The Roborock S4 robotic vacuum was pitched to me as a refreshed mannequin with an up to date design and an all-new app. Given that Roborock’s fashions S5 and S6 had been two of the higher robotic vacuums I’ve used, that was bittersweet information. Experience has taught me that an excessive amount of tinkering can simply as simply spoil a maturing product as enhance it. But my fears proved to be unfounded.
For probably the most half, the Roborock’s up to date design is nothing dramatic. Both the laser turret and the hinge for the highest lid have been moved nearer to 1 finish of the vacuum, and the ability button has been reshaped and repositioned to the opposite finish. The detachable rubber-and-bristle curler brush and silicone-strip aspect brush that had been launched with the S6 are nonetheless current, although, as is the 0.6-liter dustbin positioned beneath the lid.
The most obtrusive change is that the mopping perform, a function of all prior Roborock vacuums, has been eradicated. That means you received’t discover a water tank, mopping cloths, or a moisture-proof mat within the field. Roborock says it’s additionally made tweaks to the LIDAR navigation, so the robotic vacuum can higher maneuver round furnishings and different obstacles, and refreshed its drivetrain to prioritize reverse energy, permitting the S4 to again away from obstacles that might lure different robots.
RoborockThe Roborok S4 has improved navigation and a refreshed drivetrain to raised maneuver round furnishings.
A brand-new Roborock app replaces the Mi Home app used to function the model’s earlier robotic vacuums, and I used to be impressed with it immediately. A large plus signal, marked “add a device,” appeared the primary time I logged in; and once I pressed it, it scanned for the S4, which it discovered immediately, prompting me to log in to my Wi-Fi community. That complete course of took merely seconds, however the firmware replace I needed to set up tacked on one other 5 minutes.
The first time you run the S4, it creates a map of your flooring plan (this perform have to be activated within the app previous to operating the vacuum), and it routinely partitions the map into zones. In my case, the lounge, kitchen, entryway and toilet comprising my downstairs stage had been clearly delineated as separate rooms. After this preliminary recon vacuuming, the app hundreds the map every time you begin a cleansing job. You can then choose to wash the complete flooring plan, solely particular rooms, or designate zones that you just’ve outlined within the app. In any of those circumstances, the S4 plots probably the most environment friendly path by the realm, leading to faster cleansing occasions and extra bang per battery cost.
It’s laborious to inform how a lot the LIDAR changes Roborock made have improved the bot’s navigation. The S5 and S6 each maneuvered round obstacles and over completely different flooring surfaces very nicely, and the S4 does, too. It cruised seamlessly over carpet, hardwood, and linoleum in my testing, by no means getting hung up on the transitions in between. Also like its predecessors, nevertheless, the S4 was too tall to get beneath my sofa and kitchen cupboards because of its turret, so these areas at all times required extra consideration throughout deeper cleanings with my stand-up vacuum. The S4 didn’t get caught usually, however on the uncommon events it did, I used to be alerted to the particular drawback by the vacuum’s voice system and a notification within the app.
RoborockThe Roborock S4 has 4 cleansing modes with more and more excessive suction.
The S4 has 4 cleansing modes with more and more excessive suction: Silent, Standard, Medium, and Turbo. Standard appeared to supply the perfect stability of energy and battery effectivity, however you may change modes within the app because the vacuum is cleansing.
The app
The Roborock app may be higher described as “rebranded,” somewhat than “brand new,” as a result of the structure and performance look practically an identical to the Mi Home app the corporate’s robotic vacuum’s used beforehand. The flooring map shows within the heart of the display screen. Real-time information on the dimensions of the realm cleaned, battery stage, and cleansing period run above the map; and buttons for beginning/pausing cleansing jobs, and sending the S4 again to its dock are under that.
Just as with the Mi Home app, you may modify the map from an edit button that offers you choices for setting digital boundaries, enhancing zones—areas you designate with bounding packing containers on the map—and restoring to a earlier map. The spinning-brush icon that opens a menu of the vacuum’s cleansing modes has been introduced over from the Mi Home app as nicely.
Michael Ansaldo/IDGThe Roborock app means that you can customise maps of your flooring plan for extra environment friendly cleanings.
Further controls are positioned within the settings menu. Most of those are of the set-it-and-forget-it selection—language and quantity settings for the voice immediate, a scheduling timer, a do-not-disturb choice—however there are a pair you’ll entry extra incessantly. One is a “go to” function that permits you to deploy the S4 to a selected spot by dropping a pin on the map and activating spot cleansing mode as soon as it arrives there. Another is an in depth cleansing historical past that logs particulars of each job individually and in mixture. Finally, you may test the standing of the S4’s brushes, filter, and sensors to see how lengthy every has till it must be cleaned or changed.
Verdict
The S4 looks like an incremental replace, with enhancements evident within the total consumer expertise, however not essentially noticeable on a feature-by-feature foundation. That’s a superb factor. Even although the mopping perform was enhancing as of the S6, it was by no means the Roborock’s finest function and I didn’t miss it right here. If something, its omission strengthened an already formidable robotic vacuum and makes the S4 excellent for anybody searching for superior performance at an inexpensive value.