Roborock S5 vs S6 difference and review – do they mop?

Which robot vacuum is rated high by customer – Roborock S5 vs S6 difference and review? The Roborock S5 is a slightly stripped down version of the S6 and S5 Max, while still maintaining all of the essential features. In our tests, the S5 scored the same as the S5 Max, a 91% overall. The S5 was slightly better on low pile carpet and slightly worse on high pile, compared to the S5 Max. The Roborock S5 has a less advanced navigation and doesn’t have room by room cleaning. In addition, it’s slightly louder than the S6 and S5 Max. However, beyond that it’s similar to Roborock’s other flagship models. It has the same run time, suction, dust bin, battery, and square foot coverage as the Roborock S6.

Which one has better cleaning performance – Roborock S5 vs S6 difference? The Roborock S6 is the most advanced robot Roborock makes. In our tests, cleaning performance was pretty good at an 89%, but it did seem to struggle more than we would have expected on carpets. Compared to other Roborock models, it has more advanced navigational features and specific room cleaning. It also has the ability to mop, runs for 150 minutes, and is only 67 dB loud (in balanced mode).

What are the key features?

Before we dive into Roborock S5 vs S6 comparison, let us look at what features they have in common. You will find that both Roborock S5 and S6 are more similar than different (Roborock S5 vs S6 review).

• Appearance: Both Roborock S5 and S6 look very similar and are also available in the same colors – white, black, and rose gold.
• Navigation: Both use LDS laser navigation, which can map floors even when it is dark.
• App Control: Both are controlled through Xiaomi’s Mi Home app.
• Zone Cleaning: Both allow cleaning specific zones that you can define on the smartphone.Roborock S6 On-Demand Zone Cleaning
• Battery: Both have 5,200 mAH battery.
• Dust Bin: Both have 480 ml dust bin.
• Virtual Walls: Both allow virtual walls and “no-go” zones. No need for barrier tapes.
• Suction: Both have the same level of suction 2,000 Pa.
• Mopping: Both can mop the floor (water only) with the included mopping accessory.
• Modes: Both have 4 different suction levels: quiet, balanced (default), turbo, and max. In addition, they can auto-detect carpets and increase the suction.Roborock S6 Suction Modes

The mopping feature at this price point makes Roborock S5 and S6 very unique compared to their competitors. In my experience, mopping is good but not great. It is not a replacement for regular mopping or steam mopping (Roborock S5 vs S6 review).

Compare ROBOROCK S5 VS S6

Roborock S5 was one of the most successful vacuums. But there is a reason they released Roborock S6. Here are the key differences:

Processor: Roborock S6 has an upgraded quad-core process that allows faster calculations and better algorithms that results in about 20% faster cleaning compared to the S5. Therefore, the same battery lasts longer on Roborock S6 vs S5.Roborock S6 Cleaning Path. The S6 cleaned about 105 m² of area in 123 min with 30% battery still remaining.

Room Support: Zone cleaning is supported on both Roborock S5 and S6. But the S6 can detect rooms automatically. In addition, you may also edit maps and create your own rooms.Rooms feature on Roborock S6You may create up to 15 different rooms /zones.

Cleaning Brush: Roborock S6 uses an upgraded more dense cleaning brush better cleaning. In addition, the side cleaning brush has also be improved.

Automation: Roborock S5 needed a roundabout way to automate cleaning specific areas using external automation hubs. Because of the room support in S6, you can create cleaning schedules for selected rooms on the Mi Home app, making it way simpler.

Noise: Roborock S6 is also supposed to be 50% quieter than S5.

Charging Dock: The charging dock for S6 is smaller than S5’s.

Maps Support: Lastly, the main reason for me choosing Roborock S6 over S5 is the support for saving multiple maps (3 on S6 vs 1 on S5). More on this later in this Roborock S6 review.

Maintenance: It is much easier to remove the cleaning brush for removing hair/debris.

What is the other Roborock S5 and S6 difference?

With Roborock at the helm for good now, the S6 takes a turn for the better. While keeping the core components the same, there are quite a few differences. Have a look.

• The S6 has a new side brush made from silicone instead of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) as the S5 uses.
• You can now select and schedule specific rooms to be cleaned with the S6 that you cannot with the S5.
• The water reservoir has a toggle switch to control water flow on the Roborock S6 that the S5 doesn’t have.
• The new mapping feature of the S6 can store three floor plans where the S5 can only save one.
• The charging station of the S6 has been redesigned to allow hiding the power cord in the back.
• There are more accessories included with the S6 than there are with the S5.
• The Roborock S5 has a standard, solid-piece brush roll where the S6 brush roll is now able to be disassembled for easier cleaning.
• The Roborock S5 warranty period is for 12 months; the Roborock S6 warranty period is 24 months.

Roborock S5 and S6 Similarities

The Roborock S5 and S6 share a lot of the same characteristics and internal pieces. Below is a listing of the more essential similarities the two robots share.

• Each robot uses the 5200mAh lithium-ion battery.
• The dimensions, height, and weight are the same, along with the three color options.
• Both the S5 and S6 use the Mi Home app for controls and have limited voice command options.
• The two Roborock models use the same washable E-11 HEPA filter.
• Each machine uses LIDAR navigation technology for mapping and movement.
• The S6 and S5 each use a microfiber cleaning cloth for mopping purposes.
• The collection bin and water tank capacities are the same for each robot.
• Both the Roborock S5 and S6 will produce up to 2000pa of suction power.
• Each robot has an estimated runtime of up to 250 minutes.

Cleaning performance review – Roborock S5 vs S6

Roborock S6

The Roborock S6 is the most advanced model Roborock builds. It has all of the same features as the Roborock S5, but is 50% quieter and has a more advanced navigation system. The S6 can run for up to 150 minutes and can clean up to 2,700 square feet. It uses a 2-in-1 design that both vacuum and / or mop (same as the E2 and S5).

Models / colors:

• Available in white, black gloss, and rose gold
• Always referred to as Roborock S6

Cleaning Performance

• Hardwood 100%
• Low Carpet 85%
• High Carpet 82%

Roborock S5

The Roborock S5 is Roborock’s 2nd highest-end and flagship model. It’s an advanced robot using laser navigation, advanced mapping, and zone cleaning.

This vacuum used advanced ‘No Go’ lines in its digital mapping and is able to navigate and cleap up to 2100 SF. ft. during each cleaning cycle. Many times, the Roborock S5 is incorrectly identified as the Xiaomi Mi 2nd generation robot. However, this is not correct. It is its own standalone model built and sold by Roborock.

Models / colors:

• Available in white, rose gold, and black.
• Always referred to as the Roborock S5

Cleaning Performance

• Hardwood 100%
• Low Carpet 83%
• High Carpet 90%

Roborock S5 vs S6 comparison

Which Roborock should you buy?

Ok, so we’ve done the full rundown of the Roborock S6, S5, and S5 Max. Still not sure which robot is right for you? Here’s the highlights.

If you’re looking for the best value, go with the Roborock S5. It lacks advanced selective room cleaning and improved routing technology, but it has the same dustbin capacity, run time, and mopping tank capacity as the S6.

If you’re looking for the best performance, I’d do the Roborock S5 Max. Despite the fact that it’s cheaper than the S6 it performed better in our cleaning tests across the board. In addition, it has all the same features as the S6, but also offers improved mopping. As such, the S6 is sort of in a weird spot, so for most users the S5 Max is going to be a better choice.

Roborock S5 vs S6 customer review

Brilliant so far!

I have had a little time to see how this vacuum performs in a number of situations. There are some good updates, and some not so good. Let’s do the not so good first.

Map saving feature in the app is listed as “Beta” and it is clearly beta. It will save the map, but every ~3 to 6 runs, it also seems to shift that map, overwrite parts of it and get confused in the process. The result is, in my case, that I find my vacuum in the kitchen closet, when she thinks she’s in my bedroom, across the house. Last night I had to use the remote control to drive her to the dock, and then when I told her to dock, she ignored the dock and tried to drive down the hall to my office closet, where the dock was now “located”. So map saving needs work.

The good news is, it can be re-set by simply docking the robot and turning off map saving and then turning it back on, and that they know it’s beta so it will get an update or two to fix this problem in the future. The good news is also… map saving is only necessary to use zone cleaning and no-go zones. So some people can get away without even using it, and re-setting it isn’t very difficult.

The good news that I have discovered is that this robot is even more versatile than I thought. It turns out the LIDAR tower on top, with which it “sees”, is actually a button in and of itself, and when the vacuum tries to go under something it can’t fit under, the button gets depressed and she will conclude she can’t fit.

Also, I can not only set my vacuum to perform a scheduled cleanup multiple times per day, but I can also schedule them at different suction settings; so, for example, I currently have it set to vacuum once a day every day except Sunday on Balanced mode, and then on Sunday vacuum on Max mode.

I did try the mopping feature, and I was surprised at how useful it actually turns out to be. I followed the advice I was given to have it perform mopping in zones and have it repeat the zone 3x. There was a zone for each room/hall, and it never ran out of water. I did have to re-fill it after each zone was finished, and it took a lot of manually changing water and cleaning the pad, but it works well enough that even my skeptical girlfriend was forced to admit she saw a real difference.

So far the only problem I see is that the app needs updating to correct the map saving feature. Which is going to happen… so I’ll maintain my 5 star rating.

By Amazon Reviewer on S5

S6 better than my i7+

Let me begin this by saying “this is far better then what I had owned previously- Roomba i7+ and Neato Boatvac d6”. I had just received this product recently and only used once but few things that can be highlighted are:

1. Fast cleaning then all of my previous robots
2. Methodical or I would say amazing SLAM cleaning.
3. Almost 40-50% quieter then my Roomba or Neato. I was amazed to see that while watching TV i did not had to bump up my volume. Love this quiet motor
4. I have little bump between the charging station and kitchen floor. Roomba had always trouble getting back to dock and I had to literally lift i7+ couple times and put it on dock manually. But this thing is amazing it just fits in within a smaller runway it does not need big parking space for takeoff and landing lol. It just lifts the wheels to get in there without any problems.
5. This is Bonus you can attach the water Tank underneath and get your floor mopped regularly. Do remember this will not replace your traditional Mop but once you clean your floor manually all you need is this beauty to take care of it everyday by mopping

So far I can only find one disadvantage and that was not with the product but with app. I think app should have option of labeling different rooms and also there are few improvements that can be made. This suggestions are coming of direct comparison with roomba app which I liked better then this one.

By Amazon Reviewer

Are there any plans to implement mapping for multiple floors?

The S6 now includes this capability, though it uses different software (Roboroc versus Mi Home). The S4 also uses the Roboroc software rather than Mi Home, but it is unable to store multiple maps (and no mopping). The newer software of the S4 & S6 appears to enable better virtual no-go areas and selection/scheduling of specific rooms – making the mopping feature more usable. If you really want to store an upstairs/downstairs map, the S6 is the way to go, but almost $200 more, otherwise, the S4 (even without the mopping feature) is perhaps a better option than the S5, just because of the better software. Wish my 7 month old S5 was able to support the Roboroc software rather than Mi Home.

Does it recognize carpets so that it does not mop on the carpet?

nswer:Pls kindly be advised that it’s recoginize carpets, but it can not stop mop on the carpet as the water tank installed by manual, if you don’t want your carpet be mopped, you can set up zones where you have carpets, or we suggest to use the magnetic strips to insulate your carpets accurately to avoid mopping, thank you.

I have a 3-step stairscase w/ a 3ft friction ramp. Can the robot be programmed to move between rooms via ramps?

I had two layers of bathroom floor granite tiles stacked up on the floor and the Robot S6 just climbed right over it ‘roughly’ but was able to get down by itself without issue. It was smart enough to stop the rubber sweeper tenticles stop spinning when it reached rough spots. Once the Robot S6 gets down from the rough two layers granite tiles the spinning rubber tenticles restart spinning. Not sure how steep the slopes (inclination) can be to fool the Robot to climb up

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