Expert rating
Benefits
- Large trash can on board
- Fast mapping
- Easy to use app
- Affordable
Disadvantages
- Don't avoid carpets when cleaning
- Low obstacles are a challenge
- Inadequate cleaning
Our Verdict
Roborock's Q5 Pro robot vacuum cleaner is one of its most affordable models. Yet even though it has fewer features, it's incredibly user-friendly, with a sleek, intuitive app and plenty of setup tips. Where it could do better is its cleaning performance. It's really better suited to daily cleaning to keep hard floors free of dust and debris, rather than tackling sticky messes or deep cleaning carpets.
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For those who can't justify spending money on some of Roborock's more expensive models, the entry-level Q5 Pro robot vacuum has a lot to offer. It uses the same sleek, user-friendly app as its more expensive siblings, and its large built-in bin eliminates the need to empty a base station, so it won't take up much space in your home either.
This, along with rubber roller brushes that resist hair tangles and an optional mopping module, make this an attractive robot vacuum for dust-free hard floors on a budget.
For more user-friendly robot vacuum buying recommendations, take a look at our roundup of the best cheap robot vacuums we've tested.
Design and build
- Large 770 ml on-board trash can
- Up to 4 hours of cleaning
- 5,500 Pa suction
Unlike several other Roborock models, the lack of a base station to empty into means that the Q5 Pro robot vacuum has to carry everything it needs with it: a large 770 ml dustbin, so you don't have to empty it. often, and a removable 180 ml water tank for cleaning.
However, US buyers can get the Q5 Pro+, which comes with a self-draining dock, although it's a bit more expensive, currently $479.99 at Amazon.
This means it's a bit larger than some (9.7cm), but it will fit comfortably under an average kitchen plinth. Its diameter is average 35 cm, the top housing a trio of buttons. One starts cleaning, the other initiates a one-time clean, and the other returns it to its dock – handy 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 there's a 5,200mAh battery, making it heavier than some robot vacuums at 5.52kg. This allows for up to four hours of cleaning if you choose its quiet mode – useful if you have large areas of flooring.
Underneath you'll find dual rubber roller brushes to prevent tangles and a side brush combined with a reasonable 5,500 Pa of suction power – not as powerful as some but not as dull as others.
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
It's finished in black plastic, with a matching dock. The dock charges the robot vacuum and comes with a separate clear mat to protect your floors from a wet mop.
Performance and Features
- The charging station needs a fixed place
- Fast mapping
- Basic cleaning
Where the Roborock Q5 Pro robot vacuum will live is an important first question when setting it up. The lightweight charging dock and moisture-resistant mat both attach to the floor using double-sided tape, so it's not something you can keep changing your mind about.
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
Additionally, the dock has a short power cable, which reduces placement options. We appreciated that the bin was accessible to be emptied when the robot vacuum was charging.
However, the rest of the setup went smoothly. The Q5 Pro connected to the app for the first time and most features are easily found in the relevant menus. You'll find features like Pin and Go, which is spot cleaning specified in a certain area, and a remote control if you want to direct it yourself.
What we particularly liked was the ability to either map quickly without cleaning, or map while cleaning. We chose the latter and it only took about 10 minutes to map our floor. In this, LiDAR helped significantly, as we could see the shape of each room long before the robot vacuum fully explored it.
Once mapped, it was simple to split, merge and name the rooms, then set cleaning schedules.
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
One aspect we noticed was that it tended to have issues with low obstacles when navigating. For example, he repeatedly tried to climb onto a stone fireplace. It wasn't something that could be moved, so we had to make that area off-limits.
The result 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 a chair: it used a twisting motion to try to free itself but we had to intervene.
We tested the Q5 Pro's cleaning on hard floors and medium-pile carpets, using flour instead of dust and oats as debris. Although cleaning was generally good on hard floors, we had to run the cleaning cycle twice because there was a fair amount of residue left, and even then there was some flour left and some oatmeal had been thrown by the side brush onto the cleaned areas.
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
His performance was divided on the mat. Most of the oats were removed after two cleanings on the highest setting, but there was still a lot of flour that we had to vacuum up with our regular device.
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
The cleaning function of the Q5 Pro is basic: the water tank module clips on, but you will still need to remove the pad and wet it before starting. There is no scrubbing motion, the pad simply wipes the floor. Plus, there's only one pad so once it gets dirty you'll need to remove it to rinse before you can continue.
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
The water flow must be adjusted using a switch located under the pad, which means it must be adjusted before cleaning. The biggest problem though is that you'll have to remember to set it to only clean hard floor areas, as the Q5 Pro doesn't automatically avoid carpets when cleaning.
On our hard floor, cleaning was tested using a thin layer of brown sauce allowed to dry. After two cleaning cycles, sauce was still visible on the floor and sauce residue was spread throughout the rest of the room. Once dried, the entire floor was sticky and had to be cleaned manually.
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
Pricing and availability
While the Q5 Pro isn't a perfect robot vacuum, its price makes it a very attractive choice, especially if you're looking for a simple 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 United States, its suggested price is $249.99 and it is available on Amazon. With its self-emptying dock, it's $479.99, also from Amazon.
Although it is inexpensively priced, you can get more bang for your buck by choosing an older model that has dropped in price since its launch. You can see other recommended options in our roundup of the best cheap robot vacuums. You can see our top recommendations at every price point in our roundup of the best robot vacuums we've tested overall.
Should you buy the Roborock Q5 Pro?
While there are undeniably very good things about the Roborock Q5 Pro robot vacuum – the price, a great app, overall ease of use, a large bin and not a visible tangle of hair on its rollers – it does not offer particularly consistent results. cleaning. Cleaning in particular seems like an afterthought.
If your home has a lot of hard floors, this would be perfect for staying on top of daily dust bunnies, but beyond that, a model with more power and features might be a better investment for perfectly clean surfaces.
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