Who has the time to push around a heavy vacuum cleaner after a rough day at work? Even if you work at home, there’s nothing worse than listening to the constant droning sound of an upright. Why not get a robotic vacuum cleaner instead?
But why settle on a vacuuming robot when you can get a combo bot that both vacuums and mops? We’ve come a long way from simple machines that do tasks well. Today, we’re looking at four highly popular vacuum and mop combo bots from Xiaomi – the Roborock S6, S5, E3, and E2 – to determine which of the four deserves to be crowned king.
Wet Mopping Feature
S6, S5, E3, and E2
Before we discuss the major differences between the bots, we’d first like to point out that these Roborocks are vacuum-mop models. After vacuum-cleaning your floors, you can switch them to mopping mode to wipe your floors clean of residual dust. These wet pads work extremely well at picking up any leftover specks of dust. As for mud trails or sticky spills, not really.
Suction Pressure
S6, S5, and E3
When shopping for a vacuum cleaner, robotic or otherwise, the first thing you should consider is how much suction pressure it delivers. Although robots are nowhere near as powerful as uprights or canisters, they can pack quite a punch. These three models – the S6, S5, and E3 (Roborock E35) – all deliver up to 2000 Pa of pressure on their maximum cleaning mode.
E2
The E2 has a slightly weaker rating of 1,800 Pa. Is the 200-Pa difference a bad thing? Not necessarily. If you don’t have wall-to-wall carpeting, then the E2 may be a suitable robot for your home or apartment.
Conclusion: In general, a higher suction pressure rating is ideal since it means the robot can work on multiple surfaces. We noticed a slight difference in carpet-cleaning performance, but on smooth floors, all of these robots work like a charm.
Smartphone App Control
S6, S5, E3, and E2
With the Internet of Things initiative, we favor robots that can connect to a Wi-Fi router to receive instructions via a downloadable smartphone app. Xiaomi, as a manufacturer of smartphones themselves, hasn’t left their line of Roborocks out. All four of these robots can connect to your home’s Wi-Fi router. This allows them to receive instructions from users via the Mi Home App. Wherever you are in the world, you can ask your robot to start, stop, or charge with a few taps on your phone’s screen.
Navigation
S6 and S5
Both the Roborock S6 and S5 use and LDS Laser Navigation system. Essentially, these two S series models are equipped with multiple laser sensors around their disc-shaped bodies which scan and record its surroundings. This creates a digital layout of your home’s floor, which these robots use to create the most efficient cleaning path.
E3 and E2
The E3 and E2 navigate your floors in a similar snake-like, back-and-forth motion, but their navigations are completely different from the LDS system. They use an Inertial Navigation system which, after bumping into obstacles, creates an efficient motion path for optimal cleaning.
Conclusion: The LDS Laser Navigation system is a newer piece of technology compared to Inertial Navigation. This doesn’t mean that the E3 and E2 have poor navigation, but rather they’re not as efficient as the S6 and S5. A lot of it has to do with storing digital maps of your home’s floors.
Map Saving
S6 and S5
As we mentioned earlier, saving a digital layout of your floors is what gives the S6 and S5 an upper hand compared to the E3 and E2. After these robots scan your floor, they store the image in their memory for future use. Users can access these maps using the Mi Home App for configuring cleaning schedules.
E3 and E2
Neither the E3 or the E2 (Roborock E25 Robot Vacuum) are equipped with map-saving technology. Every time these robots venture through your home, they need to rely on built-in compasses and location technology to reprogram their cleaning path.
Conclusion: Here, we can truly see the magnificence of having multiple lasers situated around the circumference of the S6 and S5’s waistline. The E series models need to spend a few minutes getting used to its surrounding during each of its cleaning cycles which unfortunately costs the robots a bit of battery life per charge.
Programmable Features
S6
The S6, as the newest Roborock of the bunch, comes with several programmable features via the Mi Home App. First, you can program the S6 to clean a specific zone of your home’s floors at any time. Better yet, the app allows users to set up different cleaning schedules for each of detected rooms. There’s also a virtual barrier feature that prevents the S6 from venturing into particular rooms or zones.
S5
The S5 also has a zone pickup feature. However, it’s missing the programmable schedule cleaning for specific rooms. The best you can do is program the robot to clean a zone at a specific time of the day. At least you configure no-go zones for the S5 via the smartphone app.
E3 and E2
Since these robots don’t save a map of your floors, there’s nothing you can do with the app other than command them to start, stop, recharge, and set up cleaning schedules.
Conclusion: Once again, we see the superiority of the map-saving feature in the two S series models. The S6 is slightly better since it allows you to schedule cleaning times for particular rooms to not disturb whoever may be in there. The two E series bots have pretty much the bare minimum of programmable features.
Runtime
S6
The S6 comes with a hefty 5,200-mAh battery that supplies up to 180 continuous minutes of runtime on standard cleaning mode. The maximum runtime drops significantly when suction pressure increases for carpet cleaning. On average, users with a little carpeting have said they can get between 100 and 150 minutes.
S5 and E3
Both the S5 and E3 also have 5,200-mAh batteries, but their runtimes are a shade worse than the S6’s. These two bots have a maximum of 150 minutes per full charge on standard cleaning mode. We don’t know what feature is taking up 30 minutes of power from the S5 and E3, but we don’t like it.
E2
The E2 is different in the sense that it comes with a 2,600-mAh battery – half the size of the other three models. Understandably, this robot runs for shorter periods per charge (100 minutes). However, the battery-size-to-runtime ratio is the best of these four Roborocks. Not that it means much.
Conclusion: Simply put, 180 minutes is greater than 150 minutes which is greater than 100 minutes. The S6 is extremely power-efficient considering how many customizable features it comes with. What’s shocking is the E2 – a robot with fewer features and the same battery size – runs a full half-an-hour shorter than the S6.
Recharge and Resume
S6, S5, E3, and E2
However, a longer or shorter runtime hardly means a thing if the robot comes with a recharge-and-resume feature. Thankfully, all four of these robot vac-mops do. When the robot detects low battery power, it will head straight to its dock to recharge. After reaching capacity, they will pick up right where they left off. Without this feature, you’re left manually commanding the robot to get back to work where it will start its cleaning cycle all over again. This is convenience at its finest!
Coverage Area
S6 and S5
Thanks to the LDS Laser Navigation, these S series robots can efficiently clean floors of more than 200 square meters. Once again, we have the map storage feature to thank for that. By scanning your entire home, these robots’ efficient navigation systems create the most efficient route to cover the widest area possible.
E3
The E3 has a maximum clearing area of up to 200 square meters. Despite not having reliable pathing algorithm systems, the E3 can cover almost as much space as the two S series models. This is mainly due to its beefy 5,200-mAh battery which delivers up to 150 minutes of cleaning.
E2
As the smallest, oldest, and weakest of the group, the E2 has a maximum coverage area of 150 square meters per charge. This isn’t the worst thing in the world considering that this bot has a recharge and resume feature. However, it will take the robot longer to complete an entire vacuuming and mopping cycle.
Conclusion: The total coverage area of these robots hardly matters in the grand scheme of things. Since they all come with recharge and resume, it’s safe to say that they will be able to clean your home. It’s simply a matter of time, and since you’ll be out while the robot is working, an extra hour of cleaning shouldn’t make a difference.
Carpet Boost
S6, S5, and E3
The final point we’d like to discuss is carpet boost cleaning. As you can probably already tell, carpet boost technology adjusts the suction pressure of the vacuum-based on what surface it’s currently traveling on. As soon as the S6, S5, and E3 robots detect low- to medium-pile carpeting below its wheels, they’ll automatically switch to carpet boost mode for extra cleaning power.
E2
The E2 also features carpet boost technology, but there aren’t any sensors that turn the cleaning mode on and off. Instead, users will need to manually control when carpet boost is active via the Mi Home App. Not very convenient, is it?
Conclusion: The less we have to command the robot, the more convenient it is to use. With the E2 (E25 Roborock Robot Vacuum), you can leave carpet boost on whenever it’s running, but this will drain the battery much quicker. As for the other Roborocks, their built-in sensors determine when carpet cleaning is on or off based on whether it’s currently treading on carpeted surfaces.
Washable E11 Filter
S6, S5, E3, and E2
All of them use the same type of filter. An E11 filter is designed to trap particles as small as 0.3 microns with an effectiveness of 99.2%. That’s slightly worse than True HEPA Filters (0.3-micron particles at 99.97% effectiveness). The best part is that their filters can be washed and used over and over again. They have a life expectancy of about six months.
Noise Production
S6
Vacuum cleaners aren’t known for being whisper-quiet. Their motors produce a ton of noise which is hard to block out, even when pumping jams on your phone. However, the S6 aims to change this view – it’s motor generates only about 58 decibels. That’s about the same noise level as a refrigerator’s compressor.
S5, E3, and E2
The other three robots aren’t much different from the S6, but they are louder. When standard suction mode is active, these three vac-mop bots produce around 65 decibels, which is equivalent to the sounds of a running dishwasher.
Conclusion
Sure, the S6 is technically “quieter” than the other Roborock models, but a 7-dB difference is nothing to get too excited about. You’ll hear the robot vac head your way, and it becomes increasingly more frightening at nighttime.
Single Reviews
Roborock E25
Roborock E35
Roborock S4
Roborock S4 Max
Roborock S5 MAX
Roborock S6
Comparison Articles
Roborock S5 Max vs. S6
Roborock S4 vs. S5 vs. S6
Roborock S6 vs. S5 vs. E3 vs. E2
S6 vs. S5 vs. E3 vs. E2: Which is the Best Roborock?
After taking a closer look at these four Roborock vacuum-mop combo bots, we can safely conclude that the Roborock S6 Robotic Vacuum Mop – the latest model by Xiaomi – is the best of them all. Even though it shares a ton of specs with the S5, it’s longer-lasting battery, and broader range of programmable features (room selection and scheduling) make it the better bot by a wide margin.
As for the E series robots, the E3 (Roborock E35) is a lot more convenient to use than the E2, simply because you don’t need to control when its carpet boost cleaning mode is activated. However, the E3 and E2 do not stand a chance against any of the S series models and their superior navigation and mapping systems.
Our Overall Recommended Robot Vacuums
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