The Ecovacs Deebot X12S OmniCyclone maintains a very similar design to the previous generation model, the X12. In fact, the only noticeable difference in the design is the finish of the vacuum and the dock itself, which is a bit lighter and more metallic looking. I like the new finish, but it certainly doesn’t change much to the overall appearance of the vacuum.
This is not necessarily a bad thing, however. I think the dock and vacuum look reasonably modern, and while the build materials aren’t exactly ultra high-end, the vacuum and dock should work well enough for most rooms in your home.
One thing I like about the vacuum itself is that, like previous models, it doesn’t have a top-mounted LiDAR sensor that protrudes from the top of the vacuum and often prevents it from getting under furniture. To be clear, while the Deebot Fortunately, the design choice doesn’t mean it forgoes a LiDAR sensor entirely: it’s simply placed at the front of the vacuum rather than on top.
The vacuum itself is circular and measures 13.9 x 13.8 x 3.9 inches, and it measures just under 4 inches – short enough to clean most furniture and cabinets, although it certainly won’t fit under all the furniture in your home. These measurements are unchanged from previous models. This works for me, but a slightly shorter build would give it more flexibility for cleaning under furniture.
The bottom of the void is where real design changes happen. There is Ecovacs’ patented ZeroTangle 4.0 anti-winding roller brush, which is paired with a single side brush. There’s also the new roller mop, which has been redesigned to be longer than the previous generation. According to Ecovacs, the new roller mop is about 50% longer than before, which is one of the biggest changes in the way the device cleans.
Another interesting design change comes in the form of the so-called Privacy Shield, which is a physical cover for the camera on the front of the robot. To be clear, the camera might have been disabled before. This was software rather than a physical cover, and turning off the camera doesn’t mean your vacuum can’t clean. This simply means that it relies exclusively on LiDAR instead of using the camera as well.
Other design elements are carried over from the latest model. For example, Ecovacs retained the mechanical mop shield that debuted on the X12, which covers the roller to prevent dirty mop equipment from dragging on carpets as the robot moves between areas. I’m glad this feature is still there. The docking station is also the same in terms of design with this new finish. It’s not the most compact dock, but given how many features it has, that’s not that surprising.
The dock measures approximately 15.0 x 13.2 x 18.3 inches, which is the space required to house the cyclone separation system, two water tanks, and cleaning solution storage. As before, it has a bagless bin, which I really like because it means you don’t need to buy new bags to empty the vacuum into. It also has large tanks for clean and dirty water and two smaller tanks for different types of cleaning solutions.
