Although it’s possible to spend $700 or more on a robotic vacuum cleaner (hello Roomba 980!), the facts on the ground are that most homeowners aren’t going to open their wallets that much unless the vacuum also does the dishes and makes dinner. Until that day comes, the majority of vacuums sold are going to stay in the $300 and under range. We’ve been on a tear reviewing robotic vacuums lately, and we’re happy to report that there are a number of affordable machines out there that do a good job cleaning, including the Roomba 690, 652, and 650, as well as the Shark Robot 750 and 720.

We recently reviewed the Ecovacs Deebot N79 and found it to be an impressive piece of technology for the money. Today we’re going to review and compare the slightly simpler (and cheaper) version of the Deebot, the ECOVACS Deebot N78 Robot Vacuum Cleaner. If you’re ready to buy it, here’s our ten second summary: the N78 is basically the N79 with a smaller brain, trouble with carpets, and without Wi-Fi or smart phone compatibility. Our full review is below, and you can buy it here.

Pros, Cons, and Key Features of the Ecovacs Deebot N78 Robotic Vacuum

The Deebot N78 is marketed as a cheaper version of the N79 and as a budget-friendly robot for the masses. Its key stats include programmability and scheduling and 110 minutes of potential battery life (we’ll go into the accuracy of that later). Battery charge time is 4-5 hours for the Ni-MH (not Li-on) battery to reach full capacity. The dust bin capacity is 500 mL and the vacuum includes an auto-return-home feature. It weighs 9.7 pounds and has a cleaning radius of 14 inches. ECOVACS specifically notes the N78 is designed for hard and bare floors, although it’s capable of coping with carpets and rugs. As you’ll see below, we agree with their assessment and thank them for their honesty.

To save money, the N78 cannot be controlled by a smart phone or tablet through a Wi-Fi network; you can program it either directly from the vacuum itself or via an included remote. Inside the box, you get the robot itself, a charging dock, a remote, 4 side brushes, and one additional filter. You also get the manual and operating guide and the standard too-short one year warranty shared by nearly all robotic vacuums currently on the market. Yes, that’s a pet peeve of ours, even with the cheap robot cleaners.

What’s the difference between the Deebot N78 and N79?

As we noted in our ten second summary, there are a few big advantages the N79 has over the N78. For one, the N79 is significantly smarter. We didn’t notice a difference until we set both machines loose in the same room. While the N79 whizzed around in a semi-logical pattern cleaning this and that, the N78 seemed to take a more random approach to things and would make “wrong turns” when trying to navigate around various obstacles. The sensors also weren’t as sensitive as those on the N79; the N78 was particularly attracted to dog bowls and had a habit of hitting them at full speed and splashing water everywhere. The N79, again, was much more discreet and, let’s say, aware of its surroundings.

Beyond the bigger brain in the N79, it also did a much better job on carpeting and rugs. The N78, as ECOVACS will remind you, is not designed for rugs and carpets. They are correct; while it could clean them, it took a lot more battery life to do so. ECOVACS stated the battery life would drop from 110 minutes to 50 minutes on carpet, and we found that estimate generous; it felt more like 40 minutes for carpeting compared to at least 100 minutes on bare flooring. If you’ve got carpets, you’ll want to get the N79 instead, hands down.

Finally, there’s the issue of Wi-Fi and smart phone compatibility. To put it simply, the N79 has it and the N78 doesn’t. If you aren’t interested in these features, it’s no loss. If you are, get the N79 because there’s no way to add them to the N78 after the fact.

How well does the Deebot N78 clean carpets and hardwood floors?

When it came to cleaning hardwood floors, we found the N78 did as good of a job as any other robot vacuum in the sub-$300 space. While it didn’t move as efficiently as a number of vacuums we’ve seen in this price range (e.g., the Shark 750 or Roomba 690), its generous battery life on hardwood, tile, laminate, and concrete flooring gave it enough room to get jobs done and return home, even if it took a bit longer than needed.

It was a different story with carpets. As noted above, the N78, while capable of cleaning them, didn’t like them at all, and showed that distaste through a dramatic drop in battery runtime. That said, if you really want to clean rugs and carpets–low-pile, of course–with the N78, you’ll be able to do so as long as you’re willing to trade battery life for convenience.

Emptying the dust bin after cleaning sessions was easy and scheduling sessions with the remote was trivial. It also did a good job cleaning up cat and dog hair as long as it was on bare flooring; we ran into pickup and suction issues when sending it to clean fur and dander on rugs and carpeting.

We did note it seemed to have more trouble on particular bumps and edgings than some other vacuums in its price range; we think the rather small wheels might be a factor here, as this is also likely what leads to the N78 struggling so much with carpets. The wheels are noticeably larger on the N79, showing that ECOVACS clearly took feedback from the N78 seriously when designing its successor.

Why buy the Deebot N78?

In conclusion, there are two main reasons to buy the N78 over, say, the N79. The first is that you bought it before knowing the N79 existed; the second is because you don’t want or need smart phone functionality. The first reason no longer applies after having read this review, and we’d encourage you not to choose the N78 over the N79 just because of the second given the various advantages of the N79. Frankly, the N79 is the better vacuum of the two; it seems like a more fleshed out product with fewer bugs.

While the N78 isn’t a dumb robot by any means, it made navigation errors and got stuck in areas that the N79 didn’t, suggesting ECOVACS learned from the N78 when building the N79. The N79 also has a better battery life under real life conditions and ultimately seems like the more durable machine. And of course, the N79 does a better job on carpeted surfaces than the N78. That said, if you’re going to get the N78, it’s still going to do a good job cleaning as long as you’re primarily buying it for bare floors. But unless you have your heart set on the N78, we’d encourage you to just get the N79 instead.

You can buy the Deebot N78 here on Amazon or spend a bit more and buy the Deebot N79 here instead. 

Canadians can buy the Deebot N78 here or buy the Deebot N79 here instead.

If you find our research on PMC helpful, you can follow our efforts to keep maniacally reviewing home cleaning tools by shopping through our links above. We promise to keep fighting the good fight against every horror children, animals, and grown, yet messy humans can inflict upon a clean home.