Roborock S5 (S50) Review and Test

When Xiaomi presented the world with its first robotic vacuum, many people (including me) were skeptical about how it would perform.

Well to make the long story short, the Xiaomi . first generation Excess expectations.

And I’d say it was more successful than exaggerating Dyson 360 Eye In terms of reviews and sales.

This will cost the second generation of Xiaomi (they call it Roborock S50) Over $450 Depending on the type of plug. This is a few hundred dollars more expensive. Is it worth the premium?

If you want this robot now is a good time to buy but don’t forget to watch my video review if you are going to take a look at what this robot is all about.

Let’s take a closer look at the features and improvements that this product has over the previous generation of Xiaomi.

Features of Xiaomi Roborock S5 (S50)

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Positives

Negatives

What do you expect from Xiaomi Roborock S5?

Watch this video to get a glimpse of what this product is all about.

If you haven’t read my review of the first generation of Xiaomi, please Read it here.

At first, before upgrading the firmware and app, I was disappointed with how it performed in my first clean test. I mentioned at the time that it was “very effective” in the sense that it lacked subtlety.

But after the firmware upgrade, everything changed. Cleaning performance has more than doubled due to accuracy.

Expect somewhat the same performance because this product uses the same motorized brush and a single-sided brush but with a slightly more force.

top view

From the top, you will immediately notice the difference between the first and second generations of Xiaomi. While the buttons to get the first bot are located at the bottom of the interface, the latest generation is at the top right before the LDS sensor.

You will only be able to schedule cleaning on the bot with a smartphone app other than Neato BotVac.

This feature can be a bad thing or nothing depending on your preference.

View from the bottom

Turn the robot over, and you will see the same design as the previous generation of Xiaomi. It is a single-sided brush that will help clean the dirt from the edges and corners and sweep it towards the center.

But there is another function that Xiaomi has added to this new device which I will discuss below.

What are the improvements with Xiaomi Roborock S5?

Cleansing

The most significant update, in my opinion, will be the addition of the mop. Some people went As much as double-sided use Adhesive tape for attaching a microfiber towel to the bottom of the robot.

With this new product, you don’t need to face all those troubles because it comes with a mop.

And it will give you the ability to mop or dry mop with a vacuum cleaner.

Yes, it is this versatility that makes it similar to products like Jesui I3And ILIFE V5 Pro or the Liectroux B6009.

Xiaomi says it uses an “intelligent waterproofing” system where only water flows in so you don’t have a big messy puddle.

I haven’t tested this product, so I don’t know how well it works. But I will update this article as soon as I get my hands on the unit testing.

But to give you a glimpse of how to comb it, please watch this video.

The Xiaomi Roborock sweeps the same way a broom sweeps – with a predictable back-and-forth pattern. Note that it will vacuum and mop at the same time. There is no feature in the app that tells the robot to shut down the engine.

More powerful engine

The first generation of Xiaomi was already a beast in terms of power with a suction capacity of 1800Pa. This second generation robot adds 200 Pascals to the equation.

Does this make a difference to your daily cleaning tasks?

Well, maybe not, but it’s a step in the right direction. And having more strength is something you want if you have a lot of carpet in the house.

Application optimization

I mentioned earlier that you can use a file Smartphone app to control this robot independently Even when you are not physically in the same location.

It also gives you the ability to schedule this multiple times a day, something you can’t do with Neato BotVac or Roomba 980.

Another feature found in the new Xiaomi is that it allows you to clean a specific part of your home without having to physically block it or use a virtual wall (something that iRobot uses).

It’s a huge improvement in my opinion because it gives you more control and options.

The more options you have, the better.

cleaning areas

One improvement I like is the Zone Cleanup feature where you can ask the robot to clean a specific part of your house. There is no need to apply any physical barrier or any magnetic strips of tape.

All you have to do is draw the area on the app and then the robot will do the rest. You will circle the area twice and then return to the charging station.

Update (April 3, 2019): iRobot has a better version of this with Roomba I7. Instead of having to manually map the area you want the robot to clean, it has this feature they call continuous mapping that saves the maps it draws in previous cleaning cycles. Once the data is in place, you can assign names to each room and tell the bot to clean that area through the app or Alexa.

Washable HEPA filter

Another significant improvement is the washable HEPA filter. You no longer have to replace it once it’s dirty, just run it over water, let it dry, and you’re good to go.

But here’s the problem, you can only wash it once a week.

Unfortunately, you still have to replace the filter but not as much as the old Xiaomi. It will reduce costs because you will buy filters later.

Larger dust capacity

The dustbin is also a bit larger at around 0.50 liters which is 0.08 liters larger than the first generation of Xiaomi.

Not a huge improvement but at least it has a little more storage space. Compared to the Roomba 980 which has a 700ml dustbin, the Xiaomi bin pales in comparison.

So you will have to dump this a lot compared to Roomba.

5,200 mAh battery

Xiaomi has perhaps the largest capacity lithium-ion battery in the industry.

Having that much capacity increases weight but who cares? It’s a standalone cleaning robot that does the job for you.

Unlike the Dyson 360 Eye which only works for 45 minutes, this robot will run for 2.5 hours! think about it; The Dyson will cost about a thousand dollars while this will cost 600 dollars at most.

Now this is value for money!

laser distance sensor

Like the first generation of Xiaomi, this one also uses a laser distance sensor to draw the shape of the room.

It is the same technology found in the first generation of Xiaomi. But they did something extraordinary. The engineers moved the sensor toward the middle of the robot rather than leaving it near the back.

Not sure why they do this, it could be due to clearance issues so there is less risk of the raised lid rubbing against a drooping cabinet. Or it’s just cosmetic to make room for the instrument cluster in the back.

SLAM . algorithm

Inside the robot there are three processors that help the robot process all the information collected by the LDS sensor to chart the most efficient path.

Simply put, it divides rooms into subsections when they are being cleaned.

Again you will see this in the videos I will be posting so please bookmark this page or subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch this video when I post about it.

At the heart of all this is the Synchronous Localization and Mapping (or SLAM) algorithm that leads the robot around different areas within your home. It’s the same technology you’ll see in a Google driving car known as Waymo.

cleaning performance

even with The slight power bump doesn’t expect a huge improvement in cleaning performance. This robot will have the same performance as the first generation of Xiaomi.

Check out these before and after photos…

He did an excellent job cleaning the middle parts of the room. I picked up every bit of dirt I scattered on the floor. But she had a somewhat difficult time cleaning the edges near the sides of the door. The side brush had a hard time getting to the edge and corners.

Cleansing

The scanning feature will be one of the most important upgrades in Roborock.

It comes with a backing that can hold up to 60ml of water and two microfiber pads.

However, don’t expect this feature to replace your traditional mop. Wipe the same way you wipe brooms – in a straight back and forth pattern.

Things I like:

• You don’t need to flip the robot over to attach the mop bracket – move it around until you hear a “click”.
• The mop is easy to install and remove
• Comes with an extra pad so you can still use one mop while the other is in the washing machine

Things I don’t like:

• You can’t extinguish the void
• It has the same vacuuming pattern – I was hoping it would have a separate mopping function

If you are doing a small room fill the tank halfway or else you will leave streaks.

Where can I buy this robot?

You can buy this robot from Amazon. Buying this from Amazon could mean free 2-day shipping if you join Prime. Yes, it will be More expensive But if you want it fast then buy there.

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judgment

So the big question is is this $600 robot worth it? It depends on your preference, the size of your home, and whether you can afford to buy one.

This robot is best suited to medium to large sized homes thanks to its 2.5 hour range and efficient cleaning pattern.

You don’t have to worry about it getting lost as it is rarely lost thanks to all the smart tools installed.

It also has the best smartphone app in the field (in my opinion) because of all the options it gives you.

It’s the only app I’ve seen (aside from file Dyson 360 Eye) He can schedule more than once a day. So you can schedule this morning, noon and evening if you so choose.

The new app that you can use with the second generation of Xiaomi allows you to program it to clean a specific area of ​​your home.

However, not like Roomba I7 which allows you to clean a specific room – you will have to define that rectangular area with its dedicated cleaning feature.

And the best part is that you don’t need to physically block it with magnetic tape.

It’s the technology you’ll have that makes this a great budget option (if $600 is considered cheap) to Roomba 980.

You will get a robot that works for 2.5 hours and cleans every room in your house efficiently.

If you live in a mansion, it will clean by itself after recharging if it can’t cover the entire area in one charge.