INTRODUCTION

   To many people pets are not just faithful companions, they also offer happiness, comfort and decreased levels of stress not only through their unconditional love for us but also thanks to countless unique and funny moments. They also however bring with them lots, lots of hair so if you happen to have a pet or pets at home then you know just how much of an issue this can be all too well. This is why a few years back i welcomed robot vacuum cleaners into both my home and lab/office, they clearly help with things like that (to a degree at least, not like they can clean the sofa for example) and as a result allow me to spend what little free time i have doing other things. ECOVACS is one of the leading robot vacuum cleaner manufacturers in the world and after testing their very good DEEBOT N8 PRO+ model a while back (review here) today i decided to go even higher and test their top of the line DEEBOT T9.

   ECOVACS is singularly focused on making daily lives easier and more efficient with intelligent and connected home service robotics. With a deep, 22-year history in smart home development and 100% ownership of its R&D and manufacturing, the company leads the market in patents and innovative product development in home service robotics. ECOVACS first premiered in the U.S. with its DEEBOT robotic vacuum cleaners, today a top 3 market leader, along with its WINBOT robotic window cleaner. For more information, please visit: http://www.ecovacs.com.

   It may not be stated by ECOVACS but according to the specifications page the DEEBOT T9 seems to use an updated dToF (direct time of flight) 3D depth sensor (TrueMapping 3D v2.0) compared to that of the N8 PRO+ model for even better 3D mapping resulting in improved obstacle avoidance and of course cleaning. Inside the 353mm diameter enclosure of the DEEBOT T9 ECOVACS has placed an 3000Pa high-efficiency brushless motor (67dBA max noise according to ECOVACS) along with numerous secondary laser sensors (anti-collision, anti-fall and edge cleaning ones), dual side brushes, 5200mAh lithium-ion rechargeable battery pack (ECOVACS rates this for up to 175 minutes of running time), 420ml dust bin, OZMO pro v2.0 180ml oscillating electric water tank (can control the volume of water via the app - up to 480 oscillations per minute), air-freshener module, smart home integration (can control all of its functions vocally via either Amazon Alexa and/or Google Assistant) and of course WiFi 2.4GHz connectivity. Typically, from the ECOVACS HOME Android/iOS App the end user can control the DEEBOT T9 through several functions/commands such as selective and custom areas, continuous cleaning, auto-boost function, virtual boundary, no-mop zones, mopping preference and scheduling. As with other robot vacuums by ECOVACS the DEEBOT T9 is also compatible with the same 2.5 litre auto-empty station the N8 PRO+ was bundled with.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

A large product picture is printed at the front of the box right next to a few words about the main features of the DEEBOT T9 in 6 languages.

On the left side ECOVACS has printed a few words about their OZMO pro v2.0 technology which are placed just over yet another product picture.

Moving on the opposite side the same applies about the TrueDetect 3D v2.0 feature.

The main features are explained in depth at the rear of the box again in 6 languages and under 3 product pictures.

Both the robot vacuum and the bundle are placed inside cardboard boxes dressed with foam (interior).

Along with the DEEBOT T9 robot vacuum inside the box you'll also find the water tank, two side brushes, air freshener addon, air freshener capsule, recharge station with its power cord, 10 disposable microfiber cloths, warning information paper, certification of conformity paper and the user instructions.

THE DEEBOT T9

The DEEBOT T9 measures 353mm in diameter and 93mm in height thus landing it next to most robot vacuums out there.

As you can see from the above picture the DEEBOT T9 is almost identical to the DEEBOT N8 PRO+.

At the top of the enclosure, we find the laser mapping sensor and the secondary on/off button.

Under the top compartment we find the dust bin, cleaning tool, primary on/off slider, reset button and the WiFi activity LED.

The 420ml dust bin used with the DEEBOT T9 should be more than just enough for most houses.

As with other high-end models the DEEBOT T9 has sensors both at the front and its sides.

The air freshener module gets attached at the rear of the robot vacuum.

To use the air freshener module just place the air freshener capsule inside the round compartment located on the far left and just mount the module back onto the DEEBOT T9.

Turning the DEEBOT T9 over we see the same build quality as with th N8 PRO+ model.

Here we see two large rubberized side wheels, main round wheel, main roller brush, two openings complete with covers used by the auto-empty station, charging contacts and the two side brush positions.

Attaching and removing the side brushes is very easy and as for quality these are some of the best, I've seen used with a robot vacuum (to date that is).

The water tank is loaded where the air freshener module does (so you basically have both the dust bin and the water tank installed) and even though it has just enough room for 180ml of water it does a very good job.

For good or bad the charging base is nothing special, just a regular base with a cable holder at the rear.

ECOVACS HOME APP

As with the DEEBOT N8 PRO+ the ECOVACS app will take you step by step on how to pair the DEEBOT T9 with your local network and your smartphone.

Naming the robot vacuum, selecting voice language and enabling some of its features come next.

Once everything is done the app will search for firmware updates automatically and will inform you if there are any.

From the main app tab, you can set the DEEBOT T9 to start cleaning, return to the dock for recharging and check its current battery level.

Pulling up the lower end of the screen allows you to adjust the suction power of the motor (4 levels) and the water amount/volume you'd like the water tank to drop (again, 4 levels).

From here you can also set the mopping preference, enable/disable the air freshener feature, set a cleaning schedule and adjust voice volume levels.

Inside the settings tab you can change the name of the vacuum, check the cleaning logs, enable/disable advanced features, use the DND (do not disturb) function, check the current wear of the various accessories and parts, access the help area and check the firmware version and network status.

Advanced features like the TrueDetect 3D and auto-boost are all placed inside the smart cleaning tab.

The main app tab has of course the detailed map of the floor, battery life, area/auto/custom cleaning modes and the virtual boundaries feature.

A very nice feature of the app allows the DEEBOT T9 to create a 3D presentation of your area, that's not something i was able to use however (even after 7 days of use the app didn't have enough data for it).

TEST RESULTS

Robot Vacuums may be home appliances but they are very advanced ones so I thought about running some tests like I do with most electronic devices. So here you can see the maximum cleaned area during all tests (single pass, start to finish), total battery life (in quiet - standard/balanced - strong/max modes) and noise levels again in quiet - standard/balanced - strong/max suction modes.

CONCLUSION

   The DEEBOT T9 represents the pinnacle of modern engineering (only second to the T9 AIVI – review soon) by ECOVACS and so it delivers on everything from near-excellent 3D mapping and obstacle avoidance to lower than expected noise levels and impressive battery life. As a matter of fact, the DEEBOT T9 is the very first robot vacuum to make me doubt my testing methodology so i spend 3 extra days testing its various suction modes to verify my results, battery life is just that impressive (and much longer than stated by ECOVACS themselves). Of course, build quality is also almost excellent and the same goes for the dual bin/tank design which allows the DEEBOT T9 to vacuum and mop by using both its bin and tank at the same time. In terms of vacuuming and mopping i had no complaints from the DEEBOT T9. Now i can’t say that i noticed a difference when it comes to vacuuming (compared to other high-end models) but in terms of mopping you can easily tell which robot vacuum does a better job.

   The DEEBOT T9 Robot Vacuum by ECOVACS currently retails for 699Euros inside the EU (directly from ECOVACS), a price tag which may indeed be somewhat high but quite well justified for everything you’re getting in return (and when compared to other models). Unfortunately, availability for some strange reason doesn’t seem to be that great, not only on the other side of the Atlantic but even in the UK. So, this is something i truly hope ECOVACS can resolve soon since the DEEBOT T9 (and i also hope the same for the DEEBOT T9 AIVI) is a great product. Optimal cleaning performance, excellent build quality, exceptionally long battery life, relatively low noise levels and a plethora of useful features make the DEEBOT T9 one of the top robot vacuum models in the market today and for that it gets the Platinum Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Suction Power (3000Pa)
- Battery Life (5100mAh)
- Noise Levels (Compared To Both Similar Models & A Regular Vacuum)
- TrueMapping 3D v2.0 LDS/dToF Laser Navigation (Mapping Accuracy)
- Vacuum & Mopping Feature (Bin & Tank)
- Mopping Performance (Up To 480 Oscillations Per Minute)
- Air Freshener Module
- ECOVACS HOME App

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Current Availability