Roborock Q10 S5+

The Roborock Q10 S5+ delivers 10,000 Pa of suction power and comes with an auto-empty dock for under $330 on sale. That combination doesn’t exist elsewhere in the budget robot vacuum market. But there’s a catch you’ll want to know about before buying.

The Good News First

This vacuum absolutely destroys carpet dirt. In Vacuum Wars testing across 150+ models, the Q10 S5+ tied for the highest carpet deep clean score ever recorded, pulling 96% of embedded sand from carpet fibers. Pet hair pickup hits 96% as well (the average robot manages just 75.4%), and the anti-tangle brush clears 100% of hair without wrapping around the roller. Most competitors leave 38% tangled.

Navigation runs about 17% faster than average at 0.82 square meters per minute, and battery efficiency clocks in at 2.82 minutes per 1% drain (compared to the typical 2.27). You can store up to four floor maps, making this a solid choice for multi-level homes.

The VibraRise 2.0 mopping system vibrates 3,000 times per minute and automatically lifts 8mm when it detects carpet. Not groundbreaking, but it outperforms most robots in its price range on dried stain tests.

The Significant Weakness

Here’s what you need to understand: the Q10 S5+ has terrible obstacle avoidance. It scored just 6 out of 24 points in testing, far below the 16.6 average. Roborock used basic structured light sensors instead of a camera system, so the robot only reliably avoids objects taller than 3 inches.

Cables? It’ll run them over. Socks on the floor? Those are getting dragged around. Small toys? Fair game. Pet waste? Zero detection capability.

If you buy this vacuum, you’re committing to picking up your floors before every cleaning run. Some people don’t mind that trade-off at this price point. Others will find it frustrating.

The Auto-Empty Dock

The RockDock Plus uses 2.7L disposable bags and Roborock claims you can go seven weeks between changes. That’s optimistic for pet owners, but the capacity is genuinely generous.

One warning: the emptying cycle sounds like a jet engine. Multiple users report it’s far too loud for nighttime operation. Schedule your cleanings accordingly.

Unlike premium Roborock docks, this one won’t wash or dry your mop pads. You’re handling that manually.

Quality Control Concerns

More buyers than usual have reported units failing within the first few weeks. Common problems include LiDAR sensor failures, cliff sensor malfunctions, and Wi-Fi connectivity issues. The Siri integration also tends to crash the app. Worth noting if you’re risk-averse about early production runs.

Annual Maintenance Costs

Expect to spend $100-150 per year on replacement parts:

• Dust bags (6-pack): $31.99, replace every 1-2 months
• HEPA filters (2-pack): $14.99-32.99, replace every 3-6 months
• Side brushes (2-pack): $15.99, replace every 6-12 months

Who Should Buy This

The Q10 S5+ makes sense for budget-conscious buyers who want auto-empty convenience under $400, pet owners focused on carpet hair removal, multi-floor homes that can use the four-map feature, and anyone willing to clear floors before running the robot.

Who Should Skip It

Look elsewhere if you have pets and worry about waste detection, your home stays cluttered with cables and toys, you need HomeKit or Matter smart home integration, you want a dock that washes and dries mop pads, or quality control concerns make you nervous about new releases.

How It Compares

Against the Dreame D20 Plus, the Q10 S5+ wins on mopping (better vibration and carpet detection) but loses on raw suction (13,000 Pa vs 10,000 Pa). Compared to the standard Q10 S5, you’re paying an extra $100-150 purely for the auto-empty dock. The older Q7 and Q8 Max+ models have weaker suction but better obstacle avoidance.