We're finally getting robot vacuums that support a wider array of ecosystems. The new Ecovacs X Series has finally launched, and it not only offers support for Apple HomeKit but also for Matter, the universal smart home standard that allows the vacuum to work with any major smart home platform.
Easily the most interesting model in that lineup, however, is the X8 Pro Omni. This is the flagship vacuum in the Ecovacs X series, and it goes far beyond simply offering Matter and Apple HomeKit control.
Easily the best thing about the Ecovacs X8 Pro Omni is its new mopping system. The mop in the vacuum a roller mop that rotates 200 times per minute, the while cleaning itself with 16 water nozzles inside the device as it rotates. The idea is that the mop pad remains clean even with dirt. According to Ecovacs, it applies 4,000 Pa of force as it cleans.
I was able to see the mopping system action, albeit in a highly contained conducted by an EcoVac representative. In the demo, the representative painted the floor in front of the X8 Pro Omni and a competitor's vacuum with rotating mops. The X8 Pro Omni did a better clean. Hopefully, this will actually translate to real-world use, though that, of course, remains be seen.
Thankfully, it goes far beyond just a high-end mopping system with a high-end vacuum system as well. The vacuum offers an impressive 18,000Pa of suction power and has an anti-tangled brush that's designed to prevent hair from getting tangled in the brush as it cleans.
And it has the Ecovacs TrueEdge 3D sensor that's designed to help it adapt to different kinds of baseboards and edges, ensuring a better clean in those hard-to-reach areas.
As mentioned, the X8 Pro Omni is also one of the first robotic vacuums to support standards like Matter and Apple HomeKit.
To be clear, you'll still need the Vac's app, though. Matter and HomeKit will allow you to start and stop the vacuum and select cleaning modes, but you won't get advanced features like mapping and zone control. It's unlikely we'll get access to those kinds of features within the Matter spec anytime soon. So while Matter will be helpful for some day-to-day use cases, again, you're still going to want to use the dedicated app.
Robot vacuum innovation was generally front and center at CES, at least when it comes to smart home tech. On top of products like the X8 Pro Omni, other companies showed off tech like a robotic arm that can clean up things like your dirty clothes as it washes your floor. That's not to mention the likes of Eufy, which unveiled a vacuum that can be used as a robo vac or a handheld stick vacuum, simply by moving the motor from one accessory to another. It's exciting to see. Robotic vacuums have already gotten so good, but clearly, there's still a lot of room for them to grow.
