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Ecovacs X5 Pro Omni: two-minute review

Not all robot vacuums live up to the promise of effortless cleaning – but the Ecovacs Deebot X5 Pro Omni gets pretty close.

As a premium all-in-one device that vacuums, mops and even cleans itself, the X5 Pro Omni is designed to keep your home clean day to day without any help. Unlike standalone robot vacuums that need more frequent attention, the X5 Pro Omni's base station handles (almost) everything – from emptying the dustbin to scrubbing and drying the mop pads. You will have to, of course, refill the clean water as necessary and clean out the dirty-water tank.

For this review, I tested the X5 Pro Omni in a 3-bedroom home for an extended period of six months, and it did a great job overall, despite dealing with two messy adults and an even messier Great Dane.

Setting up the X5 Pro Omni is quick and easy, and mapping is fast and pretty accurate, though I had to make minor room division adjustments after the first scan. The robovac navigates well around larger objects, but does sometimes suck up objects like cables or shoelaces, or other small items the sensors miss, meaning it’s best used in spaces that are relatively clear.

Performance is excellent across all floor types, including hard floors, carpets, and rugs. Higher suction modes work best to get dirt out of carpets or pick up heavier debris, while standard mode is fine for everyday cleaning on hard floors. Battery life is impressive and the bot has no trouble doing a full clean without needing to return to the dock and charge.

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The X5 Pro Omni base station is one of its biggest strengths, and unlike competitors like the Dreame X40 Ultra, it reliably clears the robot’s dustbin completely, even with pet hair and heavier debris.

The mop washing system is equally effective, using 70°C hot water and scrubbing to keep the pads fresh, followed by hot-air drying to prevent odors. I also found that the 4L clean- and dirty-water tanks were large enough to only need emptying and refilling once a month.

The Ecovacs app offers fairly deep customization, and tracks details like where the robot has traveled, the amount of area cleaned and the total number of sessions, but doesn’t log obstacles detected like the Roborock app is capable of doing.

Unfortunately the app can be clunky to use at times, like having to navigate into advanced robot settings just to set a scheduled clean or different cleaning modes being triggered than what is selected.

The app prompts you to handle any long-term maintenance issues, replacement parts are easy to find, and consumables last more than a reasonable length of time. In my use, the dust bag typically lasted around 60 days (in my case, mostly being filled with dog fur) and the robovac filter needed cleaning at the same time.

The main brush, side brush and mop pads show the expected wear, and have plenty of life left in them after six months of constant use. Replacement-part costs are in line with other premium robot vacuums, but I found significant price variation across different markets.

While not perfect, the X5 Pro Omni is an excellent choice for those who want a robovac that takes care of itself, with great vacuuming and mopping performance, infrequent maintenance, and a powerful auto-emptying base station.

However, if your home has lots of cables or small clutter, or if you want a robovac with smarter object detection or a nicer app, you might need to look elsewhere.

(Image credit: Future) Ecovacs X5 Pro Omni review: Price and availability

• How much does it cost? Starting from $1,299 / £1,399 / AU$2,399
• When is it available? Available to buy now
• Where can you get it? You can get it in the US, UK, and Australia

Launched in late 2024, the Ecovacs Deebot X5 Pro Omni is available in most major markets, including the US, UK, and Australia. You can purchase it directly from the official Ecovacs website, Amazon and leading retailers.

At full price, the X5 Pro Omni costs $1,299 / £1,399 / AU$2,399. However, Ecovacs frequently offers discounts of around 20%, bringing the price down to a much more appealing amount. And, if you happen to shop on Amazon, you could potentially find even bigger price drops during major sales.

Of course, actually using the X5 Pro Omni will incur ongoing costs, particularly for consumables like dust bags, filters, mop pads and brushes. Based on replacing consumables as per the recommendations from Ecovacs, I estimate my annual maintenance costs at around $466 / £424 / AU$606.

Some parts, like the Anti-Tangle Main Brush, are significantly more expensive in the UK and Australia than in the US. Third-party alternatives are available but, as expected, Ecovacs recommends using official parts for optimal performance. That said, the most common cost will the dust bag.

Want to know more about consumable pricing, and how parts like the brushes hold up long term? Read through the rest of the review below, or jump to Consumables and Maintenance.

The Ecovacs Deebot X5 Pro Omni consumables kit (available to purchase separately) helps reduce running costs (Image credit: Future)

Premium robovacs from competing brands tend to be priced a bit higher than the X5 Pro Omni. For example, the Dreame X40 Ultra, which features detachable mop pads and 12,000Pa suction, is listed at $1,899 / £1,299 / AU$2,799. The less fully featured Dreame L40 Ultra costs $1,499.99 / £999 but isn’t available in Australia.

Similarly, the Eufy Omni S1 Pro, which has a slimmer design but a lower 8,000Pa suction, is priced at $1,499 / £1,499 / AU$2,699, while the Roborock Qrevo Edge comes in at $1,600 / AU$2,799 (currently unavailable in the UK).

Ecovacs also has the more affordable but still premium Deebot T30 Omni, which launched at £799 / AU$1,749 (but isn’t available in the US) and is often discounted to £699 / AU$1,199.

There are cheaper robot vacuums available, but the X5 Pro Omni balances premium features, powerful suction and fairly advanced automation at a price that makes it an appealing robot vacuum, especially when on sale.

• Value score: 4 / 5

Ecovacs X5 Pro Omni: Specifications Ecovacs X5 Pro Omni review: Design and features

• Squared-off front, no LiDAR turret
• Base station with auto-empty, mop washing and hot-air drying
• Side-extendable mop pad

Where most robot vacuums are round, the Ecovacs Deebot X5 Pro Omni features a squared-off front (D-shaped) that's a little reminiscent of the Deebot X2 Omni. Ecovacs says this design helps the bot get the side brush into corners and improve edge cleaning. The shape also means it doesn’t use an extendable side brush.

Unlike many competing models, it doesn’t have a top-mounted LiDAR turret, making it shorter and better suited to cleaning under furniture.

The bot has a floating main brush that adjusts to different floor types, and a spinning side brush helps with cleaning along edges. It also features a 15mm (0.6in) mop lift, allowing it to vacuum carpets without transferring any dampness from the mop pads, and the right mop pad extends by 4cm (1.6 inch), improving coverage along walls and corners.

For navigation, the X5 Pro Omni uses dToF (Direct Time-of-Flight) laser mapping, combined with AIVI 3D 2.0 object recognition, an RGB camera, TrueDetect 3D sensors and anti-drop sensors. In other words, it uses fancy robot vision for navigation and obstacle avoidance, and has extra cliff sensors to avoid accidentally driving down the stairs. It can also use some of these sensors to spot stains that need another mopping pass to be fully cleaned up.

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The bot includes Ecovacs' Yiko 2.0 AI voice assistant, which lets you control a range of functionality, like adjusting cleaning tasks without pulling out the app.

The X5 Pro Omni can climb obstacles up to 22mm (0.87 inch), which means it can handle some thresholds and small lips in areas with slightly different floor heights. It also offers ZeroTangle tech, where the main roller brush features comb teeth for hair removal to avoid tangles.

The physical size and weight of the X5 Pro Omni are fairly typical, and the robot itself measures 31.3 x 34.6 x 9.5cm (12.3 x 13.6 x 3.7 inch) and weighs 4.3kg (9.5lbs), while the base station (or dock) is 39.4 x 44.3 x 52.75cm (15.5 x 17.4 x 20.8 inch), with a total weight of 11kg (24.3lbs). The dock needs 50cm (19.7 inches) of clearance on both sides and 150cm (59 inches) in front for proper operation.

The dock handles dustbin emptying, mop washing with hot water, and drying with hot air. It stores dust in a 3L (101oz) bag, which is accessed through a front-opening panel for easy replacement. The clean- and dirty-water tanks each hold 4L (135oz) and are located under a top lid, making them simple to refill and empty. The mop washing tray is removable and any buildup is easily cleaned, although the Roborock Qrevo Edge one-ups the X5 Pro Omni by also featuring a self-cleaning cycle for the tray as well.

• Design and features score: 4 / 5

Ecovacs X5 Pro Omni review: Performance

• Handles all floor types well
• Struggles to get deep into corners
• Mop pads lift high enough for carpets but not thick rugs

Overall, the Ecovacs Deebot X5 Pro Omni kept my floors clean just as well as I can with a stick vacuum and mop, and rarely required any help or intervention beyond normal maintenance. Once I had cleaning schedules set up, it handled most vacuuming and mopping automatically, and I only needed to step in for occasional spot cleaning or to pick up debris that was too large or in a corner it could not reach.

The bot works at a similar pace to other robot vacuums, taking around 1.5 minutes per square meter to vacuum and 2 minutes per square meter to mop, but since it can do both tasks at the same time, a full clean doesn’t take as long as it might seem.

According to Ecovacs, the 6,400 mAh battery provides up to 224 minutes of runtime, which is enough to clean up to 400m² (4,305ft²) per charge in optimal conditions. Ecovacs doesn’t break down battery life by suction level, but runtime will vary depending on settings and home layout.

• Overall performance score: 4 / 5

Mapping and obstacle avoidance

The Ecovacs Deebot X5 Pro Omni created a detailed and mostly accurate map on its first run. It didn’t require any manual adjustments to the map itself, but I did need to tweak the room divisions in the app. Mapping is fast and easy to run a second time, which I had to do after the robot got lost and mistakenly added extra rooms that didn’t exist.

Obstacle avoidance is decent but not flawless. The X5 Pro Omni generally avoids larger objects, but isn’t great at recognizing cables, shoelaces or small items like pieces of paper towel. It will avoid some small obstacles, but anything lying flat on the floor is at risk of being sucked up or dragged along. It also tends to catch and tangle cables, so keeping the floor clear makes a big difference in how well it completes a cleaning run.

While it doesn’t have dedicated pet recognition, it does a good job of avoiding spills and larger debris. The app lets you set up no-go zones, though these aren’t pet-specific. Unlike the competition like the Dreame X40 Ultra, the X5 Pro Omni does not capture images of obstacles, so there’s no way to review what it avoided after a clean.

The Ecovacs Deebot X5 Pro Omni uses a wide range of sensors for mapping and navigation. Note how they get dusty over time – following the sensor cleaning reminders from the app is important. (Image credit: Future)

During testing, it rarely got stuck as long as the floor was relatively clear. When it did, it was usually due to cables, a thick rug or getting wedged behind a laundry basket or on a dog toy. It detects when it’s stuck and stops safely, rather than pushing forward and causing damage. If that happens, it has to be manually picked up and placed back on the dock, as pressing the power button doesn’t wake it. If told to return home via the app, it sometimes gets lost along the way and needs to be rescued by hand. On the plus side, these issues came up relatively rarely during use.

To test its ability to handle small steps, I made a simulated step between rooms using a section of plywood at the maximum 22mm height, and while it sometimes took two or three attempts, the bot made it across every clean.

The app includes a remote control mode that streams video from the onboard camera, and allows manual steering of the bot, which I found useful to check on my dog when not home. The video feature didn’t work the first time I tried, but functioned fine every other time I used it. Steering the bot feels slightly laggy but still usable, making it more suited for basic navigation adjustments rather than precision movement. The built-in two-way communication feature works for real-time voice interaction, though there’s no dedicated pet-tracking mode.

Despite the quirks covered above, overall the X5 Pro Omni handles navigation fairly well and happily adapts to changing environments. It moves effectively around furniture, shoes and baskets that shift between cleaning sessions, making it a solid choice for homes where the position of larger items may change frequently.

• Mapping and obstacle avoidance score: 3.5 / 5

Vacuuming

I tested the Ecovacs Deebot X5 Pro Omni on wooden floors, tiles and rugs to see how well it handled different surfaces. Along with daily cleaning, I ran a series of controlled tests using flour, sand, rice, oats, dry dog food and dry leaves, scattering them in a corner on hard floors and then on a short-pile rug.

Performance across different surfaces was excellent overall. For most debris, the X5 Pro Omni was able to pick up nearly everything in a single pass, but two passes were best for thorough cleaning. Larger or heavier debris required additional cleaning cycles, and the side brush sometimes flicked smaller particles away before the main brush could capture them. The one downside was the robot vacuum consistently failed to get all the way into corners, or fully clean along edges.

The vacuum’s suction power can be set to Max, Strong, Standard or Quiet modes. Standard mode worked well for daily cleaning of pet fur, dust and light debris, but heavier dirt and sand needed Max suction to be fully removed. Carpets and rugs benefited from higher suction levels as Standard mode sometimes left behind some debris.

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Vacuuming test with oats (Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 10

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Some oats left after a single pass (Image credit: Future)Image 4 of 10

The robovac dustbin needs manual cleaning once a month or so (Image credit: Future)Image 5 of 10

The robovac dustbin filter can be replaced or cleaned when clogged (Image credit: Future)Image 6 of 10

The filter responds well to vacuuming with a stick vac (Image credit: Future)Image 7 of 10

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After an extended test with no cleaning, hair builds up on the side brush, but it does not reduce performance (Image credit: Future)Image 9 of 10

Hair builds up on the main brush over time, but vacuuming performnce remains decent (Image credit: Future)Image 10 of 10

Removing the trapped hair is very easy and takes less than one minute (Image credit: Future)

My home has two people who shed a lot of long hair and, in my testing, hair buildup was manageable, but it still accumulated in the side brush and main brush over time, despite the anti-tangle feature. Both the side and main brush collected a noticeable amount of hair after just a week of use, but it doesn’t end up embedded and removal is easy. The wheels and mop pads remained tangle-free, making overall upkeep straightforward, and even leaving it a month between cleaning caused no problems.

I measured the noise levels of the X5 Pro Omni with a decibel meter at a range of 1m, with multiple passes and the results averaged. Using Quiet mode, it produces 41dB, which is low enough to be unobtrusive, and the wheel-drive system is actually slightly louder than the vacuum motor.

Standard mode is only slightly louder at 42dB, making it suitable for cleaning while watching TV or having a conversation. Strong mode increases the noise level to 44dB, which is still reasonable but more intrusive. At Max suction, it reaches 52dB, which is significantly louder and comparable to a stick vacuum at moderate power.

While vacuuming, noise levels remain fairly steady, but auto-emptying at the base station is much louder, peaking at 63dB. Mopping is quieter at 40dB, and general driving noise sits at 41dB, meaning the robot isn’t exactly stealthy when moving between cleaning zones. Mop washing reaches 37dB, so while not silent, it’s quiet enough not to be disruptive.

If wanting to run the vacuum at night while sleeping, Quiet mode is an option, provided you have a closed door between you and the robovac and aren’t a light sleeper. The dock should be placed away from sleeping areas, as the auto-emptying noise is quite loud and could be disruptive if triggered at night. To avoid this you can set Do Not Disturb times, where the dock will not activate the auto-empty functionality, but this does limit vacuuming performance for larger homes as the small onboard dustbin in the bot fills up.

• Vacuuming score: 4 / 5

Mopping

For mopping, the X5 Pro Omni uses water with the Ecovacs cleaning solution optionally added to the clean-water tank. I tested with plain water and adding a cleaning solution, but didn’t find the latter made a noticeable difference unless having the bot do a deeper scrub.

During my testing, I scheduled mopping once a week but found that adding extra runs during wet weather helped keep the front and back door areas free of muddy footprints.

The X5 Pro Omni does a good job on open spaces, but it doesn’t reach under furniture edges as well as a handheld mop. The right-side mop pad does extend slightly, helping it clean closer to edges, but some tight spots remain out of reach.

For tougher messes, I tested the X5 Pro Omni by spilling sauce, 'stepping' in it and letting it dry a little on my wooden floors. In most cases, one pass was enough to fully clean up the mess, but two passes were needed for the dried stains. Turning up the water-flow setting was helpful in making sure the mop pads were wet enough to tackle stubborn spots. The automatic re-mop feature worked reasonably well on tiles, but the bot struggled to tell the difference between a speck of dried sauce and darker patches of wood.

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A slightly dried sauce stain (Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 5

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It swings back for a second pass (Image credit: Future)Image 5 of 5

The sauce is entirely cleaned up (Image credit: Future)

The mop pads are washed and dried by the base station after each cleaning run, with drying time adjustable between 2, 3 or 4 hours. You can also set it to wash the mops after each room, or at 10, 15 or 20-minute intervals. The base station washes the mop pads with hot water, scrubbing them against a textured cleaning tray to remove dirt and debris. While I found that this process was very effective, the mop pads still benefit from being machine-washed periodically to give a deeper refresh. It’s also recommended to inspect the pads regularly for wear and replace them as needed.

The X5 Pro Omni isn’t designed to handle large liquid spills, as its mop pads are meant for scrubbing rather than sponging up a lot of moisture. I found that if the robot is picked up after or during mopping (for example, to extract a cable or shoelace), it may dribble water, so don’t do that over anything you need to keep dry.

One somewhat frustrating quirk is that vacuum-and-mop mode is the default setting, and it can’t be changed to vacuum-only by default. Worse, if a mop and vacuum cycle is accidentally triggered, even if canceled immediately, the robovac will still run a mop wash cycle that can’t be stopped.

• Mopping score: 4 / 5

Battery life

The X5 Pro Omni has a 92Wh battery, which is the same as competing models like the Roborock Saros 10 and Dreame X40 Ultra, and larger than the 75Wh capacity battery in more affordable models like the Ecovacs Deebot T30 Omni and Dreame L40 Ultra.

Battery capacity alone isn’t the only metric though. For example, in my testing the X5 Pro Omni can do a full double-pass vacuum of a three-bedroom house (around 50 square meters of actual floor cleaning) and only drop to 73% battery capacity.

Doing a full vacuum and mop at the same time drops it to 65%, and doing a vacuum then mop takes it to 60%. This means you can expect up to around 140 square meters of vacuuming at maximum suction, and over 100 square meters of vacuuming and mopping. With the suction power set to Standard, the total amount of floor area that can be vacuumed almost doubles.

My results here also support the claim from Ecovacs that the X5 Pro Omni can handle up to 244 minutes of cleaning on a charge.

As a comparison, the Roborock Saros 10 needs to stop and charge after three rooms when set to the maximum suction. Part of the difference is that the Saros 10 has a higher maximum suction power of 22,000Pa, vs 12,800Pa for the X5 Pro Omni, and higher suction does mean higher battery consumption.

One annoyance is that the X5 Pro Omni does not give the exact battery percentage when cleaning, as the Ecovacs app just displays 100 in the battery indicator. It’s not until the vacuum returns to the dock and you start another clean immediately that it updates the remaining capacity. Other times, the indicator works as expected.

The X5 Pro Omni will return to the dock to top up the battery as needed when cleaning. While a full charge can take over 4 hours, getting back to 50% only takes about 30 minutes.

• Battery life score: 4.5 / 5

Dock performance

The Ecovacs Deebot X5 Pro Omni comes with a 3L (101 oz) dust bag, rated for up to 60 days of use. How long it actually lasts depends on your home’s size and how much debris is collected, but in my case, the manufacturer’s estimate was fairly accurate. The robovac’s 250ml (8.45 oz) dustbin is emptied automatically when full, or you can set it to Extra mode for more frequent emptying – useful for homes with pets or a lot of dust buildup.

Unlike the underwhelming auto-empty suction from the Dreame X40 Ultra's dock, the X5 Pro Omni’s base station has a well-thought out airflow design and reliably empties the dustbin. During testing, I didn’t experience any clogging issues within the dock itself, but blockages inside the robot's dustbin occasionally prevented proper emptying which, in turn, affect vacuuming up more dirt until manually cleared.

The robovac is supposed to detect when the dock fails to empty the bin, but I found these warnings to be inconsistent. There were times when the bin was clogged but the app never alerted me, so I had to manually check the dustbin after cleaning to ensure everything was working properly.

Increasing the emptying frequency can help avoid any potential issues, but in my use, clogging wasn’t a frequent issue unless I had accidentally left larger debris that the bit could suck up.

In testing, the mop washing and drying system worked well to keep the pads clean and stop any odors forming between uses. The dock heats water to 70°C (158°F) and pumps it through a wash system to rinse the mop pads, scrubbing them against a textured cleaning surface to remove dirt and grime. After washing, the dirty water is stored in a container in the top of the base station, and it dries the mop pads with hot air, with drying times adjustable to two, three or four hours. The scrubbing system is highly effective, and the mop pads always came out looking fresh after cleaning cycles and there was never an issue with smell.

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The dust bag is easy to replace via the front of the base station (Image credit: Future)Image 3 of 4

The clean and dirty water tanks live under the top lid (Image credit: Future)Image 4 of 4

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Emptying the dirty mop water is as simple as opening the top of the dock, lifting the container out by the handle and emptying it in a sink. I only did this once a month and the dirty water did tend to smell when being tipped out, but the container was easy to rinse out and didn’t retain any odor. The clean-water container uses the same design and can be topped up at a sink, then put back into the dock.

The dock's noise levels vary depending on the task. Measured from 1 meter away (3.3 feet) mop washing is noticeable at 37dB but not disruptive, though the pumps are briefly quite noisy (46 dB) when running. The drying fan produces a low hum for a few hours but isn’t intrusive. Auto-emptying is the loudest part of the process at 63dB and although it only lasts 10 seconds, it’s still very disruptive if the station is located in a main living area or if done at night.

For households with pets or heavy dirt buildup, the dock performs well and reliably empties debris, though owners should occasionally check for clogs in the bot’s dustbin since warnings aren’t always accurate. Smaller objects left on the floor can cause issues, but aside from that, the X5 Pro Omni’s base station is a very reliable and hands-free system.

• Dock performance score: 4.5 / 5

Ecovacs X5 Pro Omni review: App control

• Reliable scheduled cleaning
• Quick access to cleaning reports and history
• Certain settings are hidden in sub-menus

The Ecovacs Deebot X5 Pro Omni can be controlled using the physical buttons on top of the robot, but the app is critical for unlocking its full potential. It provides access to the home map, lets you adjust cleaning settings and offers deep customization of scheduled cleans.

The app includes a cleaning history and reporting section, which provides a visual map of where the bot traveled during each clean. It also records the time of each session, the area cleaned and the total duration. Over time, this builds into a comprehensive cleaning log, showing the total square footage cleaned across all sessions, the number of cleans completed and total runtime. However, one notable omission is that the app does not log obstacles detected during a cleaning session, which means there's no easy way to see what might have blocked the robot mid-clean.

Most frequently used settings are easy to access, but some features are buried in sub-menus. For example, scheduling cleans is hidden under Advanced settings, and certain options are locked while the robot is in operation – like when manually triggering a dustbin empty, other settings can’t be adjusted until the process is finished.

Scheduled cleaning is very reliable, and in my testing, the X5 Pro Omni only failed to start once without explanation. If a scheduled clean is missed, the robovac resumes correctly at the next scheduled time. However, one frustrating issue is that if you set a clean for later in the day, the app doesn’t indicate that it’s actually scheduling it for the next day – only showing this after the schedule has been set.

Perhaps my least favorite bug is when doing spot cleans. If I sent the bot to vacuum up a mess, then later wanted to do another one-off clean, the app would show the previous vacuum-only mode was still selected – but when hitting start, it would actually trigger a vacuum and mop, not vacuum-only. Even if you canceled it immediately, it would spend a few minutes running a mop wash cycle before you could get it to do the actual vacuum.

The app also sometimes didn't properly register where the bot was or what it was doing. This was frustrating, because if you tried to trigger a clean, it would say the bot needed to return to the dock first – even though it showed the bot already in the dock on the app. Force quitting and restarting the app would fix the issue, but it was an annoying extra step.

To rule out an issue with my phone (a Pixel 9 Pro XL), I also tried the app on other mobiles and saw similar problems. Apple users may have a different experience – my colleague didn’t run into the same issues when using the app on an iPhone during her Ecovacs T30 Omni review, for example.

The app looks good, but can be frustrating at times (Image credit: Future)

Another small but unnecessary annoyance is that even when Do Not Disturb times are set (muting the robovac), it mostly works, but still loudly makes some announcements. For example, if the bot gets stuck during the day, and you arrive home late and need to manually place it back in the base station during the Do Not Disturb time, it loudly proclaims “start charging”. Another issue is that after turning down the voice volume to a quiet level, the "task stopped" announcement is still made at the loudest setting.

During testing I found the Wi-Fi connectivity to be stable, but it’s worth noting the robovac only supports 2.4GHz networks. I had some quirks when using it with a mesh network, but the issues were hard to pin down to a specific cause. That said, setting up a dedicated 2.4GHz-only network for the robovac helped make it more reliable.

During testing, I went on holiday, leaving a family member to house and dog sit. The robovac initially worked fine, but eventually stopped performing scheduled cleans. Despite easy remote access via the app, I couldn’t identify the problem and had to manually trigger cleans each day remotely.

After returning, I discovered the Do Not Disturb times had mysteriously reversed from 8pm–8am to 8am–8pm, preventing morning cleans. The app does give error notifications (but does not save them to the log), but I was unaware due to a daylight-saving bug that meant the scheduled clean was being triggered an hour earlier than I expected.

In terms of usability, the app provides a similar level of control to other brands, though some robovacs with more features offer slightly more customization. However, occasional lag and loading issues make the experience feel less polished than it should be. The voice and volume inconsistencies are also quite jarring, and take a little of the premium shine off the experience.

I also wish it had an easy delayed start option – like a quick way to select a one-time clean at a set time later in the day – especially because setting same-day scheduled cleans is not possible.

Still, despite these frustrations, the app is mostly reliable and offers a good balance of customization and control, and hopefully Ecovacs will continue to work on improving the experience over time.

• App control score: 2.5 / 5

Ecovacs X5 Pro Omni review: Consumables and maintenance

The Ecovacs Deebot X5 Pro Omni comes with one dust bag, two side brushes, and a set of washable mop pads in the box – but no cleaning fluid is included. While this is enough to get started, you’ll need to order replacement dust bags within 60 days, and other consumables including filters, mop pads and side brushes will need replacing on a set schedule.

Under normal use, the dust bag should be replaced every 60 days, side brushes and filters every few months and mop pads periodically based on wear.

Consumables can be purchased through the Ecovacs website and third-party retailers like Amazon, though availability varies slightly between regions. For example, the quarterly maintenance kit is not available in the US, while six-pack dust bag sets are only sold in the US and not in the UK or Australia.

The app tracks the lifespan of consumables by usage percentages and notifies users when replacements are recommended. These estimates tend to be on the conservative side and, in my testing, parts like the main brush and mop pads lasted longer than suggested, though this will of course depend on your usage.

Routine maintenance is straightforward, with the main brush and robovac dustbin checked weekly, side brushes and sensors every two weeks, and filters and mop pads cleaned or replaced monthly. Hair buildup occurs over time, but manual removal is simple, and no issues were noted with hard-to-reach areas during testing.

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Despite the anti-tangle features, hair builds up on the main brush over time (Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 8

The side brush collects hair, but is easily removed and cleaned (Image credit: Future)Image 3 of 8

The front wheel is well designed and does not trap hair (Image credit: Future)Image 4 of 8

The main drive wheels do a great job of avoiding any tangles (Image credit: Future)Image 5 of 8

Removing hair from the main brush is easy – just cut along one side and it slides free (Image credit: Future)Image 6 of 8

The mop wash station is self cleaning, but does build up debris over time (Image credit: Future)Image 7 of 8

The mop wash parts can be removed for a deeper clean in the sink every few months (Image credit: Future)Image 8 of 8

The dust bag seals when removed, which avoids any mess (Image credit: Future)

Based on my usage in a small 3-bedroom home, I estimate consumables will cost up to $465.79 / £423.85 / AU$606.30 per year. For larger homes, costs will scale accordingly. Some notable price differences exist between regions – for example, the anti-tangle main brush is 88.9% more expensive in the UK and 54.9% more expensive in Australia compared to the US. However, Australia tends to have lower prices overall for consumables, while the UK has some of the highest accessory costs.

Third-party consumables are available, though Ecovacs advises using official parts for optimal performance. I did not test any non-official replacements.

With regular maintenance and timely consumable replacements, I found the X5 Pro Omni quite easy to keep in top condition and ongoing costs are similar to other premium robovacs. Be aware, though, there can be significant regional price variations.

• Consumables and maintenance score: 3.5 / 5

Should I Buy the Ecovacs X5 Pro Omni? Buy it if…

You want a powerful auto-emptying system

The X5 Pro Omni’s self-cleaning dock has strong suction and reliably empties the robot’s dustbin, and never clogged during testing.

You want a hands-free mopping system

With built-in water tanks, automatic mop washing and hot air drying, the X5 Pro Omni keeps its mop pads clean with minimal effort on your part.

You want the latest features in a robot vacuum

The X5 Pro Omni offers powerful suction, smart mapping and an advanced all-in-one dock, making it one of the more feature-packed robot vacuums in its class.

Don’t buy it if…

You have a lot of small objects on the floor

While the X5 Pro Omni can avoid most large obstacles, it struggles with cables, shoelaces or flat items like paper towels, and may get stuck if the floor isn’t kept clear.

You only have carpet

The X5 Pro Omni has a strong vacuuming system and mop lift, but if your home is fully carpeted, a vacuum-only robovac will save you money without sacrificing cleaning performance.

You want a polished app experience

While the level of customization and control is decent, the app feels clunky and unpolished at times, and I ran into many small but frustrating issues during my testing.

Also consider

Not sold on the Ecovacs X5 Pro Omni? Below are a few alternatives that are worth considering.

Dreame L10s Ultra
This slightly older model doesn’t have quite as many features as the X5 Pro Omni and isn’t as powerful, but it’s still a great option and can often be found for less than half the price.
Read our full Dreame L10s Ultra review

Eufy Omni S1 Pro
One of the few robovacs that can compete directly with the X5 Pro Omni, the Eufy Omni S1 Pro is a feature-packed alternative with an innovative rolling cylinder mopping system.
Read our full Eufy Omni S1 Pro review

Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo
While not quite as good at dodging cables as the Ecovacs X5 Pro Omni, the Deebot T30S Combo stands out with a stick vacuum that slots into the side of the its dock, keeping it ready to go for any extra cleanup.
Read our full Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo review

How I tested the Ecovacs X5 Pro Omni

• I used the X5 Pro Omni as my main vacuum cleaner for six months
• My testing space included hard floors and carpet
• I performed specific grain-size and wet-spill tests

I used the Ecovacs X5 Pro Omni daily for six months in a home with a dog and two adults, and with polished wooden floors, tiles, carpet and medium-pile rugs. The weather during the test period included both wet and dry conditions. I started with an initial deep clean, followed by ongoing daily vacuuming, with mopping once or twice a week – plus extra spot cleans as needed. I tested both the automatic mode and manually customized cleans using schedules and shortcuts.

I documented cleaning performance over the testing period and conducted a range of specific tests with different debris sizes to further gauge vacuuming ability. I also tested dry and wet spills to evaluate the mopping prowess. Additionally, I strategically placed debris – including fur, leaves and hair – in problem areas like corners to assess the robovac’s effectiveness in daily use.

During my testing period, I changed the base station vacuum bag 4 times, manually cleaned the mop cleaning system in the base station, and performed the full range of maintenance checks as prompted by the app.

Read more about how we test vacuums

[First reviewed May 2025]

Edan Alexander, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen, is the last remaining American citizen held by Hamas in Gaza who is believed to still be alive. President Trump confirmed the plans for his release.

(Image credit: Amir Levy)

At services on Sunday, some Catholics took particular pride in the election of the first American pontiff, who has familial ties to multiple places across the country.

(Image credit: Nam Y. Huh)

• Peking University transistor could outperform Intel, TSMC, and Samsung’s top silicon chips
• Full gate coverage boosts speed and cuts energy use in breakthrough Chinese transistor design
• China may have just leapfrogged US chip tech with this silicon-free transistor innovation

Chinese researchers at Peking University have announced what seems like a breakthrough in transistor design, which if commercialized, could dramatically shift the direction of microprocessor development.

The team created a silicon-free transistor based on a two-dimensional material, bismuth oxyselenide.

The innovation hinges on the gate-all-around (GAAFET) architecture, where the transistor’s gate wraps completely around the source. Traditional FinFET designs, which dominate current silicon-based processors, only allow partial gate coverage. This full-wrap structure enhances the contact area between the gate and the channel, improving performance by reducing energy leakage and enabling better current control.

Could this mark the end of silicon chips?

Published in Nature Materials, the paper suggests that the new 2D GAAFET could rival or even surpass silicon transistors in both speed and energy efficiency.

The researchers claim their 2D transistor achieves speeds 40% faster than Intel’s latest 3nm chips while using 10% less power, performance which would place it ahead of current processors from TSMC and Samsung.

The partial gate coverage in traditional designs limits current control and increases energy loss. The new full-gate structure addresses these issues, resulting in high voltage gain and ultra-low power usage. The team has already constructed small logic units using the new design.

“It is the fastest, most efficient transistor ever,” said Peking University. These claims are supported by tests conducted under identical conditions to those used for leading commercial chips.

“If chip innovations based on existing materials are considered a ‘shortcut,’ then our development of 2D material-based transistors is akin to ‘changing lanes,’” said Professor Peng Hailin, the project’s lead scientist.

Unlike the vertical structures of FinFETs, the new design resembles interwoven bridges. This architectural shift may overcome miniaturization limits faced by silicon technology, especially as the industry pushes below the 3nm threshold. It could also benefit the fastest laptops that require such compact chips.

The team developed two new bismuth-based materials: Bi₂O₂Se as the semiconductor and Bi₂SeO₅ as the gate dielectric.

These materials feature low interface energy, reducing defects and electron scattering.

“This allows electrons to flow with almost no resistance, like water through a smooth pipe,” Peng explained.

The performance results are backed by density functional theory (DFT) calculations and validated through physical tests using a high-precision fabrication platform at PKU.

The researchers claim the transistors can be manufactured using current semiconductor infrastructure, simplifying future integration.

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• Experts warn Facebook crypto ads now deliver malware through trusted brand impersonation
• Malware deploys only when victims meet specific browser or profile criteria
• Local server and PowerShell commands allow stealthy data exfiltration and control

A new wave of malware attacks is targeting Bitcoin and crypto owners through Facebook ads that mimic trusted names in the industry.

Bitdefender says it has uncovered a multi-stage malvertising campaign that exploits the reputations of well-known platforms like Binance, TradingView, ByBit, and others.

These malicious ads don’t just trick users, they also adapt in real time to avoid detection and deliver malware only when conditions are ideal for the attackers.

Highly evasive delivery system

(Image credit: Bitdefender)

The scheme begins when cybercriminals hijack or create Facebook accounts and use Meta’s ad network to run fraudulent promotions.

These ads feature fake offers and use photos of celebrities - Zendaya, Elon Musk, and Cristiano Ronaldo are the usual suspects - to appear more convincing.

Once clicked, users are redirected to lookalike websites that impersonate legitimate cryptocurrency services and prompt them to download what appears to be a desktop client.

The malware delivery system is highly evasive. Bitdefender says the front-end of the fake site works with a local server quietly spun up by the initial install, allowing attackers to send payloads directly to the victim's system while dodging most security software.

Delivery only happens if the victim meets specific criteria, such as being logged into Facebook, using a preferred browser like Microsoft Edge, or matching a certain demographic profile.

Some malware samples run lightweight .NET servers locally and communicate with the website using advanced scripts that execute encoded PowerShell commands. These can exfiltrate sensitive data like installed software, system and OS info, and even GPU details.

Depending on the findings, the malware may download further payloads or simply go dormant if it suspects it's being analyzed in a sandbox.

Bitdefender researchers found hundreds of Facebook accounts promoting these campaigns. One ran more than 100 ads in a single day. Many ads target men aged 18 and older, with examples found in Bulgaria and Slovakia.

How to stay safe

(Image credit: Amazon India)

Scrutinize ads carefully: Be highly skeptical of ads offering free crypto tools or financial perks. Always verify links before clicking.

Download from official sources only: Visit platforms like Binance or TradingView directly. Never trust redirects from ads.

Use link-checking tools: Tools like Bitdefender Scamio or Link Checker can alert you to dangerous URLs before you engage.

Keep your security software up to date: Use a reputable antivirus that gets regular updates to catch evolving threats.

Watch for suspicious browser behavior: Pages that insist you use Edge or redirect erratically are massive red flags.

Report shady ads: Flag suspicious content on Facebook to help others avoid falling into the same trap.

You might also like

• Stay protected with the best antivirus tools around
• We've also rounded up the best free antivirus solutions
• Hackers steal over $1bn in one of the biggest crypto thefts ever

Hints and answers for Connections for May 12, #701.

Here are hints and the answer for today's Wordle No. 1,423 for May 12.

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle No. 435 for May 12.

The proposed solution would only provide food and aid to around 60 percent of Gaza's civilians initially, according to a copy of the proposal reviewed by NPR.

(Image credit: Abdel Kareem Hana)

• This foldable keyboard PC runs Windows 11 on Ryzen 7 power
• Fits in a jacket or trouser pocket yet handles multi-monitor productivity workloads
• Aluminum build and full keyboard hide a full-spec portable desktop inside

A pocket-sized Windows PC in a folding keyboard might sound like a concept device, but a new mini machine from China appears to be very real.

Designed by a company called Linglong, this foldable Ryzen-powered mini PC fits in a jacket or (large) trouser pocket, unfolds into a full-sized keyboard, and runs a full Windows 11 Pro desktop.

Weighing under 800g and roughly the size of a quarter-sheet of A4 paper when folded, the unit is aimed at anyone who wants portability without sacrificing functionality.

Decent port selection

Once opened, the PC reveals a full QWERTY keyboard with physical switches and a chassis made from CNC-machined aluminium.

There’s no touchpad or ThinkPad-style pointing nub, so a separate mouse is required, but the mechanical travel and durability - rated to 100,000 keystrokes - suggest it’s built for serious use.

At the heart of the system is an AMD Ryzen 7 7840U processor, paired with 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM and either 512GB or 1TB of storage.

Graphics are handled by integrated RDNA3-based Radeon 780M, and a 16000mAh internal battery powers the device for up to 10 hours.

Despite its small form factor, the unit includes a respectable selection of ports: USB4, USB-C 3.2, and USB-A 3.2, along with Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 6, and an HDMI-compatible USB display option.

The device supports multi-screen output and can be docked to serve as a travel workstation, game center, or media hub.

A built-in monitoring utility displays CPU and GPU load, temperature, and other stats in real time.

Only available in China for now (I share your disappointment), the Linglong mini PC reminds me of the Orange Pi 800 keyboard computer.

While it lacks global availability or official support for Western markets, it’s an ambitious reimagining of what portable computing can look like and I can only hope it gets a wider release soon or sparks similar designs elsewhere.

(Image credit: Linglong) You may also like

• Check out our list of the best mobile workstations for any budget
• And these are the best mini PCs you can buy right now
• Minisforum's NAS packs a Ryzen AI HX 370, up to 96GB RAM and 154TB storage

Need reliable internet in the Prairie State? Here's a rundown of all of your options, picked by our experts.

Here are some highly rated flicks to try, plus a look at what's new in May.

• Asus ExpertCenter Pro ET900N G3 hides Nvidia's wildest chip
• With up to 784GB of memory, it handles models that your RTX 5090 simply can’t
• No rack, no noise - just supercomputer-class AI performance on a desktop you can use

Asus has unveiled a new high-performance desktop PC which delivers petaflop-scale AI performance, not in a flashy server rack, but in a surprisingly unassuming chassis.

The Asus ExpertCenter Pro ET900N G3 looks like any standard business tower - so much so it even includes a DVD drive and a curious-looking slot that feels like a throwback to the early 2000s.

At the heart of this business PC is the Nvidia GB300 Ultra, a two-part module that combines a Grace CPU with a Blackwell GPU via NVLink-C2C, Nvidia’s high-bandwidth interconnect, making it ideal for programming and AI development.

Designed for serious AI work

The unified chip architecture enables the CPU and GPU to share a single memory pool, reducing latency and improving efficiency for large-scale AI workloads. The system can deliver up to 20 PFLOPS of performance for training large language models or running inference on high-parameter models.

It supports up to 784GB of coherent memory, more than double the combined VRAM of a workstation with four RTX 6000 Ada cards.

That scale of memory access is essential for developers and researchers working with models that exceed the capabilities of mainstream GPUs like the GeForce RTX 5090, which offers 32GB of VRAM.

The ExpertCenter Pro ET900N G3 also includes support for Nvidia ConnectX-8 SuperNIC, enabling high-throughput networking between systems. This allows it to function in clusters or within a larger enterprise AI deployment.

Despite its performance, it retains a desktop form factor, eliminating the need for rack installation, custom cooling solutions, or the infrastructure demands of a data center.

On the software side, the system runs Nvidia DGX OS, a specialized Ubuntu-based Linux distribution tailored for AI workloads. It provides native support for the full Nvidia software stack, including CUDA, TensorRT, and libraries for machine learning and data science.

It also supports remote scaling, allowing the ET900N G3 to integrate seamlessly with other DGX systems if additional compute power is needed.

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• These are the best business laptops available to buy right now
• And you should take a look at the best office chairs we've tried
• Ransomware hackers target a new Windows security flaw to hit businesses

• We may have a price for the Galaxy S25 Edge
• It won't cost quite as much as the Ultra model
• The latest leak also shows off the phone's design

We're ready and waiting for the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge to finally get its full unveiling tomorrow, but ahead of the official event we've got another leak that points to how much this smartphone is going to cost.

Well-known tipster @MysteryLupin has posted a screengrab of a retailer listing for the phone, which gives us another look at the super-thin chassis that the Galaxy S25 Edge will sport – a design we got our first glimpse of back in January.

The listing is for the model with 256GB of storage, which we presume is going to be the cheapest one available. Head over to our Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review and you'll see the storage options there start at 256GB.

According to this leak, the price for a 256GB Galaxy S25 Edge phone is going to be £1,099 – that's less than the Ultra model, but significantly more than you'll pay for the standard Samsung Galaxy S25, which costs $859 / £859 / AU$1,399 with 256GB of storage.

The price is right?

S25 Edge pic.twitter.com/pbMCL68dNsMay 10, 2025

It's not really a surprise that the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is going to come with a premium price attached. This is a high-end handset that has clearly been cleverly engineered to make it so slim.

Previous leaks had put the price of this upcoming handset below the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra but above the Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus, which can be yours for $999 / £999 / AU$1,699 with 256GB of storage on board.

Once the phone does get its grand unveiling, you're going to have four different Galaxy S25 models to choose from, depending on your needs and budget. You can expect those prices to go down over time too, as we get closer to the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S26.

We will of course be bringing you all the updates from Samsung's event tomorrow, which gets underway at 8pm ET / 5pm PT on May 12, which is 1am BST on May 13, and 10am AEST on May 13. You can also watch the event online.

You might also like

• New Galaxy S25 Edge leak gives us our best look at it
• Here's why I'm excited for the launch of the Galaxy S25 Edge
• All three rumored Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge colors

Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Sunday, May 11 (game #1203).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,100 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1204) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1204) - hint #2 - repeated letters Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 0.

Quordle today (game #1204) - hint #3 - uncommon letters Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1204) - hint #4 - starting letters (1) Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 2.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1204) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• R

• A

• B

• R

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1204) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1204, are…

• ROYAL
• ARGUE
• BUNCH
• READY

Yesterday Quordle threw up MUNCH to make life more difficult and today we had BUNCH.

I employed exactly the same trick to narrow down the HUNCH/BUNCH/MUNCH options (PUNCH and LUNCH were already ruled out), playing HIMBO in order to identify the B.

So it was a case of deja vu, but it worked so I'm not complaining.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Daily Sequence today (game #1204) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1204, are…

• EXTRA
• VITAL
• TAPER
• FLING

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1203, Sunday, 11 May: QUASH, MUNCH, ALTER, UNDUE
• Quordle #1202, Saturday, 10 May: RELIC, BADGE, CHAMP, SATIN
• Quordle #1201, Friday, 9 May: MINUS, CRIME, NOSEY, SLAIN
• Quordle #1200, Thursday, 8 May: ELUDE, GREET, POPPY, ELITE
• Quordle #1199, Wednesday, 7 May: QUOTH, TRUNK, BESET, NAIVE
• Quordle #1198, Tuesday, 6 May: UNITE, SOGGY, FILET, PORCH
• Quordle #1197, Monday, 5 May: WREAK, COWER, STEAD, QUEUE
• Quordle #1196, Sunday, 4 May: PINCH, SMOKE, SCARY, CANNY
• Quordle #1195, Saturday, 3 May: PLUSH, VERGE, WROTE, CONDO
• Quordle #1194, Friday, 2 May: CAUSE, RISEN, MACAW, SMELT
• Quordle #1193, Thursday, 1 May: IDIOM, EXILE, SPOOF, DRAPE
• Quordle #1192, Wednesday, 30 April: BATON, TORSO, ANNEX, DROWN
• Quordle #1191, Tuesday, 29 April: HOVER, HENCE, OCTAL, COPSE
• Quordle #1190, Monday, 28 April: JAUNT, ALLOW, FRUIT, BURNT
• Quordle #1189, Sunday, 27 April: PRIOR, YOUTH, CREDO, CHIDE
• Quordle #1188, Saturday, 26 April: LINGO, LOCUS, THROW, CLICK
• Quordle #1187, Friday, 25 April: SHALT, WRATH, MAMBO, HUMPH
• Quordle #1186, Thursday, 24 April: CHOKE, COLOR, FRAME, CAIRN
• Quordle #1185, Wednesday, 23 April: VALET, PUPAL, CREEP, DRIFT
• Quordle #1184, Tuesday, 22 April: POUTY, CHEST, BROOM, TEPEE

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Sunday, May 11 (game #700).

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #701) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• VISIT
• BANK
• WALLET
• HIT
• SMACK
• ATM
• CASH REGISTER
• BOUNCE
• CLICK
• TIP JAR
• PURSE
• CAROM
• CURL
• PAGE VIEW
• RICOCHET
• PUCKER

NYT Connections today (game #701) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: Cash holders
• GREEN: Coming back again
• BLUE: Users is another
• PURPLE: Kiss chase!

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #701) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: PLACES TO FIND PAPER MONEY
• GREEN: REBOUND
• BLUE: THINGS TRACKED BY WEB ANALYTICS
• PURPLE: THINGS YOU CAN DO WITH YOUR LIPS

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #701) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #701, are…

• PURPLE: THINGS YOU CAN DO WITH YOUR LIPS CURL, PUCKER, PURSE, SMACK
• BLUE: THINGS TRACKED BY WEB ANALYTICS CLICK, HIT, PAGE VIEW, VISIT
• GREEN: REBOUND BANK, BOUNCE, CAROM, RICOCHET
• YELLOW: PLACES TO FIND PAPER MONEY ATM, CASH REGISTER, TIP JAR, WALLET

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 2 mistakes

I solved today's NYT Connections in the hallowed 'reverse rainbow' order, but it was tough going.

Those dastardly puzzle setters at the NYT threw in plenty of red herrings, with PLACES TO FIND PAPER MONEY a particular problem. It all looked so easy early on – I spotted ATM, CASH REGISTER, TIP JAR and WALLET right away. But I also had PURSE and BANK, and couldn't decide which four of those six went together.

My idea was that they would be 'places you can keep money' – meaning BANK would be in there, but not TIP JAR or ATM – or 'places you can get money from', which would mean including BANK and PURSE, but not TIP JAR or CASH REGISTER (unless you are a store assistant, of course).

After two mistakes on that yellow group I moved on, and solved the more difficult purple, blue and green groups, meaning I got the supposedly easiest one last by default. Maybe my brain was just working backwards today.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Sunday, May 11, game #700)

• YELLOW: MAKE HAPPY DELIGHT, PLEASE, SUIT, TICKLE
• GREEN: EVADE DODGE, DUCK, SHAKE, SKIRT
• BLUE: COMMON VIDEO GAME FEATURES BOSS, HEALTH, LEVEL, POWER-UP
• PURPLE: MOTHER ___ EARTH, GOOSE, MAY I, SUPERIOR

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Sunday, May 11 (game #434).

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #435) - hint #1 - today's theme What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… A little respect

NYT Strands today (game #435) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• TRUE
• MAST
• POINT
• POUT
• STAND
• TREE

NYT Strands today (game #435) - hint #3 - spangram letters How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 10 letters

NYT Strands today (game #435) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: right, 1st row

Last side: left, 5th row

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #435) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #435, are…

• STANDING
• CHARACTER
• REPUTATION
• STATURE
• NAME
• SPANGRAM: STREET CRED

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

I've never had STREET CRED, which is probably why it took me a little while to solve today's Strands puzzle. Not that it was super tough – the fact that there were only five answers to find, plus the Spangram, made it relatively straightforward once I got going.

The problem was that it took me ages to find the first word. When I did, identifying STANDING by chance, that gave me the hint that I needed and after that it was just a question of trial and error.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Sunday, May 11, game #434)

• FLOWERS
• BREAKFAST
• PARTY
• HUGS
• CARDS
• DRAWINGS
• SPANGRAM: MOTHERS DAY

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

Brompton Electric G Line: One minute review

Brompton is only one year away from celebrating 50 years of its inception. That is a whole lot of bike development experience, but Brompton’s entry into the electric bike market happened a lot more recently, in 2018. Despite that, they’re already making some of the best electric bikes around and certainly some of the best folding e-bikes on the market.

The Brompton formula has remained largely unchanged despite the release of electric versions of the C Line and P Line, but the all-new G Line is a radical departure. The frame shape and classic 3-point folding mechanism that the company is known for remain the same, but it boasts chunkier tyres and wider handlebars for rougher paths.

Having used it as my main commuter bike for over two months, I’m still torn as to how I feel about it. On the one hand, the engineering and quality to deliver a great riding experience are there, but I just don’t know what to make of the off-road enhancements. While it’ll handle gravel, cobbles, and single tracks better than other Bromptons, is anyone really going to be riding this on proper dirt tracks and difficult terrain?

I suppose only time will be able to answer that question, but from my point of view, it’s definitely the most comfortable and reliable Brompton e-bike I’ve ever used. The wider handlebars make for more predictable handling, while chunkier tyres make light work of potholes and uneven roads. I won’t be taking it off-roading, but I certainly wouldn’t trade it in for a C or P Line.

Brompton Electric G Line: Price and availability

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• $3,300 USD / £3,499 UK / $7,250 AUD
• Expensive for a folding bike
• Premium build quality for the price

The cost of the Brompton Electric G-Line puts it firmly between the price points of the C Line at the lower end and the P Line at the higher end. The price is hard to stomach, but for the money, you are guaranteed excellent-grade materials and superb build quality. Put simply, they are built to last and well worth the money.

• Value score: 3.5/5

Brompton Electric G Line: Design

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• Chunky tires
• Wide handlebars
• Four-speed setup

Brompton's iconic three-point fold continues to function well despite the larger wheels, increased tire size, and widened handlebars. As a result, it can be packed into the back of a car or popped on a train, albeit not as easily as the smaller Brompton models. You also get an adjustable seat height and a long handlebar stem, and there's a 250W motor that drives the e-bike forward. In many ways, the G Line is like every other Brompton.

But also, in many ways, it's very different. Most noticeable of all are the 20-inch wheels. They're not too big to affect the smooth folding mechanism, but they are large enough to stand out. The chunky Schwalbe G-One All Round 54-406s not only look fantastic thanks to a tan wall finish but are also puncture-resistant. I haven’t had a puncture in over 600 miles and don’t expect to have one anytime soon.

Then there are the wide handlebars that have been custom-designed for the G Line. Alongside the tires, this might just be my favorite thing about the e-bike. Having ridden a number of Brompton bikes, I can honestly say that the G Line is by far the most stable, due in part to the widened handlebars.

The G-Line is also equipped with hydraulic disc brakes, a first for Brompton. In my opinion, the decision to go hydraulic is long overdue. I found the brakes to be reliable in all weathers and had no need to carry out any adjustments or maintenance on them. Whether Brompton will go down that route for future product releases, only time will tell.

Finally, the G-Line is a four-speed setup, which historically has been the go-to number for Brompton. Having taken the bike across a variety of terrains, including up some pretty serious hills, I would have preferred a few extra gears. Two at either end would be ideal, taking the total up to eight. As with Brompton’s other ranges, I imagine it will introduce a model with more gears at a later date.

• Design Score: 4/5

Brompton Electric G Line: Performance

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• Certainly not a replacement for a dedicated gravel bike
• Larger size and extra weight affect portability
• Greater stability on predictable surfaces

I've thought long and hard about how to assess the performance of this new Brompton e-bike. I've flip-flopped between treating it as any other folding e-bike and assessing it on its off-road merits, and I'm not sure I've really landed yet. This indecision is probably largely due to the fact that in attempting to create a gravel bike, of sorts, they've actually compromised some of its portable qualities.

Let me be clear. This is no replacement for a dedicated gravel bike. At a push, you might utilize it as a commuter bike from Monday to Friday and on some minimally demanding wooded routes on the weekend. But that's as far as the G-Line will take you.

The off-road limitations center around the lack of stability, especially when riding out of the saddle. The wider handlebars and larger tires help out a little bit, but nowhere near enough to really push the bike to the limit. I also didn't trust it enough to deliver under more extreme conditions, such as through thicker mud. As I've said, simple trails with limited obstacles are fine, but serious off-road enthusiasts will be left wanting.

Everything was much rosier on my daily commutes. In fact, it was actually the highest-performing Brompton e-bike that I've ever ridden. I loved the stable handling and confidence to go up and down kerbs. The additional weight provided a feeling of security, although it's definitely less nippy than the C-Line or P-Line models.

But at the end of any commute comes the need to fold it up and transport it into either the office, onto a train, or into the back of the car. This is where I had a few problems. At over 16 kg, it’s significantly heavier than other Bromptons. I’m fairly fit and healthy, but I still had to be careful how I was lifting it. The folded size is also a lot less compact, so if you’re hoping to store it in tight spaces, then I’d recommend checking the dimensions.

Overall, I enjoyed my time with the G-Line, but only while I stayed away from gravel tracks. Buy it if you want a more stable Brompton ride and are prepared to handle the extra weight.

• Performance score: 3.5/5

Brompton Electric G Line: Battery life

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• 20-40 miles per full battery
• Four-hour recharge
• Battery makes weight front-loaded

The range of this e-bike is very similar to all the other Bromptons I've tested. This is no surprise given the similar battery capacity. If we're going to drill down into the number, then in reality, the G Line actually fares slightly worse, probably due to the extra tire friction. As a result, I only ever managed to achieve a maximum of 40 miles per charge, with 20 miles being more common. I do love full pedal assist, after all.

This range might be too limiting for some, but if you know you'll regularly be in reach of a charger, then it won't cause too much of a problem. With a daily commute of 14 miles, I found myself having to recharge the battery most days. An empty-to-full recharge takes around four hours and is ideal for a daytime recharge between the two legs of a commute.

The battery sits at the front of the e-bike, which helps balance the steering a little, but is far from ideal when considering the overall balance. This is especially the case if you try lifting the bike.

On a previous Brompton e-bike, I did experience battery cutouts when going over big bumps, but I had no such problem with this G Line. I was glad of this, especially given that the bike is designed for off-roading. The battery is quick and easy to remove and install, although I'd still like a secure solution for locking the battery into place.

• Battery life score: 3.5/5

Brompton Electric G Line: Scorecard Buy it if...

You want a foldable off-road e-bike

With chunkier tires and more stability, the Brompton G Line is a great option.

You need an all-purpose solution

The G-Line is able to bridge the gap between city riding and off-roading. Despite not being the best on dirt tracks, it is one of the best all-rounders I’ve seen.

Don't buy it if...

You’re on a budget

The G Line Brompton is far from cheap and to be avoided if you want something more affordable.

You’re a Brompton purist

With chunkier tires and wider handlebars, the Electric G Line is definitely a deviation away from the original Brompton.

Also consider

(Image credit: Future)

ENGWE MapFour N1 Air

The lightest 100 km range carbon e-bike around. A perfect e-bike solution for commuters. Read our full review.

Tenways CGO600 Pro

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How I tested the Brompton Electric G Line

Having tested a number of 'standard' Brompton e-bikes, I was pumped to get my hands on the first of this new line of bikes. Having unpacked and unfolded it, I made the e-bike my main form of transport for well over a month. Living in the countryside provided ample opportunity to take it off-road, while my daily commute enabled me to test it in more predictable environments. As part of the review, I clocked up several hundred miles.

First reviewed: May 2025