Welcome to the age of the cyclonic robot vacuum station
At IFA last week Ecovacs showed off its latest flagship vacuum, the X11 OmniCyclone, with a cyclonic, bag-free dustbin. But it wasn't alone.
IFA 2025 was an event of trends. Both Dreame and Eufy launched robots for robot vacuums that allowed them to climb stairs. Samsung and Hisense unveiled TVs using micro RGB backlighting, and Ecovacs and Dyson showed off new robot vacuums with bag-free cyclonic dustbins in the dock.
Now, this isn't a new technology. Ecovacs first launched a cyclonic dustbin back with its N20 Pro Plus last year. When I asked Ecovacs staff at the launch event why it launched a bagless dock in its most affordable range, the response was that it was a value proposition.
I was told the customers who would buy the most affordable model on the market typically didn't want to buy disposable bags for their vacuums either.
But it appears the bagless revolution has made its way to the premium segment too. The Ecovacs Deebot X11 OmniCyclone is the company's latest flagship vacuum, building on the X8 Pro model with the OZMO roller mopping technology, while adding new premium features like the ability to boost the battery enough when washing the mop that it will almost never run out of charge.
Ecovacs says that the OmniCyclone station will save customers up to 25 dust bags over the space of five years thanks to its 1.6 L capacity. Given a three-pack of dust bags for the X8 Omni costs $29, that's a potential saving of around $250, or about $50 a year.
Also unveiled at IFA was the Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai robot vacuum. It's the company's first robot vacuum that offers both vacuuming and mopping in a single unit. It's a beast of a unit, looking significantly larger than most of the robot models I've reviewed, with a large dock that's also wider than most other docks on the market.
The Spot+Scrub's base also includes a cyclonic dust bin that does away with the need for bags. It's a two litre dustbin, and easily lifts off and opens for disposal into your garbage.
It makes perfect sense that Dyson's dock would use a cyclonic dustbin, given Dyson pioneered the technology. It's even a key focal point on the unit, with its vibrant red and purple colours standing apart from the sleek black of the vacuum itself.
Is this the future of robot vacuum docks?
There has been a real trend across the entire vacuum market – not just robot vacuums, but also stick vacuums as well – to offer a base station that sucks out the dirt into a bag or storage compartment so you don't have to empty it as often.
When I first experienced it with Samsung's Bespoke Jet Elite Extra, I found it almost over-designed, but it has quickly become the norm. Right now, three out of the four stick vacuums I have set up at home use a dock to empty out the contents for less frequent removal.
But two of those use bags. And bags – while convenient for capturing dust so you don't need to touch it – also have an ongoing cost that's impossible to ignore.
I think the fact both Ecovacs and Dyson announced cyclonic dust bins in their flagship vacuums is an indication of what to expect from the robot vacuum market in the coming year.
And that's a good thing. Robot vacuums aren't cheap, and the ongoing cost of bags is not insignificant.
However, if I'm right, I'd love to see some further innovation in the space. Particularly when it comes to emptying the collected dust. I found in my N20 Pro Plus review that often the dust would get stuck and needed me to reach in to pull out the hair and debris with my fingers.
Maybe we'll see something like the compression lever of Dyson's V16 Piston Animal, so emptying the dustbin is also a contactless experience?
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Nick Broughall
Nick Broughall
Nick Broughall
