Roborock-S4

 

Roborock S4

We no longer present Roborock, the company incubated by Xiaomi and specialized in robot vacuum cleaners. After the S6, it is the S4 model that comes to make place in our lab.

Initially, Roborock created the S50, then the S6 and the S4. This is the last vacuum-robot that we test today. It offers a fairly competitive price. Like many Roborocks before him, the S4 is connected in Wi-Fi and is piloted from the Xiaomi Home application. If we do not notice any major changes with previous models, this little one brings some improvements that are not displeasing to us: the S4 is indeed supposed to offer a contained sound level and increased autonomy. Of course, this robot has a laser range finder and is able to map and record different parts of the house.

Positive Points
- Simple use.
- Very good autonomy.
- Good suction performance.
- Intuitive application with multiple features.
- Methodical and efficient navigation.


Negative points
- Small capacity of the collector.
- Imperfect suction on very long carpet.

 

Roborock S4 Review

Roborock-S4-robot-vacuum

 

The Roborock S4 has features similar to those of previous models. The only major difference: the S4 is off the "mop" function and therefore the small water tank and the wipe that go with it. Indeed, this model can "only" aspire, which also helps to reduce the bill (compared to S6).

There are only two physical buttons on the top of the device: one to turn on and off the device, the other to return to its base. The S4 is off the "Spot" key (which was on the S6) to target the cleaning. Maniacs, be warned: the body of the robot is covered with a glossy black plastic that reveals the slightest fingerprint and that hangs quite quickly dust, which is quite unfortunate for a vacuum cleaner.

To control your vacuum cleaner remotely and access the various features, it is essential to connect to the home Wi-Fi network and download the Xiaomi Home app.

 

Roborock S4 robot vacuum

Roborock-S4-review

 

The configuration method does not change and pairing is always easy. As for the features, we are reassured to see that the updates that have been installed on the S6 are still relevant. The application is used to start a cleaning session. After each pass, the application provides a fairly accurate map of the environment in which the robot has circulated.

Indeed, the Xiaomi Home application offers many features, including virtually delimit cleaning areas by drawing rectangles on the map so that the robot does not leave this area. The map is also drawn according to the cleaning cycle of the device. It is therefore possible to view in real time the progress of cleaning the vacuum cleaner on the map, but also the remaining battery life, the number of m² covered or the duration of aspiration. The app also allows access to 4 power levels: silent, balanced, turbo and max.

Note that this robot goes from the mode "carpet" that was found on the S6. An absence that we do not regret because this suction power, supposed to adapt to the surface covered, was not very effective on the previous model. By accessing the settings (top right of the home page), Xiaomi Home gives us access to multiple features: schedule cleaning hours, view the history of previous cleanings or access the operating status of different elements of the vacuum cleaner.

The characteristics of the previous millet are found on the S4: the hopper is still as small (0.4 l), looks like a cassette and has an anti-allergen filter. This time it was expected that the latter is completely hermetic, to prevent waste from escaping when handled, but this is not the case! It will therefore be necessary to be careful not to drop the waste when handling this tray.

The brushes remain unchanged and there is always the small blade that alternates nylon and rubber bristles. The side brush makes it possible to bring back the dust that is in the recesses. There is something to be wrong when you look at the roll of the S4, much smaller than that embarked on the Neato and which occupies the full width of the robot. In addition, the rubber roll system on the iRobot Roomba i7 + and S9 + is easier to maintain than hair rollers. Note that these two brushes are easily detached from the body of the vacuum cleaner to remove hair and other hair stuck.

 

Robot-vacuum-Roborock-S4

 

Like all of the manufacturer's robot vacuums, the S4 is equipped with a laser range finder to map and locate in the rooms where it passes. Nothing serves to expand on the subject, the S4 moves exactly the same way as the previous models: it begins by going around the room and then moves zigzag inside this room without omitting any area . In addition, we found that the S4 refrained from repeating several times on the same surface, unlike the iRobot Roomba s9 +, which has an unfortunate tendency to go back several times on the same area. On the other hand, it will be necessary to be careful not to let small objects drag on the ground: in its crazy race, one saw the S4 to fight with an electric cable which it had caught on its way!

For suction tests, we always do the same: we evaluate the performance of vacuum cleaners at minimum and maximum power on three separate surfaces (hard floor, fine carpets and long pile carpets). And one thing is for sure, the S4 works ultramethodically, which makes it obviously very effective. On hard ground in silent mode, it collected 90% of the dirt in 3 min 43 s, about 2 min less than the S6. Beautiful record! As for the maximum power, it took him 3 min 20 s to absorb all the detritus. On thin carpet, in silent mode, it took a little more than 4 minutes to collect 95% of the material. In maximum mode, it manages to eliminate all the waste in only 3 min 35 s! On thick carpet, however, the Roborock S4 is much longer since it takes 11 minutes to collect 80% of the waste. It was found that the robot was unable to reach the debris too deep in the curls of the carpet. By setting it on the "max" level, he managed to absorb 70% of the material in 5 minutes before estimating having finished the work and returning to his base.

 

review-Roborock-S4

 

If the Roborock S6 already emits a contained sound level, the S4 is even quieter: in maximum mode, it displays 60 dB (A) and is limited to 56 dB (A) in minimal mode, which is very discreet. For comparison, the iRobot s9 + - one of the noisiest in our comparison - emits 71 dB (A) in maximum mode. It should be noted that this value is not of major importance since robot vacuums work when no one is in the home.

Like its predecessors, the S4 was very enduring; even more than his elder S6. By setting it in "silent" mode, he breathed his last breath after a little over 3 hours of racing, 35 minutes more than his predecessor. By placing it on the "max" mode, he managed to hold a little less than 2 hours 30 minutes without stopping, a record! Today, the Roborock S4 dethrones the S6 on this criterion.

 

Conclusion

 

Decidedly, Roborock learns from his mistakes and keeps improving his new robot vacuum cleaners. The S4 does not change too much compared to the S6 and is even better in some respects: increased autonomy, noise level, suction more efficient. He loses however the mop function. Like what, it's good to be monotose sometimes. We can say that the Roborock S4 is currently one of the best performance / price ratios of our comparison.

 

Robot vacuum Roborock S4

 

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