Review: Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum (Gen 2)

Name: Xiaomi Mi Robot Roborock (Gen 2)Price: $399SGD Rating : 4.5/5Web link : Link

I have to admit, trying to review this is really difficult as I’m no expert in home appliance reviewing. However, I have been using this product for slightly more than a year now and I think I’m at a good place to share my opinion about it. While I have not gone to the extreme which some tech reviewers go through to extensively test the functionalities of the equipment, I will be sharing with everyone how this equipment fared in normal everyday life.

I will also not be going through the technical specifications of the equipment as you can easily read those in Xiaomi's official website or on the Qoo Sales page. 

Price point 

I received the Xiaomi robot rock vacuum cleaner from a bunch of awesome friends as a house warming gift.  Yeah, I asked for it because I'm shameless xD

But I do know my friends bought it from qoo10 at approximately $300+. The shopping platform throws cart vouchers and discounts out frequently but the price of the robot rock has remained pretty consistent. I believe Xiaomi has recently launched a new robot vacuum but that has not affected the price of RoboRock (Generation 2).

At $399, this thing cost me just slightly more than $30 per month. And if you’re a busy working adult who likes their floor clean every day, this is a tiny price to pay. The Xiaomi Roborock (Gen 2) even has mopping ability so you can kill 2 birds with one stone! 

Functionality & Mobile features 

The Roborock can be controlled by both it’s mobile application and physically pressing the button on the Roborock. I tend more to activate the machine with my mobile app as I store the Roborock underneath my sofa which is hardly an accessible place. But hey, It keeps my living room looking chic and uncluttered so I’m totally okay with it. 

The Roborock is only 9cm tall so it can go under many types of furniture. It also cleans corner relatively well because it has a rotating brush in front of it that helps to draw the dirt to the front of the vacuum where it gets sucked quickly. There is collision and wall detection sensor around the front half of the machine so it does a pretty impressive job of avoiding a collision. That’s not to say it doesn’t make mistakes some times (especially when you move furniture around while it is working) but most of the time it’s pretty accurate and moves around by itself without problems. You just have to make sure you pick up any rogue cables or items on the floor (I even lift up curtains that are too long), close the door to toilets or places you don’t want it to go to and then start the show. Obviously, the machine has no problem going down small steps ( 1 inch or below) however it absolutely cannot go up steps. 

The mobile app allows you to start, pause and stop the cleaning. It also allows you to set digital no-go zones/ boundaries or limit the cleaning parameters within certain bounding boxes. It also has a function to clean a contained area (2m x 2m) and it’s great for cleaning up after a spill without needing to tell the robot specifically where to go. You just tap a location on the map for the robot to go to and once it reaches there, you activate the “area cleaning” function. 

The mobile app also has a manual control feature that allows you to control the Robot like a puppet. However, there is too much effort involved in manual controlling so I never use it and prefer to let the machine free rein while I get on with life. 

The mobile app will also show the map of your house and it usually reloads every time you restart the Roborock. The app allows you to see where the device had been to so you can make sure it doesn’t miss a spot. The mobile application also allows you to make a few fun modifications such as changing the language and voice of the robot - I currently use the Chinese palace voice pack and it’s hilarious. The robot will inform you with a loud voice when it gets stuck, needs its dust box emptied, is going to the location you ordered it to or when it is going back home to recharge. It will also send you a message on the app. The machine automatically scans and detects the area it can navigate/clean around. So once it has gone through all the places it can go, it will return to it’s charging dock.

Like I mentioned above, the Roborock (Gen 2) comes with a mopping function. The only thing you need to do is to manually fill up the sleek water container that comes with the machine, velcro the mop cloth on to it and then attach the entire thing to the machine. Commence cleaning as usual and the Roborock will now vacuum while it mops! 

The only downside of this would be the inability to add any cleaning detergent for extra cleanliness. I’ve yet to experiment with adding cleaning detergent into the water container or maybe, randomly spilling the detergent on the floor and have the machine distribute it. That said, Xiaomi’s official manual specifically informed us NOT to add any cleaning detergent/product into the container so I guess I might never try my little ideas. Remember to remove the water tank and cloth before the machine returns to its dock so you can clean and dry the cloth immediately. 

Has anyone tried adding cleaning detergent into their vacuum robot (with mopping function) before? Leave me a comment and share your wisdom, please! 

 

Suction power / Efficiency 

I have no way of assessing it’s suction power however it has fared surprisingly well and sucks up the usual fine debris and stray hair without any problem. When I told my friends about the robot and recommend they get one for their home to free up some time. The first retort I get would be how doubtful they are about the suction power and effectiveness of the robot and how it’d never be as good as hand-vacuuming themselves. 

With all due respect, while I believe a human armed with a good vacuum machine would probably do a better job. The fact is that the individual will need to double over and work really hard to get that done! And that’s not what busy modern people like us want to do. Most of us work full time and reach home in the evening - leaving only a couple of hours to do everything from spending time with our loved ones to participating in self-improvement activities or hobbies. On top of tedious stuff like doing the rest of the housework and settling boring but necessary adult work, I honestly doubt any of us would be keen on spending an hour vacuuming the floor each day.

However, when all it takes is the push of a few buttons for the floor to get cleaned while you take a shower, wouldn’t you be more inclined to clean the floor more often? And with more frequent cleaning, wouldn’t the house be cleaner?

In case I’m confusing anyone, I do not think Roborock’s suction power is below my other brandless vacuum machine. Maybe it would pale in comparison to a Dyson that cost a few times over but Roborock already does a very good job in getting rid of whatever dust and debris there might exist in a common household. 

Here is a picture of the Roborock in action. A friend whom I recommended the vacuum to sent me this photograph of his floor after he used the Roborock for the first time. Do you see the difference ? I have no idea how he’d allow his floors to get this dirty but I guess we shall not judge haha.  

Sustainability & Value 

There is an external rotating brush and a fabric/paper filter that needs to be replacement occasionally. However other than washing the filter a couple of times, I have yet to found the need to replace anything. The mop and brush replacement sells for just $13.99 online and since that is something you might only need once in a year or two, I would consider the Roborock a piece of very sustainable equipment and definitely worth its price tag two times over. 

To sustain the equipment, all you really need is an electrical outlet and that’s hardly a requirement for a modern household. 

The dust box will need to be emptied out frequently but it’s as simple as opening the robot, taking the box out and dumping the dirt it sucked into a bin. Nothing to wash or replace. 

Cons of the product

My biggest grip with the equipment would be the software. Synchronising the device with your phone can sometimes take a while. I remember I had a lot of problems detecting the device on my phone and having my mom’s phone gain control of it too. Sharing the same device for members of the same family can be difficult at the beginning. 

I also am a little disappointed that the mobile app doesn’t have a memory function that will allow me to customise and automate a cleaning schedule of a specific room. The app allows you to automate cleaning according to time but doesn’t allow you to specify the region. 

I have to admit I have yet to scour the web for Xiaomi Roborock Automation tutorials so I might just be lacking a life hack. But no, the automation seemed pretty pointless to my needs and that’s based on my tinkering with the app itself. 

Below is a short video of the vacuum ability of the robot itself. The black debris on the floor came from a rubber mat I bought online that had an incredible amount of fallout. As you can see, the machine didn't get everything at once. I had to run the machine over the same area 3 times to fully get everything. While I mentioned above that the suction power of the robot is satisfactory, I won't paint a cheery picture of just pros and no cons. The fact of the matter is, it can also miss out - especially if the debris is troublesome material like bits of rubber mats.

Summary

To conclude this little review, I love the Roborock. While it wouldn’t entirely replace your old school vacuum cleaner because it cannot reach every single corner in the house (window sill and corners hidden by hard to move furnitures) , it is still an incredibly useful helper that can make everyday living hassle and dust free. A clean floor is a happy family!

And at just $399 , it’s a real bargain!