Roborock S5 Max robot vacuum review - Sucking and mopping up the competition - Android

A house can’t be considered truly neat without clean floors, but we don’t always have the time or energy to keep our carpets and tile their best. Kids, pets, and nature turn managing your floors into a never-ending task. This is why 93% of robot vacuum owners would recommend the products to others.

A 2018 survey from the American Cleaning Institute states 80% of people clean their floors on a regular basis, and consider it an essential part of tidying up. Floor-cleaning chores take up so much of our time, it’s no wonder the robot vacuum market is growing at such a fast pace. Robots make up for 20% of the vacuum cleaner market (as of July 2018), and this number is expected to grow by 11.2% annually until 2026.

Kids, pets, and nature turn managing your floor into a never-ending task. This is why 93% of robot vacuum owners would recommend the products.

Edgar Cervantes

Having the Roborock S5 Max at home found me joining the ranks of robot-lovers, but there is more to it than lounging on the couch and letting the robot do all the work. Like any other product, the S5 Max has pros, cons, and plenty of competition. Rivalry is particularly important for the Roborock S5 Max, considering its hard-to-afford $599 price point.

Android Authority’s goal was to find out if this is the robot worth your hard-earned cash or not, so read our Roborock S5 Max review on to find out.

Also read: Robot vacuum cleaners — what are they and which should you buy?

What is the Roborock S5 Max?

The Roborock's primary selling point is that it works as both a vacuum and a mop.

Edgar Cervantes

The Roborock S5 Max is the latest floor-cleaning robot by Roborock. The Chinese company specializes in making these electronic sweepers and is known for collaborating with Xiaomi, which is why there is an obvious similarity between Xiaomi’s robovacs and Roborock-branded products.

The Roborock’s primary selling point is that it works as both a vacuum and a mop. It takes on both tasks simultaneously, making for a deeper and fuller cleaning.

Roborock S5 Max specs: 

Roborock S5 Max vs Roborock S6

Roborock may have sown some confusion into its product mix thanks to its naming convention, so we thought a good explanation was due. The Roborock S5 Max succeeds the Roborock S6, even though the latter would appear to be a superior product in name only. The S5 Max is the latest and greatest machine, though not by much.

The S5 Max surpasses the S6 in a few ways. It has a larger 290ml water tank, which is more than twice as large as the 140ml tank in the S6. Further, it manages water more intelligently thanks to the app, as opposed to the physical controls for the S6’s tank. This means you can specify different water usage terms for select rooms or surfaces, and manipulate the flow on-the-go. Another advantage of the Roborock S6 is that it is slightly quieter thanks to its air screen.

Dust bin capacity is slightly smaller with the Roborock S5 Max, but only by 20ml (460ml vs 480ml). Pretty much all other features are the same across both vacs — even the design is amazingly similar.

Also read: Roborock S4 review

How to set up the Roborock S5 Max

The Roborock S5 Max is very simple to set up. All steps are given to you in the app, but we will give you the general rundown to give you a better idea of how the process works.

Getting the robot ready to clean takes a few steps. After installing the dock and anti-moisture layer using the included adhesive tape, simply fill up the water tank and install the mopping module. Once you’ve got it pieced together, download the Mi Home app from the Google Play Store.

Open the application and log in your Xiaomi account, or create one if you don’t have one. Pressing the home and power buttons simultaneously on the Roborock S5 Max will reset the Wi-Fi. Then  it’s a matter of adding your device, which takes a few steps. I would say I had the Roborock S5 Max ready to clean in less than 10 minutes after unboxing it.

How to use the Roborock S5 Max

Using the Roborock S5 Max is also a simple process, as it does most of the work on its own, but the machine has a few features you can use to dial in specific cleaning preferences. We will get into all of the main ones in this section.

Getting the Roborock S5 Max to clean

The application makes is pretty straight-forward and much of the work is done by the Roborock S5 Max’s intelligent system. Simply select the Roborock S5 Max, tap the button with the three squares and a “+” sign, and select your cleaning mode and water level. Once this is done, select Clean. The robot will begin scanning and cleaning the area.

The first run through of my 110-square-meter apartment took 147 minutes. Times get shorter as the system learns the ins and outs of your home.

Once done cleaning, the app will show a map of the area the robot cleaned. You can tap on the three-dot menu button and go to settings. Toggle the Map saved mode to have the Roborock S5 Max remember the house. The system is smart enough to analyze the map and find improved routes in future sessions.

Cleaning by zones

Now that the map is saved you can