A year after the Roborock S5 got acclaims for cleaning and mopping households with good enough efficiency and power, the Roborock S6 has been introduced as a faster, quieter, stronger and more competent upgrade with enough features intended to drive home a sense of superiority in conversations about robot vacuums that mop.
How much of this was accomplished through this robot vacuum cleaner, as well the Roborock S6 price and how it affects everything will be dissected in this Roborock S6 review.
If you would like to see how the S6 compares to the newer versions of the S6 Pure and the S6 MaxV click here.
You can also read the information on the pre-release of the Roborock S7, it looks pretty tasty.
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The 2-minute review
The Roborock S6 price falls under the $700 mark, which should be a bargain, considering the first-rate mapping capabilities, intelligence for carpet recognition and navigation, auto-charging, the provision of thoughtful spares and extras, as well as impressive suction power, even in quiet mode, to get the work done well enough.
The S6 from Roborock is perfect for dealing with pet hair and other debris, with each use drawing out as much dirt as possible and the mopping contributing comparable joy, all done as silently as possible.
The robotic vacuum can be controlled with a Xiaomi Smart Home app that must be downloaded and paired with the device that, unfortunately, is rather ugly to behold.
The Roborock S6 app is awkward at best, but at least it doesn’t affect the functionality of the mapping feature, and users of the Roborock S6 can also connect the Roborock S6 to smart assistants like Amazon’s Alexa or Google Assistant to enable voice commands for more fluid control. However, Alexa is only useful for turning the robot on and off, Google assistant does so much more.
- Max suction - 2000Pa
- 180 minutes runtime
- Auto recharge and resume
- Smart LDS Navigation with 14 sensors
- Virtual no-go zones
- Selective room cleaning
Pros
- Allows more than two editable maps – which is perfect for homes with multiple levels
- Very good value for money – vacuums just as well as the big names
- Carpet recognition is intuitive and adjusts suction power accordingly
- Has a full suite of features that you can enjoy
Cons
- Awkward Smartphone app mapping feature could look smarter
- Alexa needs to be given more control over the operation of the Robot
Roborock S6 full review
The Roborock S6 is a high-grade model of robot vacuum cleaner, and an excellent alternative to a Roomba, that’s not just because of the top-shelf Roborock S6 price. Rather, it has the superior quality expected from such a demanding cost evident in every feature of the cleaner except maybe the Roborock S6 app. From its incredible suction power, quality mopping features and an almighty battery, it puts so many other robots of similar weight and size to shame.
As a result, users of the Roborock S6 vacuum cleaners have realized that while the price might be on the high-side, it is worth every penny due to its complete cleaning performance. After all, it is often better to spend those few dollars extra rather than to buy tech at the cheapest rates and regret its. Basically, it does what you buy it to do extremely well, with impressive suction power and silence – it cleans your house.
However, what truly separates the Roborock S6 from the other robot vacuum cleaners is the full suite of advantageous features and qualities that this Roborock S6 review will reveal that makes cleaning with this robot vacuum cleaner so effortless.
How does the S6 compare to the Roborock S5? Is it worth the extra $$$?
You may also like to read: Roborock S7 vs Roomba i7
How it works
A lot has been said about the concise mapping abilities, intelligent laser-like navigation and powerful suction of the Roborock S6, but how does the magic happen?
First, the intelligence of the navigation system of the Roborock S6 is primarily down to the functional use of a little housing novel to Roborock’s design affixed to the top of the S6. In this little tower, there is are many sensors that create the laser responsible for the mapping and navigation systems.
The larger part of the circular robot’s backside can be flipped open to expose the cleaning filter and a storage bin that is up to 480ml in volume.
Below the robot, however, is where all the work is done.
Through a whirling brush with an undulating design positioned in-between two wheels that direct the dirt to the suction orifice of the robot. Also, the central location of these two wheels are responsible for the flexibility in the movement that the Roborock S6 is partial to.
Performance
When measured up against its rivals, the Roborock S6 clearly has as much class as its price commands. With an intimidating suction power, exceeding 2Kpa when set at the highest of four available modes, this flexible robot can be programmed to adjust to different flooring surfaces and respond with the appropriate suction power.
As for its reach, the zig-zag pattern it uses allows it to reach different parts of the house, and the heavy side brushes take advantage of its flexible mobility to improve the cleaning performance.
A performance bolstered by a 5200mAh battery to ensure long-lasting performance, even though the efficient cleaner only needed about one hour and three minutes to clean up a three-bedroom flat. This gives the user ample charge to clean even outside the scheduled cleaning times.
Unfortunately, the Roborock S6 mopping feature doesn’t really impress. First, you must attach the disposable cloths yourself, unless you want it rubbing the floor with already-soiled cloths. Then you must attach the Roborock S6 mopping unit to the main robot unit and witness the robot smudge the entire house without a cleaning agent and too little water. The Roborock S6 mopping feature looks more like an afterthought in retrospect.
However, this must be balanced by the consideration that it is a vacuum first. If you are relying heavily on the moping feature you may be better off looking for a separate specialist mopping robot.
If mopping is important to you I’d highly recommend reading our comparison of the S6 vs Roborock S5 MAX which offers much better vacuuming performance.
Ease of Set-up and Use
This robot vacuum cleaner comes with the robot unit, a charging dock, the platform for mounting the disposable fabrics and a plastic mat that protects the charging dock from the wet base of the robot after cleaning, extra features like the disposable mop fabrics, removable water tank and a waste bin and extra filters as well as a super-important user manual that guides you to get the set-up done and over with within 20 minutes on your own.
After setting up, the first charge usually takes just about sixty minutes to fill the power capacity of the battery, through a charging dock that is admittedly easier to mount on manually than all other robot vacuums, and is ready for use.
Controlling the bot is done through the Roborock S6 app that can be downloaded off the Android app store or the Apple app store, and installed, after launching the app, you must set up an account before it automatically scans for any device in the area and pairs with it. Once it has access to your Wi-fi network, it is ready to clean at your command.
You can schedule cleaning times for the robot, as well as specific areas on a very functional mapping system as well as even the suction power you would prefer for each part you schedule it to clean.
A valuable tip you can get from this Roborock S6 review is to turn on the mapping feature from the settings menu of the Roborock S6 app. Once you activate the mapping feature, you can then divide your individual rooms and spaces through color-coding each space. However, you’ll need good luck to successfully divide your rooms into restricted areas for the mop and spaces to be cleaned because of how rough the app is.
Reliability
One impressive part of the robot has nothing to do with the robot in the user’s possession, but the robot’s potential for growth. Whenever the performance of the Roborock S6 faces a problem, it automatically generates an error message that the reliable support team of this robot vacuum cleaner uses to develop firmware updates to fix the issues.
For instance, when faced with high pile carpets, the Roborock S6 might find it hard to climb above the obstacles, so the robot stops operation automatically and generates an error message.
Within the next few months, the user will get an update notification to help fix the issue.
Ongoing Maintenance
The most worrying, and frustrating, part of using the Roborock S6 is the affixing of disposable mopping cloths. It doesn’t seem like much, but this Roborock S6 review would be fraudulent if it doesn’t agree that this robot actually gets some mopping done, even though it’s basically driving a damp cloth around.
Unfortunately, this means that you either have to remove the filthy reusable mopping cloths after each use to wash, or you must replace the disposable mopping cloths that have been made available in the pack. Either way, you’re involved, and that sucks.
Extra Purchases and Ongoing Costs
Almost everything you will need comes with the robot vacuum cleaning unit in a pack, except you wish to buy some disposable mopping cloths later, but even that will take some time to exhaust.
However, for your health, and for efficiency, getting heap filters might be the way to go, as well as some extra side brushes and main brushes just in case. You can usually get those extra purchases to buy in a pack.
FAQs
How do I connect the Roborock S6 to Wi-Fi?
You must use the Xiaomi app – Mi Home app which can be downloaded from the play store – to connect the robot to your Wi-Fi by first confirming the Wi-Fi pointer after removing the cover on the top of the robot. Afterward, press the charge button and partial cleaning button simultaneously until the indicator light slows down and you hear a voice prompt – the signal that it’s ready to connect.
Log in to your Xiaomi account, or create one if you don’t have one yet, and open the ‘+’ icon in the ‘My devices’ option located in the top-right corner of the app. Then the light will become stable and you’re connected.
Can the washing machine be used to take care of reusable mopping cloths?
It’s actually recommended to wash the reusable cloths at least after every use with warm water and a cleaning agent. But remember to be gentle with it, if it gets crinkled, it becomes less effective for mopping.
Is the Roborock S6 compatible to all Wi-Fi connections?
The S6 connectivity is only available to 2.4GHz networks, any higher, and it won’t connect.
Where’s the charging cord?
The Roborock S6 comes with a more integrated cord than usual, a move aimed at keeping the dock area as uncluttered as possible.
How does the Roborock S6 know where it should not mop?
You must draw where you would like it to not clean altogether since there’s no option to just vacuum and not mop. Except you’re willing to uninstall the mopping module altogether.
Final Thoughts: Roborock S6 Review
The Roboroock S6 is undeniably impressive. Not only does it have navigational capabilities that step up from its predecessor, the Roborock S5, but it also has precise and functional mapping, remarkable suction power and a host of other features that clearly places it among the big names and brands of robot vacuums.
Even with the awkward app interface that clearly needs some work, the Roborock S6 price clearly falls short of the quality you’re getting in return, which makes it a worthy investment for any household. It could just be the thing that finally starts the transformation of your home to a smart home.
Matt is the founder of the Little Robot Shop, who has spent much of the last decade hacking home cleaning with various robots and devices to make keeping his home clean as easy as possible. Not an easy task with two young children.
When not working on the Little Robot Shop website or YouTube channel, he works as technical support and product specialist for a fast-growing digital company. He does his best to get his younglings to code, which will be an essential skill in the future.
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