Ecovacs Deebot X12 OmniCyclone uses AI to pretreat stubborn stains before mopping

Ecovacs' new robovac spots and pretreats dried stains using powerful jets

Ecovacs announced a new addition to its Deebot line of autonomous cleaners with a new feature that could make the robovac better at cleaning floors in a single pass. The Deebot X12 OmniCyclone uses cameras and AI to identify dried stains on floors, such as muddy paw prints or spilled soda. Before cleaning the stain with its roller mop, the X12 blasts a mixture of water and cleaning solution in the bot's path to soften tricky messes, making them easier to scrub away. The Deebot X12 OmniCyclone is available starting today for $1,499 through the company's online store and Amazon. That price includes the robovac's OMNI Station dock, which empties its dirt bin into a bagless canister, washes its rolling mop with heated, pressurized water, and refills its reservoirs. As with the Deebot X11 OmniCyclone that debuted in September, the dock can also fast-charge the new X12 and replenish 13 percent of its battery's life in just three minutes. Every time the robovac returns to the dock for a cleaning, its battery also gets a top-up, allowing the X12 to clean up to 1,000 square meters before needing to stop for a longer charge. Other upgrades over last year's model include a wider 10.6-inch roller mop that's continually rinsed with a 32-channel clean water pressurized spray system, and a new Mop Roller Smart Cover that deploys when the X12 transitions from hard floors to carpet to prevent drips. The X12's suction power has been increased to up to 22,000Pa (the X11 maxed out 19,500Pa), and its ZeroTangle technology has been upgraded to reduce the amount of long hair that gets wrapped up around its spinning brush, so there's less manual maintenance needed.

Ecovacs Deebot X12 OmniCyclone Review: Innovation Meets Inconsistent Performance

Ecovacs has been releasing a couple of new high-end Deebot models each year, so the Ecovacs Deebot X12 OmniCyclone is more of an iterative update to models like the X8, the X9 ($799.99), and the X11 ($1,499.99) than a true successor to any of them, but this latest model does come with a few refinements to the line. The X12 has the strongest suction power of the bunch at 22,000Pa. All models in the line have a roller mop that refreshes itself as it works to limit cross contamination, but the X12's is distinctly longer at 10.6 inches, covering nearly the whole width of the robot. The roller on the X8 and X9 only extends about half the width (6.8 inches). Like the X11, the X12 doesn't use disposable dust bags in its base station; instead, it empties the robot's bin into a large plastic canister that you can dump when full. The X12 improves the canister design with a side lever that pushes dirt out. An upgraded zero-tangle system keeps the vacuum brush roll clean thanks to a refined air intake that helps move hair through the opening more efficiently. New features include a plastic retractable mop cover that closes over the roller to avoid accidental contact with carpet, and a pressurized nozzle called FocusJet Stain Pre-Dissolving Technology. The latter uses AI to detect an appropriate stain, then sprays the area down with water and mopping solution at 46,000Pa to dissolve messes before giving them a scrub. iRobot's Braava models have had spray nozzles for years, and other robot vacuum makers have shown off similar mop covers at tech shows like IFA, but both are new to the Deebot line. Otherwise, the X12 carries forward the X11's quick-charging capabilities, so it can gain battery life when it stops at the base station mid-run to dump its dirt or wash its mop. It navigates with a combination of LiDAR, an RGB camera, and AI for data processing, and, like the X11, features four-wheel drive to climb over thresholds. You can also control it via a built-in AI voice assistant, dubbed Yiko, by saying "OK Yiko" or "Hi Yiko," and it works with third-party assistants like Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri. In addition, it supports Matter for wider smart home interoperability. Between cleaning runs, the base station empties the robot's dustbin, washes the mop with hot water, and dries the mop with hot air. The base station also mixes its own mopping solution from separate reservoirs with clean water, regular detergent, and heavy-duty solution.