VoW Lifestyle

With a bundled auto-emptying dock, you can ignore the Q5+ for weeks at a time.

The Q-Series is Roborock’s “budget” self-emptying option since it’s cheaper than the S7 and S7 MaxV Ultra.

There are several sub-variants – the Q5+, Q7+, and Q7 Max+.

The Q5+ is the least expensive, but it doesn’t have the mopping feature or the bristle-less brush roll.

Design, hardware, what's in the box

The design of the Q5+ will be familiar if you’ve seen almost any robot vacuum ever released. It’s a black, puck-shaped robot a little over a foot in diameter. The front half has a wrap-around bumper that tells the bot when it runs into something. It doesn’t need to rely on that as much as some cheaper vacuums, though. The Q5+ has a LIDAR module on top, allowing it to map your rooms and understand its location in them. This is a must-have feature for me—watching unguided robots bounce randomly from wall to wall, hoping they hit every nook and cranny is surprisingly annoying.Roborock does at least give you a spare bag for the dock, but additional bags will run you $19 for three or $32 for six. There’s also a cleaning tool in the box, but you won’t get spare filters. The Q5+ is the version of the vacuum bundled with the auto-emptying dock, but there will be a “regular” Q5 later without that accessory. Roborock doesn’t have a timeline or price for that version, but the S7’s dock costs a whopping $300 when purchased separately. The Q5 might save you a few hundred bucks if you don’t demand that convenience and can wait a bit.

Auto-emptying dock

The “plus” branding in the Q5+ signifies that it comes with the auto-emptying dock. As I mentioned above, the ramp design has been reliable. The robot rolls up and connects to the charger correctly every time. Some lesser robots I’ve tested end up knocking over or displacing their own dock just trying to get back on the charger (looking at you, Ecovacs). Roborock says to put the dock on a hard surface, but it’s been fine for me sitting on carpet. I also like that it comes with a long cable, which you can bundle up behind the dock for a cleaner look. The top cover lifts off effortlessly, revealing the single-use bag where all your grime goes after the robot unloads. It does this automatically every few cleans for me, but that will vary based on how much area you have it cleaning. You can also manually trigger the emptying process, which is very, very loud. After the dock does its thing, the dust bin is almost spotless. Roborock says a single bag should be good for about seven weeks, and I think it might be even longer in my case. After using the robot for a little over two months, I still have some room to spare in the bag. That’s with running it two or three times per week. The bags aren’t terribly expensive, but this is still a consumable item you’ll have to replace multiple times over the life of the product.

Mapping Master

In contrast to simple bounce navigation, the Q5+ series uses Lidar, which uses lasers to navigate. Other robot vacuums, including the premium Roborock S7 models, use camera-based navigation to help identify obstacles in the house (Roborock’s version is called ReactiveAI). But honestly, I was fine with having fewer mobile cameras in my home.

In 2021, my family moved to a large, rambling house that most robot vacuums find difficult to navigate; many have simply pooped out halfway through, unable to cope. The Q5+ is the only vacuum that has cleaned the whole floor over and over. Even the Roomba j7+ left a corner untouched for a few weeks, unnoticed. In the app, you can opt to view your floor plan in 2D or 3D. It pinpointed our couches and bookshelves, but surprisingly not the kitchen table or chairs (probably because I keep moving them). It takes about 80 minutes to clean about 900 square feet, which I found remarkably fast; the Yeedi robot vacuum that I’m currently cotesting often poops out at about half that much.

Mapping Master

After pairing the device with your phone, you can enter the app where you’ll be met with a blank canvas until your Q5+ maps the area. Once it does, you’ll have access to a 2D and 3D model of your home. Here, you can track where the robot has vacuumed and the pattern it followed while cleaning.

 

You can also add No-Go Zones which prevent the robot from cleaning the specified area. These work pretty intuitively once you get your bearings on the digital map. Similarly, you can separate rooms and zones to specify where you want the robot to clean. Say you only want a quick sweep of the living room before guests arrive, but you don’t want it to run a full home clean—no problem at all. You can even specify a schedule of times for the robot to begin cleaning automatically.

If you want to choose an area to spot clean (a five square meter radius targeted clean), place a pin on the map from Pin n Go and watch the Q5+ hop to it. This is useful for cleaning up under a table after meals, or around the front door after walking in from a day outside.

The last method of controlling the robot is by far the most fun: remote control. You can use your phone to pilot the robot remotely, eliminating dust wherever you so desire. It’s a little slow to respond so I didn’t use it much, but it’s an interesting feature to make small positioning changes.

If you want to see how your Q5+ is fairing physically, check the Maintenance tab and get some answers. Here you’ll see reports on brushes, sensors, filters, and the dust bag.

 

If you’re a smart home connoisseur, you’ll be delighted to hear the Q5+ integrates seamlessly with voice commands from your Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri Shortcuts.

Maintenance

Roborock Q5+ The Perfect Reliable Vacuum (December 2022)

Floor Plan

Roborock Q5+ The Perfect Reliable Vacuum (December 2022)

3d Mapping

Roborock Q5+ The Perfect Reliable Vacuum (December 2022)

Full Control

Should You Buy the Roborock Q5+?

Ultimately, if you want an autonomous robotic vacuum for a tidier home, the Q5+ is an excellent option. At the crossroads of affordability and functionality, Roborock’s Q5+ is a must-own for anyone who doesn’t have a shag rug or wants something more from their cleaning bot, like mopping (as seen in the S7 MaxV Ultra edition). The Q5+ is available for $499.99, a reasonable price to pay for the replacement of year-round vacuuming.

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