REVIEW — The state-of-the-art eufy Omni E28 has industry-leading features, like an RGB camera, AI algorithms, and a clean and dirty mop reservoir in the robot. The robot can store multiple floor maps. Additionally, this mop cleans and empties itself, and the base includes a portable deep clean vacuum. I have one to review; read on to see what I think!
⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price: $999.99
Where to buy: eufy and Amazon
What is it?
Over five and a half years ago, I reviewed a robot vacuum that was not the state of the art, but only had 1200 Pa suction, no camera or rangefinder, and no algorithm to determine the area it had covered. The mop was a constantly wetted pad that the robot dragged around the floor. Jump to today: The eufy robot has over 16 times the suction power, a detangling brush, advanced vision AI algorithms (that recognize stains and things to avoid like wires), a mop with fresh and dirty water reservoirs, a base station that cleans and dries the robot, and it has a detachable portable deep cleaner.
What’s included?
- Robot (including rolling mop & rolling brush & side brushes)
- Omni Station with dust bag collection system
- Detachable deep cleaning base and control system (with hose, scrub brush, clean & dirty water reservoirs)
- Safety Document
Tech specs
Surface Recommendation: Hard Floor, Carpet, Wood, Tile
Clean Types: Vacuum and Mop
Additional Features: Auto Mop Washing, Edge Cleaning, Portable Deep Cleaner, Obstacle Avoidance, Self-Emptying, HydroJet™ Mopping System
Mop Type: Rolling Mop
Downward Pressure: 1.5kg
Rotations Per Minute: 180RPM
Suction Power: 20,000 Pa
Auto-Detangling: DuoSpiral™ Brushes
Obstacle Avoidance: RGB Camera + LED
Controller Type: Remote Control, App Control, Touchpad Control, Button Control, Voice Control
Filter Type: washable
Obstacle Clearance Height: 0.83 in
Minimum Height and Width Restrictions (Under/Space Around Furniture): 4.37 in / 11.39 in
Portable Deep Cleaner: Yes
Self-Emptying: Yes
Self-Refilling robot clean water reservoir: Yes
Self-Washing: Yes
Hot Air Drying: Yes
Wastewater Collection: Yes
Automatic Detergent Dispensing: Yes
Dust Collection Capacity: 3 L
Clean Water Tank Capacity: 2.5 L
Dirty Water Tank Capacity: 1.8 L
Station Dimensions: 14.63 × 19.07 × 17.29 in
Robot Dimensions: 12.83 × 13.72 × 4.40 in
Run Time: Vacuum and Mop: 125 min (Standard)
Vacuum: 216 min (Standard)
Battery Type: Lithium-Ion
Voltage: 110 Volts
Batteries are Included: Yes
Control Method: App, Touch, Voice
Connectivity: 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Design and features
Unboxing
The eufy Omni E28 robot vacuum includes a base station and a handheld deep cleaner. These items are not sized to nest in one another, so the box that the Omi E28 comes in is rather large.
The whole system weighs in at just under 33 lbs.
The outside shipping box includes the full-color retail box within.
The box is covered with the system’s features and specifications. It seems that vacuum manufacturers are obliged to show a family playing on a clean carpet while the vacuum operates in the background. Other industry-standard images are included, like the mop cleaning spilled red wine and the vacuum creating a woosh of air flow at the ultimate suction level (which doesn’t actually happen; the ultimate vacuum is only achieved with zero flow.)
Inside the box is an informative card that shows the unpacking steps, a quick start setup guide, complete with a QR code for app download, and a quick start guide for using the deep cleaner.
The contents are packaged using recyclable materials.
Design
The eufy Omni E28 robot vacuum has three main components: The vacuum robot, the FlexiOne deep cleaner, and the Omni base station.
The robot vacuum borrows the familiar squircle shape from smartphone app screens. This shape lets it make turns in small diameters and also permits the design of a larger mop in the rear of the unit. The squircle shape does not have the same turning radius as a true circle, so the robot has an edge-cleaning corner rover arm to improve the ability to sweep out corners while turning.
The arm is extended with a motor when the robot determines that edge cleaning is warranted. The sweeper brushes start, stop, and change speed depending on the needs of the robot. When sweeping loose dirt on solid floors, the brushes operate more slowly than when they are collecting lint on carpet.
The front of the vacuum has a camera and an LED lamp.
The camera is used for item, dirt, and spill identification, and base station docking, but not for recording images or video of the house. Omni E28 has successfully passed the ETSI EN 303 645 Cybersecurity Certification, which ensures compliance with fundamental security requirements for IoT devices, including data protection and user privacy measures. For cameras, this standard requires that access, transmission, and storage of images must be secure and encrypted. eufy has decided not to allow user access to camera data to sidestep these requirements. eufy states that all image analysis is performed on the robot, and no image data transmission occurs. The camera is also integral to the vacuum docking procedure for final positioning in front of the base station. The camera is surrounded by a bumper bar that lets the vacuum know it has bumped into something.
Looking at the camera, the left brush is the edge-cleaning corner rover arm. The left side has a small window that houses a distance sensor. Given that this sensor is mounted deeper within the body of the robot and a bright IR glow is not observable with my mobile (which frequently picks up near infra red) I assume that this is a separate time of flight sensor, which may be used to judge wall distances to toe kicks that are below the level of the LIDAR.
The rear of the vacuum has a fresh water injection port, a dirty water removal port, and charging contact points. The freshwater reservoir is integral to the robot’s main body. The removable portion of the mop only includes the dirty water tank. The rear also includes two depressions for centering pins, ensuring alignment of the water nozzles, dust bin emptying port (on the base), and charging pins.
The right side of the vacuum has the vacuum vent. eufy has characterized the sound emissions based on the operating mode.
- Quiet mode：<55 dB
- Turbo mode：<57 dB
- Maximum power mode：<62 dB
The vacuum motor is visible from the inside of the robot housing.
The top of the vacuum has a LIDAR dome. eufy has installed blue LEDs that mimic the laser light that rotates inside. The images below show the NIR purple image my camera picks up of the laser and the blue LED lights on the other side of the rotating internals.
It is a clever style cue to the electronics that enable the robot’s positioning capabilities. The faring around the laser is mounted on a microswitch to let the robot know it has hit something. Also on the top cover are three buttons: a home button, a power/pause/resume button, and a mop reservoir eject button. The Wi-Fi pairing can be reset by pressing the two front buttons simultaneously for three seconds. The debris basket can also be removed from the top by lifting a handle to release a cam-lock that secures the compartment within the robot. There is also a large rubber area, which I assume is the Wi-Fi antenna location, and a QR code printed on top that can be used to download the mobile application. The top of the vacuum has a polycarbonate cover that fits around the LIDAR dome and two front buttons, and covers the dust bin and water tank ejection button. I think this is purely aesthetic, but even if it has a functional use, it improves the robot’s appearance.
The bottom of the vacuum has the drive system, composed of the two spring-mounted drive wheels and the freely rotating caster wheel in front.
The bottom also has the sweeping and vacuuming system, comprised of the sweeper brushes and the main beater brushes. The mopping brush is also located at the rear of the bottom. The port to empty the debris basket is next to the left wheel. There are seven sensors on the base: six infrared groupings around the perimeter that inform the robot to stop if it approaches a stair or other drop-off.
There is also a camera sensor to the left of the front caster that may be used for surface cleanliness or carpet vs solid surface determination.
The robot has many accessories that require maintenance or replacement as the vacuum is used. The app has an accessory service page that lists how much service life remains for each item and has links to videos that demonstrate the service task.
Removal of the various parts is demonstrated efficiently in each video. The brush guard is secured on both sides of the guard’s front with pins and is more secure than the central tab on most robot vacuums. The side brushes have the typical push-to-connect design, but each one is angled to rotate in opposite directions, similar to the design of a drone propeller.
The beater brush in the center has two halves. The system is called DuoSpiral, and the brushes automatically extend and separate during operation, creating a gap to release tangled pet hair or long human hair.
There are a couple of filters in the dirty mop and debris tray that need to be cleaned, and the videos show that they can be cleaned using tap water and dried in the sun.
The waste bin beneath the cover is accessed by raising a locking handle. The design is typical of robot vacuums, with a bin below a silkscreen and HEPA filter, but this is slightly different because it is self-emptying. The larger-than-typical size of the filter for robot vacuums may help improve the airflow and allow the vacuum to hold more debris before emptying. The HEPA filter has a magnet on it that the vacuum uses to determine if the waste bin is in place.
The bin has a rubber door at the base that is kept shut while the robot vacuum is in standby or operating because it closes against the suction of the robot vacuum.
When the robot returns to the station to empty the base station vacuum sucks debris out of the bottom trap door. The debris is transported to the vacuum bag in the base before it is sent to the dirty water bag in the base station vacuum. A vacuum breaker on the other side of the wastebin opens if there is too much vacuum in the waste bin during the emptying.
The dust emptying and mop cleaning tasks are quite loud; eufy estimates these are each about 75 dB. Before and after pictures show the effectiveness of the emptying process.
The mop is quite ingenious. Firstly, the motor for rotating the brush is located in the hub, and the entire unit pivots out so that the brush can be removed.
With the brush removed, the row of tiny nozzles designed to wet the brush is visible at the top of the rim that surrounds the brush.
A tube that is located near the pivoting motor on the right side of the robot carries water from the freshwater tank to the nozzles. A linear protrusion across the top of the rim helps squeegee the rotating mop into the dirty water catch bin as the mop brush rotates. A collection of dirty water accumulates in the dirty water catch bin as the robot mops. A small vacuum pump in the robot, separate from the main motor that cleans the floor, creates a vacuum in the dirty water holding tank, which transfers water from the base of the dirty bin to the dirty water holding tank. The water transferred into the holding tank is filtered through a plastic mesh filter to remove large debris and fibers. When the robot goes back into the base station, the base station vacuum port sucks water out of the base of the dirty water hold tank and into the wet vac dirty water tank. The mop has springs which apply a downwards force when used, but when the mop brush is stowed away, a wired wench pulls it up like a drawbridge.
The omni station has a reservoir for the floor cleaning chemical and holds the dust bag for the robot. The deep cleaning vacuum powers it, and so it does not function with the vacuum removed. The pins for power and signals, ports for clean and dirty water removal, the dust bag access port, and the mopping chemical addition door can all be seen with the deep cleaning vacuum removed. The dust bag is similar to any number of canister systems and comes out by pulling on a plastic tab that shuts the door of the bag before it is removed. The chemical addition port is very hard to open because of the gasketing, but it flips up similarly to the dust bag door.
The FlexiOne deep cleaner is a portable handheld device similar to the Bissell Little Green and Hoover CleanSlate. The FlexiOne is still computer-controlled and has pre-recorded voice prompts alerting you to the condition of the water tanks and vacuum operation. One neat feature that I’m not sure is available on other units like this is a hose flush. Not only is water sprayed from the handheld nozzle onto the surface being cleaned, but a separate button directs water back through the hose. In this way, the hose is flushed and does not have debris left in it that can cause odors. Also, the vacuum continues to run for a few seconds after pushing the power button to turn off the unit. This step helps clear residual liquid from the hose. The hose winds up neatly around the built-in cleat, and there is an aesthetic hose cover to make the unit blend in more with the base station. One design issue I noticed is that the dirty water tank handle is part of the lid. The dirty tank must be supported from below before releasing the latch to avoid spilling the contents when the latch is released. The other issue is that the status light of the vacuum is always on and cannot be shut off or lowered in intensity during the evening.
Assembly, Installation, Setup
Setting up the eufy Omni E28 robot vacuum is fairly straightforward. The most challenging moment I had was installing the plastic sump in the base of the unit, but even this was relatively easy. There is a rubber hose elbow that dips into the sump to evacuate the dirty water from washing the roller. Just make sure the hose is not pinched. I wonder if eufy thought about adding leak detection in this area, but so far, there have been no leaks in my setup.
eufy recommends 1.6 ft (0.5 m) clearance on each side and 3.28 ft (1 m) clearance in front of the base station. They also write that these are suggested values based on testing, to ensure the robot operates optimally, returns to the station for charging, and cleans the designated area effectively. My base station is set up in a corner of a room next to a fireplace hearth, and I have not observed that the robot has any difficulty entering or leaving the base. When entering, the robot positions itself in front of the ramp, rotates around to take a picture of the inside, returns to the original position, and then backs into the base.
The vacuum has a 9 ft cord, which powers the wet vacuum. Therefore, the cord is designed for high wattage and is 16 AWG. Because the cord needs to be accessed every time the FlexiOne is removed, the cord and base station are not hidden against the wall. This makes it different than some other vacuums that sit flush against the wall. If you are not planning to use the FlexiOne then the eufi E25 has the same features as the E28 but does not come with a removable vacuum.
The base station has a modern and clean aesthetic that will fit in with furnishings and rooms that share this design. Suppose you would like to have the robot plugged in out of the way, thanks to the ability to store multiple maps the robot can be stored and charged on another floor, even on floors that are not routinely cleaned, so long as you don’t mind picking it up and moving it to the desired floor or location (since this robot cannot climb standard stair heights).
I have the station installed on wall-to-wall carpeting, and the carpet in front of the station can become wet when the vacuum has a freshly cleaned mop. If the base is installed on a hard surface that should be kept dry, and the mopping feature will be used for other areas, then this may pose an issue.
The robot vacuum must communicate with servers that relay instructions to and from the app and compatible voice assist protocols, such as Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Apple Siri. The Wi-Fi requires a 2.4 GHz signal. The robot is compatible with Matter, but I have not used that ecosystem in my setup.
The app will update the software in the robot and base station OTA, and subsequently instruct the owner to map their areas.
Once each floor is scanned, no-go zones can be added so that the robot doesn’t get stuck on items that may pose challenges on the floor. For me, this includes a small rug near the back door and a silicone mat and bowl of water for the dog. The robot was careful not to bump the bowl during cleaning, but the silicon mat jammed the rollers. The maps are detailed due to the LIDAR scanning. After the mapping is complete, standard depictions of furniture can be added to the maps for better interpretation of the scanned room and the actual space. The robot may be moved remotely, using the app, to anywhere on the recorded map to assist in figuring out where room divisions and furniture is located. The furniture selection is a bit limited. It would be nice for the app to allow downloads of specific furniture from a 3D library.
The base station has two compartments below the deep cleaning mop. One compartment is for concentrated solid floor washing. eufy recommends that only their solution be used, but it was backordered at the time of this review. It normally sells for $20.99.
The other compartment is for the dustbag. We have a golden doodle, so this fills up quickly, but it is nice not to have to handle the dustbin regularly. These sell for $18.99 for 3, which eufy claims will last 225 days (3 units for 75 days each) or until the next molt.
Operation
The vacuum may be started by pressing the power button on the front, by using a connected service like Alexa or Google, or by using the app. The connected services and the power button on the robot can only start general cleaning. This will clean the entire floor plan of the level on which the robot is currently located. Asking the robot to clean a particular room or perform a saved task through the connected service has no effect. Controlling the robot with the app has the advantage of customizing the cleaning with the many settings and options the robot supports.
The app allows cleaning by home, room, or zone. The room cleaning restricts cleaning to a specific room. If the robot is in an adjoining room, it will relocate to the specified room to start cleaning. The zone cleaning restricts cleaning to a rectangular area on the floor plan. A cleaning zone placed on top of a no-go zone will still avoid cleaning the no-go area.
The cleaning process starts with the robot surveying the environment and determining where it is. It may move through the environment and scan in a different location until it recognizes the room that it is in. Once the room is determined, it will move to another room if it is not in the correct room to be cleaned, or it will move to the perimeter of the room to begin the cleaning cycle. The robot knows what map the base station is located on, and if the command is given to clean a room on another map, the robot will prepare the mops, if necessary, and ask that the robot be moved to another level. It is important to note that the dirty mop water will leak out of the robot if it is carried on its side. Before inverting the robot, always eject the dirty water bin.
Since this is a computer-controlled robot with AI features, the app includes experimental add-ons in a menu called eufy lab. The smart track cleaning cleans along a route defined by the footsteps of the user. I think this is good for cleaning the typical footpath in a room but I did not see that the cleaning record is recorded or that it could repeat the path. Maybe this will be available in a future upgrade. Another lab item is the dirt inspection. When enabled, the robot automatically inspects the room after completing a full house cleaning to ensure no stains are left behind. The app says that enabling this feature may slightly reduce cleaning efficiency.
The eufy Omni E28 robot vacuum appears to clean the room strategically. It pauses briefly in front of chair legs or other items on the floor and seems to stop to think about how it can clean the area from a different approach. Sometimes the movements seem to behave a bit erratically in starts and stops, but actually, the robot is programming the movement of the vacuum or mop so it covers the area completely.
The bin emptying can be delayed while cleaning at night so that the noise does not wake light sleepers, but the mop cleaning operation will be performed after the robot returns from mopping, no matter what time it is.
Performance
The robot does an exceptional job at cleaning carpets and floors. The carpet vacuum is strong. I think that there may be some diminished performance picking up debris like sand and rice because the DuoSpiral brush may not be as efficient with these items as a traditional beater brush, but I think that its ability to pick up the daily volume of dust and other debris that may be tracked into the house is top class.
The corner rover brush can get right up next to the baseboards. The wet mop is between 3/4 and one inch from the baseboards. This is as good or better than average.
The ability of the vacuum to avoid obstacles was tested with a fake dog poop and a dog toy.
The robot stayed completely clear of the silicone replica and labeled it as an “object”.
The robot assumed the dog toy was clothing and got a little closer to it to clean around it.
The battery power is generous considering how quickly the robot can clean a room. And, thanks to the robot to position itself, if it is low on battery, it will interrupt the cleaning process to charge and then return to where it was to finish the cycle.
The FlexiOne has good suction and will wet and dry carpet and upholstery efficiently, so that it is cleaned.
Final thoughts
The eufy Omni E28 robot vacuum advances the standard of what is robot vacuum is capable of vacuuming and mopping. The room mapping and vacuuming are done with precision and thoroughness. The mopping capability of the vacuum is especially noteworthy and cleans hard floors better than any other robot vacuum I have used. The rate at which water is applied and removed from the floor is even greater than on a handheld mop. The FlexiOne vacuum is an interesting inclusion to the system – it has the same cost premium as a similar item from Hoover or Bissel but is included in the robot base. I think the FlexiOne has better storage capabilities than other devices, so I think that it makes sense to own this type of device as part of the eufy system rather than as a separate device. Overall I think that the eufy Omni E28 is a fantastic vacuum and recommend it to keep your carpets and hard floors clean.
What I like about eufy Omni E28 robot vacuum
- great mopping
- great control app
- unique deep cleaning vacuum
What needs to be improved?
- mop cleaning at night can be loud
- detergent door is hard to open
- wet mop can leave dampness in front of the base ramp
Price: $999.99
Where to buy: eufy and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by eufy. eufy did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
