Unleashing the Power of the Xiaomi Robot Vacuum 5: A Comprehensive Review

A little over a year ago, I reviewed the excellent Xiaomi Robot Vacuum X20 Max. Xiaomi have now launched the Robot Vacuum 5 and the Robot Vacuum 5 Pro.

The Robot Vacuum X20 Max was impressive, but the new Robot Vacuum 5 ups the spec with a new retractable dToF radar and a massively increased suction of 20000Pa.

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Xiaomi Robot Vacuum 5 Specification

Xiaomi Robot Vacuum 5 vs Vacuum 5 Pro Specification / Features

The Xiaomi Robot Vacuum 5 Pro is effectively the same as the Vacuum 5 but with a couple of significant features:

• Triple Camera System: Providing a real-time home view and obstacle marking
• AI Obstacle Avoidance: An artificial intelligence obstacle recognition system with an HD camera, which helps to avoid even the smallest objects on the floor and plan the route more effectively.

The  Xiaomi Robot Vacuum 5  uses S-Cross obstacle avoidance technology for precise navigation. 

The Pro model costs £150 more than the model I have reviewed. If I were spending my own money, I would be inclined to spend the extra on the Pro, just because I am lazy and it annoys me when I need to save my robot vacuum. That being said, is £150 extra worth it just to save a few minutes a week?

Features

Navigation and Obstacle Avoidance

The headline feature here is the dToF (Direct Time-of-Flight) Smart Retractable Radar. This LiDAR-based navigation system can physically retract into the robot’s body, reducing the overall height to 88mm. This allows the vacuum to clean under furniture with as little as 9.5cm clearance – a useful trick for getting under low-slung sofas and bed frames that would normally be off-limits.

For obstacle detection, Xiaomi has equipped the unit with what they call S-Cross dual-line structured light technology. This uses two laser lines projected ahead of the robot to detect objects in its path. The company claims millimetre-level precision, with accuracy within 2mm at close range (50-100mm) and within 10mm at distances up to 500mm. A PSD edge sensor measures distance from walls and furniture for more accurate path planning.

An ultrasonic sensor handles carpet detection, automatically identifying when the robot transitions from hard floor to carpet. When detected, the mop pads lift by up to 15mm to prevent wetting the carpet fibres.

Suction and Cleaning Performance

Xiaomi rates the fan blower suction at up to 20000Pa, which puts it in line with current flagship models from competitors. The main brush and side brush both feature anti-tangle designs intended to reduce hair wrap during cleaning.

The robot includes an extendable mop arm and a robotic arm for the side brush. Xiaomi claims this dual-extension system allows for 0mm edge cleaning along walls and up to 100% corner coverage in standard right-angle corners. Standard mopping mode operates at 54dB according to the spec sheet.

Base Station Capabilities

The all-in-one base station handles several maintenance tasks automatically. It includes a mop washing system with adjustable water temperature settings – room temperature, warm, and hot water options. Hot air drying is rated at 99% effectiveness within 2 hours.

The base features a self-cleaning tray with integrated scrapers that washes itself during the mop cleaning cycle, which should reduce the manual scrubbing that some base stations require over time.

For dust collection, the station uses a 2.5L dust bag. Xiaomi claims this can last over 75 days based on their testing in a 120 square metre home with daily cleaning cycles. The clean water tank holds 4L while the dirty water tank has a 3.8L capacity.

A full clean water tank should cover over 400 square meters of mopping area on the lowest water output setting.

Battery and Runtime

The robot runs on a 5200mAh battery (nominal capacity) with a rated power consumption of 55W. Xiaomi quotes up to 140 minutes of cleaning time in standard vacuuming and mopping mode from a full charge. Charging time is listed at 6 hours or less.

Connectivity and Smart Features

On the wireless side, the vacuum supports Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ax on the 2.4GHz band along with Bluetooth 5.2. It requires Android 9.0 or iOS 12.0 and above for app connectivity through the Xiaomi Home app.

Voice control is available through both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, though availability varies by region. The Xiaomi Home app also allows for automation and smart scene creation – linking the vacuum to other Xiaomi smart home devices for scheduled routines.

Design

The overall aesthetic is typical Xiaomi – minimalist white plastic with a glossy finish on top. It’s not particularly exciting to look at, but it’s inoffensive and should blend into most homes. The glossy white top does show dust and fingerprints easily, so it won’t look pristine for long.

Build quality feels solid. The robot has some heft to it at 3.75kg, and the plastics don’t feel cheap. The base station is substantial – it’s not something you’ll be moving around frequently. The water tanks are transparent, which makes it easy to see fill levels at a glance.

One unique design feature you won’t see on most other robot vacuums is the retractable dToF radar sensor, which allows the robot vacuum to squeeze under furniture.

Similar to the Dreame L40 Ultra, this has an extending brush and mop pad, allowing it to provide improved edge and corner cleaning.

One downside to this design is that I find the mop pads are not quite as good for normal mopping in comparison to the roller design on the SwitchBot S20 and Yeedi S16 Plus.

Set Up

The initial setup through the Xiaomi Home app is straightforward. Download the app, create an account if you don’t have one, and follow the prompts to connect the vacuum to your Wi-Fi network. The whole process took about 5 minutes. The app walks you through the first mapping run, where the robot explores your home and creates a floor plan.

Once mapped, you can edit room names, set room boundaries (which the app usually gets right automatically), and configure per-room settings. You can set different suction levels, water flow rates, and cleaning sequences for each room. For instance, I have the kitchen set to higher suction and water flow, while the bedrooms use standard settings.

The app also tracks consumable life – main brush, side brush, filter, mop pads, and dust bag. It’ll send you notifications when these need replacing, which removes the guesswork. Transform the following:

“Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

into

“Strive to embody the change you want to see in the world.” Transform the following sentence from active voice to passive voice:

Active voice: The teacher assigned homework to the students.

Passive voice: Homework was assigned to the students by the teacher. Transform the following sentence:

“The cat is sleeping on the couch.”

to:

“On the couch is where the cat is sleeping.” Transform the following sentence into the passive voice:

“The teacher will assign the homework to the students tomorrow.”

The homework will be assigned to the students by the teacher tomorrow. Transform the following sentence into a question:

“You are going to the party tonight.”

Are you going to the party tonight? Transform the following sentence from active voice to passive voice:

Active: The teacher handed out the homework assignments.

Passive: The homework assignments were handed out by the teacher. Transform the following sentence into the passive voice:

“The teacher gave the students a challenging assignment.”

The students were given a challenging assignment by the teacher.