Roborock S5 Max

The Roborock S5 Max hit the market in late 2019 with a simple promise: solid LIDAR navigation and mopping capability at a mid-range price. Five years later, it remains a capable machine for hard floors and light carpeting, though its passive mopping system and lack of obstacle avoidance show its age compared to newer models.

Here’s what you need to know before buying one.

The Bottom Line

This robot vacuum excels at picking up pet hair (scoring 91% on carpet tests) and navigating efficiently through your home using LIDAR mapping. It covers about 98% of floor space in methodical, Z-shaped patterns. The 290ml water tank can handle mopping a 700 square foot apartment three times over, or a 2,000 square foot home in a single session.

But let’s be honest about its weaknesses: the mopping is mediocre at best. RTINGS found it took eight passes to remove modest stains because the mop pad just drags across the floor without any scrubbing action. And if you have dark rugs or high-pile carpeting, expect frustration from false cliff sensor triggers and struggling suction.

What Makes It Work

LIDAR Navigation: The spinning laser sensor at 300 RPM maps your home with about 98% accuracy. It works in complete darkness and handles complex room layouts without getting confused. Most homes get fully mapped in 20-45 minutes on the first run.

Battery Life: The 5,200mAh battery delivers up to 180 minutes in Quiet mode, covering roughly 300 square meters. Push it to Max suction and you’ll get closer to 90 minutes and 180 square meters. Either way, it’ll return to the dock to recharge and resume cleaning if needed.

App Control: The Roborock app (or Xiaomi Home as an alternative) gives you granular control. You can set different suction levels and water flow for individual rooms, create no-go zones, schedule cleaning by room, and monitor progress in real-time. Works with Alexa and Google Assistant for basic start/stop commands.

Pet Hair Performance: This is where the S5 Max genuinely shines. The spiral bristle brush picks up short and long pet hair effectively, and the E11-grade filter captures fine allergens like dander. Pet owners consistently report excellent results on hard floors.

Hardware Breakdown

Spec	Details
Suction Power	2,000 Pa max
Dustbin	460ml
Water Tank	290ml (electronically controlled)
Robot Height	9.6cm (3.8 inches)
Threshold Climbing	Up to 2cm (0.8 inches)
Noise Level	58-60 dB (Quiet) to 62-69 dB (Max)
Filter	E11-grade (95% of 0.1-micron particles)
Charging Time	About 5 hours

The single side brush sweeps debris toward the main brush, which uses a spiral design with denser bristles than earlier Roborock models. It’s removable without tools, though hair tangles around the bearings remain an ongoing maintenance chore.

The Mopping Reality Check

The S5 Max uses a spring-loaded passive mopping system. Translation: a microfiber cloth gets pressed against the floor while water drips onto it. There’s no vibration, no scrubbing, no oscillation.

You can adjust water flow across four settings (Off, Low, Medium, High) and customize these per room. The app also lets you create no-mop zones, which is important because this robot cannot lift its mop pad when crossing carpets.

For daily maintenance of hard floors that aren’t particularly dirty, it works fine. For dried coffee stains or sticky kitchen messes? Don’t expect miracles. The S7 and newer models with sonic scrubbing exist for a reason.

Floor-by-Floor Performance

Hard Floors (Excellent): Hardwood, tile, vinyl, and laminate all see roughly 91% cleaning effectiveness. This is the S5 Max’s natural habitat.

Low-Pile Carpet (Good): Auto carpet boost kicks in to increase suction, and it handles most debris without issue. Multiple passes may help.

Medium-Pile Carpet (Fair): Fine debris sinks into fibers faster than the vacuum can extract it. Expect to run it more frequently.

High-Pile/Shag (Poor): The robot struggles to even climb onto thick shag carpet. Fine debris pickup drops to around 81%. If your home is primarily high-pile, look elsewhere.

Dark Rugs (Problematic): The infrared cliff sensors see black surfaces as drop-offs. This triggers false positives that make the robot avoid perfectly safe areas. There’s no reliable fix beyond blocking those areas entirely.

What’s Missing

No Obstacle Avoidance: Unlike the S6 MaxV and newer models, the S5 Max can’t identify and avoid pet waste, cables, or small toys. You’ll need to set up no-go zones manually and keep your floors reasonably clear before cleaning runs.

No Self-Emptying: The included dock only charges. You’ll empty the 460ml dustbin yourself, typically after every one or two runs depending on how much debris your household generates.

No Mop Lifting: The mop pad stays down whether the robot is on hardwood or carpet. Water flow stops on carpet if you’ve set up no-mop zones, but the damp pad still drags across.

2.4GHz WiFi Only: If your router only broadcasts at 5GHz, you won’t be able to connect. Cloud connectivity is required for full app features.

Maintenance and Ongoing Costs

The S5 Max demands regular attention. Plan on cleaning the brush roll weekly to remove hair tangles (an included hook-blade tool helps), rinsing the mop cloth after each mopping session, and emptying the dustbin frequently.

Replacement Parts:

• Filters: $20-32 for a 2-pack, replace every 3-6 months
• Brush roll: $15-20, replace roughly every 10 months
• Side brush: $16 for a 2-pack, replace every 6-8 months
• Mop pads: $15-20 for a 2-pack, replace every 3-6 months

Annual maintenance runs roughly $100-150 if you’re diligent about replacements. Parts are available through Roborock’s official store, Amazon, and third-party sellers (quality varies on the latter).

Known Problems

A firmware update (version 2.15.66) caused navigation bugs, dock-finding failures, and issues with no-mop zones being treated as no-go zones. If your unit is running stable firmware, think twice before updating.

Other reported issues include:

• Brush tangling with hair (common, moderate annoyance)
• Cliff sensor false positives on dark surfaces (moderate frequency)
• App connectivity drops (occasional)
• Customer service being slow to respond (frequent complaint on Trustpilot)
• Dustbin sensor misalignment requiring factory reset (occasional)

Hardware failures are relatively rare, but some users report brush motor issues within the first year and LIDAR sensor degradation after 2-3 years. The battery typically lasts 2-3 years before noticeable capacity loss, and replacements are available.

Warranty and Support

Standard warranty covers 12 months from purchase (6 months if bought from authorized retailers rather than Roborock’s official store). Coverage includes defects in materials and workmanship, with Roborock deciding between repair, replacement, or refund.

Extended warranties through Amazon’s Asurion program go up to 3 years. Given the reports of customer service struggles, extended coverage may be worth considering.

Support channels include email (support@roborock.com for US, support@roborock-eu.com for Europe) and in-app chat. Phone support isn’t prominently documented. User communities on Reddit (r/Roborock, r/robotvacuums) often provide faster troubleshooting help than official channels.

Who Should Buy This

The S5 Max makes sense if you:

• Have mostly hard floors or low-pile carpet
• Want reliable LIDAR navigation without paying for AI obstacle detection
• Need a 2-in-1 vacuum/mop at a sub-$400 price point
• Own pets and prioritize hair pickup over mopping performance
• Don’t mind setting up manual no-go zones

Skip it if you:

• Have high-pile or shag carpet throughout your home
• Own dark-colored rugs (cliff sensor headaches)
• Want strong mopping that handles dried stains
• Need self-emptying capability
• Prefer obstacle avoidance without manual zone setup
• Have thresholds higher than 2cm

Current Availability

Originally $599, the S5 Max now sells in the $359-500 range when available. It’s listed on Roborock’s official store but showing limited inventory as the company pushes newer S6, S7, and Q series models. Amazon and other retailers still carry stock.

Model numbers are S5E52-00 (Black) and S5E02-00 (White). Available in the US, Europe, Australia, and Asia-Pacific regions.

Technical Specifications

Dimensions: 353 x 350 x 96.5mm (13.9” x 13.8” x 3.8”) Weight: 3.5kg (7.7 lbs) Battery: 5,200mAh Li-ion, 20V Power Consumption: 58W nominal Suction Modes: Gentle, Quiet, Balanced, Turbo, Max Water Flow Levels: Off, Low, Medium, High Floor Maps: Up to 4 saved Voice Assistants: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant WiFi: 2.4GHz only Smart Home: No Matter or HomeKit support

Sensors: LIDAR (300 RPM), 4 cliff sensors, wall sensor, bump sensor, carpet detection, wheel rotation, height sensor

Dock Requirements: 1.5m clearance on each side, 2.5m in front, against a wall, away from direct sunlight