Roborock QV 35S review

The Roborock QV 35S is an excellent choice for anyone looking to invest in a self-emptying robot vacuum for their home, as it’s easy to use and not too invasive. It has great battery life for long vacuuming and mopping sessions, and thrives on hardwood flooring. But it also automatically recognises carpet for intuitive cleaning.

The impressive obstacle avoidance means there isn’t anything getting in the way of the Roborock. My only qualm with the robot is that it struggles on high-pile carpet, so you’ll need to invest in a more premium robot vacuum for that.

I also find dust bags more annoying to empty and replace than dustbins, but that’s a personal issue. So if you want to decide whether this is the robot vacuum for you, keep reading this full Roborock QV 35S review.

Roborock QV 35S review: Specs

Roborock QV 35S review: Price & availability

The Roborock QV 35S is available for purchase from Roborock’s online store for $749. It can be purchased in the U.K. for £499 at Amazon or at Roborock’s online store. Though the QV 35S may be a mis-range option in the world of self-emptying vacuums, its performance actually feels more like a premium vacuum, so you’re getting a lot for your money here.

To avoid any confusion when purchasing, there is also a model on Amazon named the Roborock QV 35A, which looks virtually identical to the 35S. The 35A, however, has a lower suction power of 8,000Pa, whereas the 35S has 10,000Pa.

But if you want something with a heck of a lot more suction and more smart capabilities in the obstacle avoidance department, then the Roborock Qrevo Curv has got you covered. The only thing is that for the extra capabilities, you spend significantly more since the Qrevo Curv is priced at $999. But for better cleaning, you need to spend a little more.

If this is your first time in the world of robot vacuums, the QV 35S is a great place to start. However, if you’re not ready to commit to the space invasion of a large and pricey self-emptying dock, then the Ecovacs Deebot N20 Pro is a great place to start — it has a small charging dock and only costs $199.

Roborock QV 35S review: Design

The Roborock QV 35S has a minimalistic design with some ridges on the top of the water tanks that add some stylistic flair. While it’s quite large, it fits in nicely with my home setup. Since the robot needs a small ramp to attach to the docking station, it’s best to keep it out of the way of any high-traffic walkways in your home, as I found it sticks out a little further than the Shark Power Detect 2-in-1 ThermaCharged NeverTouch Pro ($1,199).

The docking station, which measures 20.5 x 13.5 x 19 inches, has a clean water tank on the right and a smaller dirty water tank on the right-hand side. These are lifted out of the top to be filled and emptied, which is easy since they have built-in handles at the top. Underneath these is a small compartment that opens up to reveal the dust bag, which the robot vacuum empties into every time it docks.

The robot vacuum itself measures 13.9 x 13.78 x 3.8 inches, which is around the same size as the Ecovacs Deebot N20 Pro and isn’t too invasive. The QV 35S has a sweeping arm on the side to direct debris towards the main brush roller.

Additionally, there is a bumper on the front of the vacuum, but I never got to see it in action since the QV 35S never bumped into anything. This was great news for me as the sensors were doing their job, and the wheels moved efficiently, allowing the robot to spin around to even avoid people walking in its path.

Overall, the robot is extremely well built and feels very sturdy when picking it up. But if you do need to pick up the vacuum and dock to move it to a new location, it’s a little on the heavier side at nearly 26 pounds, so an extra pair of hands is essential.

Roborock QV 35S review: App

The Roborock QV 35S is compatible with the Roborock mobile app, which is free to download on iOS and Android. I’ve used this a few times with various Roborock models, and it is one of my favorite smart home apps. It’s easy to navigate, and the walk-through when you first set up your robot vacuum means you get to know all of the helpful features instantly.

In this app, you can control mapping, charging, and docking. It also lets you know if there are any issues with the robot, including it getting stuck or needing its water maintained.

Roborock QV 35S review: Mapping

Mapping with the Roborock QV 35S was quick and easy. I selected the quick mapping option in the app and had three rooms mapped in under five minutes. All of the furniture in the room was avoided by the vacuum. It also detected soft furnishings like rugs and doormats, and made a note so that they wouldn’t be mopped. This was very effective.

This did a far better job than mapping with the Lefant M210 Pro OMNI ($999), which didn’t decipher between carpet and hard floor, and bumped into a lot of obstacles rather than moving around them.

Roborock QV 35S review: Cleaning

Cleaning with the Roborock QV 35S is impressive. My floors were dust and debris-free, and after mopping were sparkling too. The robot also had enough power to complete a full vacuum and mop on the highest settings without needing to head back to the charging dock.

Vacuuming

I tested the Roborock QV 35S against our standardized lab testing criteria and was impressed with the results across all floor types, although it struggles a little on high-pile carpet.

Hardwood floor:

Firstly, I performed the tests on the hardwood floor. Robot vacuum/mops like this are typically designed for use with hard floors, as they can mop them too. As you can see from the results in the table below, this is where the Roborock QV 35S really excels.

It picked up most of the debris on the floor, but I noticed that on the first pass, it was crushing the puffed rice cereal under its wheels. Plus, with the flax seeds, it initially used the side sweep brush to throw them around. However, it eventually picked up the vast majority of them.

Low-pile carpet:

The Roborock had a hard time picking up hair from the carpet, even with the anti-tangle roller. However, it still performed well when picking up larger debris like cereal and smaller debris like flax seeds.

This makes it a reliable option for hard floors and low-pile carpet, just not for pet owners with animals who tend to shed a lot.

High-pile carpet:

This is the toughest test for a robot vacuum, and it’s where we start to see the Roborock slip, much to my dismay. Most of the hair was left behind on the carpet, and the smaller flax seeds were lost in the ether of the rug. But it still did a good job of picking up the larger puffed rice, which stayed on the surface of the rug.

Mopping

The Roborock QV 35S has two mop pads at the back of the vacuum that extend out to reach the sides of the room, which means not much of the room is missed apart from right in the corners.

I’d been out for a walk in the rain earlier in the day, so when I walked back in, I traipsed a little mud through the hallway. The Roborock made light work of these stains. When mopping the rest of the house, the robovac impressively recognised the carpeted areas and lifted up the mop pads to avoid getting anything wet.

To add to the mess, I also put down 20g of mayo and 20g of soy sauce on the floor and let them dry a little. These stains are pretty tough, but after a few passes, the Roborock did a good job of wiping everything up. There was a little oily residue left over from the mayo though.

For daily spills like coffee and mud, the Roborock is excellent for keeping everything in check, but for tougher, oily-based spills, you’ll need to wipe up again with some cleaning solution.

Noise

The Roborock QV 35S is very quiet for a robot vacuum, operating at around 55 decibels when mopping and 60 when vacuuming. This meant I didn’t find it distracting when getting on with other things like working and watching television.

Roborock QV 35S review: Storage & maintenance

Since the docking station of the Roborock QV 35S allows it to self-empty, refill and empty its water and clean the mop pads, the maintenance of the robot vacuum is easy. The docking station is on the bulkier side, though, so having a good amount of space to set it up is essential.

The only annoying thing is that the vacuum uses a dust bag rather than a plastic bin. I find these harder to empty and maintain. They’re also disposable, which isn’t great for the environment. But it comes down to personal preference. Everything else, like the mop pads and roller, is very easy to swap and change when needed.

Roborock QV 35S review: Verdict

The Roborock QV 35S is a perfect option for anyone trying a self-emptying robot vacuum for the first time. And the price tag is well below its performance, making it an affordable option. It’s especially good for anyone with hardwood flooring in their home, and it also automatically recognises carpeted areas to avoid accidentally mopping them.

The impressive obstacle avoidance also makes this robot vacuum a winner. But if you have a lot of high-pile carpet, I’d think twice about getting this model and instead invest in a higher-end model like the Roborock Saros 20 that can cope with thicker carpet.