The Roborock S5 is one of the best smart robot cleaners on the market. The 360 S6 is the new machine that surprised us with its features and a price tag. Can the S6 compete with the Roborock S5?
I have been using the 360 S6 for around 9 months so far. My experience with this robot vacuum is positive. I love the way it performs on carpets. I have a mix of thin and medium-pile carpets/rugs; the S6 does a superb job on all of them. Also, 50% of my floors are tile and laminate. On bare flooring, the 360 works great picking up even the smallest particulars which is not surprising at all since most of the robot vacuum cleaners perform amazingly on bare flooring, even those that don't have mopping. Occasionally, I use mopping especially during these days when I don't want to use my handheld mopping. I also add some floor detergent even though the manufacturer does not specify if you can add anything to the water tank except water. For sure, mopping might not be as useful as vacuuming in this model, but I find it very helpful when I want my floors to have a fresh, clean look.
I do not have pets so I am not sure how good the vacuum handles it though I do have long hair and you can only imagine how much of it I find around. The 360 S6 has no issues with picking up my hair; however, hair clogs up the brush after every cleaning. The brush has detachable parts so cleaning it does not take long.
So far the 360 S6 has been so good. I am happy to have this robot vacuum cleaner, love the way it cleans my place and overall have a great experience with this model. I would definitely recommend buying one.
I also use the Roborock S5 from time to time. I am not the biggest fan of the noise level it makes on turbo mode, but hey, we are talking about one of the most powerful machines in the industry, right? And the S5 is not as loud as the Neato or Roomba 980 anyways. Mopping works the same way as the 360 S6 mopping does. The Roborock is a bit more powerful than the 360 S6 so when I want to get deeper cleaning on my carpets - I use the S5. The 360 S6 does the job on carpets well, but if I need it to pick up more, I will run the robot twice in my living room where the carpet seems to get dirtier faster. Even though the Roborock S5 does not get as much hair wrapped around the main brush, it is challenging to get it clean because most of the hair concentrates on the edges that are not removable (the 360 S6 brush is more user-friendly).
The Roborock S5 has been great as well. It only depends on your own needs and a budget which one would suit your floor surface better: the Roborock or 360.
The Roborock S5 vs. 360 S6 Video Comparison
The Roborock S5 & 360 S6 Robotic Vacuum Comparison Chart
| Features | 360 S6 | Roborock S5 |
|---|---|---|
| Operation time | 100 minutes | 150 minutes |
| Battery capacity | 3,200 mAh | 5,200 mAh |
| Dustbin capacity | 400 ml | 500 ml |
| Water tank capacity | 150 ml | 140 ml |
| Mapping | yes | yes |
| Mapping technology | laser | laser |
| Mopping | yes | yes |
| Wi-Fi | yes | yes |
| App | 360Smart | Mi Home |
| Virtual walls | yes | yes |
| Specified area | yes | yes |
| Selected room cleaning | no | yes |
| Spot cleaning | no | yes |
| Suction power | 1,800 Pa | 2,000 Pa |
| Amazon Alexa / Google Home | yes | yes |
| Scheduling | yes | yes |
| Noise level | 55 dB | 60 dB |
| Cleaning area | 2,150 ft2 / 200 m2 | 2,690 ft2 / 250 m2 |
| Barrier-cross height | 0.67 in / 17 mm | 0.79 in / 20 mm |
| Washable HEPA | yes | yes |
| Carpet boost | yes | yes |
| Voice alert | yes | yes |
| Warranty | 12 months | 12 months |
| Price | $369.98 on Amazon | $459.99 on Amazon |
Navigation and Sensors
Each of the robots is equipped with a bunch of sensors that help it to move around and "see" obstacles, avoid collisions and don't fall down from drop-offs.
Along with that, the robots build a map thanks to which they recognize obstacles even better.
Mapping technology
Both robot vacuums have a LIDAR system with the LDS sensor located inside each robot's head that scans your house layout
They equipped with powerful ARM processors that use SLAM algorithms to build the most efficient path of cleaning based on the map it has created. Thanks to this, the robot does not repeat or miss any places when cleaning, and significantly reduce cleaning time compared to robot vacuums with a random cleaning pattern.
Mapping saves battery energy by preventing the robot to clean the same spots twice
The laser is much more accurate than a camera sensor (like Roomba 980 uses), it allows the robot to work in the dark.
The 360 S6 saves up to 10 different floor plans which make it suitable for multi-level houses
The 360 S6 takes some time to recognize its location before getting started.
Also, the Roborock S5 is a bit more efficient. It takes about 40 minutes to clean a 70 square meter place for the Roborock and about 48-49 minutes for the 360 S6.
360 S6 and Roborock S5 Mopping & bare floor performance
Both robots have a water tank, and a mopping pad, which is great since such high-end and more expensive robots as Neato D7 and Roomba s9+ don't have the mopping feature. Please note, that this feature is fantastic for everyday use but can't get rid of stubborn stains. Both of the robots come with a similar mopping technology, the difference is a water tank capacity and the way the container attaching to the robot.
The Roborock S5 and 360 S6 are 2-in-1 robots: they mop and sweep at the same time
The Roborock S5 is equipped with a 140 ml water container and can work in the mop mode for about 40-50 minutes until the water tank is emptied. Fill the tank with water, slide it underneath and the robot is ready to mop.
The 360 S6 has a 150ml water tank and can be installed by a simple click.
Smartphone App
The Roborock S5 and the 360 S6 support Wi-Fi connection with a smartphone. In general "360Smart" and "Mi Home" apps look very similar and have about the same main features. The app allows to turn on/off the robot, switch between cleaning modes, track its movements in real-time, view the cleaning map, schedule the machine, see the cleaning history, etc. You can also see when the accessories need to be replaced.
Set restricted areas and your robot will not cross them
The Mi Home has the ability to create a zone cleaning which means the Roborock will clean this specified zone and not go further than this area. It also has a spot cleaning mode for most-dirtiest areas, which means you can tap on the map and the robot will go to that point and clean it.
Let the Roborock S5 and 360 S6 work within a specific area by drawing a rectangle around the zone you want to be cleaned in the app
The 360Smart also supports zoned cleaning. Also, with both apps, you can create forbidden zones (spaces that the vacuums should not cross when cleaning). Block off (forbidden areas) is great when the robot is working in wet mop mode, and you don't want it to go over carpets.
Unfortunately, you cannot schedule zone cleanup to make the robot work within a particular zone though there is a possibility to program the 360 S6 and Roborock cleaning with block offs.
Both robots can be controlled manually like a remote radio car.
With the latest update, the Roborock S5 can be ordered to vacuum a particular room or two & also saves up to 2 maps.
Carpet boost & cleaning performance
Carpet boost is a feature that automatically increases suction power to maximum once the robot recognizes carpeted surface. Both robot vacuums have this.
Both models are perfect for thin and medium-pile carpets. However, the Roborock S5 performs better on medium-pile carpets
The Roborock S5 has a strong suction power of 2,000 Pa which is enough to deep clean thin and medium carpets from dust, dirt, debris, and pet hair. Since it is a high-end model, it performs great on the carpeted surface.
The 360 S6 has 1,800 Pa suction power which is almost the same as the Roborock. It is designed to clean carpets and is able to deep clean low and medium-pile carpets/rugs. The S6 struggles with the smallest particulars like sugar or send on medium-pile carpets. Even though it costs twice less than Roomba 980 that is known for its carpet cleaning performance, the S6 can easily compete with such a beast.
The Roborock S5 can do carpets that are up to 20 mm thick, while the 360 S6 performs great on carpeted flooring that is not thicker than 17 mm.
Smart voice assistants compatibility
Both are integrated with Amazon Alexa and Google Home and can be a part of your smart home system.
Battery life
Most of the powerful robot cleaners run about 90-110 minutes before its battery's energy drops down.
The Roborock S5 lasts the whole 150 minutes. It runs until the battery is 20% charge, docks itself juice up to 80% and resumes from the point it left off.
The Roborock S5 is ideal for bigger houses; the 360 S6 is good for smaller and average homes
The 360 S6 runs for about 100 minutes. It's battery runs until the power is 20%, then automatically recharge to 80% and continue from the same spot it stopped working.
Both robots are suitable for average and big-sized houses. It is actually not a big deal that 360 S6 works less because it has the "recharge & resume" feature meaning that the robot covers a large cleaning area per one cleaning session.
Cleaning tests & Real-life use
We put both the Roborock and 360 to a test on a medium-pile carpet. We had scattered 100 grams of sand and watched how the robots would perform. Surprisingly, the one with weaker suction power picked more than the Roborock S5. It was an extreme test and in real life, you would not have a carpet this dirty. Even though both of them do a great job at picking up things, the 360 S6 was able to catch more sand on the medium-pile carpet.
Also, because of a different construction of HEPA filtration and having a pre-filter, the 360 S6 was not as dirty as the Roborock S5 filter.
In terms of everyday cleaning, the 360 S6, and Roborock S5 are ideal for homes with carpets. The 360 S6, however, has a disassembled cleaning brush and is easier to maintain. Also, it is quieter on MAX mode, but if it will not annoy you, the Roborock S5 is a great machine to get.
Price & where to buy
360 S6 vs. Roborock S5: what are the main differences
Both devices have similar features and specifications. Since we have tested both, here are things we noticed that make the robots are different from each other:
- The Roborock S5 starts cleaning much faster, it maps the layout in seconds while the 360 S6 takes a few moments to understand its position before it gets to work.
- The Roborock saves one map after the job is done. The 360 S6 holds up to 10 different plans it has built-in memory. This is the reason why it takes some time before getting started. The 360 S6 robot is trying to understand where it is.
- Both robots have about the same clearance, but the Roborock climbs an obstacle up to 20 mm with ease. The 360 S6 climbing ability is about 17 mm.
- When it comes to controlling it through the remote control manually - the Mi Home app offers three options. You can do it with a joystick, with three buttons that send the robot forward, turn it left/right, and via a targeted point. You just click on the map to the position you want the Roborock to go, and the machine will do the rest. In the 360 Smart app, you only can control the S6 with a joystick.
- The Roborock S5 is louder. Even though it has a cotton sieve that reduces the noise, its suction power is 2,000 Pa, the robot is noisy. You can easily keep a conversation going while the 360 S6 is working, but it becomes a challenge when the Roborock is in the same room.
- The Roborock S5 came up with a great decision hiding the cleaning tool under the lid near the dustbin.
- In the 360 Smart app, the robot's position in real-time updates with some delay. Mi Home works smother.
- Zoned cleanup in the Mi Home app is not easy to set. When I tried to change the size of the rectangle, I couldn't grab it and move to the place I needed the robot to clean. In the 360 Smart app, the rectangles are easy to draw. Much effortless than in the Mi Home.
- The 360 S6 charging dock carries to hide the cord inside. Something we haven't seen in other robots.
- The Roborock can go under curtains. Its sensors don't recognize an obstacle such as sheer curtains until the robot touch it with its bumper. Once it gets there, it can't get out of here because it becomes confused and can't find its place on the map. The 360 S6 avoids curtains, gently running near them.
- Both robot vacuums have a cleaning brush that looks very similar to each other. Since I have long hair, I do find it a bit more challenging to untangle the brush that is inside the 360 S6.
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In the end
The Roborock S5 vs. 360 S6 which one is better? These are very similar robots that even have the same minimalist black & white design. Both can sweep and mop at the same time, look about the same underneath. What is the difference between the two?
- The best about 360 S6 is its easy-to-remove dustbin. All you need is to click the "open" button on the lid, and it jumps out automatically.
- The 360 S6 charging dock has room to hide a cord. You can roll it and place it inside the base.
- In the box with 360 S6, you will find three different types of plugs.
- The 360 S6 has 2 side brushes, the Roborock - only one.
- The S6 is cheaper than Roborock.
- Mi Home app supports spot cleaning.
- Mi Home app allows tapping on the screen and the robot will move to that spot.
- Roborock comes with a water tank that is easy-to-slide underneath.
- The 360 S6 stores up to 10 different floor plans.
The Roborock S5 is in our list of the 12 best robot vacuum cleaners of 2019 as the flagship model that is perfect for thicker carpets. It is a good robot vacuum for homes with low and medium-pile carpets and a small area of hard floors to mop. Not the best solution for pet hair but you can get a newer cleaning brush with detachable side tips to make it work. It is also not suitable for multi-level houses but is ideal for a big one-story home.
The 360 S6 is ideal for mixed surface. Also, the S6 is perfect if you live in a multiple-level house. If you don’t have carpets or only low-pile, live in a small or average home, have pets and want a robot that will be quiet when working, go with the 360 S6.
Both robots are great, if you don’t have thick carpets and don’t want to pay more, go with the 360 S6; if your home is big and covered in medium-pile carpets, you want more features, consider getting the Roborock S5.