Samsung Galaxy A37 review: Maintaining the status quo

7.7

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Buy on Samsung.com.au

Is there a more competitive market than that between mid-range phones? If there is, I’m not aware of it. Samsung’s A-series phones are among the most popular in the world for their reliability and affordability. Is that enough in today’s age to stand out in an increasingly crowded ecosystem? Samsung may have increased the price of the Galaxy A37 compared to last year’s phone, but it largely remains a decent mid-range option, even though its tweaks are relatively minor.

Alongside its Galaxy A57 sibling, the A37 occupies the $600 to $800 space. It’s well beyond entry level, but still a couple of steps below the premium end of the market. What that gets you is a reliable phone that doesn’t shoot the lights out, but lasts a long time in terms of both battery life and software support.

While the Samsung Galaxy A37 doesn’t surprise in any way, its predictability is arguably its greatest strength. You know what you’re getting: a handset made for everyday use that doesn’t have any glaring weaknesses, nor one killer feature.

Table of contents

• Comparing the Samsung Galaxy A37 and Galaxy A57
• Specifications and price
• Design
• Performance
• Camera
• Who is the Samsung Galaxy A37 for?

Samsung Galaxy A37 [AU Version] 5G A Series Mobile Phone, Awesome Intelligence, 128GB Storage, 6.7” Display, Long Battery Life, Super Fast Charging, Awesome Lavender

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Comparing the Samsung Galaxy A37 and Galaxy A57

Nearly every major Android brand sold in Australia has a phone available for $599 or reasonably close to it. Beyond Samsung, there’s Motorola, Oppo, and Nothing vying for valuable shelf space. But the easiest comparison to make is between the Samsung Galaxy A37 and the $150 more expensive Galaxy A57.

Announced and launched as a pair, Samsung positions one as being slightly better than the other. How different are they in reality, though? Some of the differences won’t mean too much to everyday users, like the slightly different display technology, or the Galaxy A37’s use of Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3 versus Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 6.0.

Samsung Galaxy A57 (left) and the Galaxy A37 (right). Image: Chris Button.

In other areas, the differences are more tangible and easily recognised. The Galaxy A37 is noticeably heavier at 196g compared to the Galaxy A57’s 179g frame. Then on the inside, the Galaxy A37 relies on a smaller 6GB memory allocation (versus 8GB) and the slightly weaker Exynos 1480 chipset.

Functionally, though, both phones are much the same. Both have three cameras on the back, a 6.7-inch screen, and share many of the same software features.

It may not look like much, but the Galaxy A37’s extra thickness feels tangible. Image: Chris Button.

There’s a quality gap, sure. The Galaxy A57 is slimmer, more powerful, and takes slightly nicer photos. That’s essentially the crux of what an extra $150 gets you.

Importantly, both phones get six years of operating system and security updates. That’s far beyond what comes with many other mid-range phones, and it should be the benchmark for similarly priced devices.

Samsung Galaxy A37 specifications and price

Display	6.7-inch Super AMOLED 1080 x 2340 resolution 120Hz refresh rate
Dimensions	162.9 mm x 78.2 mm x 7.4 mm 196 grams
Processor	Samsung Exynos 1480
Storage and memory	128GB storage 6GB memory
Cameras	50MP rear camera: f/1.8 8MP rear ultra-wide camera: f/2.2 5MP rear macro camera: f/2.4 12MP front camera: f/2.2
Battery and charging	5000mAh
Connectivity	USB-C 2.0 Wi-Fi 6 Bluetooth 5.3 Nano SIM eSIM NFC
Network bands	2G, 3G, 4G, 5G (sub-6)
Software	One UI 8.5 (Android 16) Six years of OS and security updates
Durability	IP68 rating
Price (RRP)	$599
Warranty	Two years
Official website	Samsung Australia

Design

Samsung may have cut the bezels down on both of its A-series phones, but they’re still prominent on the Galaxy A37. Particularly along the top and bottom of the screen, the black borders stand out. Keep in mind, though, that my daily device is an iPhone 17 Pro Max, which sits in a much pricier category known for virtually borderless screens.

Image: Chris Button.

Like the Samsung Galaxy A35 I tested a couple of years ago, the Galaxy A37 is a bit slippery to hold. That won’t be an issue once a case goes on, but I found the smooth back lacking a bit of grip in my (admittedly sweaty) hands.

I really dig the ‘Awesome Lilac’ colour, though. It’s bright without being too in your face, and smudges are practically invisible unless you shine a light directly on the phone’s back.

Even though the Galaxy A37 is just under 20 grams heavier than the Galaxy A57, there’s a noticeable difference going from one to another. It’s not too heavy, but you’d be surprised by how 196g feels compared to 179g.

Samsung’s ‘Awesome Lilac’ colour is one of my favourites from the brand in recent years. Image: Chris Button.

With that in mind, the A37 still feels nice in the hand, slight slipperiness aside. The power and volume buttons are within easy reach on the right-hand side, as is the fingerprint sensor on the bottom of the screen.

Its screen is also a winner for the price. AMOLED and variations thereof are pretty much par for the course among mid-range Android phones. And yet, Samsung’s take on the technology is particularly nice in terms of colours and brightness. At 120Hz, it’s nice and smooth, too.

Performance

There are times when the Samsung Galaxy A37 lags a little bit during daily use. Not enough to warrant tearing your hair out, but enough to be noticed. Particularly when first waking up or opening an app, there’s an occasional delay between your input and the phone responding. Once the Galaxy A37 gets its metaphorical gears turning, it’s a reasonably smooth experience.

Much of the slight sluggishness can be explained away by the mid-range Exynos 1480 chipset it uses. There’s also 6GB of physical memory at the phone’s disposal, the same allocation as previous models. However, this year’s phone uses the faster LPDDR5X variant. So, while the memory count is technically the same, it’s actually faster memory.

True as that might be, benchmarking tools show marginal improvements compared to the Galaxy A35 from two years ago. Most of the gains come from GPU performance, but not by a lot.

Phone	CPU single-core	CPU multi-core	GPU
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max	3,768	9,443	45,451
Apple iPhone 17	3,520	9,057	37,161
Oppo Find X9 Pro	3,165	9,418	20,447
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra	2,360	8,911	14,671
Apple iPhone 16e	2,679	6,144	23,732
Google Pixel 10 Pro	2,317	6,455	3,233
Oppo Reno 15 Pro	1,555	6,330	11,828
Motorola Edge 60 Pro	1,432	4,695	9,107
Google Pixel 10a	1,730	4,501	8,795
Samsung Galaxy A57	1,389	4,435	6,674
Samsung Galaxy A56	1,364	3,898	6,539
Samsung Galaxy A37	1,148	3,445	4,046
Samsung Galaxy A55	1,153	3,428	3,086
Motorola Edge 60 Fusion	1,050	3,014	2,581
Samsung Galaxy A35	1,011	2,897	3,001

Geekbench 6 results.

It’s a similar story when putting the Galaxy A37 through its gaming paces. Using 3DMark’s suite of benchmarking tools, it didn’t light up the charts. Samsung’s mid-ranger can play games, that’s not a problem. However, it’s clear that spending $150 more on the Galaxy A57 gets nearly double the performance.

Phone	Wild Life score	Wild Life Extreme score
Samsung Galaxy S25 FE	N/A	4,399
Apple iPhone 17e	N/A	3,865
Motorola Edge 60 Pro	N/A	3,066
Samsung Galaxy A57	6,180	1,781
Samsung Galaxy A37	3,904	1,055
Motorola Razr 60	3,597	1,008

3DMark benchmark results

Samsung Galaxy A37 battery life

A benefit of the Samsung Galaxy A37 not being a world-beating powerhouse is that it’s efficient. Because it doesn’t work as hard to begin with, the phone doesn’t drain its battery as quickly.

Case in point, the 20-minute Wild Life stress test in 3DMark drained only five per cent of the Galaxy A37’s battery compared to seven per cent of the Galaxy A57’s battery. Samsung’s cheaper phone also didn’t get as hot during the test, providing more stable performance over time.

It depends on what you use your phone for, of course, but the Galaxy A37 comfortably lasts a couple of days of general use on a full charge. Samsung claims that the Galaxy A57 lasts a bit longer, but that’s based on video playback, and not pushing the phone to its limit, like when gaming.

Camera

Ahead of the phone’s launch, Samsung shared that it had worked to reduce the amount of time between taking photos on the Galaxy A37. Not that I tried to capture high-speed movement that necessitated burst photography, but I didn’t notice any delays when taking a few snaps in quick succession. By that measure, I’m inclined to believe Samsung did a good job.

On the back of the phone, you’ll see a standard three-camera array, consisting of a 50MP main wide sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide lens, and a 5MP macro camera. A 12MP selfie camera rounds out the package, one that’s consistent with what you get from most $600 phones.

There’s a bit of colour difference between the ultra-wide and the main camera. By comparison, the ultra-wide shot of a footy stadium at night looks desaturated. Part of that is because the camera is trying to account for more points of exposure, like the shades at the top of the photo. Otherwise, the colours look appropriately vibrant on the Galaxy A37.

Photo taken with the main camera (left) compared to the ultra-wide camera (right). Images: Chris Button.

Like the Galaxy A57, there’s no telephoto lens to speak of. Although not devastating, given the price point, it means that digital zoom is your only option for getting a closer look. As for how that goes, I’ll let you take a squiz at the following image.

Image: Chris Button.

Elsewhere, the Galaxy A37’s cameras are serviceable, taking nice photos of everyday objects, and selfies look reasonably sharp. You can even get to within about 3cm of subjects by using the macro camera; it’s not as vibrant or sharp as the main camera, but it picked up particles on my Lego flower set that I couldn’t see from a cursory glance.

Images: Chris Button.

Who is the Samsung Galaxy A37 for?

You can’t ask for much more from a $600 phone. While the Samsung Galaxy A37 isn’t the most exciting device, it doesn’t throw any nasty surprises at you.

To use a sports analogy: the Galaxy A37 is a role player. Reliable and trustworthy, it specialises in getting the fundamentals right, rather than putting its name in lights. It has a great display, a good battery life, and Samsung’s promise of six years’ worth of operating system and security updates.

For $50 more than last year’s model, the improvements may not be drastic, yet they’re subtly beneficial for day-to-day use. Like all role players, the Samsung Galaxy A37 has its place on any team in need of an unassuming but hardworking contributor.

Samsung Galaxy A37

Reliable and trustworthy, the Samsung Galaxy A37 is a slightly improved version of the brand's hardworking mid-range phone.

Features

8

Value for money

8

Performance

7.5

Ease of use

8

Design

7

Positives

Excellent screen quality

Good battery life

Six years of operating system and security updates

Negatives

$50 more expensive

Marginal performance improvements in recent years

7.7

Buy on Amazon

Buy on Samsung.com.au

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I tested Westinghouse’s affordable stick vacuum: How did it go?

It was not that long ago that Dyson had an 80 per cent market share in the vacuum market, and they had pallets of stick vacs waiting for you in a local appliance retailer, but all that has changed. Indeed, for a brand that never used to discount much, I have recently seen Dyson stick vacs for 50 per cent off. Why has this all changed?

Very simple: new competition and stick vacs are available at much lower prices. One example is the Westinghouse 350W Cordless Stick Vacuum (WHVCSV05SB) that I recently tested.

Image: Angus Jones.

What does the Westinghouse stick vacuum include?

Westinghouse has only one stick vac model, so for simplicity, I will refer to it as the Westinghouse stick vac. At $350, this model is on the lower end of available stick vacs, and its accessories include a wall-mounting bracket, a crevice tool, and a brush. The charger plug can be mounted on the wall bracket, so it charges when stored, or it can be kept separate to charge the battery, either whilst attached to the vacuum or detached. This is handy if there is no power outlet handy to the storage location. You do have to remember to charge it, though.

Image: Westinghouse.

Speaking of charging, the Westinghouse has a large LED display that shows the remaining battery power as a fuel gauge and as a percentage. This same display also indicates the vacuum power (three levels) and whether the bust bin is full. The clear bust bin, however, gives a good indication of its remaining capacity.

To empty the dustbin, remove the vacuum tube, then press the bin release button; the waste falls out. There are no apparent restrictions in the bin, and so far, in my testing, the waste has always fallen out on its own. (We have a cat that sheds hair all the time, which has caused issues with other stick vacs).

How well does it vacuum?

As far as suction power, the lowest setting has worked perfectly on our hard floors. My wife and I tend to use this vacuum as an in-between vacuum, which you would have once used a broom for. I do believe this product would be perfect as the only vacuum for a unit.

A trigger starts the vacuum and must be pulled again to turn it off. A clever feature is that the vacuum has a delay of a few seconds, which ensures any dust in the head and tube makes its way into the waste bin rather than falling back down again after the vacuum is turned off. The vacuum power is adjusted by pressing the right-hand side of the display between three levels. A fourth push activates an auto-suction function.

Westinghouse quotes a battery life of up to 55 minutes on low power and 15 minutes on high power, which has so far been true in our testing. Beyond the quick cleanup, the vacuum is also great for cars and other little jobs around the house, without having to worry about a power cord.

Image: Westinghouse.

Every stick vacuum you use feels slightly different to use. After you adjust the telescopic wand to your height, you will find the cleaning head runs on wheels and is very agile as the swivel head turns very easily in the direction you wish to clean. To aid with cleaning, three LED lights shine out from the front and highlight hair and bits of grit in the vacuum’s path, which I have not decided is a gimmick or not, as you were going to vacuum that way at any rate.

As you vacuum and the battery runs down, you notice a distinct reduction in motor speed, which is related to the battery voltage dropping. If you feel the suction is not enough, you can simply increase the suction power or recharge the battery.

Other than emptying the dustbin, maintenance is required. A HEPA filter, which captures fine dust, must be periodically taped to remove dust, then washed in cold water and dried before being reinstalled. Also, any long hair or thread wrapped around the vacuum head needs to be removed. A tool with a blade is provided to help with this task.

The Westinghouse WHVCSV05SB Cordless Stick Vacuum is available for $350 from Betta stores and online through Big W and JB Hi-Fi.

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Assassin’s Creed Black Flag remake to get official reveal this week

After much speculation, Ubisoft has confirmed that it will officially announce Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, a remake of the series’ fourth main entry, this week. An announcement of an impending announcement may seem odd, but that’s just the way tech and games roll.

Scheduled for 24 April at 2:00 AM AEST, a showcase dedicated to the game will air online, where the game will be “officially unveiled”. Ubisoft has been conspicuously cryptic about its plans, previously addressing rumours about the remake in March, all but acknowledging the remake’s existence.

According to Ubisoft, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, a 2013 PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 game, “reached over 34 million players”. The nautical-themed game is commonly regarded by fans as one of the best in the long-running series, hence the excitement around a remake. We’ll soon see exactly what Ubisoft has in store for its follow-up to the Japan-set Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

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Sonos Play review: A great speaker in a small package

7.8

Sonos has always managed to make great products for multi-room audio (though, not necessarily always great apps). But the problem with making seemingly indestructible speakers is that the lack of planned obsolescence means that eventually, people will have enough speakers to fill their home. That is, presumably, why Sonos has spent the last few years making speakers (and headphones) for users to take out of their homes.

The Sonos Move 2 is a great speaker, but one you wouldn’t want to carry too far. The Sonos Roam is a good little speaker, super portable, but not really enough to fill a garden party; it’s more for those people you hate at the beach.

The Sonos Play is here to be the Goldilocks of the Sonos portables. It’s not too big to carry around, but not so small that it lacks the details. But, is it any good?

Table of contents

• First impressions
• Specifications and price
• Wi-Fi performance
• Bluetooth performance
• Portability
• Who is the Sonos Play for?

First impressions

I was surprised by how compact the Sonos Play is. For some reason, I pictured something a bit larger. It looks like someone artfully cut a Sonos Play One in half.

Taking it out of the box was a pleasant experience, and it was easy to set up through the Sonos app. However, what surprised me is that there is no wall plug in the box. I can understand the justification for phones not coming with a wall plug — most people are upgrading from an old phone and already have a charger. Headphones, I can even almost forgive because they don’t have to be plugged in all the time.

Remember to BYO wall plug when charging. Image: Alice Clarke.

However, a speaker that’s likely going to be plugged in most of the time, so people can listen to music indoors? That needs to come with a wall plug. Not including one in the box is a cheap cop out. Especially since the Play doesn’t seem to easily charge on any old wall plug — my review unit has had issues with two of my plugs so far, because most older plugs cap out at 15W. This, frankly, isn’t good enough on a $500 speaker.

Sonos Play specifications and price

Price	$499
Warranty	One year in addition to your Australian Consumer Law rights
Official website	Sonos Australia
Battery	24 hours battery life Battery is user-replaceable
Waterproof rating	IP67
Wall plug minimum requirement	18W
Amplifiers	Three Class-H digital amplifiers
Speaker drivers	Two tweeters, one mid-woofer
Dimensions	Height: 192.3 mm Width: 112.5 mm Depth: 76.7 mm
Weight	1.3kg
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 6 USB-C (works with line-in adapter) Apple AirPlay 2 Bluetooth 5.3

All those specs look great. But I really want to highlight that the built-in battery is user-replaceable. It’s not one designed to be switched out all the time, but when the lithium battery inevitably stops being able to hold a charge, you can just get it out with a screwdriver and chuck in a new battery in around five minutes, judging by the manual.

Sustainability is all about not just making new landfill, and I’m so pleased to see a brand that doesn’t want users to just chuck their product in the bin when it starts to slow down. It’s sad that a $500 device being easily repairable is something to be praised for, rather than the norm, but that’s just where we are at the moment.

Wi-Fi performance

I’m really impressed with how the Sonos Play sounds. It’s such a small speaker, and yet it puts out such big, detailed sound.

They’re pretty versatile, too. In Wi-Fi mode, a single Play can be used on its own, it can have a line-in connected to connect a CD or record player, you can use two as a stereo pair, or you can use them as rear speakers in a home theatre system. You can also then put them in Bluetooth mode and take them outside, but I’ll cover that in the next section.

Going to my testing playlist, it’s obvious that this is a small speaker. The bass isn’t as rich as I’d usually like in a $500 speaker. However, it sounds much fuller than I’d expect for a speaker this size. On “Simmer” by Hayley Williams, I’m getting enough of the emotional punch, even if I do have to turn it up really loud to get proper detail on the snare ghost notes.

Image: Alice Clarke.

The song from my testing playlist that sounds best is, surprisingly, “Georgiana” by Dario Marianelli. It’s a piano song that’s bright and joyous, and the emotion and subtleties come through beautifully.

“Maybe You Saved Me” by Bad Suns & Pvris is a song full of layers, and each of them shines here much more than I’d ever dare hope from a speaker this small. I can only assume Sonos has made some kind of bargain with a deity to make it work this well, and frankly, I think it was worth it.

That said, it is easy to hear the difference between the Sonos Era 100 and the Play. This soundstage is much smaller, there’s less bass, and the hi-hats sound tinny by comparison in “Paralysed” by Conquer Divide, for example. If I wanted a speaker that would only stay in one place, I would save the almost $200 and just buy the Era 100. It’s similar with the Move 2, and were I only taking it outside very occasionally, or not very far, and I had the cash to spend, I would get the Move 2, to enjoy the punchier bass.

But for what it is and the purpose it’s designed for, I think the Play makes surprisingly few audio concessions to find the right balance.

Bluetooth performance

As expected, the audio quality takes a bit of a dip when taken out of Wi-Fi and onto Bluetooth, because it’s getting a lower bitrate version of the song. It’s actually a great example of why audiophiles go on and on about CD quality and why wired and Wi-Fi are always better.

The first thing I notice is that some of the layers of “Maybe You Saved Me” evaporate. Yet still the speaker has so much more oomph (and better tuning) than the UE Boom and Beats Pill.

Again, it’s a small step down from the Move 2, and an absolutely massive leap up from the Sonos Roam.

Being able to group it with multiple Play and Move speakers on Bluetooth means that chores in the garden, beach parties, and backyard barbecues don’t just have to have one spot that’s way too loud and diminishing returns on the music throughout the rest of the space. They can be placed more evenly for better sound and happier guests. Testing it with a couple of Plays, I am extremely impressed with how easy it was to set up and enjoy.

The Auto TruePlay meant that no matter where I moved the speaker to, within a few minutes, the speaker was automatically tuned to make the best of the environment. TruePlay is Sonos’ technology where you set up your speakers and then walk around the space with an iPhone to calibrate how the echoes and surfaces affect the sound so the speaker can adjust for it. Auto TruePlay, which uses the built-in microphones to automatically calibrate periodically, isn’t as precise, but it is still extremely effective and doesn’t require you to actually do anything. And I love not doing anything.

Portability

The Sonos Play really does strike the perfect balance between good audio and being small enough to carry around without really having to think about it. The Sonos Roam is so easy to chuck in a bag and take anywhere, but it requires a lot of concessions for the audio. The Move 2 sounds better, but it is big and heavy and represents a commitment if you have to carry it often or a long way.

Play, however, is just 1.3kg. It’s a bit too heavy to carry around every day or on a multi-day hike, but not so heavy that you wouldn’t want to take it camping. It’s also not going to take up the whole cavity of a backpack; it’s compact enough that I would feel comfortable taking it in my carry-on on a plane to use in a hotel.

This speaker balances size and portability well enough to suit different uses. Image: Alice Clarke.

The way the dock is designed, it makes it even easier to just pick up the speaker as you leave the house, and then put it back down to charge and be used as part of the general home Sonos system as soon as you get back. Wireless charging is hardly new, but it really makes sense for this product, and I’m surprised not to see more portable speakers taking advantage of the technology.

Who is the Sonos Play for?

This is the perfect speaker for people who want to kill two birds with one stone: It’s great for listening at home, and then so easy to take out and about. It is a speaker for a specific need, though. If you want a pure Bluetooth speaker for using outside the home, there are cheaper speakers with comparable sound quality. If you want a speaker purely for home use, the Sonos Era 100 is a better call.

But for those who want a speaker that often seamlessly transitions from inside to outside, with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, that is actually portable, then I strongly recommend the Sonos Play. If you don’t have a Sonos system yet, this is still a great choice and a perfect way to start one.

Sonos Play

The Sonos Play is an excellent portable and home speaker in the Goldilocks zone of being large enough to sound good, and small enough to actually be portable.

Features

9

Value for money

8

Performance

7

Ease of use

7

Design

8

Positives

Very portable

User-replaceable battery

Sounds good

Solid battery life

Negatives

A bit expensive

The Sonos app is still clunky and doesn’t work as well as it should

Doesn’t come with a wall plug in the box

7.8

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Ecovacs Deebot X8 Max Pro Omni Australian review: Compact clean

8.6

Buy on Amazon

Do you believe a robot vacuum will do a good job cleaning your house? I have to admit that for many, buying a $2,000-plus vacuum is a big leap of faith. Will it do a good job? Will it save me time?

Robot vacuums are among the hottest-selling items in electronics retailers today. Ecovacs is one of the major brands in Australia and has just launched a new model, the Deebot X8 Max Pro Omni. It’s an update to the X8 Pro Omni (minus the ‘Max’) that launched 12 months ago. I review the X8 Max Pro Omni to see how it compares.

Table of contents

• Features
• Specifications and price
• Using the X8 Max Pro Omni
• Who is the X8 Max Pro Omni for?

ECOVACS DEEBOT X8 MAX PRO Omni Robot Vacuum and Mop, 16,600Pa Suction, OZMO Roller Self-Washing Mop, ZeroTangle 3.0, Triple Lift System, AI Navigation, Hands-Free Station

Buy on Amazon

Ecovacs Deebot X8 Max Pro Omni features

The Ecovacs Deebot X8 Max Pro Omni is a wireless robot vacuum that both vacuums and mops your floors whilst avoiding obstacles.

The X8 Max comes with the vacuum, its base station and a power cord. A disposable dust bag is already installed, but you will need to purchase some Deebot cleaning fluid ($37.50 for one litre) separately to get started. Whilst shopping, a three-pack of Antibacterial disposable dust bags will also come in handy ($29.90).

A self-servicing robot vacuum like the X8 Max is not a discreet appliance. You will notice it, and its placement should be considered for both access and aesthetics. We note that this model has a smaller, more attractive base station.

Base station size comparison: the X8 Pro Omni is on the left, and the new X8 Max is on the right. Image: Angus Jones.

Navigation in your home is a key skill a robot vacuum must have, both to ensure the available floor surface is cleaned and to avoid obstacles. The X8 Max uses Ecovacs AIVI 3D 3.0 intelligent navigation, which uses lasers to map your home. The net result is that the vacuum’s path is not random; rather, it follows carefully planned straight lines, ensuring all areas are covered, and it also adapts to changes, such as the couch being moved a few centimetres or a temporary obstacle like a toy or pet.

Being less than 10cm high means the X8 can travel under furniture and cleaning areas that you may rarely reach with a conventional vacuum.

To clean a hard floor, you need suction of between 4,000 and 8,000Pa (Pa refers to ‘Pascals’, a measure of suction strength), whilst carpet needs at least 10,000Pa. The Max can suck up to 16,600Pa. To aid with carpets, a brush also rotates, essentially beating the carpet to help remove dust. Brushes are prone to hair or thread getting wrapped around them, a problem Ecovacs addresses with its third-generation anti-tangle system.

The Max has a roller mop which is lifted internally whilst vacuuming a carpet to ensure the carpet does not get wet. When a hard floor is reached, the mop spins at 220 RPM to scrub any spills and dirt from the floor. Clean water mixed with detergent is continuously used to spray the mop, and dirty water is removed from the mop to prevent streaking and to avoid moving grime from one place to another.

The Ecovacs robot is round and designed to clean up against walls and into corners. A clever brush with its own sensors sweeps dirt and dust into the vacuum’s path, while the mop can slide aside to ensure edge-to-edge cleaning.

Underside of the X8 Max showing the main and side brushes as well as the roller mop. Image: Ecovacs.

Periodically, the vacuum returns to the base station, where the robot’s dust bin is sucked clean into a disposable dust bag, and the dirty water is replaced with clean water before the robot returns to the unfinished floor areas. Once the cleaning is finished, the dock then washes the mop with hot water before drying it with hot air to ensure all dirt and bacteria are removed.

If you have a house with stairs, the vacuum cannot climb them. You can set up different map zones and carry the vacuum, but you will have to return it midway through its task to empty its waste bin, change its water, and possibly recharge it. In a larger house, you may consider using two robot vacuums.

Ecovacs has a built-in voice assistant, YIKO, which you can give specific voice commands like clean the kitchen. Alternatively, it can be integrated with Alexa or Google Home assistants.

Ecovacs Deebot X8 Max Pro Omni specifications and price

Suction power	16,600Pa
Features	Vacuum and Roller Mop
Navigation	Laser
Dimensions	Robot: 35 x 46 x 10 cm Base station: 34 x 46 x 50 cm
Price (RRP)	Ecovacs lists the RRP as $2,599, but sells the device for $1,599
Website	Ecovacs Australia
Warranty	30 months

Using the X8 Max Pro Omni

To get started with the X8 Max, you will need to fill the clean water tank and detergent dispenser. Once you have logged into the app and paired your vacuum, a simple press of a button starts the vacuum’s mapping of your house or at least the sections it can reach. Once this is done, you can name rooms and even add furniture to the map, though it’s not required. A second button push once this is done will start the cleaning function.

Although not by default, the vacuum can learn from past experience, helping it avoid getting stuck. My test unit has yet to get stuck, but a previous model did learn from getting stuck. The app can also start the robot and schedule times for it to start automatically.

Box contents. Image: Angus Jones.

I am using the X8 Max to clean the laundry, kitchen, family room, hallway, and powder room. This covers 60 square metres, which is either timber-floored or tiled. The vacuum and mop take around one hour.

I estimate that cleaning to the same standard manually took me around 45 minutes to vacuum and mop before. Now, when I say the same standard, I have to admit the robot does a better job, not missing small sections and using clean water rather than water from a bucket. The big test, which I expected the Ecovacs to fail, was to vacuum our medium-length, thick carpet, which, even after many years, still fills our conventional vacuum with wool fibres. I expected the Ecovacs small onboard dustbin to be an issue, but other than extra trips back to the docking station to empty it, it performed flawlessly. Ecovacs quotes the dustbag as lasting 90 days, but I expect that with a pet or longer carpet, this will be shorter.

The robot works well in its default settings, but, as you would expect, there are many customisations available, such as child lock, do not disturb (so it will not run whilst you sleep), room sequence, sensitivity to objects, cleaning intensity, etc. All of this is controlled from the app, which also logs activity and alerts you to issues, including scheduled maintenance. The vacuum has replaceable parts with a scheduled lifespan, and you will receive a notification when they need to be replaced. The app also provides visual guides to fixing an issue or replacing a part.

There are lots of little clever items on this vacuum that continue to impress me. For example, when you remove the base station dust bag, it automatically closes the hole so no dirt or dust can escape.

I must admit I have had older robot vacuums that did not work that well. The Ecovacs X8 Max Pro is a whole different level. I don’t think I will ever go back to manually vacuuming, and with a larger house, I have cut my cleaning time from more than two hours to less than half an hour. That’s a saving of almost 80 hours a year. At the median Australian pay rate of $42.90 per hour, that’s around $3,432, which more than covers the initial outlay.

Who is the X8 Max Pro Omni for?

Even if you think you are a precise vacuumer and do a thorough job, not only does the Ecovacs X8 Max Pro Omni systematically cover every section of the floor, but it is also small enough to fit under lounges, so areas get cleaned that you would otherwise have to move furniture to clean.

If you always want clean floors, this product will pay for itself in six months and give you back ‘me time’. Now if only they had a robot to dust and clean the toilet.

It’s worth noting that Ecovacs lists the model’s RRP as $2,599. At the time of writing, it is being sold for $1,599.

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Ecovacs Deebot X8 Max Pro Omni

The Ecovacs Deebot X8 Max Pro Omni is a nice upgrade that slims down on size, while keeping all the cleaning features of the original X8.

Features

8

Value for money

9

Performance

8.5

Ease of use

9

Design

8.5

Positives

Automated self sufficient cleaning

Easy setup

Works well on thick carpet

Negatives

Does not come with any detergent, so is not ready to go out of the box

8.6

Buy on Amazon

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