For those not be able to justify splashing the cash on some of Roborock’s pricer models, the entry-level Q5 Pro robot vacuum has much to offer. It uses the same sleek, user-friendly app as its more expensive siblings, plus its big onboard bin negates the need for an emptying base station, so it won’t take up much space in your home either.
This, plus rubber roller brushes that resist hair tangles and an optional mopping module make it an attractive robot vac for dust-free hard floors on a budget.
For more wallet-friendly robot vacuum buying recommendations, have a look at our round-up of the best cheap robot vacuums we’ve tested.
Design and Build
- Large 770ml onboard dustbin
- Up to 4 hours of cleaning
- 5,500Pa suction
Unlike several of Roborock’s other models, the lack of a base station to empty into means that the Q5 Pro robot vacuum has to carry everything it needs with it: a large 770ml dustbin, so you don’t have to empty it often, and a detachable 180ml water tank for mopping.
However, US buyers can get the Q5 Pro+, which comes with a self-emptying dock, although it is somewhat pricier, currently $479.99 from Amazon.
This means that it’s a little taller than some at 9.7cm, but it’ll scoot below an average kitchen plinth comfortably. Its diameter is average at 35cm, with the top home to a trio of buttons. One starts it cleaning, one kicks off a spot clean and the other sends it back to its dock – handy if you don’t want to pick up a device or find your smart speaker (it’s compatible with Siri, Google Home and Alexa).
Inside, there’s a 5200mAh battery, making it weightier than some robot vacs at 5.52kg. This provides up to four hours’ cleaning if you choose its quiet mode – useful if you have large areas of flooring.
Underneath, you’ll find twin roller brushes made of rubber to prevent tangles and a side brush combined with a reasonable 5,500Pa of suction power – not as powerful as some but not as lacklustre as others.
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
It’s finished in black plastic, with a coordinating dock. The dock charges the robot vac and comes with a separate clear mat to protect your floors from a wet mop pad.
Performance and Features
- Charging dock needs a fixed spot
- Quick mapping
- Basic mopping
Where theRoborock Q5 Pro robot vacuum will live is an important first question when setting it up. The lightweight charging dock and moisture-proof mat both attach to the floor using double-sided tape, so it’s not something you can keep changing your mind about.
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
In addition, the dock has a short power cable, reducing placement options. We liked that the bin was accessible for emptying when the robot vac was charging.
However, the rest of the set-up was seamless. The Q5 Pro connected to the app first time, and most of the functionality is easily located under relevant menus. You’ll find features such as Pin and Go, which is a spot clean specified in a certain area, and a remote control if you want to direct it yourself.
What we especially liked was the option of either quick mapping without cleaning, or mapping while cleaning. We chose the latter and it still only took about 10 minutes to map our floor. In this, it was helped considerably by LiDAR, as we could see the shape of each room form long before the robot vac had explored it fully.
Once mapped, it was straightforward to divide, merge and name rooms, then set cleaning schedules.
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
One aspect we did notice was that it tended to have trouble with low obstacles when navigating. For example, it tried climbing a stone hearth several times. This wasn’t something that could be moved, so we had to make this area a no-go.
The upshot of this was that the flooring around the hearth wasn’t cleaned properly. The Q5 Pro also became stuck on piano feet and between a table leg and chair: it used a twisting movement to try and free itself but we had to intervene.
We tested the Q5 Pro’s cleaning on both hard flooring and mid-pile carpet, using flour in place of dust and oats as debris. While the clean was mostly good on the hard floor, we had to run the cleaning cycle twice as there was a fair amount of residue left, and even then some flour remained and a few oats had been flicked by the side brush to cleaned areas.
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
Its performance was divided on carpet. Most of the oats were removed after two cleans on the highest setting, but there was a lot of flour left behind, which we had to vacuum up with our usual appliance.
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
The Q5 Pro’s mopping function is basic: the water tank module clips on, however, you’ll still need to remove the pad and wet it through before starting. There’s no scrubbing motion, the pad simply wipes along the floor. In addition, there’s only one pad so once it’s dirty, you’ll have to remove it for a rinse before you can continue.
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
Water flow has to be adjusted using a switch underneath the pad, meaning it has to be set in advance of mopping. The biggest issue though, is that you’ll need to remember to set it to clean the hard floor areas only as the Q5 Pro doesn’t automatically avoid carpet when mopping.
On our hard floor, mopping was tested using a thin layer of brown sauce that had been left to dry. After two cleaning cycles, sauce was still visible on the floor, and sauce residue was spread around the rest of the room. Once dried, the entire floor was sticky and had to be mopped manually.
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
Price and Availability
Although the Q5 Pro isn’t a flawless robot vacuum, its price point makes it a very attractive choice, particularly if you’re looking for a simple hard floor vacuum. In the UK, you can buy it from Amazon for £299 but at the time of writing, it’s discounted to only £199.99.
In the US, it has an RRP of $249.99 and it’s available from Amazon. With its auto-empty dock, it’s $479.99, also from Amazon.
Although it’s well priced, you may get more for your money by choosing an older model that’s come down in price since its launch. You can see other recommended options in our round-up of the best cheap robot vacuums. You can see our top recommendations at all price points in our round-up of the best robot vacuums we’ve tested overall.
Should you buy the Roborock Q5 Pro?
While there are undeniably some great things about the Roborock Q5 Pro robot vacuum – the price point, a brilliant app, ease of use in general, large bin and not a hair tangle to be seen on its rollers – it doesn’t deliver especially consistent cleaning. Mopping in particular feels like an afterthought.
If your home has lots of hard floors, it’d be perfect for keeping on top of the daily dust bunnies, but beyond that, a model with more power and functionality might be a better investment for squeaky clean surfaces.
