Roborock S6 MaxV review

We already knew Xiaomi from the smart home devices, but did you know that this brand also produces robot vacuum cleaners? Xiaomi has already launched dozens of smart vacuum cleaners under the name Roborock.

One of the newest is the Roborock S6 MaxV: a robot vacuum cleaner with a mopping function. I am very curious about the quality of this “Chinese” robot vacuum cleaner, so I decided to buy it myself. In this extensive Roborock S6 MaxV review I discuss my experiences with this robot vacuum cleaner from Xiaomi.

The Roborock S6 MaxV is equipped with two cameras. © Vacuumtester

Roborock S6 MaxV unboxing

The Roborock S6 is available in three different versions: the S6 Max, S6 Pure and the S6 MaxV. The version has no difference in the supplied accessories. View below what you get with this Roborock robot vacuum cleaner.

The complete contents of the package. © Vacuumtester

1. Roborock S6 MaxV: the robot vacuum cleaner
2. Charging station: a remarkably small base station
3. Extra HEPA filter: you get an extra HEPA filter
4. Charging cable: power cable for the base station
5. Mopping pad: a soft microfibre pad for mopping
6. Anti-moisture pad: for when the vacuum cleaner parks with a wet mopping pad

The plastic anti-moisture pad is very important for wood floors. If the robot vacuum cleaner parks with a wet mopping pad, this anti-moisture pad prevents spots on your floor.

Suction performance of the Xiaomi Roborock S6 MaxV

A robot vacuum cleaner must be able to do its job independently. It is therefore very important that it vacuums well on all floor types, without having to make additional settings. For example, if he suddenly drives over a carpet.

I tested the Roborock S6 MaxV on three different floor types: wooden floors, low-pile carpet and long-pile carpet. In addition, I tested how well the robot vacuum cleaner removes pet hair and whether it navigates well on dark floors.

(Dark) Wooden floors, carpet and pet hair

The Roborock S6 MaxV is a robot vacuum and mop combination. This allows you to not only have the floor automatically vacuumed, but also mopped. This is very nice, because a layer of fine dust can often be seen after vacuuming on dark floors. Thanks to the wet mopping pad, this is neatly cleaned. The vacuum cleaner has very good suction power on hard floor types and removes both small and large dirt without any problems.

On soft floor types (high-pile and low-pile carpet), the Roborock also has no problem with small and large dirt. The robot vacuum automatically adjusts the suction power when it detects a carpet, so that it can be vacuumed deep into the fibres.

I do notice that there is no option to create a “No Mop zone”. Something that is possible, for example, with the Eufy Robovac L70 Hybrid. The vacuum cleaner will stop mopping if it runs over carpet, but it will drag a wet mopping pad behind it.

The vacuum cleaner will stop mopping if it runs over carpet, but it will drag a wet mopping pad behind it.

To navigate well, this Xiaomi robot vacuum cleaner is equipped with LIDAR technology. Thanks to this laser technology, the vacuum cleaner also works well on dark floors.

Thanks to LIDAR, the Roborock S6 works well on dark floors. © Vacuum tester

• Hardwooden floors: 8/10 (works on dark floors)
• Carpet: 6/10
• Pet hair: 7/10

User-friendliness of the Roborock S6 MaxV

Several factors influence the ease of use with a robot vacuum cleaner. For example, we are dealing with an app with which the robot vacuum cleaner can be operated. To assess the user-friendliness of the Roborock S6 MaxV, I looked at the installation, application and functions of the robot vacuum cleaner.

Installation of the Roborock robot vacuum cleaner

The installation of the Roborock robot vacuum cleaner is super easy. The installation process consists of the following steps:

1. Download the Roborock app on your smartphone (tip: scan the QR code on the packaging to directly download the right app)
2. Create a Roborock account, fill in your personal details
3. Click ‘Search for Device' to add the robot vacuum cleaner
4. Add the Roborock S6 MaxV if it appears in the app
5. Enter the details of the WiFi network

It is important to find a good location for the charging station. You have to take into account enough free space (half a meter on the sides and one and a half meters at the front). In addition, you must take into account a good WiFi connection and of course there must be a socket nearby.

Take into account sufficient free space around the charging station. © Vacuumtester

Ease of use of the Roborock app

Like any other robot vacuum cleaner, the Roborock S6 is controlled via your smartphone. You can easily view a virtual map of the home in the app. With the help of virtual walls you can easily indicate where the robot vacuum cleaner does and does not have to vacuum.

The robot vacuum cleaner is equipped with two cameras. If the robot vacuum cleaner detects an obstacle, you will receive a photo of this in the application. You can then indicate whether the robot vacuum cleaner should always avoid it from now on.

The interface of the Roborock app. © Vacuumtester

With the cameras you can also watch live in the app and even control the Roborock. You are behind the wheel of your own robot vacuum cleaner.

Other functions

The Roborock has a number of unique features that I like to list.

• Multi-level Mapping: Create a map for each floor in the house.
• Intense Suction: the Roborock recognizes floor types and automatically adjusts its suction power accordingly.
• Smart Mop Control: Allows you to adjust the amount of water while mopping, as well as the mopping power.

Maintenance: Empty and clean Roborock S6

A robot vacuum cleaner requires more maintenance than a ‘normal vacuum cleaner'. For example, you have to take into account the regular cleaning of the sensors and the hair-free cleaning of the wheels and brushes. Let's see how easy the Xiaomi Roborock is to maintain.

Emptying the robot vacuum cleaner

The robot vacuum cleaner is equipped with a 0.5 liter dust container. This is the same size as the dust container of the comparable Eufy Robovac L70 Hybrid. You should empty the dust container after every major cleaning activity. Fortunately, this is very simple and you can just do this above the trash can.

Since we are dealing with a robot vacuum cleaner with a mop, there is also a water reservoir. It is also easy to empty and refill. Keep in mind that you do not use any cleaning agents when cleaning the water tank.

Emptying the dust container and water tank of the Roborock is very easy. © Vacuum tester

Filter: clean and replace

The Roborock S6 is equipped with a HEPA filter. This results in low dust emissions. Unfortunately, you cannot clean the HEPA filter under the tap, but as we saw during the unboxing, you get an extra filter.

Other cleaning activities

To give you a good idea of the maintenance, I list below which parts you need to clean regularly.

• Castor wheel
• Side brush
• Charging contacts (also on charging station)
• Sensors
• Camera screen

I notice that the various parts are easy to disassemble, making cleaning a lot easier. You will even receive a notification in the app when the sensors need to be cleaned!

Conclusion Roborock S6 MaxV review

The Roborock S6 MaxV is a smart robot vacuum cleaner that is suitable for all floor types. The suction power is automatically adjusted when carpet is detected, which works very well. This also means that pet hairs are easily removed.

The robot vacuum cleaner navigates well and thanks to the two cameras there is good obstacle detection. It is very nice that you can see through photos via the app what the robot vacuum cleaner has seen as an obstacle: you can indicate whether it should avoid this in the future or not. This makes the robot vacuum cleaner increasingly smarter and more efficient.

Finally, the mop function: it works very well and is easy to turn on or off. The only downside I notice is that you cannot create a zone in the app where the robot vacuum cleaner should not clean when it mops. It is therefore unavoidable that the Roborock runs over the carpet with a wet mopping pad. Even though the carpet mopping function is automatically disabled on soft floor types.