Ecovacs Deebot N79S vs. N79: Which should you buy?

You may not have heard much about Ecovacs, but it's a Chinese company that makes fantastic cleaning robots for your home. The N79 is its most popular model yet and offers to keep your floors clean for a very reasonable price. The N79S is the new and improved version that offers even more stuff for the same low price as the original.

A solid upgrade

When it comes to robotic vacuum cleaners, iRobot has been a household name in America for several years now. Its Roomba line of robots has become synonymous with robovacs as a whole for most people. When Ecovacs launched the N79 a few years ago, its goal was to offer mostly the same product as the Roomba, but for a much cheaper price and with even more features. We think it nailed it.

What made the N79 so popular was the bevvy of great features it offered but at a much lower price than the competition, and that still holds true today. It includes a three-stage cleaning system with the two side brushes that pull the dirt and dust in towards the large brush in the back, which then sweeps everything up into the bin. Instead of being guided or directed by human hands like some ancient technology, the Deebot scoots its way across the floor in a seemingly randomized pattern that still enables it to cover the entire floor. Thanks to the obstacle sensors built into the front bumper, furniture, and other large objects on the floor become a non-issue.

The N79 also rocks out at a solid 100 minutes of battery life, which is more than ample time to clean most homes. Ecovacs also developed a robust smartphone app that offers even greater control and features for the Deebot, like the ability to schedule cleanings and switch between one of the four cleaning modes: Auto for the whole house, Spot for those really stubborn dirt spots that need some extra love, Edge mode for cleaning around the edges of the house, and Single Room for when you just need to touch up that one particular room. The anti-drop protection is also great to keep it from falling down stairs.

The N79S improves on all of that. For starters, you get about an extra 20 minutes of battery life per charge so you can clean even longer than before. Ecovacs also brought in Max Mode Cleaning to the N79S, which essentially allows you to double the suction power through either the app or the remote control if you need some extra deep cleaning. To top it all off, the newer model adds in the ability to work with Google Assistant and Alexa, so you can tell your phone or your Echo to tell the vacuum to clean your house. That's just awesome.

My favorite thing about the whole setup is that Ecovacs kept the price of the N79S the same price as the previous generation. Unlike other companies who hike up their prices for upgraded products every year, the new and improved Deebot won't break the bank. You might be able to find a deal on the older model, but for the most part, there's no reason to go there. Out with the old, in with the new in this case.