Ecovacs Deebot T9+ review: a solid multi-functional robot vacuum

The Ecovacs Deebot T9+ seemingly does it all, from vacuuming and mopping to auto-emptying, intelligent mapping and air-freshening. But the real question is, does it actually do them well? For the most part, yes, and when you add in its mid-range price, this vacuum is hard to beat. 

Ecovacs has been in the best robot vacuum game for well over a decade now, so the brand knows what it’s doing. In fact, robot vacuums and their accessories are all that Ecovacs sells, ensuring all focus is put into advancing that specific technology. Ecovacs delivers high-end models such as the Deebot X1 Omni with all the top-of-line features you could ask for, including self-cleaning, and more economical options such as the Deebot T8 Pro+, which is the T9+’s predecessor.   

Having used this robot vacuum for the past week, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the results. The Deebot T9+ had minimal issues traversing my two-bedroom apartment, only getting hung up on looser rugs and cables. It managed to go around and under obstacles with relative ease, automatically increasing suction on rugs. Following each clean, the crumbs and dust in its path were gone, with visible results in the dust box. The only time the Deebot struggled was when I created a larger mess of flour and oats  for it to clear. In such instances, you may be better off using an upright vacuum or a trusty broom. 

Mopping yielded similar results, doing a great job at cleaning up lighter spots and dust, thanks to the oscillating mop head. However, with bigger spills, it might be better to grab a paper towel and clean the mess yourself. Using the mop is as simple as filling the reservoir with water and attaching a disposable mopping pad to the mopping unit. I welcome the minimal effort. 

One of the most unique features of the Deebot T9+ is air freshening. But the smell lasts mere minutes, so it shouldn’t be the reason you purchase this robot vacuum. I was also slightly disappointed by the Auto-Empty Station, which failed to remove debris from the dust box if it was too caked together.  Of course, similar to other vacuums, there are also upkeep costs, such as replacing the scented pods (optional), mopping pads, dust bags and brushes, which the app keeps track of for you. 

You control the robot vacuum using an intuitive companion app that’s easy to navigate. On Deebot’s first run around your apartment, it creates a highly accurate map, so you can clean custom areas based on needs. It’s also from here that you can adjust settings and create schedules. You’ll even receive notifications on your phone if there are issues during cleaning and also once cleaning is complete. 

If you’re happy to hand off some of your household chores to something that’s plenty capable of getting the job done, consider Ecovac’s Deebot T9+. It delivers solid performance in both vacuuming and mopping with minimal effort on your part, so you can spend your free time doing what you enjoy. 

Ecovacs Deebot T9+ review price & availability

• List Price:  $799.99 / £899 / AU$1,299

The Ecovacs Deebot T9+  is available for purchase in the US, UK and Australia. 

Those in Australia and the US can go directly to the Ecovacs website. However, if you’re in the UK, the Ecovacs Deebot T9+  isn’t available on the manufacturer's website; it can be purchased through resellers such as Amazon US and Amazon UK.

If you haven’t bought a robot vacuum before, the $799.99 /£899/AU$1,299 price might shock. But when you consider the addition of mopping functionality and auto-emptying, it’s a great deal. Some other comparable options include the iRobot Roomba S9+, which costs $999.99 in the US, but lacks mopping capabilities. For those looking to spend a bit less, the Ecovacs Deebot N8+ offers a similar feature set with slightly downgraded performance. 

The cost of upkeep is another consideration. Accessories such as dust bags, mopping pads and air fresheners will need to be replaced fairly regularly, while brushes and filters will also need to be replaced occasionally. There are various kits available on the Ecovacs for purchase, such as the Buddy Kit for $69.98 US/AU $84.95. 

Ecovacs’ Deebot T9+ sits just a few places below the brand’s top-of-the-line model, the Deebot X1 Omni, yet still delivers many of the same features, such as intelligent mapping and mopping. Sure, you might think it’s a bit of a splurge, but considering all the time that’s spent keeping your floors clean, the investment will pay for itself.  

Value score: 4.5 of 5

Ecovacs Deebot T9+ review: Specs

The  Ecovacs Deebot T9+ comes with a robot vacuum and base station.

Ecovacs Deebot T9+ review design

•  2.5mL Auto-Empty Station 
•  Swappable mopping/air freshening components  
•  420mL dust bin 

The Deebot T9+ arrived in one, fairly hefty box, which was a slight challenge to get up the stairs to my apartment.  Everything was packed together neatly, with the sizable Auto-Empty Station taking up most of the space, while other accessories were neatly tucked in boxes for safe travel. 

Setting up the Auto-Empty Station was simple. You really just need to find a location with an outlet and enough space for the robot vac to maneuver – about 1.64ft (0.5m) on either side and 4.92ft(1.5m) out in front. If you’re placing it on a rug or carpet, it comes with a ramp attachment, too, making it easier for the vacuum to dock.  

When you pop open the top of the Auto-Empty Station, you’ll find the preinstalled 2.5-liter dust bag isn’t massive, but should last a month or two.  In addition, your first dust bag replacement is provided. Under the station is a large tube into which the dust bin is emptied, adding to the Auto-Empty Station's overall size. Nevertheless, it’s on a par with rival vacuums, and not an eyesore by any means. 

The robot vac itself matches the sleek, glossy white color scheme of the Auto-Empty Station but does attract a bit of dust. Setup is simply a matter of attaching the side brushes, adding the included air freshener into the preinstalled air freshener unit (optional), and it should be ready to roll.  You get four vacuum power levels to choose from in the app – Quiet, Standard, Max, and Max+ – and you can definitely hear that extra suction as you move up the scale. With the mopping unit installed, you can change the water flow level between Light, Medium, High, and Ultra High, as well as the mopping mode from Quick Scrubbing to Deep Scrubbing – although I didn't notice much of a difference. 

The Deebot T9+  is about the same size as the Deebot N8+, measuring 3.75in / 30cm tall and 13.9in / 353cm in diameter, which leaves a good amount of space for it to fit under and around furniture. However, it probably won’t clear most couches and tighter spaces.  

On top of the Deebot T9 Plus, you’ll find a singular button that will pause/resume cleaning and includes an indicator light that glows in different ways and colors, depending on certain issues. There’s also a power switch, but that’s it for controls. As such, you’ll rely heavily on the app. Lift up the hinged cover on the top to reveal the easy-to-remove dust bin, which at 420mL in capacity, is similar to other robot vacuums. It was completely filled up on its first trip around my two-bed, two-bath apartment, which means you may have to empty it often. I had to do it manually due to flaws with the Auto Empty Station, but more on that later. 
 

On the underside of the vacuum is the main brush, which is responsible for picking up most of the debris on your floor; but it’s prone to hair and string  becoming stuck in it. A cleaning tool is actually provided on the vacuum to make removal easier, and it's recommended that you replace the brush after every 300 hours. 

Since this is a multifunction cleaning device, in addition to vacuuming and air freshening, there’s also a mopping system, referred to as the Ozmo Pro Oscillating System. It’s essentially an easy-to-remove/insert compartment that replaces the air-freshener unit. It comes with a compact 180mL water reservoir and disposable microfiber pads – unlike the N8 Plus’ washable ones. You get ten pads to start, after which you’ll need to replace at your cost. They’re simple to attach, though, and stay in place during mopping. 

When you’re not using the mopping tool or air freshener, there’s nowhere to store them, so you’ll have to make space for them. Nevertheless, the overall design of the Deebot T9+ is simple and unobtrusive, so you won’t mind leaving it out all the time.  

Design score: 4 out of 5

Ecovacs Deebot T9+ review performance

•  Great pick-up of lighter debris 
•  Mediocre auto emptying  
•  Excellent navigation and object detection 
•  Mopping is ideal for smaller spots and dust  

From the get-go, Ecovacs’ Deebot T9+ was easy to set up and use. In just 10 minutes I had it out of the box, charging in the Auto Empty Station, connected to my network, and renamed “Deemaid” – for obvious reasons. It’s important to note, you need the Ecovacs app to really use any part of this vacuum. Following a full charge and tucking under the tassels of some rugs, as suggested, I sent Deemaid out to navigate the unknown terrain around my two-bed, two-bath apartment. 

No initial mapping or anything else is required beforehand; the Deebot T9+ just goes on its merry way as soon as you press Auto Cleaning. To start, it went to my living room, traversing with relative ease, even going under furniture that was mere millimeters from the laser mapping tool that sits on top. I saw it doing a full wrap-around table legs and chairs for a thorough cleaning. Deemaid continued cruising in and out of different rooms and then would return, seemingly getting the lay of the land. As soon as it hit a rug, you could hear the suction intensify. 

Deemaid did well on the majority of my rugs, but the robot vac didn’t play nicely with my looser tassel rag rugs. It got wrapped up in my hallway rug almost immediately, so tucking the tassels under actually served no purpose. I ended up just moving the rug out of the way. It was a similar situation with my dining area rug. However, Deemaid was able to free itself after plenty of failed attempts doing the same thing over and over again. 

In just under 2 hours, Deemaid had completed its first clean – of which it was notified. It then trundled back to the Auto Empty Station to empty the dust bin and to charge. I was happy to see that most of the notable crumbs and debris around my space had been cleared. 

The app had produced a surprisingly accurate layout of my space, and when I looked in that dust bin, I was equally impressed – and horrified – by the amount of dirt it had picked up.  What wasn’t so impressive? The Auto Empty Station. 

I don’t know if there was just too much debris in the dust bin, but the Auto Empty Station failed to empty the bin. I tried multiple times, and it failed each time, so I had to empty the bin manually.  After that initial clean, Deemaid would  “empty” after every single clean; but there was always waste left behind. Sometimes, a second round of the auto-empty would do the trick; other times, it wouldn’t. As such, I was left slightly disappointed that this feature didn’t work as well as advertised. 

Diving deeper into vacuuming ability, I tested it using flour and oats. Initially, I sent Deemaid out on my laminate floor to pick up the mess, and it struggled. The side brushes just seemed to scatter a bunch of oats, while the flour got smeared across the floor.  Next, I tested at the highest vacuuming power setting, Max +, with similar results. There’s an option on the app to do a 2x clean, which seemed to do the trick at picking up most of the mess. Running the same test on a rug yielded similar results, although more flour was left behind. I wouldn’t rely on the Deemaid to pick up a larger, more concentrated mess. 

When it came to obstacles, Deemaid took them on like a champ. I tested a weight and sock with similar results. The robot vac comes with 3D obstacle avoidance; it slightly nudged the object and then managed to skirt right around its edge for the rest of cleaning. No complaints there. Cables were a different story, though. However, considering that the majority of robot vacs appear to struggle with them, you’d be best to clear them out of the way before sending the vacuum out. 

Of course, Ecovacs’ Deebot T9+  is more than just a vacuum. It offers air freshener and mopping abilities too. Swapping between the two functions is as simple as putting in a different component. It registers immediately, and you can send the device on its way.  

The air freshener works during a standard vacuum, at which point you can choose to install the included scented pod. The oak and cucumber scent smells fresh, but I feel the feature is nothing more than a gimmick. While you’ll get the occasional waft while the vacuum is in operation, the scent doesn’t linger longer than a couple of minutes. You’d be better off just lighting a candle. 

The mopping function is a bit more impressive. You fill the small tank with just water – you don’t add any cleaning solution, so don’t expect it to deliver a deep clean. Next, slap on one of the provided disposable microfiber cloths. 

Deemaid vacuums and mops simultaneously, killing two birds with one stone. As it began cleaning, the towel appeared to become wet pretty quickly. When changing the water flow to higher settings, you could visibly see the floor getting wetter, which was handy for dirtier, more stain-ridden areas such as the kitchen. You can select between quick scrubbing and deep scrubbing settings, but they didn't prove to be very different – except that the oscillating mop goes a bit faster. There were no issues with the mop immediately recognizing rugs, at which point it would back away. However, this would prove to be a problem later, since certain hard floors were essentially landlocked by the rugs and didn’t get mopped as a result.  

As for mopping performance, most random muddy drips from wet shoes and other spills were gone by the end of a clean. I placed some syrup on the floor and was happily surprised when the robot vac managed to clean it without leaving behind a sticky mess. However, yogurt proved more difficult; Deemaid smeared it all over the floor. A second going over saw the mop clean the mess. Overall, the mop performed as expected, and works best for picking up dust and lighter stains. 

One major concern is maintenance. Some of the T9+’s components need to be replaced more frequently; the air freshener and dust bags every 60 days or so, depending on use. Others, such as the brushes and filters, will last for one hundred hours or more, although cleaning using the handy included tool is suggested to maintain peak performance. 

The app provides instructions on how to clean those accessories, as well as the percentage of time left until replacement. Following 11 hours of cleaning, most of Deemaid’s parts were still in the range of 90%. But that’s just a suggestion, with many of these parts lasting much longer. Just use your discretion. 

The Deebot T9+ robot vacuum’s noise level was in a similar range to other models. While vacuuming, it hit anywhere between 55dB and 69dB. At the standard power setting, I found it had a low hum, similar to that of an air conditioner. As someone who loves ambient noise, I went about my business virtually able to ignore the device.  Auto-emptying proved to be a bit louder, however, hitting 76dB – if you’re not prepared, it may make you jump out of your seat.  Luckily, the Deemaid did warn me what was about to happen each time. 

Performance score: 4 out of 5

Ecovacs Deebot T9+ review app

•  Simple install 
•  Intelligent mapping  
•  Easily altered cleaning preferences 

Once you scan the QR code found on the Deebot T9+, you’ll be prompted to download the app and register.  The app is 100% necessary to use the robot vacuum. Unlike some apps, registration is simple, requiring just an email and password. Next, you’ll be guided step-by-step through the process to connect your vacuum to Wi-Fi. You can also opt to receive alerts from the Deebot, which notify when cleaning is complete, or if the device has an issue mid-clean. 

The app itself is fairly easy to navigate, with three main sections: Robot, Store and Mine. The Robot section is where you’ll be spending most of your time. You’ll find a simple one-press auto-cleaning button to immediately start vacuuming your whole space, and a recharge button to send the vacuum back to the Auto-Empty Station to power up. However, the most important button is “Enter Smart Cleaning.” That’s where you’ll find the intelligent map and ways to adjust various vacuum settings.  

As for the intelligent map, I was impressed by how smart it actually is. On its initial vacuum of my two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment, it created a map of my home. It was pretty accurate, only failing to differentiate between my hallway and guest bathroom. Fixing that required a quick, easy switch. On that map, the rooms were also highlighted in different colors, helping to distinguish one area from another. You can even name each room and add a corresponding icon. If you find the vacuum struggling to get around certain rugs or pieces of furniture, there’s a boundary tool, where using either a square or line, you can block off certain areas. I blocked off the edge of a tassel rug and my bed, and on its second outing, the robot skirted the edge of those boundaries. 

After you’ve settled on the map, it’s easy to select specific rooms or map out custom areas to clean. There’s also a 3D map feature, which lets you select and place furniture in your home, like something out of Sims. But it’s kind of gimmicky and serves no real purpose. 

In Settings, also in the Smart Cleaning section, you can view cleaning logs, see when the vacuum’s various parts need to be replaced or cleaned, and adjust certain features. Although note that there’s also a menu that drags up under the intelligent map from where you can adjust other features. Admittedly, I struggled to find this section at first, but it’s where you can customize just about any part of your cleaning, from vacuum power to the water flow level of the mop. You can schedule cleans and have them repeat on specific days of the week, too.  

As for the other two main sections of the app, there’s a store to restock products such as dust bags, brushes, and air fresheners. Then there’s the “mine” page, which is basically your account settings. It’s also where you set up voice controls with support for Siri, Alexa, and Google Home. 

Connecting to Alexa is seamless. Click the link, log in to your Amazon account, and your Ecovac should be connected. After that, you’ll be able to ask Alexa to have the Deebot start cleaning, stop cleaning, and return to the dock. It worked for me on the first try, making life even simpler. Connecting to Siri and Google Home was a bit more involved, but the instructions on the app were easy to follow and yielded the same results as Alexa. 

The “mine” section also includes a unique feature I haven’t seen before: a task section. You’ll complete certain tasks, such as adjusting vacuum power and setting up custom cleaning, to earn points. To start, you get 3,000pts, while 100pts translates to one US dollar you can spend in the store. By the end of my first day of use, I had accumulated 4,300 points or $43, which does help cover the cost of certain replacement parts. But there’s always a catch – in this case, it’s that you’re limited to how many points you can use at once based on the product’s cost. For example, when I added a $19.99 item to my cart, I could only use 500pts, or $5, against that purchase – which is disappointing. 

App score: 4.5 out of 5

Ecovacs Deebot T9+ battery life

•  175-minute runtime  
•  6.5-hour charging  
•  Automatically returns the Auto-Empty station for recharge 

I was pleasantly surprised by the battery life of the Deebot T9+. When testing, I sent it out to do a double vacuuming of my entire apartment on the standard power setting, which increases suction on rugs. After about 160 minutes, it had completed the cleaning with 20% left of the battery, according to the app. I sent it out again with the same settings, and as soon as the battery hit 15%, the robot vacuum went back to the Auto Empty Station to recharge. From this I’d say you get about 3 hours of use with each charge – which aligns with Ecovacs' 175-minute claim. It’s worth mentioning that the manufacturer bases this runtime on the Quiet power setting, so it actually performed better than that quoted. 

Once the battery has dropped to 15%, to charge it back up will take some time, with Ecovacs claiming 6.5 hours. To my surprise, it was right on the money with this estimate. 

Battery life score: 5 out of 5 

Should you buy the Ecovacs Deebot T9+?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

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How I tested Ecovacs Deebot T9+

•  Used at home for one week 
• Tested on hard flooring and rugs

I’ve had the Deebot T9+ residing in the main living space of my home for the past week, giving it easy access to the rest of my two-bedroom, two-bathroom home. My entire home has the same hard laminate flooring throughout, with a few rugs scattered about. 

When it was time to use the robot vacuum, I usually made sure most of the floor space was clear of clothes and other possible obstructions, just as I would with a normal upright vacuum. Picking up rag rugs also became part of the routine, having observed the Deebot struggle on them. In total, I may have spent one minute doing this before each clean, but that tiny bit of effort was worth it to get optimal results.  

Read more about how we test

First reviewed April 2023