Ecovacs' Square Deebot X2 Omni Robot Vacuum Doesn't Cut Corners

pcmag.com:

We had a lot of good things to say about last year's Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni. It wasn't perfect, but it vacuumed, mopped, and even emptied its water into a tank. Today, Ecovacs promises to improve on an already good product with the Deebot X2 Omni.

We first got a glimpse of the X2 Omni last month and it made an appearance if the IFA trade show in Berlin earlier this month. Now it has a US launch date—Oct. 3—and a price: $1,499.99.

The first and most apparent change to the new robot vacuum is the shape. Traditionally, robot vacuums are round and for good reason. That configuration makes for easier navigation and minimizes the risk of getting stuck in a corner. But a round shape also makes vacuuming and mopping all the way to the edge of a wall or corner more difficult.

With the Deebot X2 Omni, Ecovacs says it figured out how to thread that needle. You may notice the vacuum lacks the usual LiDAR tower on top of the device. Ecovacs switched to a dual-laser LiDAR system built into the edges of the robot. The company promises this "True Detect 3.0" system allows for 3D mapping with millimeter tracking. Moving the LiDAR also gives the vacuum a lower profile so it can fit under your couch better. And the new square shape means wider and longer brushes for a faster cleaning cycle.

But that's not all the X2 Omni has going for it. We had high praise for the voice interface in the X1, which was more natural to use than Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa. Ecovacs says it's improved that system with new commands like, "move forward and clean there" or "go back and clean the kitchen again."

The mopping system didn't get ignored either. The X2 Omni can lift its mopping pads up 15mm to switch between vacuuming and mopping and move from