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  • The smartest robot in the room

  • Cleaning

  • How it stacks up to the competition

  • Should you buy it?

  • The smartest robot in the room
  • Cleaning
  • How it stacks up to the competition
  • Should you buy it?

Pros

  • Able to direct towards or away from specific rooms

  • Good dirt pickup performance

Cons

  • Expensive

  • Unable to climb atop thick carpet

The Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo 930 (available at Amazon) addresses many issues we've had with robot vacuums in the past. The 930 gives you more control than any other we've tested thus far. It lets you dictate when, where, and for how long it cleans. That feature alone catapults this Deebot into stardom. And while it's more expensive than some of the entry-level, sub-$300 robot vacuums you may encounter, the features justify the price.

The smartest robot in the room

If you have the Ecovacs app on your phone, the 930 will create a digital map when it's cleaning. When the map is completed after the first run, that's when the fun begins.

The map tells you cycle time and area cleaned.
Credit: Reviewed

The map tells you the cycle time and area cleaned.

The initial screen gives you data about the cleaning cycle, such as how many square meters were covered and how long the cycle lasted.

You can create virtual barriers for the 930
Credit: Reviewed

No need to close the door, you can create virtual barriers anywhere with your smartphone.

You can also create virtual barriers—lines which the 930 will not cross. This feature is perfect for keeping the 930 out of rooms with no doors or away from pet beds.

The 930 lets you draw an area you want it to clean.
Credit: Reviewed

You can draw boxes for the 930 to focus on, or a preselected area.

You can also draw areas for the Deebot to clean. Within these areas, you can dictate whether you want a once or twice over cleaning. If you don't want to constantly draw cleaning areas, the 930 also automatically demarcates what it thinks are rooms. It's not perfect, but works as a quick way to select an area.

We should also note that the 930 is compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant. It's great for when you just want to start your robot vacuum from another room.

Cleaning

Our testing takes place on a robot obstacle course, studded with risers, tight furniture legs, and three carpet types. The 930 did well in wide-open spaces, but its smart navigation makes it shy away from anywhere it might get stuck. That kind of behavior is a boon and a curse. You never want your robot vacuum to get stuck and need your help, but you do want it to clean up all the nooks and crannies.

At the end of the day, the 930 picked up an average of 8.9 grams of debris. That's in line with robot vacuums like the more expensive iRobot 980. Our test results also show that the 930 doesn't pick up as much dirt as the much cheaper Ecovacs N79. We attribute the weaker performance to the 930's four-inch height, which keeps it from getting into toe kicks and under low couches.

The 930's height keeps it from getting under toe kicks.
Credit: Reviewed / Jonathan Chan

The 930's height keeps it from getting under toe kicks.

How it stacks up to the competition

California-based company Neato was the first to introduce the idea of drawing virtual walls on your phone on its Botvac D7 model. However, as a second generation vacuum, the 930 has several advantages over the D7. First, it's cheaper by about $100. Second, it has more versatile smart features. With the D7, you can only draw virtual barriers and can't include areas to clean multiple times.

The Neato Botvac D7 had drawable barriers first. However, it's more expensive than the 930.
Credit: Reviewed / Jonathan Chan

The Neato Botvac D7 had drawable barriers first. However, it's more expensive than the 930.

The 930 does come up short in a few departments. It picks up less dirt, and it lacks the ability to climb throw rugs the way the D7 can.

Should you buy it?

For the number of smart features you get with the Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo 930, it's a good deal. If you want a robot vacuum to deal with an entire floor of a house—or your entire apartment—the 930 is a good deal. However, if you're more interested in pure cleaning power pickup the Ecovac Deebot N79 instead.

Meet the tester

Jonathan Chan

Jonathan Chan

Senior Manager of Lab Operations

@Jonfromthelab1

Jonathan Chan currently serves as the Lab Manager at Reviewed. If you clean with it, it's likely that Jon oversees its testing. Since joining the Reviewed in 2012, Jon has helped launch the company's efforts in reviewing laptops, vacuums, and outdoor gear. He thinks he's a pretty big deal. In the pursuit of data, he's plunged his hands into freezing cold water, consented to be literally dragged through the mud, and watched paint dry. Jon demands you have a nice day.

See all of Jonathan Chan's reviews

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Our team is here for one purpose: to help you buy the best stuff and love what you own. Our writers, editors, and lab technicians obsess over the products we cover to make sure you're confident and satisfied. Have a different opinion about something we recommend? Email us and we'll compare notes.

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