Welcome to our Roborock Q5 and Q5+ review. The Roborock Q5+ comes with an auto-empty dock and compatible dustbin, while the Q5 does not. Otherwise, the 2 robots are identical.
Overview
Cheapest Roborock’s LIDAR robot
The Q5 model replaces the S4 Max as the cheapest mapping robot vacuum from Roborock. Even cheaper models like the E4 & E5 don’t map; they can’t generate an interactive map of the area they clean, and so they don’t have keep-out zones. Q5 is the cheapest robot vacuum model from Roborock with this functionality. And how it did in our Roborock Q5 tests.
CFM & kPa: The Q5’s airflow was measured at 14 CFM, and it’s suction was measured at 0.1 kPa.
Brush roll and side brush
This robot has a very similar brush roll and side brush configuration to that of previous-generation Roborock robot vacuums we have tested, like the S4 Max.
Like the S4 Max, it’s brushroll compartment is right around six and a half inches wide; this is the width of the robot’s direct cleaning path, the path over which it directly agitates carpet and pulls up debris. The robot’s overall clean path is much wider, as it also uses it’s side brush to pull debris from the perimeter of the robot into it’s direct cleaning path.
Roborock Q5 tests
Carpet cleaning test
In Roborock Q5’s design, despite it’s below-average measured airflow & suction, Roborock Q5 performed very good in most of our debris pickup Roborock Q5 testing (+ our carpet stress test).
During a single cleaning cycle, most robots, including the Q5 model, perform 2 passes over all areas in the space. Most other robots leave behind a fair amount of debris after one pass and have to pick up a good amount of debris during a second pass. Roborock Q5 left behind very little debris after 1 pass, had to pick up only a small amount of debris during this 2nd pass.
Carpet deep cleaning
In our carpet deep clean test, on default power, Roborock Q5 picked up six grams of debris after three passes over an area of carpet embedded with 30 grams of fine debris. This is the same result as that of it’s previous-generation counterpart, the S4 Max. On maximum power, it picked up 8 grams of debris; this is a slightly better result than that of the S4 Max and a very good result overall.
Hard floor cleaning
Moving on to our hard floor stress test, Roborock Q5 once again picked up all debris types very well after only one pass. It picked up more debris in this test than most competitors. It once again makes 1 second pass over all areas to complete 1 cleaning cycle.
Edge Performance
Roborock Q5 also performed very well cleaning edges; it gets sufficiently close to the edge to clean it properly when moving close and parallel to it. Certain previous-generation Roborock lighter robot vacuums, including the S4 Max, did not get as close to the edge and so did not clean edge debris as well.
Crevice test
The Q5 did not perform well in our Robot vacuum crevice test on default power or on maximum power, though most other Roborock lighter robot vacuums and most other robot vacuums we’ve tested, in general, also did not perform well in this test.
Human long hair test
In our human hair pickup test, Roborock Q5 picked up all the hair, but most of that hair wasn’t pulled into it’s dustbin. Seventy to ninety percent of the hair it picked up tangled around it’s brush roll and had to be cleaned off manually. This isn’t a good result, but it is a relatively average result nonetheless. Most other robotic vacuums we tested also tangled very easily with the longer hair we use for this test.
Short Pet hair test
Most robots, including the Q5 model, perform much better in the pet hair pickup test. It did not pick up all of the tufts of hair in 1 pass, but it did eventually pick up & collect all of the shorter pet hair used for this test in it’s dustbin.
Navigation & coverage
We tested the robot’s cleaning efficiency and coverage in two different environments: an empty room and a clutter room. In our empty room testing, we first see how the Q5 uses lidar to navigate a very precise row-viral pattern across the room. It does well to get complete coverage over the whole room and move in a crisscross cleaning pattern to ensure the highest probability of picking up especially stubborn debris.
We use our clutter room test to determine how well the robot can navigate around larger obstacles like chairs and tables, and Roborock Q5 again does very well. It’s able to navigate around all the obstacles in the room very precisely and efficiently. It also gets good complete and redundant coverage in this test with crisscross cleaning patterns in the few open spaces of the room.
Other important specifications
In test results, we considered for this review are summarized here. Note especially that this is a full-fledged mapping robot that has the ability to map multiple floors of your home, and using the Roborock companion app, you can label different parts of the generated map, set the robot to clean specific parts of the map, or set it to stay out of certain parts of the map. In the same chart, also note Roborock Q5’s runtime, bin volume, and noise output, and how those specifications and test results compare to the average for all the robot vacuums we’ve tested so far. Lastly, note the robot’s diameter and height; these dimensions make the Q5 one of the larger robot vacuums we have tested.
Reference: Roborock Q REVO: Perfect mid-level Robot vacuum choice
Pros and cons of Roborock Q5 and Q5+
Moving on to what we like and dislike about this vacuum.
What we like
Roborock Q5 picks up surface-level debris on carpet and hard surfaces very well. It picks up edge debris without issue. It deep cleans carpet well for a robot vacuum and navigates very precisely and efficiently. It also has above-average battery life and relatively low noise output. Lastly, we also really like the self-empty functionality of the Q5+ and the upgradability of the Roborock Q5. Should you buy only the robot to start, it is fully compatible with this auto-empty docking station if you buy the station separately later on.
Moving on to what we dislike about this vacuum, Roborock Q5’s brush roll tangles quite easily with longer hair. This is a fairly average result for a robot vacuum, but it is a negative nonetheless. Another negative is the robot’s slightly below-average size dustbin. Roborock Q5’s dustbin has a volume of 470 milliliters; the average for all the robot vacuums we’ve tested so far is about 500 milliliters. We also don’t like that the Q5 is not at least compatible with a mopping attachment.
Our recommendations
In terms of general recommendations, the Roborock Q5 is a definite improvement over it’s previous-generation counterpart, the S4 Max, which features an almost identical design and also cannot mop.
Q5 vs S4 Max
Compared to the S4 Max, Roborock Q5 offers better carpet deep cleaning performance on maximum power, paths closer to edges for better edge cleaning, and adds self-empty docking station compatibility. We like the S4 Max outside of it’s edge pickup performance. That being fixed with Roborock Q5 makes us really like Q5. It’s added self-empty docking station compatibility also makes a huge difference compared to most other options at it’s price point.
Q5 vs other midrange options
Roborock Q5 is a better all-around performer with fewer flaws and less egregious flaws. It’s also one of the few options at it’s price that offers above-average general pickup ability and above-average navigation; most competitors do not navigate as well. All of this makes Roborock Q5 one of the best robot vacuums you can buy for the price. It is currently recommended as one of the best mid-range robot vacuums we’ve tested. See the link to buy this robot, as well as a link to the latest updated list of all the robot vacuums we recommend:
See price on Amazon: Roborock Q5 and Roborock Q5+
