Ecovacs Deebot N8+ UK Review (2024)

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The model names of the manufacturer are pretty confusing.

That’s why we want to bring some light into the darkness. The "+" in the product name stands for the auto-empty dust bin. Therefore, you’re pretty much spoilt for choice:

• N8 PRO+: TrueDetect 3D + auto-empty dust bin

• N8 PRO: TrueDetect 3D

• N8+: No TrueDetect 3D but with an auto-empty dust bin

• N8: No TrueDetect 3D and no auto-empty dust bin

Aside from the minor differences, these robotic vacuums are essentially identical.

Let’s get to the bottom of the Ecovacs Deebot N8+ and see how well it performed in our cleaning test.

For this, we weighed out an exact amount of dirt (lentils, oat flakes and sand) and spread it in our test area. Then, the N8 had to clean it all up at maximum cleaning level.

We put the robot vac to the test on different floor types (low-pile carpet, high-pile carpet, and hardwood).

But before we take a look at the test results, we’ll give you a few technical details of the N8:

• Suction power: 2600 Pa.

• 4 power settings.

• With a HEPA filter and two additional pre-filters.

• Two side brushes.

• The mobile dust container has a capacity of 420 ml.

• The main brush is made of bristles and flaps.

The Ecovacs Deebot N8+ On Hardwood Floor

First, the Ecovacs Deebot N8 had to show what it’s got on hardwood floor.

And the Ecovacs robot came out with flying colours here.

Whether lentils...

Oat flakes...

Or sand…

It cleaned up all three types of dirt almost entirely.

It’s not a top result, but a good one!

Cleaning Carpets

A carpet is more challenging for all kinds of vacuum cleaners.

We put the Ecovacs Deebot N8 to the test on both low-pile and high-pile carpets.

Low carpet:

High carpet:

The robotic vacuum performed pretty well on both carpets.

It only reached its limits with the sand.

But that’s completely normal. Even powerful vacuums have their difficulties with this...

And you have to keep in mind that our tests sumulate extreme situations. You’ll hardly ever find that much sand on your carpet.

The suction power of the robotic vacuum cleaner is sufficient for removing everyday dirt from the carpet.

Cleaning Performance In Everyday Life

We let the Deebot N8 clean our 80m² flat for several weeks.

And we don’t have to beat about the bush here: We were thrilled.

The Ecovacs Deebot N8 hardly reached its limits in our flat (mostly hardwood floors, no pets, no children).

The robot vacuum cleaner coped very well with everyday dirt.

The floors were always sparkling clean!

The Ecovacs Deebot N8 has two side brushes that have extra-long arms.

With these, the robot vacuum can reliably remove the dirt from the mouldings.

And the long side brushes also ensure a good cleaning result in corners.

However, the Deebot N8 can’t achieve a perfect result when cleaning corners due to its round shape.

But: Since the robot vac cleans your home almost daily, hardly any dirt accumulates in the corners. Therefore, it’s sufficient to clean the corners 1-2 times a month with a cordless stick vacuum.

We noticed that the robot vacuum didn’t drive entirely into corners if you activate the TrueDetect 3D obstacle detection. That’s a disadvantage. Once you switch off the obstacle detection, the N8 thoroughly vacuums the corners as usual.

That’s how you can improve the mopping result:

• First, dampen the mop before the cleaning cycle.

• Then, put some special cleaner (available* on Amazon UK) in the water tank/on the mop.

• Finally, wash the mop in the washing machine after each cleaning trip.

Take a look at our comprehensive guide on this topic if you want more tips and tricks: Best Robot Vacuum and Mop Combos in the UK.

Laser Navigation

The Ecovacs Deebot N8 relies on laser navigation (Lidar).

For this purpose, the robot vacuum has the typical laser tower.

Laser navigation has established itself in the robot vacuum cleaner market and is currently the best method.

Since the laser sensor permanently scans the surroundings, the little housekeeper can move around the flat quickly and in a structured manner.

The robot detects and avoids larger obstacles (doors, cupboards, etc.) and even marks them on the map thanks to the laser navigation.

Thus, it happens pretty rarely that the robot vacuum crashes into something at full speed.

If the robot vacuum cleaner does encounter an obstacle, it registers this object with its sensors (in the bumper or the laser tower) and looks for a way around it.

Therefore, the "collisions" (somewhat minor "nudges") are entirely harmless. It won’t damage the robot or your furniture.

True Detect 3D - Automatic Obstacle Avoidance

Smaller obstacles (e.g. socks, clothes lying around, etc.) are pretty challenging for robot vacuums. Unfortunately, laser navigation can’t detect these objects.

The robot vacuum may get stuck on the objects, which would be the end of the cleaning trip until you free your little housekeeper.

The Deebot N8 has a solution for this exact problem. It’s called "TrueDetect 3D Technology".

It’s a cross laser that permanently scans the surroundings. This way, the robot can detect and avoid even flat objects (such as shoelaces, cables, clothes, etc.).

We tested the obstacle detection function and checked how the robot vacuum handles flat and somewhat "higher" objects.

Flat Objects

Especially flat objects such as shoelaces, mobile phone charging cables etc., can pose a significant threat to a robotic vacuum cleaner.

If it sucks them in, the brush blocks...

... and that would be the end of the cleaning trip for the time being.

We spread the following items in the room and checked how the N8 handled these obstacles:

• Mobile phone charging cable (rolled up): Detected and avoided without any problems

• Mobile phone charging cable (not rolled up): Detected and avoided without any problems

• Laptop charging cable: First, the robot lightly touched it with the side brushes, but then it drove around them

• Shoelaces: Detected and avoided without any problems

• Key: Detected and avoided without any problems

The obstacle detection rate was almost 100% in our test. The only thing the robot slightly touched was the laptop charging cable.

Slightly Higher Objects

• Belt: Detected and avoided

• Cap: Detected, avoided but lightly touched

• Slippers: Detected and avoided

• Street shoes: Detected, avoided but lightly touched

• Trousers: Detected, avoided but lightly touched

The robot also detected and avoided all the higher obstacles.

But we noticed that it didn’t drive around the higher objects as precisely as it did with the very flat obstacles. Instead, it nudged some things now and then.

We think that this might even be intentional.

Generally speaking, the vacuum cleaner can’t get stuck on higher obstacles. Therefore, it’s no problem if it nudges the objects lightly. This way, it can thoroughly clean the area around the object.

How Reliable Is The True Detect technology Work, And Who Could Profit From It?

The TrueDetect 3D technology convinced us in the test. The obstacle detection worked amazingly well.

Does that mean that I can send the robot vacuum on a cleaning trip in a chaotic flat?

Definitely not.

It can’t clean the floor if a dozen things cover the entire floor.

The little housekeeper would have a hard time finding a way around these objects and constantly bump into obstacles. The cleaning trip would also take extremely long.

The tidier your home, the better the automatic obstacle detection works.

But if you have small children and/or pets at home, it's hard to keep up with tidying up. Usually, there’ll be at least some toys on the floor.

And that’s where the N8 comes into play.

You can still send the robotic vacuum out on a cleaning trip with peace of mind. It’ll reliably clean the flat, even if it’s not 100% perfectly tidy.

And you don't have to worry about the robovac getting stuck on the very first obstacle. Of course, this can always happen, but it’s improbable.

Operation Via Buttons

There’s one single button on top of the Ecovacs Deebot N8.

With this, you can start/stop the robot vacuum or send it back to the charging station.

But that’s not precisely a fully-fledged integration into the "smart home"...

Ecovacs Home App: Control Via Smartphone

The Ecovacs Home App (iOS /Android) offers more control options.

Setting Up And Using The Ecovacs Home App

Once you’ve downloaded the app, you have to register with an email address and password.

Next, you have to add your Ecovacs Deebot N8 robot vacuum to the app. To do this, open the Ecovacs Home App and scan the QR code under the robot's lid.

Then your robot vacuum cleaner connects itself to your Wi-Fi. All you need to do is follow the instructions on the screen.

Attention: You have to switch off the mobile data connection to set up the app successfully. You can do this by simply activating the “flight mode” on your smartphone (of course, you have to keep the Wi-Fi activated).

After about 3-5 minutes, the setup is complete.

From now on, you have access to the full functionality of the Ecovacs Home App.

Functionality And Settings

The Ecovacs Home App offers numerous useful functions that make household cleaning much more straightforward.

Let’s take a look at the most important settings:

Control Water Flow / Suction Level Per Room

You can set the water flow and suction level for each room in the mobile app.

You can also choose whether the robot should clean a room once or twice.

Setting Up No-Go Zones And No-Mop Zones (Virtual boundaries)

You can set up areas that your robot vacuum cleaner shouldn’t enter (no-go zones).

Furthermore, you can also set areas where the vacuum cleaner shouldn’t mop the floor (no-mop zones). The vacuum cleaner avoids these areas as soon as you attach the water tank with the mopping plate.

Saving Multiple Maps

In the mobile app, you can save a total of 2 maps (for two floors). You can edit the second map as you wish as soon as the robot created it.

Maintenance:

The mobile app also lets you know when to replace specific components (e.g. HEPA filter, side brush etc.).

Consider this information as a guide. Just because the app tells you that you should replace the side brushes, that doesn’t mean it’s really necessary. Just check it out if you are in doubt ?

Creating Cleaning Plans

You can save your weekly cleaning schedule in the app with three simple clicks. This way, the robot cleans your flat on the days you want without you having to think about it all the time.

Naming Rooms

You could also assign symbols to the rooms. That’s not only good for orientation, but it’s also quite helpful.

Thanks to the symbols, you can send the robot vacuum to individual rooms via voice control. See the chapter "Voice control" for more details.

Merging/Separating Rooms

The robot vacuum independently separates rooms when it creates the map. That works very well in most cases. However, if you still want to change the rooms, you can easily do that in the app.

In our case, the room layout was perfect, and we didn't have to change anything manually.

More features in the Ecovacs Home app:

• Activate/deactivate the independent obstacle detection (TrueDetect 3D).

• Specify times when the vacuum-mopping robot shouldn’t clean (Do-Not-Disturb times).

• Determine the cleaning sequence (which room should it clean first?)

• Activate/deactivate the carpet detection function. It automatically increases the suction power to the maximum level whenever the robot drives onto a carpet.

• Set up specific areas that the robot should clean (Spot Cleaning).

• View past cleaning runs (cleaning history)

• Set the language (German, English, etc.).

• Adjust the volume of the voice output. That’s quite handy because the robot vacuum cleaner communicates with you from time to time (e.g. "Water tank attached", "Cleaning started", "Cleaning finished", "Drive to charging station", etc.).

• Perform firmware updates.

• Choose your location (UK)

• Contact the Ecovacs customer support in the UK via live chat.

Conclusion On The Ecovacs Home App

The app works very well.

The selection of functions is unique.

The structure is logical.

The design is appealing.

However, the recurring minor errors and bugs were small drawbacks, e.g.:

• The robot vacuum is displayed as offline

• The map is twisted (then you have to let the robot create the map again)

• The map is not displayed.

But, you can usually fix these bugs by restarting the app.

The good news is that the manufacturer is aware of the problem.

Ecovacs is diligent and constantly improves the app. Thus, they fix minor bugs at regular intervals and even add new functions for free (e.g. "Setting the water intensity level/suction power per room" became available in the UK after an update in November 2020).

All in all, we can say:

Ecovacs Home is a great app that simplifies your daily floor cleaning with many functions and settings. The Ecovacs Home app will surely be one of the best apps on the robot vacuum market once the manufacturer fixes the software problems.

Voice Control

In addition to the mobile app, you can also control the N8 via voice assistant. The system currently supports both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

You can use the following commands with Alexa.

As you can see, voice control covers the essential features.

You can even send the Ecovacs Deebot N8 Plus to individual rooms via voice command.

"Alexa, tell Deebot to clean the kitchen",... and your little housekeeper will make its way to the kitchen.

That’s pretty neat!

We have to point out one thing right away: The self-emptying process of the auto-empty dock is very loud (87 dB). Therefore, you should use the self-emptying dustbin only during the day to avoid annoying the neighbours.

But since the process only lasts 20 seconds, it didn't bother us that much.

The much more interesting question is: How loud is the robot vacuum during its cleaning trip?

Well, the Ecovacs Deebot N8+’s volume depends on the selected cleaning mode.

As a rule of thumb: the higher the suction power, the louder the robot vacuum.

We measured the following dB values during our volume test:

• Quiet: 45 dB

• Standard: 50 dB

• Maximum: 58 dB

• Maximum+: 67 dB

The robot vacuum is pleasantly quiet in the two lower power settings (Quiet and Standard). So you can still read a book or watch a movie in the same room.

It gets much louder in the upper levels because of the powerful suction.

Delivery Scope

The Ecovacs Deebot N8+ comes in a rather large (and heavy) box.

The contents of the packaging are well organised. A great plus is that Ecovacs hardly used any plastic.

The delivery scope contains the following items:

• Robot vacuum

• self-emptying dustbin

• 2 x dust bags for the emptying station

• 2 side brushes

• 1 x HEPA filter

• 1 x mop

• 10 x disposable mops

• Instructions

The delivery scope isn’t all that generous. There are no spare parts such as side brushes, HEPA filters etc.

But no worries – you can order spare parts online* on Amazon UK.

Set up and First Steps

The set up is pretty straightforward.

A quick start guide provides all the necessary information.

First, you have to attach the side brushes. That’s pretty easy, thanks to the "click mechanism".

Then you should set up the auto-empty station (please make sure that there’s enough space on all sides) and let the robot vacuum charge fully.

In the meantime, you can download and set up the Ecovacs Home App. We already described the steps in the chapter "Control and connectivity (app and co.)".

That's it. Now the robot can start the first cleaning trip ?

We put the Ecovacs Deebot N8+ through its paces, and the device does a very decent job.

The robot vacuum achieved above-average results in almost every category. However, the software bugs in the app mar the overall impression.

Nonetheless, two features stand out in particular: the self-emptying dustbin and the obstacle avoidance (TrueDetect 3D Laser).

These two features ensure that the robot cleans your floor (almost) entirely automatically. All you have to do is change the dust bag in the auto-empty dock every few months. That’s it.

That’s an enormous relief.

But one thing’s for sure: Bargain hunters won’t like the Ecovacs Deebot N8+.

If you’re looking for a cheaper alternative and can do without the luxury features (auto-empty dock, TrueDetect 3D), you should take a look at the Roborock S5 Max. The predecessor may not have all the luxury features but offers an excellent overall package, too.