Why choose between a robot vacuum cleaner with mopping capability or a cordless handheld vacuum cleaner? Why not combine the two? Ecovacs thought of that, and lo and behold, the X2 Combo was born. The package consists of an 8,700 Pa vacuum and mopping robot and a versatile cordless handheld vacuum cleaner. nextpit has reviewed this hybrid robot vacuum cleaner and uncovered its strengths in reality.
Good
- Ingenious all-in-one station for both appliances
- Strong suction power of both vacuum cleaners
- Good mopping result
Bad
- Robot vacuum cleaner does not work great on carpets
- Navigation is not always perfect
- Little information provided on the handheld vacuum cleaner
Ecovacs X2 Combo: All deals
The Ecovacs X2 Combo in a nutshell
At first glance, $1,599 sounds like an absurdly high price. For that kind of money, you could get an iPhone 15 Pro (review) and AirPods Max (review). Or you can pick up the impressive Ecovacs X2 Combo, which consists of a powerful robot vacuum cleaner with mopping capability and a handy cordless vacuum cleaner.
The robot’s 8,700 Pa suction power ensures you end up with clean floors. You can remove dust and dirt from your furniture using the flexible handheld vacuum cleaner. The highlight of the duo: Both devices can be placed in the same station, with all vacuumed dust ending up in the dust bag of the robot vacuum cleaner’s station.
However, there is no extension wand for the cordless vacuum cleaner as you will have to buy this separately. In addition to this attachment, you also get a holder to attach the wand to the station and a brush that is particularly useful to remove pet hair. The “Power Brush Kit” costs an extra $199.
This review is part of a collaboration between Ecovacs and nextpit. This collaboration has no influence on the editorial opinion of nextpit.
Design and build quality
Ecovacs did away with a LiDAR tower in the X2 Combo. Rather, the robot vacuum cleaner was designed to score points with its flat construction and square design, allowing it to play out its strengths when cleaning corners. What’s ingenious, however, is the implementation in combination with the handheld vacuum cleaner: both devices can be docked into the same base station.
Pros:
- Sophisticated all-in-one station.
- Practical design of the robot for corners.
- Handy cordless vacuum cleaner.
- Space for all individual parts in the station.
Cons:
- Extension wand with holder is sold separately
This robot vacuum cleaner has a special design. The robot hoover is square and has no LiDAR navigation tower. The cleaning robot measures a mere 95 cm high and is therefore two centimeters smaller than the Yeedi Cube (review). Otherwise, Ecovacs installed a 20 cm wide roller brush. In addition, a side brush and two rotating mops are responsible for a more comprehensive cleaning process.
Once you have made space for the large station, it’s time to set up the robot vacuum cleaner using the Ecovacs Home app. Before the robot has an idea of your home, you need to establish a Wi-Fi connection. Only after that can you begin mapping, which takes just a few minutes for the X2 Combo to do. The robot vacuum cleaner scanned our test area precisely, recognized all rooms, but showed some weaknesses in obstacle detection where table legs are concerned.
After mapping, the X2 Combo returns to the base and is ready to begin cleaning. A few words about the X2 Combo’s station: there is a tank for clean and dirty water on the robot vacuum cleaner’s side. In the compartment under the water tanks, you will find a 3-liter dust bag that collects dust from both devices.
In addition to the suction function, the base cleans the mopping equipment of the X2 Combo using hot water at 60 degrees before drying the mops. The cordless vacuum cleaner, which is equipped with a quartet of brush heads, is located on the right.
The cordless vacuum cleaner is handy and boasts a timeless design. Apart from the color, the Ecovacs cordless vacuum cleaner hardly differs visually from the Eureka AK10. The only difference is the far higher-quality attachments from Ecovacs. The X2 Combo comes with three attachments for the handheld vacuum cleaner.
You won’t find an extension wand to comfortably vacuum while standing or when removing cobwebs from high corners. You’ll have to buy the “Power Brush Kit”, which will cost you an additional $199. With this kit, you get the “Zero Tangle Brush”, the extension hose, and a wall bracket. Want to know what’s especially cool? You can store all the attachments that come with the X2 Combo in the station itself thanks to the space in the compartment under the cordless vacuum cleaner. This way, you do not have to worry about losing anything.
App and functions
The Ecovacs Home app has many appealing functions for the X2 Combo. It is here you can keep an eye on the robot vacuum cleaner and mop at all times, where you can set the cleaning schedule according to your wishes. Unfortunately, there is a lack of information about the cordless vacuum cleaner.
Pros:
- Clear interface in the user-friendly app.
- Great mix of manual and AI cleaning functions.
Cons:
- Battery status (in bar form) indicator only in the handheld vacuum cleaner.
The Ecovacs Home app impressed with a successful combination of user-friendliness and clarity. After the mapping process, you have your floor plan in 2D or 3D within the app. If the X2 Combo makes a mistake, you can refine the map by merging or separating rooms or adding virtual walls.
As usual, you can locate the suction and mopping levels in the main menu. It is here where you specify whether the robot vacuum cleaner should make a second round. In the same menu, you can have the robot vacuum cleaner work according to fixed schedules and set which specific cleaning process will be carried in individual rooms.
There are all kinds of smart features you can configure for the cleaning station in the other settings. You can have settings concerning the suction function and specify the time frame required before the Deebot X2 Combo should return to the dock to get its mop cleaned. Finally, you can begin emptying the dust container of the robot vacuum cleaner and the handheld vacuum cleaner at any time. We think it’s a shame that this function is only available for the cordless vacuum cleaner.
There is also no specific indication of the battery status of the handheld vacuum cleaner in the app. Only three bars will tell you the approximate battery level. It’s a shame because in our opinion, Ecovacs missed an opportunity to provide detailed information about the cordless vacuum cleaner.
The robot vacuum cleaner also comes with a surveillance camera function. This allows you to keep an eye on your abode at all times. This is similar to how the robot mower from Ecovacs, the Goat G1-800 (review) works, where you let the robot vacuum cleaner patrol your home to check on whether your four-legged friends have spared your favorite vase. Speaking of pets, the app allows you to inform the robot vacuum cleaner whether you own pets or not.
Suction and wiping performance
With a suction power of 8,700 Pa, the Ecovacs X2 Combo is one of the best robot vacuum cleaners on the market. Its suction power on all surfaces was also impressive in the reivew. The handheld vacuum cleaner showed off its strengths when it comes to pet hair in particular.
Pros:
- Impressive suction power of the robot on different floor surfaces.
- Flawless corner cleaning.
- Handy, powerful upright vacuum cleaner.
Cons:
- Navigation issues.
- Quite loud during operation.
- Leaves damp carpet edges.
The Ecovacs X2 Combo impressed us with its thorough cleaning performance. The square robot has a suction power of 8,700 Pa, which shines in practice on different floor surfaces. The robot vacuum achieved a 95 percent mark when ridding the floor of large particles such as oatmeal. With finer impurities such as sand, the X2 Combo swallowed a respectable 93 percent.
The Ecovacs robot vacuum paints a similar picture when dealing with corners. Thanks to its square design, the Ecovacs robot vacuum cleaner has significant advantages over round models that do not have an extendable side brush. Models that feature a side brush, such as the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra (review), are on a par with the Ecovacs X2 Combo.
| Test volume (g) | Suction volume (g) | Efficiency (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oatmeal (tiles) | |||
| Sand (tiles) | |||
| Sand (carpet) |
The Ecovacs robot vacuum cleaner did well on carpets. We were able to find 96 percent of our scattered sand on our test carpet swalled up after the test run. Unfortunately, the carpet detection does not work perfectly, as the vacuum and mopping robot left slightly damp carpet edges in the review. This is a shame because the robot raised its mops by a full 15 mm as soon as it moves onto carpets.
Mopping is another of the X2 Combo’s strengths. As mentioned earlier, the robot vacuum cleaner has two rotating mop pads, with which the appliance scrubs away even slightly dried stains with flying colors. A 960p RGB camera, LiDAR sensor, and the in-house AIVI 3D 2.0 navigation system are responsible for its navigation.
The whole array did not lead to the result we expected. Surprisingly, the robot vacuum cleaner struggled with room boundaries in the review. In reality, this meant the robot vacuum cleaner occasionally bumps into things before it begins cleaning.
After the cleaning process, the robot returns to the base station, where the mopping equipment is cleaned with hot water and then dried using hot air. One last word about the base station: there is also a suction function. The special feature here allows the dust container of the robot vacuum cleaner and the handheld vacuum cleaner to be sucked into the dust bag of the station.
The vacuum and mopping robot has a fairly high battery consumption. After 24 minutes of cleaning a 20m2 area, the robot vacuum cleaner lost a whopping 52(!) percent. When the X2 Combo arrives at a remaining battery level of 15 percent, it returns to the dock for charging. In the meantime, the mops are thoroughly rinsed and the dust is vacuumed. As soon as the robot is fully charged, the appliance continues cleaning where it left off.
Let’s move on to the cordless vacuum cleaner. The handheld vacuum cleaner has a tiny screen that only shows the remaining battery with three bars. In front of the display, you will find the “Mode” button, which you can use to switch between the two suction levels. The handheld vacuum cleaner does not lack power. Ecovacs uses the “Zero Tangle Brush” for the brushes, which debuted in the T30 Pro Omni. Hence, if you want to remove long dog hair from your furniture, this won’t be a problem with the Ecovacs cordless vacuum cleaner.
Conclusion
With the X2 Combo, Ecovacs offers an ingenious method of combining a robot vacuum cleaner with mopping capability and a cordless vacuum cleaner in one base station. You save space for the handheld vacuum cleaner because the station was designed for both devices. In addition, both vacuum cleaners impressed in the review with their powerful suction power.
The robot vacuum cleaner showed no weaknesses when vacuuming and mopping. The robot only has some catching up to do when it comes to navigation. In the review, table legs and walls in particular, overwhelmed the robot at times. Unfortunately, Ecovacs has not improved the battery life since nextpit reviewed the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni. However, since the robot vacuum cleaner can pause and resume its work for charging, this is not a particularly negative point.
Otherwise, the overall package of robot and handheld vacuum cleaner is impressive. The cordless vacuum cleaner is handy and ideal for vacuuming beds, sofas, or desks. The fact that the dust container of the cordless vacuum cleaner is also emptied out into the dust bag of the base station improves the already great impression of the compact vacuum cleaner.
In conclusion, we can recommend the Ecovacs X2 Combo without any hesitation. At $1,499 a pop, it is a rather hefty price tag, but considering you get a powerful vacuum robot and a reliable handheld vacuum cleaner, that’s perfectly acceptable.
