Roborock S5 MAX Robot Vacuum and Mop Cleaner – Review and Test

The Roborock S5 Max is getting popular and one of the most acclaimed vacuum robots within a very short time. We wanted to review in detail and test it for you.

Roborock S5 Max is doing most of the thinks everything right. The great features such as good hardware, excellent suction performance, and efficient navigation of the previous model (Roborock S6) are completely kept. Furthermore, the manufacturer Roborock has noticed the few weak points of the predecessor and improved them in a targeted manner.
Is the Roborock S5 Max as good as its reputation? Or is it the best vacuum robot currently on the market? You can find out in our detailed review whether the purchase of the Roborock S5 Max is worthwhile.

Suction Test

It is not exactly an insignificant characteristic of every vacuum cleaner: Suction power.

Suction test on the hard floor

Roborock S5 Max achieved very good results in our test on hard floors such as laminate. Even the sand on the hard floor caused no major problems for the vacuum cleaner. With the other two slightly lighter types of dirt (cereal and rice), the Roborock S5 Max has confirmed its dazzling suction power. Cereal can be found in the corners that the robotic vacuum cleaner could not reach due to its round shape.

Suction test on the carpet

Carpet cleaning tends to be one of the more difficult tasks of any robot vacuum cleaner. In particular, fine dust (e.g. sand) sinks quickly into the carpet and it is difficult for the robot vacuum cleaner to clear out.

The Roborock vacuum robot S5 Max makes a very good job when it comes to carpet cleaning. The crucial factor here is the reliable Carpet boost function. This ensures that the robotic vacuum cleaner immediately sets the suction power to the Max level when driving on a carpet. The maximum suction power of 2000Pa is also necessary to achieve good cleaning results on this challenging surface.

The Roborock S5 Max also does very well on the low pile carpet. The Roborock S5 Max vacuum robot does its job reliably whether sand, cereal, or rice on a hard floor and low pile carpet. So if you have laid short-pile carpets in your apartment, you will be very satisfied with the performance of your new helper. 

In particular, we would not have believed the little all-rounder to achieve great results on the sand. Because the sand quickly settles in the carpet fibers and is very difficult for the vacuum robot to get out again. With the result achieved, the Roborock S5 Max is among the best vacuum robots in this category.

The suction result along the baseboards and in corners

Due to its precise and good navigation, the Roborock S5 Max moves very close to the bars. The side brush extracts the dirt and conveys it towards the suction opening. Like all other Roborock models, the Roborock S5 Max also has a round shape. Therefore, the vacuum cleaner can not 100% get into every corner, purely physically so little dirt might stay in a very corner. Since the little helper vacuums your apartment much more often, significantly less dirt collects in the corners.

Roborock S5 Max for hair (Animal hair/long human hair)

Since the suction power is very good, hairs as a “type of dirt” do not create any major problems for the small robot vacuum cleaner.

Animal hair (dog hair, cat hair, etc.), as well as long human hairs, are quickly and reliably detected.

Hairs can wrap around the side brush and the main brush but there is a cleaning tool under the hood of the Roborock S5 Max. This makes it easy to remove the hair. Also, the main brush can be easily disassembled to remove the remaining hair from the brush without much effort.

Roborock S5 Max in the mopping test

The Roborock S5 Max is a hybrid model. The little household helper can vacuum and mop your apartment at the same time. This type of device is currently widespread and enjoying great popularity. The suction power of the Roborock S6 (predecessor of the S5 Max) was almost perfect. So the manufacturer had to look for another area to optimize.

Roborock S5 Max brings some significant improvements and extensions with it:

• 290ml electric water tank instead of 140 ml
• App-controlled water flow.

But do these functions also result in a better mopping result?

The mopping plate including the pad is simply plugged into the back of the vacuum robot. The Roborock S5 Max now also has an electric water tank installed for the first time. You can control the amount of water individually via the app. You can choose the right water flow for any floor type, low-flow on stone, to high-flow for grimy kitchens.

According to the manufacturer, enough to clean a 65sqm (700sqft) apartment more than 3-times or a 200sqm (2600sqft) home in one go. When the work is done, your Roborock S5 Max quickly makes its way to the charging station. When it’s done, it shuts the water off allowing the mop to start drying as it returns to the dock and the robot does not have to wait so long at the charging station with a wet mop. The charging station is also delivered with a plastic plate and the plate is not of that high quality.

Despite a large number of improvements, the focus with Roborock S5 Max is clearly on the excellent suction power. This does not replace real wet wiping by hand. The weight of the vacuum robot is simply too low for that. We found the wiping function of the Roborock S5 Max satisfying. The wiping performance ensures the last bit of cleanliness and freshness in every room.

Roborock S5 Max Noise

The following 4 settings are available, whereby the Roborock S5 Max noise increases in 5 dB steps per level.

• Quiet: 50 dB
• Balance: 55 dB
• Turbo: 60 dB
• Max: 65 dB

Compared to other models, the Roborock S5 Max is very quiet. Most of the time, the robotic vacuum cleaner does its work on the “balanced” level. You can still watch the TV in the same room, but you would have to turn the volume up a little. Normally robot vacuum cleaners do the work when you are not at home but if you have to work during a lockdown, you can let it run with the suction power setting “Quiet”.

Roborock S5 Max can create and save a map

Roborock cannot navigate without knowing your apartment. Therefore, it creates a map of your apartment in the first step. The first time you use it, it goes about mapping the house as it cleans, and remembers the map.

And the Roborock S5 Max is full of curiosity on the way to explore your apartment and create a map of it. Please also open all doors so that the little household helper can easily reach every room.

By the way, you can follow live in the app how the map of your apartment is created step by step. The Roborock S5 Max does a very precise job: Furnishings such as the dining table (or the dining table legs) or doors are also noted as objects on the map. Furthermore, the Roborock S5 Max has a real-time mapping feature so it learns with every cleaning run. The robotic vacuum cleaner automatically detects when the environment changes and updates the map accordingly.

The Roborock S5 Max can create and save multiple maps for multiple floors. More precisely, you can now save 4 maps. The saved maps can be edited as desired and the cleaning of your apartment can be perfectly planned and customized. Since the Roborock S5 Max cannot climb stairs, you still have to use your muscles to carry it to other floors. Then you simply select the second map and start the cleaning run. After the cleaning is finished, the little household helper drives back to the place where you left him on the second floor.

Roborock S5 Max has excellent laser navigation

The quality of the navigation is excellent again with the Roborock S5 Max model. Roborock relies on the tried and tested laser navigation (LDS technology) for the S5 Max, as is the case with the entire S series. LDS navigation technology is currently the best and most efficient navigation method for vacuum robots.

The small navigation tower is located on the top of the Roborock S5 Max and uses the rotating laser to measure the room in real-time. The robot hoover proceeds in an extremely structured way. After cleaning has started, Roborock S5 Max initially moves along the walls of the room. Thereby it checks the already saved map and orientates itself.

The interior is then systematically cleaned in typical zigzag.

Obstacle detection

Thanks to the LDS-based navigation technology, the majority of all obstacles are recognized and approximately drawn on the map. Therefore, Roborock S5 Max handles your furnishings very carefully. The bumper is only used gently so you don’t have to worry about damaging your furniture.

Flat obstacles present almost every vacuum robot with greater challenges. We therefore always advise you to tidy up the apartment before cleaning. Socks, charging cables, and shoes should be put away before the robot vacuum cleaner starts.

If it is stuck somewhere it pushes a notification on your mobile phone that “The brush is blocked”.

Overcoming obstacles and recognizing abysses

In our tests, Roborock S5 Max overcame a maximum height of 0.80 inches (2 cm) with hard 90 degree edges. With this result, any threshold – even in older apartments in old buildings – should not be a problem for the robotic vacuum cleaner. Of course, Robororock S5 Max can exceed greater heights with rounded edges.

Roborock S5 Max battery: Runtime and charging time

The Roborock S5 Max is equipped with a powerful 5200mAh battery. According to the manufacturer’s information, this should allow up to 3 hours of non-stop cleaning. As soon as the battery capacity is nearing the end (approx. 20%), the Roborock S5 Max automatically takes the direct route back to the charging station. A full charge of the battery takes about 5 hours. When the power of the little household helper is back at approx. 90%, it continues the cleaning process where he left off (recharge and resume function).

Mobile app

Two apps are available to you with your Roborock S5 Max: The Roborock app and the Xiaomi Home app, both available for Android and IOS. Both apps are identical in terms of functionality and do not differ significantly in terms of design.

The manufacturer wants to have more flexibility with its Roborock app. However, if you are using other Xiaomi devices, we recommend the Xiaomi Home app.

Definition of no-go zones or no-mop zones:

A function that we use very often is the definition of virtual no-go zones and no-mop zones. You can define square restricted zones or set very individual restricted zones by “meaningfully lining up” virtual walls. It is possible to define the suction level and the water intensity per room

You can use the app to control the suction power, but above all the water flow for the wiping function, and to set it individually for each room. This allows you to set a highly individual cleaning process for every room.

Roborock S5 Max voice control with Alexa

The Roborock S5 Max is compatible with the Alexa and Google Home Assistant. However, voice control can currently only be used with the Roborock app. You have to activate the “Roborock Plus” skill on the Amazon website to connect the Roborock S5 Max with Alexa.

So far, however, the voice control has been limited to a few command scenarios such as “Start”, “Stop”, “Pause”, “Continue”, “Back to the charging station” and “Change mode”.

Design and dimensions

The Roborock S5 Max looks very similar to its predecessor. The same round shape, same dimensions, and with black and white choices. The weight of the robot is 13.07 lbs (3.5 kg). Since the robotic vacuum cleaner has a laser navigation tower, we advise you to measure carefully in your apartment.

We think it’s very good that the robotic vacuum cleaner is available in two colors. We prefer the Roborock S5 Max in white. Because as good and classy as the black model looks, it also gets dusty quickly.

As usual for the Roborock, the robot vacuum cleaner is built to a very high quality. Among other things, sensors from Bosch and rollers from the German manufacturer Covestro are used. The quality of the Chinese manufacturer is in no way inferior to the competition from the USA or Europe.

Roborock S5 Max accessories and spare parts

All in all, the Roborock S5 Max arrives safely in well-thought-out packaging. The following accessories and spare parts are included in the scope of delivery : 

• The robot hoover itself
• Side brush
• Main brush
• Charging station
• A clear plastic plate for the charging station
• Water tank (290 ml)
• Mopping plate for attaching to the water tank.
• A washable mop
• A HEPA filter
• A comprehensive instruction manual
• A quick start guide for setting up the app

If you look for any Roborock S5 Max spare parts such as additional side brushes or another HEPA filter: Roborock wanted to make savings here. The Roborock S5 Max spare parts and any accessories can be easily purchased online. It should also be mentioned here that the filter, main brush, and side brush of the Roborock S50 and S6 can also be used as spare parts for the Roborock S5 Max.

Conclusion

The Roborock S5 Max does its job great. The manufacturer noticed the weak points of the predecessor and improved them in a targeted manner. The mopping performance should be mentioned in particular at this point.

So if you don’t have a vacuum robot at home yet, the Roborock S5 Max is an absolute purchase recommendation according to our experience. You will hardly find a better model on the market right now.