots of the Ecovacs Home app showing various settings and custom routines

There's plenty of control via the Ecovacs Home app, which has evolved to become more streamlined than before (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Every setting on the app is well explained and easy to understand in case you want to use it, but I would advise that you take some time to go through all options before you begin using the X8 Pro Omni so that you get the best results possible.

For example, you can set and forget the cleaning sequence for the whole house and, no matter which rooms you choose for whatever custom routine you might have, the X8 Pro Omni will follow that. This can be edited at any time too. As I’ve mentioned before, you can also toggle on carpet-first cleaning in the robot settings, set how you want the auto-empty to take place or how often you want the wet roller washed. You even get control over how long you want the base station to spend drying it with hot air. You’ll also need to toggle on auto detergent use, otherwise the base station won’t use soap even if you’ve filled the dispenser.

There is a lot of control here, although it would be nice to see Ecovacs allow the user to choose how many passes the X8 will do when on an automatic AI-powered cleaning run (it’s always just one in this mode).

• App score: 4 / 5

Should I buy the Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni?

Attribute

Notes

Score

Value

Compared to other similarly specced models, the X8 Pro Omni is very competitively priced, balancing feature set, power, performance and cost quite well – plus it's often discounted.

4 / 5

Design

It’s a very low-maintenance design with several parts that can be taken out to wash if necessary. And it exudes class. The lack of a turret means it can even roll under some low-lying furniture.

4.5 / 5

Performance

As long as you avoid using the X8 to clean wet spills, it will handle your regular cleaning with aplomb. It will even maintain itself well without too much intervention from you.

4.5 / 5

App control

The updated Ecovacs Home app is a lot more streamlined now and easier to use.

4 / 5

You prioritize good cleaning above all else

Considering the X8 Pro Omni passed all my tests with flying colors, it's arguably the best robot vacuum I've tested to date.

You want as much of a hands-off cleaning experience as possible

While you don't really need the voice assistant, Yiko gives you even more opportunity to not have to lift a finger – literally! Just open the app and ask it to start a cleaning routine (even a custom one) and it will do so.

You have wood floors

There are plenty of waterflow levels here to choose from and I think the lower settings will look after wood floors well. Moreover, the roller minimizes streaks on floors that I've previously seen mop pads leave behind in their wake.

You have low-lying furniture

It's a little taller than the Roborock Saros 10, but even then, the lack of a turret allows it to roll under furniture that has a clearing of at least 10cm.

Don't buy it if...

You don't want to spend too much money

The X8 Pro Omni might be a fantastic robovac but it's a premium one. If you can forgo some of the smart home features like Matter integration and voice assistant, and aren't too fussed about mop pads doing the wet cleaning, you can get similar performance from a cheaper model – in fact, the Ecovacs Deebot T50 Max Pro Omni has slightly higher suction and the same Yiko support, but a lower price point.

You want a quiet robot vacuum

On its higher suction settings, the X8 Pro Omni is louder than similar models from Narwal and Roborock. Moreover, the wheels, when moving over the tiles in my test space, were quite rattly too.

Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni review: Also consider

Roborock Saros 10R

Our reviewer called it the "perfect hybrid robot vacuum cleaner even for the most cluttered of homes". Improved navigation and a low profile means it can get to places other robovacs will typically avoid. It's also quiet, has excellent vacuum and mop skills, and it's pretty much a master of its trade. It costs more than the X8 Pro Omni, but it might be a worthwhile investment for some homes.
Read our in-depth Roborock Saros 10R review for more details.

Dreame X50 Ultra

Going by the additional moniker of "Complete" in some markets, the Dreame X50 Ultra is a premium model that not only gives you way more suction than the X8 Pro Omni (a max of 20,000Pa), but it can also tackle some short steps in your home and roll under furniture by retracting its turret.
Find out more in our detailed Dreame X50 Ultra Complete review.

How I tested the Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni

  • Used three to four times a week for four weeks
  • Tried various suction and waterflow levels in a 40sqm test space with mixed flooring
  • Experimented with the Yiko voice assistant and tweaked various advanced settings

A top-down view of the water tanks of Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni

It's very easy to recommend the Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni, despite its higher price tag (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

I received my review unit of the Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni in the third of week of July 2025 and spent the next four weeks running it on various settings and custom routines mostly three times a week, but it has done more sessions during the last week when I conducted my obstacle course test.

I found that once all the settings were as I'd want them, the X8 Pro Omni just did what it needed to do without any fuss. During that time, I found it didn't use as much clean water as other robot vacuums (especially compared to the Narwal Freo Z10 I tested prior to it) and, hence, found I didn't need to keep refilling the clean-water tank as much. Of course, that's also because the test space is small (just 40sqm/430sqft) and has mixed flooring with carpet in the bedroom and a large rug in the living room.

I set up four different custom routines, or Shortcut Cleans as the app labels them, and tested each one 2-3 times over the course of the four-week testing period. I also ran single-room and zone cleaning sessions to see how the X8 Pro Omni performs in its auto-cleaning mode.

While I began testing the X8 without any detergent for the first week, I added a small quantity to the dispenser on week 2 of testing.

I put it through TechRadar's usual tests for vacuuming and mopping (using oats and tea from a bag for the former, and a dollop of chutney for the latter). I also conducted our standard obstacle avoidance test, but threw in two types of socks and a tissue box for good measure.

As you've probably already read, the X8 Pro Omni passed all its tests with flying colors, with only the one hiccup when it got entangled in a low-hanging cable during a vacuum-only session.

Read more about how we test vacuum cleaners

[First reviewed August 2025]

The Philips Hue Play Wall Washer transformed my home cinema setup, and it makes a perfect wake-up light, too
4:00 pm | August 6, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Smart Home Smart Lights | Tags: , | Comments: Off

Philips Hue Play Wall Washer: two-minute review

When I first set eyes on the Philips Hue Play Wall Washer, I saw it as a more advanced alternative to the Philips Hue Play Light Bars, which are designed to sit on either side of your TV and add ambience to your home entertainment setup. The Wall Washer can certainly do that – and with more atmospheric results thanks to its wider projection area – but it can do a lot more, too.

Like the Light Bar, the Wall Washer is a discreet-looking device that's designed to be positioned with its light source shining against a wall, rather than into the room, producing a diffuse glow that (as the name suggests) washes your room with color. However, unlike the Play Light Bar, which can only show one color at a time, each Wall Washer contains three lights, stacked vertically, which overlap to form a smooth gradient.

As the video below shows, the three lights can also dim and brighten independently to create shimmering effects, which is a nice feature if you choose to use a single Wall Washer as a table lamp to set the mood as part of a larger Philips Hue lighting setup.

You can use the Wall Washer via Bluetooth, but to unlock all its features (and to justify its price), you'll also need a Philips Hue Bridge. This small hub device plugs into your router and uses the Zigbee wireless protocol to create a mesh network that connects all of your Hue lights, switches, and cameras to one another, and to the internet.

Provided you have that, setting up your Wall Washer is straightforward. Just select the "Add" option within the Hue mobile app, scan the QR code on the base of your Wall Washer when prompted and then choose a room or zone for it (you'll be prompted to create an area if none already exist). If you have more than one Wall Washer, you'll need to add each one separately, but that takes only a few seconds.

Setting up Philips Hue Play Wall Washer lights using Philips Hue app on Android phone

You can add Wall Washers to any room or zone in the Philips Hue app, sync them with other lights, and apply scenes across them all (Image credit: Future)

Once that's done, you can change the color of each Wall Washer by choosing a shade from the app's color wheel. You can also apply a preset color scheme (known as a "scene") from the Hue library; create your own scene by picking colors or importing a picture; or apply an animated dynamic scene such as the shimmering purple effect above.

You can customize your Wall Washer by itself, or apply a scene to all the lights in a room or zone.

Despite its small size, the Wall Washer projects light a long way, and when it was positioned on a table, I found the color reached all the way to the ceiling. If you like the idea of a Philips Hue Signe Floor Lamp, but don't have the space, the Wall Washer would be a good alternative for around the same price. Although there are only three lights in each Wall Washer, the color gradient is totally seamless, as you can see in the image at the top of this review.

As mentioned earlier, the Philips Hue Play Wall Washer can also sync with your TV, extending the colors from the screen in the same way as a Philips Ambilight TV to create a more immersive viewing experience by effectively blurring the edges of the picture.

To do this, you'll need at least one Wall Washer, plus either a Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box, or a smart TV that's compatible with the Philips Hue Play Sync app. The app was initially only available for selected Samsung TVs, but in February 2025, Signify (Philips Hue's parent company) launched a version for LG sets as well.

The advantage of using the app is that there's less to setup, and you can use it to sync your Hue lights with content from your TV's native apps. If you use a Sync Box, you can only sync with content from HDMI sources.

As you can see in the video and images above, there's very little latency when using the Wall Washer lights with a Philips Hue HDMI Sync Box connected to a set-top box, and colors look natural rather than distracting. The lighting is effective, even in daylight, and the gradient means the Wall Washers create a more seamless look than the Philips Hue Play Light Bars, which can only average out the color on each side of your screen.

The main disadvantage of the Wall Washer compared to the Philips Hue Play Light Bar is that it only stands upright, and it isn't designed to be mounted horizontally. As such, it isn't well suited for use underneath your TV. You'll probably want at least two for a home entertainment setup (and possibly another for elsewhere in the room), which will be considerably more expensive.

If you have just one Wall Washer, it also works well as a wake-up light on your nightstand. The Hue app contains automations that are designed to wake you with a simulated sunrise, with the lamp gradually becoming brighter and the light becoming cooler, reaching full brightness by a set time. I'm very sensitive to light at night, and the Wall Washer is the first lamp I've found that doesn't shock me awake by increasing brightness abruptly. It's more like waking gradually as the sun comes through your tent on a camping trip.

At the end of the day, you can wind down with a sunset automation, which runs the same sequence in reverse. The video above shows the last 20 seconds of a five-minute sleep automation, during which the light color shifts from warm white to orange to red, while gradually decreasing in brightness.

Overall, it's the most versatile smart light I've tested to date, and although it certainly isn't cheap, there's no denying its performance, whichever room you're using it in.

  • Performance: 5/5

Philips Hue Play Wall Washer: price and availability

  • Costs $219.99 / £169.99 for one, or $384.99 / £299.99 for two
  • Not yet available in Australia
  • Works best with Philips Hue Bridge

At the time of writing, the Philips Hue Play Wall Washer is available direct from the Philips Hue website in the US and UK, and from Amazon in the US. It isn't yet on sale in Australia, but FAQ pages on the Australian Philips Hue site indicate that its launch there is imminent.

A single Philips Hue Play Wall Washer has a list price of $219.99 / £169.99 (about AU$340), and if you're planning to use the lights on either side of your TV (as shown in some of the photos here), you can pick up a two-pack for $384.99 / £299.99 (about AU$600).

That makes it one of the most expensive Philips Hue lights around, but it's also the most versatile, serving as a filler light to add ambience, a backlight for your home entertainment system, and a wake-up light. Most Hue lights only fill one niche, so the Wall Washer's adaptability makes its price tag more palatable.

For comparison, the Philips Hue Play Light Bar has a list price of $89.99 / £64.99 / AU$129.95 each. If you're considering the Wall Washer as a wake-up lamp, the Philips Hue Twilight (which also has a front-facing LED for reading) costs $279 / £249 (about AU$430).

If you want to use the Wall Washers with your TV, you'll also need a Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box and Philips Hue Bridge, so factor these into your budget calculations if you don't already own them.

  • Value score: 4/5

Philips Hue Play Wall Washer: specifications

Wattage

60W

Maximum brightness

1,035 lumens

Colors

2,000-6,500K Hue White Colour Ambiance

Control options

Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant (via Philips Hue app)

Max lights per power supply

3

Connectivity

Zigbee/Bluetooth

Size (H x W)

6.2 x 3.6 inches / 15.7 x 9.1cm

Philips Hue Play Wall Washer: design

Each Philips Hue Play Wall Washer is nearly cylindrical, and measures 6.2 inches / 15.7cm tall and 3.6 inches / 9.1cm in diameter. This is considerably shorter than the Philips Hue Play Light Bars, which stand at 11.5 inches / 29.2cm high; but the design of the Wall Washer and its improved LEDs means that it can throw light over a larger area.

The Wall Washer has an aluminum case (rather than plastic for the Play Light Bars), and has a smart-looking matte finish. It's available in black (shown here) or white, so you can pick an option that will blend well with your décor.

The back of the Wall Washer has a flat surface, and contains three Philips Hue White & Color Ambiance lights arranged vertically. That might not sound like much, but the lights overlap in such a way that they shine a super-smooth gradient onto your wall, with no banding whatsoever.

Philips Hue Wall Washer in dark room, showing three lights on rear

The Wall Washer contains three lights that overlap to create a smooth gradient (Image credit: Future)

This technology, called ColorCast, is the same used by the Philips Hue Twilight wake-up lamp – and like the Twilight, the Wall Washer can be dimmed to an extremely low level for use at night.

You can connect up to three Philips Hue Play Wall Washer lights to a single power supply, although they're only sold in packs of one or two.

  • Design score: 5/5

Should you buy the Philips Hue Play Wall Washer

Philips Hue Play Wall Washer: score card

Attribute

Notes

Score

Value

One of the most expensive Philips Hue lights around, but also one of the most versatile.

4/5

Design

Small and discreet, with cleverly positioned overlapping LEDs that produce a super-smooth color gradient.

5/5

Performance

Easy to use, and works brilliantly whether adding ambience to your home cinema, serving as a fill light, or waking you up with a natural sunrise effect.

5/5

Buy it if

You already have some (or are planning to buy) other Philips Hue products

To get the most out of the Wall Washer you'll need a Philips Hue Bridge and possibly an HDMI Sync Box, so if you're not planning to build a whole Philips Hue setup then it's hard to justify the price of this lamp plus all the accessories.

You want a versatile smart light

Unlike some Philips Hue Play lights, the Wall Washer isn't just for use with your TV.

Don't buy it if

You want task lighting

This is a light for creating a mood, not for boosting visibility. If you want something similar for task lighting, take a look at the Philips Hue Twilight, which has the same ColorCast tech, but also has a front-facing reading light.

You want a statement piece

The Wall Washer can create a dramatic effect, but the device itself is designed to be discreet. If you want something that makes a statement, something like the Govee Table Light 2 might work better.

Philips Hue Play Wall Washer: also consider

If you're not sure whether the Philips Hue Play Wall Washer is right for you, here are two other options to consider.

Philips Hue Play Light Bars

If you only want a light to add ambience to games and movies, the Play Light Bar is a much more affordable alternative. It doesn't project a gradient and it doesn't throw light as far, but if you catch it in a sale then you can pick up a pair for almost half the price of two Wall Washers.

Read our full Philips Hue Play Light Bar review

Philips Hue Signe Gradient Table Lamp

If you want an attractive light gradient for your walls but aren't interested in syncing it with your TV, this minimalist lamp is a more affordable option.

Read our full Philips Hue Signe Gradient Table Lamp review

How I tested the Philips Hue Play Wall Washer:

I connected the Philips Hue Play Wall Washer to my Philips Hue Bridge, and used it in various rooms in my house (alone, and as a pair). First I connected it to a Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box, which was linked to a digital set-top box, and experimented with viewing different films and TV shows to assess color-matching and latency. The screengrabs above show content from TechRadar's YouTube channel for copyright reasons, but I tested the lights with a wide variety of media.

I also used a single Wall Washer as a fill light together with a pair of Philips Hue White & Color Ambiance bulbs in ceiling fixtures. I experimented with applying different scenes to all the lights in the room, and creating new ones.

Finally, I tested a single Wall Washer on my nightstand, using the Wake Up and Sleep automations to assess how smoothly the color and brightness of the light can change, and how dim it can become before switching off. I compared its performance to a purpose-made wake-up light.

For more details, see how we test, rate, and review products at TechRadar.

First reviewed July 2025.

Reliable, neat and user-friendly, the Anthbot Genie lawn mower is a wish come true
8:00 am | July 31, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Smart Home | Tags: | Comments: Off

Anthbot Genie: two-minute review

Like the very best in the latest tranche of self-guided robot lawn mowers, the Anthbot Genie requires no perimeter wires and no professionals to install it. Simply take it out of its box, set up its charging station and RTK receiver in a suitable spot and set it off on its way.

There are three versions to choose from, with different battery capacities making them suited to different lawn size. The Genie 600 is designed for lawns up to 0.22 acres / 900m², the Genie 1000 is for up to 0.49 acres / 2000m² and the Genie 3000 is for up to 0.89 acres / 3600m². For this review, I tested the 3000.

Although the Genie's 7.9 inch / 20cm cutting width isn't the widest on the market – that accolade goes to the five-star Mammotion LUBA 2 – what it lacks in size it makes up for in accuracy. Thanks to RTK-GPS and its AI-empowered 3D four-camera recognition technology, the Genie cuts in straight lines and navigates neatly around edges without the typical zig-zag chaos of older robot mowers. It's a sterling obstacle avoider, too.

However, its success may depend on the RTK receiver having a good line of sight to a range of satellites in the sky, and to that end it's a bit of a shame that a wall-mounting kit (to place the receiver above the tree-line) is an added extra rather than being included as standard. That said, positioning mine in the lawn next to the charge station – the only setup possible with the included equipment – worked just fine to me, even with a fair amount of tree coverage.

Like the vast majority of robot mowers, the Genie doesn't have a grass collector. Instead, its five-blade cutting disk snips off millimeters at a time, leaving the nitrogen-rich cuttings to fertilize the lawn. Its motorized cutting deck is easily adjustable in the app and lets you fine-tune your grass from a crisp trim to a lush, longer look.

If you're in the market for an easy-to-use robot that's reliable and easy to operate, you've found it. Read on for my full Anthbot Genie robot lawn mower review.

Anthbot Genie 300 robot lawn mower in reviewer's yard

(Image credit: Future)

Anthbot Genie review: price & availability

  • List price: $999 to $1,359 / £999 to £1,699
  • Launch date: Spring 2025
  • Available: US and UK

The Anthbot Genie went on sale in Spring 2025, following a successful Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign. They're available to buy direct from Anthbot and Amazon in the US and the UK, and at list price they cost $999 / £999 for the Genie 600, $1,199 / £1,299 for the Genie 1000 and $1,599 / £1,699 for the Genie 3000.

Given that wire-free yard robotics is a relatively new thing, right now you can expect to pay big money for the privilege of never having to mow the lawn again. However, prices have already started to tumble and this will likely continue as more competition enters the market. In fact, at time of writing, all sizes of the Genie were heavily discounted in both the US and the UK. In the pantheon of robot lawn mowers, the Anthbot Genie's price structure can be considered quite reasonable given the huge amount of sci-fi tech involved.

  • Value for money score: 4 out of 5

Anthbot Genie specs

Max lawn size:

0.22 acres / 900m², 0.49 acres / 2,000m², 0.89 acres / 3,600m²

Cutting deck width:

7.9 in / 20cm

Cutting height adjustment:

1.18 - 2.8 in/ 30-70mm, motorized

Bot dimensions:

24.8 x 16.1 x 10.6in / 63 x 41 x 27cm

Navigation:

RTK GPS + 4-camera 3D Vision

Climbing ability:

45% (24°)

Drivetrain:

Rear wheel drive

Waterproof:

IPX6

Rain sensor:

Yes

Noise:

58dB

Connectivity:

Wi-Fi (2.4G), 4G, Bluetooth

Obstacle avoidance:

3D Vision (4 Cameras) + All-round Physical Obstacle Avoidance

Maximum zones:

20 - 30

Anthbot Genie review: design

  • 3 variants with different batteries for different lawn sizes
  • Navigates using RTK GPS and AI powered cameras
  • Wall mounting kit for RTK station is sold separately

Funny how the world of technology works. It takes just one company to create a new type of innovative product and within a year everyone's at it. Just look at robot vacuum cleaners. Once there was iRobot, then the likes of Roborock followed suit and, before we knew it, we were being bombarded with hundreds of robot vacs from companies we'd never heard of. Well the same thing is happening in the world of robot lawn mowers.

Although robot mowers have been out since the 1990s, I've never had the desire to review one because they've all required getting down on hands and knees and fixing, or burying, a ridiculously long boundary cable around the entire perimeter of the lawn and every outdoor ornament and piece of furniture. But that's all changed with the recent advent of RTK GPS-, camera-, and LiDAR-guided lawnbots that not only navigate a lawn – and any obstacles – with gobsmacking precision but cut grass in beautifully straight lines that make any lawn look immaculately snazzy.

Anthbot Genie 300 robot lawn mower in reviewer's yard

(Image credit: Future)

Anthbot is one of those young upstarts and I've got to say that its design team has done its homework and designed one of the very best lawnbots I've so far tested – and a great looker to boot. In fact, it's getting rather difficult to write these reviews because every robotic lawn mower I receive to test seems to be a bit better than the last, and there are only so many stars one can give as commendation.

The Anthbot Genie is the latest addition to the fast-evolving world of smart robotic lawn mowers, and it brings some serious tech to the yard. This model is available in three battery capacities, which equate to the amount of lawn space they can realistically handle without having to return to recharge too often.

Anthbot Genie 300 robot lawn mower in reviewer's yard

(Image credit: Future)

If you have a small urban-sized lawn, opt for the Genie 600 which has a reach of 0.22 acres / 900m² . If your lawn's a lot larger or you want the robot to cut an entire space without heading back to base for a recharge (remember, fewer recharge cycles equals a longer battery life) then opt for either the Genie 1000 which is suitable for lawns up to 0.49 acres / 2,000m² or the Genie 3000 which is capable of trimming a whopping 0.89 acres / 3,600m². All three variants are exactly the same size and have the same features, except the 3000 model can cut up to 30 different lawn zones while the other two can manage 20.

Unlike traditional robot mowers that rely on cumbersome boundary wires, the Genie uses advanced RTK-GPS combined with an AI-empowered navigation system comprising four cameras (including one on each side) that are said to provide '300-degree human-like vision and 360-degree collision sensing'. I believe it having seen it in operation.

RTK station for Anthbot Genie 300 robot lawn mower

(Image credit: Future)

RTK-GPS uses an RTK receiver to correct satellite signals, making them accurate to within a few centimeters. The system requires the bot and the receiver to have direct line of sight to a large proportion of the sky. The idea is that if the GPS signal is weak or lost due to overhead obstructions, the lawn bot will switch over to camera-based navigation.

I should add that RTK-GPS, which is accurate to just a few centimetres, isn't suitable for every home layout because the package requires having an aerial spiked into the lawn within a foot of the charging station and with a clear line of sight to as many satellites as possible. My own lawn is surrounded by very tall trees and the RTK stations of every lawnbot I've so far tested have all been positioned to the side of two 80-foot beech trees.

In theory my yard should be the worst case scenario but, against all odds, I'm receiving signals from between 12 and 25 satellites at any given time – and with just 50 per cent or so of visible sky. So don't write off this model or any other without taking a good look at the sky around your home.

Close up of cameras on Anthbot Genie 300 robot lawn mower

(Image credit: Future)

If your land space looks unsuitable, Anthbot sells a wall-mounting kit that enables you to attach the RTK receiver to a structure up high (so there's wider direct line of sight to satellites in the sky), and plug it into a separate power source to the charge station. Some other lawnbots, include wall-mounting kit with the initial bundle, but here it's an additional purchase.

When it comes to obstacle avoidance, this model features three levels of sensitivity (low, medium and high) and it's worth playing around with the settings to find the best solution for your lawn. I've been very impressed with the Genie's obstacle avoidance and you can read more about it in the Performance chapter below.

Anthbot Genie 300 robot lawn mower on its side, showing blades and wheels

(Image credit: Future)

Right, let's get down to the stats. The Genie's 7.9 inch / 20cm cutting width may sound modest, but it's more than capable of maintaining a consistently neat finish on the lawn sizes it was designed for. Like all robot mowers, the Genie uses a spinning horizontal disc with razor blades attached to the outer edge. Some models like the Eufy E15 have just three blades, but this one has five.

The Genie's motorized cutting height is fully adjustable between 1.2-2.8 inches in 0.2in increments (30-70mm in 5mm increments), allowing you to switch between a close-cropped summer lawn or a longer, lusher look in the cooler months. However, you won't see the 0.2in / 5mm increments on the app unless you tap on the dividing lines between each main measurement. Please fix this Anthbot.

Like 99 per cent of robot mowers, the Genie is a mulching model, so it finely chops grass into tiny nitrogen-rich clippings that naturally fertilize your lawn. That means no messy grass collectors and no piles of cuttings to dispose of. If the mower is set to perform two to three cuts a week, it will simply snip off a few days' worth growth and therefore not litter the lawn in cuttings.

All robot mowers are whisper-quiet when working; so quiet that you can hardly hear them from just a few meters away. This model's drive motor is a fraction louder than other lawnbots I've tested (around 58dB), but it's hardly audible when you're more than 8 meters away.

I sadly wasn't able to test the Genie's multi-zone function since I only have one lawn, but from what I've seen online, it behaves in the same way as other robot mowers and involves steering the robot like an RC car using the Bluetooth connection from one zone to another. As long as the path between the two zones is free of clutter – and especially gates and steps – the Genie will follow the same path every time it's out on a cutting spree. Impressively, this mower provides the option to create between 20 and 30 zones depending on the variant you've chosen.

Anthbot Genie 300 robot lawn mower under cover on its charge station

(Image credit: Future)

If there are permanent obstacles within the lawn (beds, for example), you can create no-go zones so the mower doesn't try to cut them. As a step up from some competitor models, you can create these in-app with a few taps, just as you would with a robot vacuum cleaner. I should add that the Genie's navigation system will cover the vast majority of obstacle avoidance but it's good to have the no-go option for those who wish to make doubly sure that the robot will always avoid pitfalls like drop offs and ponds.

Like all robot mowers and vacs, the Genie can be easily programmed to run a regular schedule so the grass is always kept in tip-top condition. However, the Anthbot Genie app also features a Smart Lawn Care function, which automatically selects the best mowing strategy based on growth of the grass. I wasn't able to try out this function properly because my test period coincided with an ongoing drought that has prevented most UK grass from growing.

I did select the option but found it very confusing because it leapt straight into a schedule and the whole point of the function is that it chooses when to mow. If it's like Worx's Landroid Vision system, it should require input of grass type and then check local weather to create an automatic schedule.

Perhaps this feature will be improved going forward but for now I would suggest ignoring it and stick to your own schedules. Incidentally, like every other bot on the market, a rain sensor on top of the body automatically pauses mowing during wet weather and you can change the delayed mowing time from between one hour and eight hours.

Close up of side camera on Anthbot Genie 300 robot lawn mower

(Image credit: Future)

Most mowers are capable of climbing inclines of 30% to 40% but this rear-wheel-drive model goes 5% more, meaning it's suitable for a slightly wider variety of landscapes. The two large and chubby front caster wheels help in this regard, but it's the oversized and heavy treaded rear wheels that provide all the traction. Nevertheless, there will be some lawns that are still too steep for this mower to handle. If that's your lawn, consider the all-wheel-drive Mammotion LUBA 2 or LUBA Mini which both boast amazing 80% incline ability.

Like most modern wireless robot mowers, the Genie is initially bound to one's WiFi and Anthbot account so any light-fingered thieves will basically have a brick on their hands. To further enhance security, a four-digit code is also required and if the robot is moved beyond its preset boundary, an alarm sounds on the robot and the user receives an emergency alert. Top marks in this respect.

According to the US and UK websites, Anthbot already has an after sales repair service in place in many territories – including the UK and US – with a 10 day turnaround in most cases. In fact, I've been very impressed by Anthbot's activity on Facebook in seeking feedback from current users regarding any improvements the company can make going forward.

Setup

The Genie arrived in a large box containing the mowing unit, a charging base, ample electrical cabling for an outdoor mains output and the RTK GPS antennae. I selected a space next to my Mammotion LUBA 2 and placed the antennae beside the charging station. This area is right beneath two 80-foot beech behemoths, a large horse chestnut and a small damson tree but, against all odds, every RTK system I've used has worked.

This one worked too, though it took a few minutes for the RTK receiver to log on to the prerequisite number of satellites. I'm actually amazed that these RTK-based lawnbots work at all on my lawn given the amount of trees surrounding it, and that just goes to show that there are a lot more satellites up there than you might think.

Anthbot Genie 300 robot lawn mower in its garage

(Image credit: Future)

After turning it on and hearing the musical fanfare, you'll be asked to select the default pin code (0000). Even though the machine is also bonded to the owner's Wi-Fi and email address, this code is an extra line of defence against theft of the machine and should be changed to a personal code using the keypad on the unit or, better still, via the app. Just make sure to make a note of your own pin code because the product is a brick without it, and the only way to fix it is by contacting the manufacturer with proof of purchase.

All robots need to map the space they'll be working in; in this model's case, the Genie uses its RTK GPS and multi-camera system. Anthbot provides two methods for mapping a lawn: auto or manual. In auto the robot analyses the lawn's borders automatically, while manual involves driving the bot around the perimeter like an RC car.

I initially chose auto and the Genie mapped the lawn quickly without any messing about. It simply went to the nearest edge and mapped the entire lawn in about five minutes. That's a record! However, I've since discovered an excellent feature in the app that lets you manually expand the map by driving the robot even closer to the perimeter. Nice one Anthbot.

Anthbot Genie 300 robot lawn mower in reviewer's yard

(Image credit: Future)

At this juncture I wish to give a shout out to the tailored Rain Cover for the Genie because it not only keeps the robot dry (even though its IPX6 waterproof) but, perhaps more importantly, it blocks out hot summer sun which could feasibly mess around with the bot's battery and electronics. The Anthbot garage is an impressive piece of kit in its own right since the main body is cast from solid steel and is so robust that I sense it would stand up to a tornado, let alone a gale.

Once the Anthbot Genie is all set up and ready to roll, it's simply a case of going into the app and setting a two- or three-day schedule, your preferred cutting height and obstacle sensitivity, and whether you want the robot to mow in vertical or horizontal stripes. And that's it. You can now retreat, safe in the knowledge that your lawn will always look neat and tidy, even when you're away on holiday.

  • Design score: 4.5 out of 5

Anthbot Genie review: performance

  • Impressive cutting performance
  • Superb navigation system
  • On-par obstacle avoidance

Every perimeter wire-free robot mower I've reviewed to date has performed surprisingly well, at least given the relative newness of this particular field of robotics. The Genie's 7.9 inch / 20cm cutting width may seem compact compared to the 15.7 inch / 40cm Mammotion NUBA 2, but I've been impressed by the precision of its cut – its five-blade disc spins at around 3,000rpm, slicing through grass stems like a pair of sharp scissors, leaving only the tiniest of mulched clippings in its wake. If programmed to perform regular cutting sessions during the main season, the nitrogen-rich clippings will soon disappear back into the lawn where they'll act as natural fertilizer.

Whether you set it to 1.2in / 30mm for a UK-style summer trim or 2.8in / 70mm for a longer cut that's more suited to US grass varieties, the Genie should maintain a consistent finish across varied lawn surfaces. The Genie's simple, replaceable blade system certainly handled my lawn's thick early summer growth with ease, leaving no clumps or uneven patches. However, it sadly hasn't seen much use during the past two weeks because the UK has been experiencing a series of heatwaves and all lawns in the southern region have shut down to some extent.

Anthbot Genie 300 robot lawn mower in reviewer's yard

(Image credit: Future)

I've been especially impressed by the Genie's navigation system, which has never faulted in four weeks of using it. My base station is set to one side of my 170 square metre lawn with a gap of around 15 meters / 49ft to the side border and when the Genie leaves its station, it starts mowing in a straight vertical line from that point, missing the 1.5 metres of lawn width to its left and continuing to cut the largest section of lawn to its right.

It then moves to the left side of its first path to complete the rest of the lawn before moving to the edges, which it cuts remarkably well. I should add that its border cutting improved tenfold since I engaged the new 'edge-cutting' option and manually expanded the map by driving the robot closer to the border.

Anthbot Genie 300 robot lawn mower in reviewer's yard

(Image credit: Future)

Granted, the Genie employs an unusual cutting pattern when compared to other lawnbots I've tested but, hey, it has always finished the task in about an hour so I have nothing to grumble about in this regard. All I know is that it creates lovely stripes in its wake. Yes, I still prefer the much wider tract of the Mammotion LUBA 2 but I'm getting more and more used to the narrower stripes that the majority of current bots create.

I've also been impressed by the Genie's better-than-average obstacle avoidance. I tested it using a variety of objects – from dog toys and tennis balls to a chewed-up plastic plant pot – and it avoided all of them with deft precision (the two extra side-mounted cameras most definitely helped in this area). In fact I was so impressed I decided to bring out the ping-pong ball that no robot mower has so far avoided. Unfortunately, this was too small an item even for the Genie, which makes me think that manufacturers adjust their respective robots to ignore the smallest of objects on purpose lest they mistake scattered leaves for obstacles and avoid them entirely.

Anthbot Genie 300 robot lawn mower avoiding obstacles in reviewer's yard

(Image credit: Future)

I should add that my test lawn is perfect for any robot since it's rectangular shaped and with no inclines and no major obstacles in the way. Nevertheless, I have watched a few videos by other users with more challenging terrain and they've also been impressed with the Genie's performance.

One thing I have noticed is that the Genie 3000 I was sent to review has been able to cut my entire lawn and the edges with 72 per cent of battery remaining. Yes, this model is overkill for my lawn size but it just goes to show how energy-efficient the model's battery and motors are. If you can afford it, perhaps opt for a larger model than you need so you can cut down on battery charging cycles and have the available juice to cut extra lawn zones in the future.

  • Performance score: 5 out of 5

Anthbot Genie review: app

  • Easy to use
  • Receives quite regular updates
  • Some room for improvement

The Anthbot app is mostly excellent. This easy-to-use app allows the user to set cutting heights and angle of cut, create up to 30 mowing zones, programme different schedules for each and define no-go areas with a swipe of the finger. The app also includes real-time monitoring so you can check the mower's location, battery level and progress at any time, even if you're away from home.

Screenshots from Anthbot Genie app

(Image credit: Anthbot)

My test model recently received a comprehensive update with additions to cut horizontally, edit the lawn's boundary and choose from three levels of obstacle avoidance. However, I would love to see Anthbot improve its cutting angle feature so that it behaves more like Eufy's E15 model, which provides an animated map with an adjustable arrow that swivels the entire map of the lawn on its axis so you can easily view the direction in which the robot will cut.

Given that Anthbot's reps are very responsive and eager to address current users' suggestions, you can be sure there'll be more tantalising updates along the way.

  • App score: 4 out of 5

Should you buy the Anthbot Genie lawnbot?

Attribute

Notes

Rating

Value

In the arena of smart lawnbots, the Genie is very competitively priced. Deals are already easy to come by.

4/5

Design

Navigates using RTK GPS and 4 cameras on front and sides. Available in 3 battery capacities for different-sized lawns.

4.5/5

Performance

Exceptional performance with neat mowing, very accurate navigation and commendable obstacle avoidance.

5/5

App

Despite a few required tweaks, the Anthbot app is easy to use and pretty comprehensive.

4/5

Buy it if...

You want an easy time

This model is a breeze to use, with no major foibles to report.

You want lawn stripes

The Genie cuts in uniform parallel stripes.

You value reliable obstacle avoidance

With three levels of avoidance, this bot is a top dodger.

Don't buy it if...

Your lawn looks like the foothills of the Himalayas

With a 45% maximum gradient, this bot isn't suitable for very steep inclines.

You have lots of overhead obstacles

The Genie uses an RTK GPS navigation system, which relies on a decently clear view of the sky to allow it to talk to the satellites.

How I tested the Anthbot Genie

TechRadar employs a strict routine when testing equipment. Firstly I live with the robot for a week or two, letting it do its thing while observing its behavior. Then I get down to enacting some real-world scenarios like obstacle avoidance and introducing it to various types of borders to see how well it behaves. Robots can be very unpredictable so these tests can take a few hours to complete with lots of written observations. Once I'm satisfied that there aren't any major concerns, I'll start writing the review while very carefully considering the amount of stars each area of the product deserves.

Read more about how we test

  • First reviewed July 2025
This >$500 robot vacuum is one of the very best budget bots I’ve tested – the edge cleaning is top-notch and it rarely needs emptying
10:00 pm | July 27, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Robot Vacuums Smart Home | Comments: Off

3i G10+ robot vacuum: two-minute review

The 3i G10+ is a hybrid robot vacuum and mop that has a clever USP that makes it an especially good choice for small homes: the onboard dust cup is around twice the usual size, and compresses its contents to fit even more in. It's an ideal solution for those people who don't have space for a massive self-empty base station taking up their living room, but equally don't want to have to manually empty dust after every clean.

While it lacks the fancier features found on today's best robot vacuums, it's certainly one of the best budget robovacs I've tested, punching above its affordable price tag. There are several features I wouldn't expect in this price bracket, including an extending side brush and a mop pad that kicks out to get closer to the edges of rooms and can lift when traversing carpet. The result is very thorough vacuuming, strong edge cleaning, and solid mopping too.

It's not perfect. I found the 3i G10+ struggled to mount the charger when the dock was placed on a carpet, and the object avoidance is a little hit-and-miss. It's also not the best choice if mopping is your priority – the small onboard tank needs refilling regularly, and the fact the mop pads can't be removed from their base for machine-washing is annoying.

However, given the overall balance of performance to price, I think the 3i G10+ is a very solid recommendation. For me, the pros vastly outweigh the cons. Read on for my full 3i G10+ robot vacuum review.

3i G10+ robot vacuum in use

(Image credit: Future)

3i G10+ robot vacuum review: price & availability

  • List price: $449 (about £560 / AU$1,110)
  • Available: US only
  • Launched: January 2025 (on sale June 2025)

The 3i G10+ was unveiled at CES 2025 and then went on sale in June that year. It's only available in the US, and any way you slice it, the 3i G10+ is very well-priced for what you're getting. At full list price, it's $449, but at time of writing it was reduced to $399 (about £560 / AU$1,110). Both fall into the TechRadar budget price bracket for robovacs. Sure, you can go cheaper with some robot vacuum models, but to get one with mopping capability, this is about as low as you can go.

There's also the innovative dust compression, enabling you to avoid having to make space for a bulky dock. There are only a few other bots that offer this. One example is the Narwal Freo X Plus, which costs about the same as the G10+ (going for $399.99 / AU$899), but has some unwelcome quirks that the 3i doesn't suffer from. There's also the Roomba 205 DustCompactor Combo for $469.99 / £399, but the least said about that bot and its performance, the better.

The Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 goes for the same price when discounted, but has a higher MSRP of $699.99 / £449.99. It does have a bigger auto-self emptying base station with a 1.9 quart (about 1.8L) dustbin capacity, so requires a bit more space. It's also a bit older of a model, which at the time of review had a glitchy app and just average mopping. With the 3i G10+, you get 1 still very good 1L dustbin without having to set aside the space for such a big base station. And that's Shark's most reasonably priced mopping robot vacuum.

The Ecovacs Deebot N10 Plus might be the robot vacuum that the 3i G10+ reminds me of most. The Ecovacs has a higher MSRP of $649.99 / £499 / AU$999, but can be regularly found at the same price as the 3i G10+. It also has a small auto-self emptying base station. It, however, has an annoying quirk in that you have to physically remove the mop pad for use on carpet. And in that regard, the 3i G10+ is easier to use, as I'll get into below.

While the 3i G10+ isn't quite perfect, it sets a high bar for anything around $400.

  • Value for money score: 4.5 out of 5

3i G10+ robot vacuum specs

Max suction:

18,000 Pa

Robot diameter:

14 in / 35.6 cm

Robot height:

4.3 in / 10.9 cm

Dock dimensions (W x D x H):

5.9 x 5.3 x 3.8 in / 15 x 13.5 x 9.7 cm

Dust bin volume (bot):

1L

Water tank volume (bot):

0.2L

Base type:

Charge only

Noise level (average):

52dB

Runtime:

180 minutes

3i G10+ robot vacuum review: design

  • Large capacity onboard dustbin with compression
  • Water tank is small but easy to access
  • Extendable side brush and mop pad

The 3i G10+ might have the typical disc shape, but it doesn't look like most robot vacuums. Instead of the little raised navigation tower poking out of the top, this robot vacuum has a much larger, almost egg-shaped raised portion that not only contains sensors (the typical reason for these raised areas), but also the power button and, most importantly, the dustbin.

That dustbin is unusual in that not only does it have a supersized 1L capacity – most robot vacuums have less than half of that – but also an internal mechanism to compress all the dirt and debris coming in. That means that even though there's no auto-empty dustbin in the dock (instead, it's a compact, charge-only setup), you won't need to empty the onboard bin too regularly. Because the dust is potentially sitting around in the bot for a while, 3i has built in a UV light to keep things hygienic.

Getting back to the exterior of the 3i G10+. The water tank hugs the back of the unit and pulls off and snaps back into place via magnets, making it very easy to access and fill up. It has a small capacity – just 247ml – so it needs regular refilling.

(If you're using the mop on a regular basis then a bigger, more comprehensive clean station that can wash and dry the mop pads for you, as well as refilling the tanks, is a big effort-saver. Although you will of course have to make space for it.)

3i G10+ robot vacuum in use

Select manual controls can be found on top of the robot (Image credit: Future)

Underneath, there's a single side brush, a brush roll, and a stationary mop pad. However, there's more going on here as well. That side brush can extend out to reach further into the edges of rooms. The mop pad is just a stationary one, but the 3i G10+ can move the whole pad out a bit for more thorough edge mopping too. Those kinds of features are unusual for robot vacuums at this price point.

  • Design score: 4.5 out of 5

3i G10+ robot vacuum review: performance

  • Very good vacuuming and solid mopping, including edges
  • Mop pad can't be removed from mount for machine-washing
  • Quiet operation

While I usually prefer robot vacuums to have two side brushes, one on each side, the single brush and brush roll on the 3i G10+ proved more than up to the job of vacuuming whatever dirt, dust, and debris was lying around. It helps that the side brush actually extends out, sweeping anything away from the edge of the room and into the bot's suction path.

I used this robot vacuum on hardwood flooring, tile and carpet, and found it did a very solid job on all three. I also ran TechRadar's usual suction tests, sprinkling flour, sugar, and breakfast cereal on the floor and seeing how efficiently it cleared it. It took two passes to get everything, but once those were complete, you couldn't tell that anything had been spilled.

3i G10+ robot vacuum in use

This bot is especially good at edge cleaning (Image credit: Future)

The mopping performance is pretty good as well, though not quite up to the standard of the vacuuming. The mop pad is the flat kind that gets dragged across the floor. It's great for surface-level cleaning but not tough enough for anything more challenging – I find dual, spinning mop pads offer more thorough clean.

In general use I found the coverage was good, and not streaky the way that this kind of mop pad can be. Because the mop pad can kick out to the side, the si G10+ is great at mopping into the edges of rooms. Also a plus is the fact that it will lift the mop pad up a few millimeters when going onto carpet to keep said carpet from getting wet – you don't always get that kind of functionality with a bot at this price point.

3i G10+ robot vacuum in use

The 3i G10+ tackling my mopping tests (Image credit: Future)

I ran some mopping tests that involved spilling soda and coffee on the floor and seeing how well the bot handled it. While it cleared the area effectively, my whole floor ended up smelling like coffee and soda afterwards. I'd recommend tackling spillages manually, to avoid this.

Because the base station doesn't have mop-cleaning capabilities, you'll also need to stay on top of washing the mop pads fairly regularly. Annoyingly (and unusually), while the mop and its mount can be removed from the bot, the cloth part doesn't come off its mount. That means you can't throw it in a washing machine, but instead have to hand-wash. I was annoyed to find the mop cloth-and-mount took nearly a day to dry, though it went a lot quicker when I put it in the sun.

3i G10+ robot vacuum in use

Object avoidance is hit-and-miss (Image credit: Future)

The object avoidance is unfortunately not as good as advertised. While the G10+ did manage to register and avoid some objects, I also watched it push around a bag clip, bump into a dog water bowl, and climb up on the base of a chair and end up stuck. Overall, the object avoidance is rather hit and miss. I've found that to be par for the course with more budget and mid-range models, though.

On the bright side, operation is relatively quiet, registering at 52dB during regular use and 56dB when extending side brush. I've used some robot vacuums that get much, much louder and it can be distracting. Having one with a quiet drone, especially when I'm trying to work or do something when it's running, is appreciated.

3i G10+ robot vacuum in use

Emptying the onboard dust bin (Image credit: Future)

The battery lasts a very decent 240 minutes – enough time to clean the full 700 square feet area it could reach without having to recharge.

Lastly, though it vacuums just fine on carpet, it can't seem to get back onto its base station when on carpet (medium pile for reference). It's as if the 3i G10+ can't catch onto the ramp attached to the base station to reach the charging contacts. It's a bit strange and one of the drawbacks of not having a bigger mat for the robot vacuum to go up on.

  • Performance score: 4 out of 5

3i G10+ robot vacuum review: app

  • Straightforward to set up and use including maps
  • Has an AI Auto Mode to make things even easier
  • Comes with pet camera and manual controls

I typically don't find a lot of issues with robot vacuum apps these days, and it's no different with the 3i app. It's intuitive to get started, from pairing to going through the various instructions to complete the setup process. Other than waiting for the app and vacuum to pair and connect to WiFi, it's also a straightforward process.

Part of setting it up is also mapping your space and, though the 3i G10+ takes its time, it does a thorough job and even guesses the names of different rooms (not always correctly). Editing the map does take a tiny bit of menu diving, but once you get the screen to make changes, it works well and is happy to let you partition certain spaces more than once – an issue I've actually had with some models.

Screenshots from 3i app

(Image credit: 3i / Future)

As far as using the app, the 3i G10+ home page is straightforward with the map top center, important info at the top, menu diving icons top right, as well as the more specific cleaning functions on the lower half of the screen.

There's a lot of flexibility for adjusting how you want your space cleaned including whether you want to vacuum or vacuum and mop, along with suction power, water level, cycles, and more. But if you don't want to manually set the cleaning mode, 'AI Auto' will decide the various settings for you. I found it useful for spaces with different types of surfaces – for example, it'll adjust automatically when going from hardwood to carpet.

Beyond the meat and potatoes of the app, there are more useful features including Alexa and Google Voice Assistant support. You can even take over the camera and motor functions to check on a pet when you're not home.

  • App score: 4.5 out of 5

Should you buy the 3i G10+ robot vacuum?

Attribute

Notes

Rating

Value

Budget bracket, with a very solid feature list for the price.

4.5 / 5

Design

The large onboard dustbin with compression is just part of what sets this bot apart. It also has an extendable side brush and mop pad.

4.5 / 5

Performance

Very solid vacuuming, good mopping and thorough edge cleaning. Quiet in operation, too. However, struggles to return to dock if dock is placed on carpet.

4 / 5

App

The interface and mapping, along with everything else, is easy.

4.5 / 5

Buy it if...

You don't have a lot of space

The dustbin has such a large capacity (for an on-board dustbin) that the base station can be and is tiny. You won't need nearly the same amount of space that mopping vacuums with bigger base stations need.

You're on a budget

The 3i G10+ sits in the budget bracket and offers a very strong featureset. You're getting a lot for your money.

You care about the edges

With both an extendable side brush and an extendable mop pad, the 3i G10+ is able to reach your room's edges when vacuuming and mopping.

Don't buy it if...

You want deep mopping

The mopping performance is fine, but for more thorough scrubbing you're better with dual rotating mop pads than the stationary pad on this bot.

Your entire place is carpeted

It might just be my medium pile carpet, but this robot vacuum could not return to its base station when on carpet. Unless you also want to get a mat to put underneath the base station, you'll want to avoid if your whole place is carpeted.

Your priority is mopping

If you're going to be mopping a lot, the small water tank and lack of automatic mop-cleaning features is going to get annoying – not to mention the fact you can't chuck the mop pad into the washing machine.

3i G10+ robot vacuum review: alternatives to consider

Ecovacs Deebot N10 Plus

The Ecovacs Deebot N10 Plus is an affordable mopping robot vacuum with an auto self-emptying dustbin that does the job well. It has a longer battery life than the 3i G10+, but it also has the annoying quirk of needing its mop pad removed for use on carpet.

Read our full Ecovacs Deebot N10 Plus review

Yeedi C12 Pro Plus

Originally set at the same price point, the Narwal Freo X Plus also vacuums and mops without a towering base station. Of course, it doesn't have the 3i G10+'s dustbin, but it does come with a mat so it doesn't have the issues getting to its base station on carpets.

Read our full Narwal Freo X Plus review

How I tested the 3i G10+ robot vacuum

To test the 3i G10+, I used it for a couple weeks, testing its vacuum and mop capabilities not only on hardwood floors, but also when going from hardwood floors to carpets (with some intentionally dropped objects here and there). I also tested its cleaning abilities with spillages of various types. I went through every nook and cranny of the app, looking at things like mapping and ease of use.

Read more about how we test robot vacuum cleaners

  • First reviewed July 2025
Graywind’s Smart Blinds can be finicky to install, but work with just about every smart home ecosystem
8:00 pm | July 20, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Smart Home | Comments: Off

Graywind Smart Blinds: one-minute review

Graywind offers a wide variety of smart blinds, including zebra, panel track, vertical, Ventian, and wood blinds. They also have a variety of smart shades, including roller, Roman, cellular, dual, and more. They even have smart curtains. Within each category, you can choose from selection of sizes, fabrics, and colors.

Then you choose your motor from five options: Eve Apple HomeKit Motor, Rechargeable BLE RF Motor, Zigbee Alexa Motor, Matter Smart Motor, or Hardwired WiFi Motor. I selected the zebra blinds and the Eve Apple HomeKit motor, since I'd be using my iPhone and HomePod to control the blinds.

I can't say that getting the Graywind Smart Blinds up and running was easy. The screws that were included for installation were not great quality, which meant that they stripped easily. Setup was also a little tricky. Still, I managed to get everything up and running. Once completed, the blinds work exactly as expected. You can set up scenes or automations which allow you to set opening and closing to a schedule or situation of your choosing. You can also control the blinds using your smartphone, voice, or just your hands.

Graywind Smart Blinds

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

Graywind Smart Blinds: price & availability

  • Starting price is relatively inexpensive
  • Can get pricey with upcharges
  • Custom fit to many sizes

You can order Graywind Smart Shades, Curtains, and Blinds directly from the Graywind website or you can buy them from Amazon. Prices start at $109.99 (£82.04/169.88 AUD.) I selected the zebra blinds in the charcoal blackout fabric and the Eve Apple HomeKit motor. I also added a solar panel and an extra-long wall charging cable. Blinds in the size and style you see in my photos go for $276.99(£206.59/427.97 AUD) each. It's important to measure your windows carefully if you want the blinds to fit correctly. I chose the outside mount style and made my measurements accordingly.

  • Value score: 4.5/5

Graywind Smart Blinds: design

  • Tricky installation and setup
  • Goes up and down smoothly and quietly
  • Blinds can get caught in solar panel charging cable

You'll need to be pretty handy and have access to a drill in order to install the Graywind Smart Blinds. You'll also need to be patient and careful, since the included screws are soft and strip quite easily.

Note that if you're charging the blinds via the solar charger, the blinds can get tangled with the charging cord pretty easily. I've gotten around that issue by not opening the blinds 100%. But I shouldn't have to do that.

Graywind Smart Blinds

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

Once you get the blinds installed and charged via solar panel or wall charger, you're ready to set them up with your smartphone. I ordered two sets of identical blinds for windows right next to each other; I was able to set up the first one using only the Home app on my iPhone.

Graywind Smart Blinds

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

For some reason, I wasn't able to set up the second set that way. I had to download the Eve app on my iPhone and set it up there. Once that was done, I was able to control both sets of blinds via either the Home or Eve app.

Graywind Smart Blinds

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

There is also a pull cord that you can use for manual operation, if you wish. One tug on on the pull cord gets the blinds moving in one direction, a second tug stops them, and a third tug gets them moving in the other direction.

Are these the most beautiful blinds I've ever seen? No, and the 'fabric' is plastic. But they look fine, and they do what they are supposed to do.

  • Design score: 3.5/5

Graywind Smart Blinds: performance

  • Can be controlled so many different ways
  • Use with Google, Amazon, or Apple
  • Opening and closing mechanism works beautifully

As mentioned above, there are five different types of motors, so you'll want to make your selection carefully. I chose the Eve Apple HomeKit motor, since I have both an iPhone and a HomePod. But you can also choose BLE RF Motor (works directly with the Graywind app via Bluetooth, no bridge needed), Hardwired WiFi Motor (no bridge needed), Zigbee Alexa Motor, or a Matter Smart Motor (which allows use of Alexa, Google, HomeKit or SmartThings). A detailed guide on the site can help you choose the right one for your home if you're not sure.

As mentioned above, I was only able to set up one of the blinds using the Apple Home app; to set up the other one I had to use the Eve app. Another little blip was that one of the blinds wanted to roll the wrong way initially, but I was able to fix that by troubleshooting with the owner's manual.

Once your blinds are all set up, it's easy to control them. You can use your smartphone and tap to select how far open you want them, down to an exact percentage. You can also use the cord to control them. If you don't like the look of the cord and you're not going to use it, you can easily remove it.

Graywind Smart Blinds

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

You can also set up scenes and automations, so that your blinds open and close at specific times or in specific situations of your choosing. For example, you could have the blinds open at sunrise and close at sunset. Or, you can set your blinds to open when you say, "Good morning!" and close when you say, "Good night!" Or have them them close automatically when you leave the house and open when you arrive home. I just set mine to open and close to a specific percentage at a specific time. But there are endless ways you can set them up. I tried several different ways and they all worked great.

  • Performance score: 4.5/5

Should you buy the Graywind Smart Blinds?

Graywind Smart Blinds score card

Attribute

Notes

Score

Value

They start pretty inexpensively for custom smart blinds

4.5/5

Design

Design is fine but there are some minor yet annoying flaws

3.5/5

Performance

Once you get everything set up, the blinds are simple to use and perform beautifully

4.5/5

Buy it if

You want to be able to control your window covering in a variety of ways

Graywind offers five different motors so you can use Bluetooth, Alexa, Apple, Matter, or connect directly to your home's Wi-Fi. You can also control them manually with a cord.

You want customization

Graywind has you covered with smart blinds, shades, and curtains in a huge variety of styles, sizes, fabrics, and colors.

Don't buy it if

It's not in the budget

Graywind's prices actually start quite reasonably, but can ramp up quickly for bigger windows and other customizations.

You want ultra-easy installation, setup, and removal

I found these a little tricky to install and set up. You need a drill and some patience to fiddle around. This might not be ideal for renters, since they do have to be screwed in to the window frame.

Graywind Smart Blinds: also consider

Want some other, similar options to check out? Here are a couple of TechRadar favorites to consider.

SmartWings Smart Blinds

These are pretty similar to Graywind's offerings but, but you may find a particular style more appealing. Read our SmartWings Smart Blinds review to learn more.View Deal

SwitchBot Blind Tilt

Looking to spend a lot less? You can use your existing blinds and just add this little guy. You don't even need a drill, which makes this a renter-friendly option. Check out our SwitchBot Blind Tilt review.View Deal

How I tested the Graywind Smart Blinds

I placed Graywind Smart Blinds in two bedroom windows. I tested out the blinds in a number of different ways. I tapped them open and closed using the Apple Home app, Eve app, and Control Center on my iPhone, both at home and away from home using a HomePod mini as a hub. I told Siri to open and close the blinds. I set up an automation to open the blinds a certain percentage 8:00 a.m. and close them at 9:00 p.m. each day. I also used the manual cord to open and close the blinds.

First reviewed July 2025

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