Roborock S6 vs. S5 Max comparison - UK (2022)

The cleaning duel is the centrepiece of our Roborock S5 Max vs S6 comparison.

That's why we threw some dirty challenges at these two robot vacuums and checked how they coped in our suction arena. They have to remove different types of dirt on hard floors and carpets.

Of course, we also took a very close look at how well the two household helpers managed with everyday cleaning in our home.

Roborock S6 vs S5 Max: Cleaning Test

Test on hard floors

Both robotic vacuums removed over 90 % of the dirt on the laminate, which is a very satisfactory result.

So if you have hard floors at home, you’ll be pleased with either of these two devices.

Roborock S5 Max on Laminate

Roborock S6 on Laminate

Suction test on carpets

The Roborock S5 Max and the S6 also do a great job on carpets.

Both robot vacuums switch to the most powerfull cleaning mode (Max) as soon as they drive onto a carpet, thanks to the carpet detection function.

The increased suction power ensures the excellent cleaning result on carpets.

Roborock S5 Max on short pile carpet

Roborock S6 on short pile carpet

Roborock S5 Max on high pile carpet

Roborock S6 on high pile carpet

Roborock S5 Max vs. Roborock S6: Everyday cleaning

We tested both Roborock models in our flat for several weeks...

...and we were very impressed.

Since you can choose between 4 different cleaning modes, you always have the right one at hand for any kind of floor cleaning.

The "Balanced" mode is usually sufficient for "normal (everyday)" dirt. If the floor is heavily soiled, you should go with the higher power settings (Turbo, Max).

Conclusion on the suction test

Both robot vacuums scored equally good results.

The minor differences are probably just variances.

Both models are excellent household helpers that’ll clean your home reliably.

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We didn’t want to miss out on testing the mopping performance in our Roborock S5 Max vs. Roborock S6 comparison, either...

...Since both robot vacuums have a mopping function.

These "hybrid models" can vacuum and mop your home in one go.

The mopping function works the same for both robot vacuum / mop hybrids.

It pulls the mopping pad behind itself during the vacuuming process.

Here, the attached water tank supplies the mopping pad with water.

This way, they can mop and vacuum the floor at the same time during the cleaning cycle.

Significantly improved mopping features on Roborock S5 Max

Roborock improved the mopping features of the Roborock S5 Max compared to the previous model (Roborock S6).

They almost doubled the capacity of the water tank, among other things.

With this, it can mop areas twice as large as the S6 in one go. The Roborock S5 Max can clean - depending on the water level selected - up to 200 m² of living space with one full water tank (vs. Roborock S6: 100 m²).

Another significant advantage of the Roborock S5 Max vs. S6: You can control the S5 Max’s water flow via the app.

You can choose from 4 levels.

And there’s more to it: You can even set the water intensity level for each room individually with the Roborock S5 Max.

Now you can let it mop rooms with sensitive floors (e.g. laminate in the living room) with a smaller amount of water and non-sensitive surfaces (e.g. tiles in the bathroom) with a lot of water.

With the Roborock S6, you control the water intensity in a "classic" way via a switch on the water tank instead.

Only 2 water intensity levels (little/much) are at your disposal here.

Last but not least, the Roborock S5 Max has another improvement in stock for the mopping function.

Its spring construction exerts an additional contact pressure of 300 grams on the mop.

That construction presses the mop a little harder against the floor and thus, improves the wiping performance.

All in all, we liked the Roborock S5 Max's mopping function.

It removes the last residues of dirt and dust.

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The Roborock S6: Better accessories but worse mopping

The Roborock S6 has better additions for the mopping function compared to the S5 Max.

The model comes with two recyclable wipes (vs. Roborock S5 Max: only one).

You’ll always have a clean wipe at hand.

Furthermore, the water-resistant protective pad of the Roborock S6 is of higher quality than that of the S5 Max.

It’s much more stable, whereas the base of the S5 Max is made of thin plastic and kind of "wobbly".

Thanks to a simple "click mechanism", you can easily clamp the plastic mat of the Roborock S6 under the charging station.

With the Roborock S5 Max, you have to glue the protective mat to the floor instead.

The delivery scope of the Roborock S6 also includes ten disposable wipes.

The mopping result of Roborock S6 is „ok“.

It removes light dirt and dust residues from the floor with the help of the damp mop.

Conclusion

The Roborock S5 Max is ahead of the S6 regarding the mopping function.

The enlarged water tank and the possibility to control the water intensity level via the mobile app are significant improvements compared to the Roborock S6.

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You can control both the Roborock S5 Max and the S6 with the Xiaomi Home App (Android / iOS) or the Roborock App (Android / iOS).

Both apps are identical in terms of the range of functions and are equally user-friendly.

However, if you use other smart home devices from Xiaomi, you should go with the Xiaomi Home App. This way, you can control all Xiaomi devices via one app, and you don't have to switch back and forth between different apps.

The app's range of functions leaves nothing to be desired.

We summarised the essential functions in the table below.

Roborock S6 vs. S5 Max App: Functionalities

The only significant difference is that you can choose between 4 different water intensity levels in the Roborock S5 Max’s App and set it individually per room.

This is a significant advantage over the Roborock S6. You have even more flexibility and adapt the cleaning to the floor types and degree of soiling in each room.

All in all, the app control for the Roborock S5 Max and S6 is excellent.

We think that the Roborock App is one of the best apps of all robot vacuum cleaners tested so far.

The additional features for the mopping function in the Roborok S5 Max app are significant improvements. They provide even more flexibility in your daily floor cleaning.

Voice Control

You can control your robot vacuum with your voice and get things done. Simply connect the app to Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri and you are good to go.

Here are your voice commands for Amazon’s Alexa (Roborock Home Skill).

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Laser navigation is one of the best navigation methods for robotic vacuum cleaners.

You can see that with the Roborock S6 and the S5 Max.

Both devices have excellent driving behaviour.

They cleaned our flat efficiently and in a structured way. They didn’t leave out any areas or rooms.

Both models have super fast navigation. The Roborock S5 Max needed a few minutes less to navigate our 80 m² flat.

They also didn’t have any problems with avoiding obstacles.

Both robot vacuums mark large obstacles (e.g. chair legs, coffee table, sofa, cupboards) on the map. They detect smaller obstacles with impact sensors (in the bumper) on impact and avoid them accordingly.

The "collisions" are completely harmless, so neither your furnishings nor the robot vacuums get damaged.

Our conclusion: The driving behaviour and navigation of both Roborock vacuum-mopping robots are on par. We didn’t notice any significant differences.

Both models are top players on the robot vacuum market in the "navigation and driving behaviour" category. There are hardly any devices that have better performance.

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The robot vacuums are pretty similar in terms of battery performance.

They are suitable for larger flats or houses, thanks to the powerful 5200 mAh lithium-ion battery.

Both models also have a recharge & resume function.

If the battery runs out during a cleaning cycle, the robot vacuum automatically returns to the charging dock. But it remembers the exact spot where it had to stop cleaning. The robotic vacuum cleaner returns to that spot and continues cleaning once the battery is full.

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The noise level of both models depends on the selected power mode.

You can choose it in the app.

The rule of thumb is “the higher the suction level, the louder the robot vacuum cleaner.”

The Roboock S6 is slightly louder than the Roborock S5 Max.

But you can hardly notice that in everyday use.

Long story short: Both devices operate relatively quietly.

We usually use the "Balanced" or "Turbo" cleaning mode for our flat.

With these, you can still have a conversation in the same room or watch a movie (at a higher volume).

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The Roborock S5 Max and Roborock S6 are very similar in design and quality.

The dimensions of the two devices are identical. The Roborock S6 just weighs about 100 grams more.

The two robot vacuums have almost the same appearance.

The only difference: Roborock S6 Max has one extra control button on the top.

(1) Start/Stop

(2) Back to the charging station

(3) Area cleaning (spot cleaning)

You’ll see the same when you open the lid of both devices: The cleaning tools and mobile dust bins.

Even from below, the two models look confusingly similar. Mop, rollers, side brush, main brush - all components are identical in both devices.

Only their backs are slightly different.

That’s mainly because the water tank of the Roborock S6 is significantly larger.

Another difference: The docking station of the Roborock S6 is much larger than that of the S5 Max.

But you can wind up the excess power cable at the back of the charging station of the S6. That’s not possible with the Roborock S5 Max charging dock.

All in all, we can say that the quality of both devices is equally good.

Roborock UK uses high-quality products from brand manufacturers for the components. Bosch supplies the sensors, and the German premium supplier Covestro adds the rollers. That way, your robot vacuum will help you out for a long time.

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The Roborock S6 comes with significantly more spare parts.

The following spare parts are also included in the delivery scope of the Roborock S6:

• 1 x Replacement HEPA filter

• 10 x Disposable Wipes

• 1 x extra moping pad

Now let’s get to the exciting part: Comparing the Roborock S6 vs. S5 Max price.

The Roborock S5 Max is currently available at a lower price in the UK than its predecessor.

It’s rather unusual that the predecessor (S6) has a higher price than its successor (S5 Max).

It may be because of the more extensive delivery scope of Roborock S6.

But the Roborock S5 Max still offers significant improvements (especially in the mopping function).

Our team put the Roborock S6 and Roborock S5 Max through the wringer.

You can see an overview of the overall scores in the table below. Our ratings range from 0.5 stars (terrible) to 5 stars (outstanding).

Check out our detailed reviews for each model if you want to read more about our experiences. We linked the robot vacuum reviews below.

• To Roborock S5 Max Review
• To Roborock S6 Review

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The Chinese manufacturer already conquered our hearts with the Roborock S6.

Efficient navigation, a decent mopping function and an excellent app convinced many robot vacuum fans out there. The icing on the cake was its fantastic price.

That set the bar pretty high for its successor, the Roborock S5 Max.

The manufacturer focused on the areas where there was still room for improvement.

And they chose the mopping function.

The larger water tank and the possibility to control the water intensity level via the app are significant improvements for the Roborock S5 Max’s mopping feature compared to the S6.

Considering that the Roborock S5 Max is also cheaper, the decision between the two devices is quite clearly in favour of the Roborock S5 Max.

However, if you call a Roborock S6 your own, we wouldn’t recommend buying the Roborock S5 Max. After all, the S6 model is also a good device.

In this case, the few differences between these two models don’t justify the purchase.

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