Roborock S5 Max UK Review (2024)

It’s one of the most vital features of all vacuums: suction power.

We put the Roborock S5 Max's cleaning performance through its paces in this chapter.

Suction test on the hard floor

The Roborock S5 Max achieved excellent results in our test on even floors like laminate.

Test result for sand (89 %):

Not even the heavy sand challenged the robotic vacuum cleaner much on the hardwood floor.

It only left a bit of dirt in the middle of the test area.

The Roborock S5 Max came out with flying colours when it cleaned the two slightly lighter dirt types (oatmeal and lentils):

Test result for oatmeal (98 %):

We found a few oat flakes in the corners after cleaning - The robot vacuum cleaner can’t reach it because of its round shape.

Otherwise, the result is excellent.

Test result for lentils (98 %):

It’s the same with grainy lentils.

All that’s left to say is Chapeau, top performance!

Check Amazon*

Cleaning test on the carpet

Carpet cleaning is one of the most significant challenges for all robot vacuums.

Especially fine and heavy dirt (e.g. sand) sinks deep into the carpet, so the robot vacuum has a harder time removing it.

However, the Roborock S5 Max Robot Vacuum achieved great results when cleaning the carpets.

The reliable carpet detection function is the main reason for the excellent performance. With this, the robot vacuum immediately sets the suction power to the "MAX" level once it drives onto a carpet.

The maximum suction power of 2000 Pa is also necessary to achieve good cleaning results on this challenging floor type.

Low-Pile Carpet – Cleaning Review

The Roborock S5 Max did a great job on the low carpet.

No matter whether sand, oat flakes or lentils - The Roborock S5 Max robot vacuum cleaner hardly reaches its limits.

Suction result on high carpet

The Roborock S5 Max surprised us on high carpets.

We wouldn’t have expected such great results - especially with sand - from this all-rounder.

Sand quickly sinks deep into the carpet fibres, so the robot vacuum needs a lot of power to remove it.

The Roborock S5 Max is among the best robot vacuums in this category.

The Roborock S5 Max robot vacuum doesn’t show any weakness with lighter types of dirt such as lentils (98%) or oat flakes (98%), either!

That result catapults the robotic vacuum to the top of its class.

Suction result along skirtings and in corners

The Roborock S5 Max drives very close to the skirtings, thanks to its precise and efficient navigation.

The side brush removes the dirt and transports it towards the suction opening.

How well does it clean in the corners?

The Roborock S5 Max has a round shape, like all other Roborock models in the UK.

Therefore, the automatic vacuum cleaner robot can’t get into every corner. It’s impossible to achieve a perfect result.

But since the little household helper vacuums your home much more often, dirt can hardly accumulate in the corners.

So it’s not such a big deal ?

The Roborock S5 Max is a hybrid model. The small household helper can vacuum and mop your home in one go.

This type of device is getting more and more popular in the UK among smart home fans.

The Roborock S6’s suction performance (the predecessor of the S5 Max) was good. So the manufacturer had to look for another thing it could improve on the robot vacuum cleaner.

The choice fell on the mopping feature.

The Roborock S5 Max comes with many significant improvements:

• A larger water tank (290 ml instead of 140 ml)

• Water level control via the app

• Increased contact pressure on the mopping pad

But do all the functions contribute to a better mopping result?

You can attach the wiping plate, including the wiping cloth, to the robot vacuum from behind.

For the first time, the Roborock S5 Max also has an electric water pump.

With this, you can control the amount of water via the app at 4 levels ?.

The manufacturer states that the robot vacuum can mop a 65 m² flat 3-4 times (or an area of 200 m² once) at a stretch.

Once the Roborock S5 Max robot vacuum has finished mopping, it quickly returns to the charging station. The smart household helper recognises this and automatically reduces the water intensity. The mopping pad will dry faster so that the robot doesn’t have to wait too long with a wet mop at the charging dock.

A plastic mat also comes with the charging station.

Roborock didn’t improve the mat, though. It’s not of such high quality, and we don’t find it appealing from a visual point of view, either.

The Roborock S5 Max may offer many improvements, but its focus is clearly on excellent suction performance.

The robot vacuum cleaner can’t replace mopping by hand yet. It’s simply not heavy enough for that.

And yet...

Even though we let the Roborock S5 Max robot vacuum clean the flat almost every day, mopping adds that little „extra of cleanliness“.

That’s what the mop looked like after mopping the bedroom.

PS: We recommend dampening the mop a little under the tap before cleaning. Then you’ll get a nice wet trace from the very beginning.

You can also add a bit of special cleaner to the water tank or the mop. That improves the wiping result even more.

The noise level of the Roborock S5 Max depends mostly on the cleaning mode.

You can select the cleaning mode on the start screen via the "Mode settings".

The following 4 settings are available (the Roborock S5 Max’s volume increases by 5 dB per level):

• Quiet: 50 dB (1)

• Balance: 55 dB (2)

• Turbo: 60 dB (3)

• MAX: 65 dB (4)

The Roborock S5 Max is very quiet compared to other models.

We usually let the robot vacuum do its work on the "Balanced" level. You can still watch the TV in the same room, but you have to turn up the volume setting a little.

But this point is not relevant from our point of view, since the robot vacuums usually go on their cleaning trips when you are on the road ?‍♂️.

If you send the Roborock S5 Max out while you’re at home, you can choose the "Quiet" power mode.

Then it won't bother you.

The Roborock S5 Max uses laser navigation (LIDAR)

The Roborock S5 Max’s navigation is fantastic.

LDS navigation technology is currently the best and most efficient navigation method for robotic vacuums.

The small navigation tower is on top of the Roborock S5 Max and uses the rotating laser to measure the room in real-time.

The LDS technology and the sensors (13 in total) guarantee very efficient and seamless navigation.

The robot vacuum drives in a very structured way.

Once you send it out on a cleaning trip, the Roborock S5 Max scans the room along the walls.

Then it cleans the interior systematically in S-lines (typical zigzag lines).

Obstacle detection

The LDS-based navigation technology already recognises most of the obstacles and roughly marks them on the map. Therefore, it usually doesn’t bump into pieces of furniture.

If it does happen, Roborock S5 Max is very gentle with your furnishings - It rarely uses the bumper and won’t damage your furniture.

Flat obstacles are challenging for most robot vacuums. Therefore, you should tidy up your home before cleaning. Remove socks, charging cables and shoes before the robot vacuum starts its trip.

Otherwise, the robot vacuum may get stuck on your shoelaces, for example. If that happens, you’ll receive a push message on your mobile phone that says, "the brush is blocked". Then you have to free your little friend so it can continue cleaning.

Overcoming Obstacles and Precipice Detection - Our Review

The Roborock S5 Max overcame a maximum height of 2 cm (0.8 inches) on 90-degree edges in our tests.

Therefore, the robot hoover shouldn’t have any problems climbing doorstep - even in older flats.

We always test the obstacle clearance on hard 90-degree edges to ensure objectivity.

The Roborock S5 Max can undoubtedly overcome higher obstacles with rounded edges.

You can choose between two apps for your Roborock S5 Max: The Roborock App (iOS / Android) and the Xiaomi Home App (iOS / Android).

Both apps are identical in functionality and don’t differ much in terms of design.

The manufacturer wants to have more flexibility with its own Roborock App. They release future functions, updates and also bug fixes much faster.

The Roborock App worked very well during our test.

However, if you use other Xiaomi devices, too, we recommend the Xiaomi Home App. You can save and control all devices via one app.

The most important functions at a glance

You can see the most important information on the starting page.

The app also has some unique functions. We’ll give you more details about them below.

Setup No-Go zones or No-Mop zones:

We frequently set up no-go zones and no-mop zones.

Here, you can define square no-go zones or individual zones by "lining up" virtual walls.

In the picture, you can see that the Roborock S5 Max doesn’t enter the no-go zone during our test.

Set the suction level and water intensity per room

You can control the suction power, but especially the water intensity for the mopping function, via the app and set it individually for each room.

Therefore, you can choose the perfect setting depending on the floor type. You have four levels at your disposal.

This way, you can define an individual cleaning process for each room.

Check Amazon*

Other functions

You can find many other handy functions in the menu item "Settings", which you can select on the app’s homepage.

• In the menu item "Timer", you can create an individual cleaning schedule.
  • You can set the start time, duration and mode.

• Language selection (You can choose between English, German and many other languages)

• Selective room cleaning

• With the Pin-and-Go function, you can let the Roborock clean a specific area (even several times).

• At "Remote control", you can control the robot yourself with a joystick or buttons. Just give it a try - it was fun :)

• You can also update the firmware.

• At "Cleaning history", you can see statistics on the past cleaning cycles.

• At "Maintenance", you will see when you should replace or clean the most important parts.

• You can set up a DND (Do Not Disturb) period. Roborock S5 Max will neither clean your home nor communicate with you via voice output during this "do not disturb" period.
• Choose your location (UK)

Overall, the app seems well-thought-out and sophisticated. The beautiful design and the straightforward and intuitive menu navigation also impressed us.

Roborock S5 Max: Voice Control via Alexa and Google Assistant

The Roborock S5 Max is compatible with the usual voice assistants - Alexa and Google Home Assistant. However, you can only use voice control via the Roborock app.

You have to activate the "Roborock Plus skill" via the Amazon website to connect the Roborock S5 Max robot vacuum with Alexa.

So far, voice control only works with a few commands such as "Start", "Stop", "Pause", "Resume", "Return to charging station", and "Change mode".

The Roborock S5 Max comes in a well-designed package. The delivery scope in the UK includes the following accessories and spare parts:

• The robot vacuum itself

• Side brush

• Main brush

• Charging dock

• One EU charging cable

• A transparent plastic mat for the charging dock

• Water tank (290 ml)

• Wiping plate for the water tank.

• A reusable mop

• A HEPA filter

• A comprehensive instruction manual

• A Quickstart Guide for App Setup

Roborock S5 Max’s delivery scope doesn’t include spare parts such as additional side brushes or an additional HEPA filter. Other manufacturers have more to offer.

It seems like Roborock wanted to save some money here. If we still get perfect performance at a reasonable price, we won't complain ?.

You can buy Roborock S5 Max spare parts on Amazon in the UK (here*) instead.