Roborock Q5 Pro Robot Vacuum Cleaner Review: A Handy Helper

Price upon review

$249.99

Best prices today: Roborock Q5 Pro

For those who can’t justify spending money on some of Roborock’s more expensive models, the entry-level Q5 Pro robot vacuum cleaner has a lot to offer. It uses the same sleek, easy-to-use app as its more expensive siblings, and its large built-in waste bin eliminates the need for a base station, so it won’t take up much space in your home.

This, plus anti-tangle rubber roller brushes and an optional mop module, make it an attractive robot vacuum for dust-free hard floors on a budget.

For more budget-friendly recommendations for buying robot vacuums, check out our review of the best cheap robot vacuums we tested.

Design and construction

• Large built-in 770 ml dustbin
• Cleaning for up to 4 hours
• 5,500Pa suction power

Unlike many other Roborock models, the lack of a base station for emptying means that the Q5 Pro robot vacuum cleaner has to carry everything it needs: a large 770 ml dustbin, so you don’t have to empty it often, and a removable 180 ml water tank for mopping.

However, US buyers can get the Q5 Pro+, which comes with a self-emptying dock, although it is slightly more expensive (currently $479.99 at Amazon).

This means that at 9.7cm it is slightly larger than some, but it can slide comfortably under an average kitchen skirting board. The diameter is on average 35 cm, with the top housing three buttons. One starts cleaning, one starts a spot clean, and one sends it back to its dock – useful if you don’t want to pick up a device or find your smart speaker (it’s compatible with Siri, Google Home and Alexa).

Inside is a 5200mAh battery, making it heavier than some robot vacuums at 5.52kg. If you choose the silent mode, this will allow you to clean for up to four hours – useful if you have large floor areas.

Below that you’ll find dual roller brushes made of rubber to prevent tangles and a side brush combined with a reasonable suction power of 5,500 Pa – not as powerful as some, but not as lame as others.

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

It is finished in black plastic, with a coordinating dock. The dock charges the robot vacuum and comes with a separate clear mat to protect your floors from a wet mop pad.

Performance and features

• Charging dock needs a permanent place
• Quick mapping
• Basic mopping

Where the Roborock Q5 Pro robot vacuum cleaner will be located is an important first question when setting it up. The lightweight charging base and moisture-proof mat are both secured to the floor with double-sided tape, so it’s not something you’ll keep changing your mind about.

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

In addition, the dock has a short power cable, which reduces the placement options. We liked that the bin was accessible for emptying while the robot vacuum was charging.

However, the rest of the setup was seamless. The Q5 Pro connected to the app for the first time and most functionality is easily found under relevant menus. You’ll find features like Pin and Go, spot cleaning that’s specified in a specific area, and a remote control if you want to control it yourself.

What we especially liked was the option to quickly map without cleaning, or map while cleaning. We chose the latter and yet it only took about 10 minutes to map our floor. LiDAR helped considerably with this, as we were able to see the shape of each room long before the robot vacuum had fully explored it.

Once mapped out, it was easy to divide, merge and name rooms, then set up cleaning schedules.

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

One aspect we did notice was that he often had difficulty with low obstacles while navigating. For example, he tried several times to climb a stone fireplace. This wasn’t something that could be moved, so we had to make this area a no-go.

The result of this was that the floor around the fireplace was not cleaned properly. The Q5 Pro also got stuck on piano legs and between a table leg and chair: it tried to free itself with a twisting motion, but we had to intervene.

We tested the Q5 Pro’s cleaning on both hard floors and medium-pile carpet, using flour instead of dust and oats for dirt. Although cleaning on the hard floor went mostly well, we had to run the cleaning cycle twice as there was quite a bit of residue left behind, and even then some flour remained and a few oats had been swept by the side brush into the cleaned areas.

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

Performance was split across carpet. After two washes on high, most of the oats were removed, but a lot of flour remained, which we had to vacuum up with our usual device.

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

The Q5 Pro’s mopping function is simple: the water tank module snaps into place, but you still need to remove the pad and wet it before you start. There is no scrubbing motion, the pad simply sweeps across the floor. Plus, there’s only one pad, so once it gets dirty you’ll need to remove it for a quick rinse before you can continue.

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

The water flow must be adjusted using a switch under the pad, which means it must be set before mopping. The biggest problem, however, is that you have to remember to set it to only clean hard floors, as the Q5 Pro doesn’t automatically avoid carpet while mopping.

On our hard floor, the mopping was tested with a thin layer of brown sauce left to dry. After two cleaning cycles, the sauce was still visible on the floor and the sauce residue spread throughout the rest of the room. Once dried the entire floor was sticky and had to be manually mopped.

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

Price and availability

While the Q5 Pro isn’t a flawless robot vacuum, its price does make it a very attractive choice, especially if you’re looking for a basic vacuum for hard floors. In the UK you can buy it from Amazon for £299, but at the time of writing it’s discounted to just £199.99.

In the US it has a suggested retail price of $249.99 and is available from Amazon. With its auto-empty dock, it costs $479.99, also from Amazon.

Although it’s well priced, you may get more bang for your buck by choosing an older model that has dropped in price since launch. You can find other recommended options in our overview of the best cheap robot vacuum cleaners. You can see our top recommendations across all price ranges in our overview of the best robot vacuum cleaners we’ve tested overall.

Should you buy the Roborock Q5 Pro?

While there are undeniably some great things about the Roborock Q5 Pro robot vacuum cleaner – the price, a brilliant app, ease of use in general, a large bin and no hair tangles on the rollers – it doesn’t deliver particularly consistent results. cleaning. Mopping in particular feels like an afterthought.

If your home has a lot of hard floors, this is perfect for keeping everyday dust bunnies under control, but beyond that, a model with more power and functionality may be a better investment for spotless surfaces.