Roborock S4 Max review: Multi-floor, room-by-room cleaning

Roborock S4 Max with charger on the right side.

Roborock S4 Max

MSRP $430.00

“The Roborock S4 Max is a low-cost robot vacuum that delivers tremendous cleaning power, even compared to more expensive options.”

Avg

  • It tolerates floor transitions well

  • Cleans all surfaces well

  • Easy to use app

  • The bot will quickly map your home

  • Cleaning room by room

Against

  • There is no full trash can notification

  • The trash can could be bigger

Everyone loves a clean house, but no one seems to find the time to do it. A robot vacuum cleaner can save time through planning and automation. I recently had the opportunity to try the Roborock S4 Max in my home for about four weeks, testing its various features and functions compared to other devices on the market.

What is Roborock S4 Max?

The underside of the Roborock S4 Max.Image used with permission of the copyright holder

Roborock S4 Max is a single-purpose robot vacuum cleaner, which is controlled via a smartphone app. Retailing at $430, it fits in the middle of the range for Roborock vacuums, but can regularly be found at various retailers for as little as $310. Although some Roborock models such as the S7 have a built-in wipe function, this is not one of them. Similar to other models like the S6 MavV, the S4 Max features laser-guided navigation and smart mapping. On the underside, there is an angled brush with rubber bristles, as well as a small double roller brush.

The S4 Max has multi-level mapping that allows you to use it on up to four floors. It also has Automatic Carpet Boost, a stronger suction option to pull dirt from carpet fibers, and slightly longer cleaning time/battery life so it can clean larger areas on a single charge.

The S4 Max has multi-level mapping that allows you to use it on up to four different floors.

Brain and technology: Laser lidar navigation

Roborock S4 Max has the ability to “see” obstacles in your home thanks to lidar navigation technology. The bot bounces lasers off walls and furniture to determine the layout of your home and where it can and cannot go. This data is then used to draw a detailed map of your home. With a drawn map, you can designate certain rooms to clean each room. That laser mapping also means the vacuum isn’t accelerating blindly into table legs or walls.

After just one trip, my vacuum created a usable (and accurate!) map, and that’s significantly faster than some of the more expensive robots I’ve reviewed. Also, unlike many other robots, the Roborock S4 Max is ready to label and customize your initial map from the start compared to other robots that may need multiple passes to create a map.

Using the Roborock app

Home map displayed in the Roborock S4 Max app. Image used with permission of the copyright holder

You can start, stop and direct your robot home using the buttons on top of the vacuum cleaner, but the real power comes in the Roborock app. You can start and stop cleaning, set multiple schedules, create virtual barriers or restricted areas, choose cleaning strength and customize your house maps or relabel rooms.

The application allows you to create dividers between rooms, connect spaces and mark them for more specific cleaning. The app is easy to understand and the controls and settings for things are easy to find, so I was able to mark my home quickly. The next time I wanted to target clear my hallway, I could select that area on the map and send the S4 Max. I was also able to schedule different rooms to be vacuumed on different days.

Performance of Roborock S4 Max

Roborock’s marketing for the bot emphasizes that the S4 is “difficult to trap” and is “engineered to escape areas where others would get stuck.” I found this to be true during the review period; I’ve never seen it get stuck. As for its climbing abilities, the S4 Max never got caught on floors, curbs or mats. I can safely say that of all the robotic vacuum cleaners I’ve ever tested, this one is the least stuck.

If you’re having trouble getting a bot like this stuck, you can create virtual barriers or no-go zones. You can prohibit your robot from entering certain rooms or certain problematic corners. The creation of these zones is done through the Roborock application. I can confirm that it is quick and easy and very easy to use.

Increased suction power on the carpet

I was quite impressed with how well the Roborock S4 was able to clean my carpets and rugs. When I took out the trash can, I noticed that it picked up everything from very fine dust to larger debris, pet hair, and even bits of plastic.

Cleaning multiple floors

One of the main features of the S4 Max is that it can store up to four different floors in memory, along with each room on those floors. This might not seem like a big deal – after all, it can’t climb stairs by itself – but it’s actually one of the main selling points of this device. Unless you want to invest in a separate robot vacuum for each floor, multi-level cleaning means all you have to do is let it explore the area once.

Once it has vacuumed that level and created a map, all you have to do is place the vacuum on the floor you want to clean. The S4 Max will remember each room and automatically recognize where it is. It will provide the same cleaning efficiency no matter what floor of your home it is on, making it great for cleaning the whole house with little intervention from you; all it needs is a little help up and down the stairs.

Most people only need two floors (and possibly a basement). If you live in a four-story house, consider us jealous.

Different floor surfaces: How well does the Roborock S4 Max clean?

Roborock S4 Max on a dark carpet.

The Roborock S4 also handled different types of floors with ease: I have carpets, rugs, tiles and hardwood and it cleaned everything well and even vacuumed the dirt out of the holes in my floor grout. I test robot vacuum cleaners by spilling things like flour or sugar, rice and cracker crumbs or cereal on carpet and hard floors. I can confirm that the bot picked up everything easily, and what it didn’t get in the first pass, it got in the following passes. The Roborock S4 Max also cleans in a very linear fashion; it is possible to see the beautiful lines it leaves on the carpet after it has passed through the room.

Emptying the bin

The built-in dustbin of this vacuum cleaner really needs to be emptied after each use. I didn’t get any notifications from the app if this tank was full; neither push notifications nor passive alerts. I think it would be nice if it could send me discharge reminders, but I don’t know if it’s just designed for that or if my iPhone doesn’t work well with the Roborock app.

Battery life and cleaning time

By default, the vacuum cleaner is parked on the charging base, which means it’s always ready to go. With a full battery, Roborock says the S4 will run non-stop for up to 180 minutes, the equivalent of almost 300 square meters (3,200 square feet), and I can confirm that the S4 Max cleaned my entire main floor (about 1,500 square feet) without needing to be recharged .

Our example

Roborock S4 Max combines top features, a long cleaning period and multiple power levels in one, functional robot vacuum cleaner. Combine that with an easy-to-use app and you’ve got a robot vacuum capable of tackling any mess on any floor.

Is there a better alternative?

There are dozens of robotic vacuum cleaners in this price range on the market. While the Roborock S4 Max is listed for an MSRP of around $430, it can easily be found for a much more reasonable price of $310. At this price point, the iRobot Roomba e5 ($345) is a close competitor, but tends to be a bit more expensive. The Dreame D9 is also in this category at $320, but I found that it had a lot of trouble with any transitions with high floors and it stuttered quite a bit. The Roborock S4 Max is a great, hardworking robot vacuum at a low price, making it one of the best options for someone on a budget.

How long will it last?

In my experience, the average lifespan of a robot vacuum can be five to 10 years, depending on your usage and the manufacturer. I’ve reviewed several Roborock vacuums over the past few years and each one is well made and durable. For the most part, manufacturers are continuously updating their software and adding smart things remotely wirelessly, which means you can keep getting new features without the constant need to upgrade your hardware. Roborock offers a standard, if somewhat disappointing, one-year limited warranty.

Should you buy it?

That. The Roborock S4 Max delivers outstanding cleaning performance at a low price without sacrificing quality.

Editor’s recommendations

Categories: GAMING
Source: newstars.edu.vn

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