Richard Harrison

Roborock Q5 vs. Roomba i3 Comparison Review

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Roborock Q5

Roomba i3

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SEE PRICE

Roborock Q5

4.5 out of 5
View on Amazon

Roomba i3

4.3 out of 5
View on Amazon


The technologies of smart cleaning are developing from one year to another. Every month on the market new robots for vacuum cleaning appear. To navigate purposefully among them, please check this article. This article reviewed best-selling vacuum cleaning robots from Roborock and iRobot – Roborock Q5 vs. Roomba i3. The highlighted technical parameters help to define the most suitable robot for your home.

Are Roborock and Roomba good brands?

Both of these brands are trustable Companies with a good history on the market. Roborock was founded in 2014 with Xiaomi’s support in China, and, since then, expanded to markets in more than 40 countries, such as Germany, the USA, and Spain. Roborock focuses on home cleaning devices, specifically on all types of cleaners (robotic, cordless, mopping, etc.).

Roborock specializes in innovative products with long service and outstanding life. iRobot has more experience in the market; for more than 30 years, they have produced robots; first, they produced space exploration and military ones. Now the company has four lines of domestic robots – Roomba, Braava (mopping robots), Create, and Root. iRobot is always on the edge of developing technologies, and 40 million homes already have robots.

The Roomba i3 model is the base model of the i3 series. It is designed with Imprint Smart technology to specify a home mapping of the required rooms and clean them. It cleans in neat rows under and around furniture.

It vacuums hard floors and carpets for pet hair and other debris. This robot is compatible with Clean Base Automatic Dirt Disposal, which is sold separately.

Also, Roomba i3+ is the perfect robot for cats and dog owners.

Which one to choose: the Roborock Q5 or Roomba i3?

5 Reasons to choose Roomba i3

  • 1. Dirt detection system: The Roomba i3 focuses on the dirtiest areas of your home with unique patented Dirt Detect Technology.
  • 2. Clean when you are away: Learning your habits the Roomba i3 can track the geolocation of your smartphone and start cleaning when you leave.
  • 3. Targeted Room cleaning: This robot navigates purposefully and, using Imprint Smart Technology, goes to the specific room for cleaning.
  • 4. 3-Stage cleaning system: The Roomba’s cleaning system consists of one edge-sweeping brush, dual multi-surface brushes, and powerful lifting suction.
  • 5. Cleaning suggestions: The i3 Evo learns the owner’s habits and offers cleaning suggestions for the most visited areas and during allergic or shedding seasons.

Roborock Q5 vs. Roomba i3 Face-to-Face Comparison review

Each robotic vacuum cleaner's performance depends on parameters such as suction power, battery life, filter type, navigation system, and other smart technologies that help it identify areas that require cleaning and avoid obstacles. These parameters will be described and analyzed in detail below to find a winner in the comparison of Roborock Q5 vs. Roomba i3.
Design and Aesthetics The robotic cleaner should have a slim design to reach all low-height areas under the furniture and tight corners. Furthermore, it is essential to have a lightweight to move the robot from one floor to another. And finally, aesthetics is essential for people who prefer to surround themselves with beautiful goods. So, what parameters do these robots - Roborock Q5 or Roomba i3 - have?
round-shaped

The Roborock Q5 has a round-shaped design like all other Roborock robots. However, it is not the slimmest robot, but fitting dimensions 13.78 x 13.78 x 3.8 inches to furniture with low clearance. This robot, meanwhile, has light weight – 7 lbs.

The Roborock Q5 is available in black and white colors. On the top, it has a raised turret and two buttons – a power and charging station. The robot has scratch-safe wheels and brushes.

round-shaped

The Roomba i3 has an almost round-shaped design, with a slightly increased width of the bumper side. Its dimensions allow the robot to go under low-profile sofas, beds, and cabinets. The sizes are – 13.34 x 13.26 x 3.63 inches, and the weight is 11 lbs.

It is available in one color pattern – grey and black. The top is absolutely flat with three buttons (power, charging station, and clean auto mode) and the company logo.

The Roborock and Roomba are very close in dimensions, but Roborock is slightly lighter. Also, there are some differences in colors and the presence of raised turret on the top. There is no winner.

Cleaning Performance

Cleaning performance is the most crucial parameter when choosing an excellent robotic cleaner. The most critical aspect influencing the robot’s performance is the suction power and the brushes' ability to scrub and lift dirt and debris from different surfaces. We also will consider other secondary factors, such as filters and bin capacity. And summarize overall by cleaning tests on a hard floor and carpet.
Cleaning Orientation There are different types of robot cleaners: vacuuming, mopping, and combo. Some robots are better at cleaning hard floors and carpets in these categories. Some specialize in pet hair, others in large apartments or everyday cleaning. So, before purchasing the cleaner, ensure all parameters fit your needs.
vacuum

This robot is a standard vacuum cleaner without a mopping function.

It can clean all types of hard floors and carpets from dust, fine dirt, and pet hair.

It has sensors for carpet recognition that helps to increase maximum suction power during their cleaning.

vacuum

This robot is also only a standard dry vacuum cleaner, without mopping.

With many additional smart features, it perfectly cleans all types of dirt and collects dust and pet hair from all surfaces – carpets and hard floors – during all seasons.

Integrated sensors help the robot to clean even under furniture.

There is no winner; both robots are vacuum cleaners only.

Suction power The value of suction power determines the quality of floor cleaning; a higher value ensures better cleaning. So, here we compare the suction power of these robots.
2700 Pa

The Roborock Q5 has a powerful 2700 Pa suction that removes all particles from deep inside carpets and floor cracks.

The robot has four modes with suction power from low to maximum: smart, light, balance, and max.

On carpets, the Q5 also has an automatic carpet boost for deep cleaning.

1700 Pa

According to the Manufacturer, the Roomba i3 suction power is powerful and 10 times higher than the previous Roomba 600 series.

Some tests have shown, the suction power of the 600 series is about 400-500 Pa.

This robot has three cleaning modes (not connected to the suction level): clean (standard) mode, spot mode, and scheduled cleaning mode.

It is impossible to find this parameter's winner, as we have yet to determine the exact value for Roomba S9+. But Roborock Q5 at least has 4 suction modes to save battery life and has a carpet boost.

Brush System The brushing system of most robots consists of one or two main brushes and one or two side brushes. Let’s check the differences between these two robots.
main + one side

In the package, the Roborock Q5 includes the floating main brush that ensures close contact with all surfaces and is especially effective in collecting pet hair from carpets without tangling. You can buy, in addition, an all-rubber brush for advanced performance.

In addition to the main brush, there is one side spinning brush moving dirt and dust from corners to the main brush.

This robot is compatible with a main all-rubber brush sold separately.

main + one side

The Roomba i3 has a similar brush system (part of a 3-stage cleaning system). It includes one edge-sweeping brush and dual multi-surface rubber brushes.

Using an auto-adjustable cleaning head, the main brushes adapt their height to clean carpets after the hard floor.

Also, two unique rubber brushes are more flexible and stay in close contact with all different floor types without tangling. The edge-sweeping brush is designed with perfect angles (27 degrees) to reach dust from all corners.

The Roomba i3 has two main brushes instead of one as the Roborock Q5, this enhances the scrubbing and lifting function, so it is the winner.

Filtration In addition to cleaning the floor, robots can purify the home air, capturing dust particles, pollen, and allergens. In this part, we will check how well the filter system of these robots deals with that.
E11 air filter

The filter of the Roborock Q5 securely keeps 99.7% of pollen, dust, and dirt with a size of more than 0.3 microns.

The filter inside the robot is washable and rated as an E11 air filter, while the filter inside the Automatic station is non-washable.

HEPA

The Roomba i3 has a high-efficiency filter that captures 99% of pet allergens.

One filter is required per robot’s operation, you can wash the filter, or for a quick clean, you can use compressed air to blow out all dust from its pores.

The Roborock Q5 filter is the winner as it captures more allergens and dust.

Bin system Every robot has a dust container (bin) inside, where all collected dust and debris are collected. The capacity of this bin influences the efficient duration of the cleaning procedure. The robot can’t perform when the bin is full. So, the bin volume should be enough to clean the home during at least the complete runtime of the robot. Additionally, Automatic Empty systems have dust containers or bags as well. Their size influences the number of days of collecting the dust and debris from the robot without your interference.
0.47 L

The dustbin inside the Roborock Q5 has an increased capacity of 0.47 L compared to the standard robots.

This size is sufficient for cleaning small and middle size apartments without intermediate cleaning of the dust bin.

To forget about dust for 7 weeks, you can purchase Auto-Empty Dock Pure with 2.5 L disposable bags.

0.45 L

The dustbin built-in in the Roomba i3 is about 0.45 L; the size is enough to collect dust from the middle-sized apartment.

The size of Clean Base Automatic Dirt Disposal (purchased separately) is enough to forget about the bin cleaning for 60 days, which equals around 30 bins emptying.

It is equipped with disposable bags, keeping 99% of particles with sizes as small as 0.7 microns.

The size of dust bins for both robots Roborock Q5 vs. Roomba i3, is almost equal. There is no winner.

Battery and Runtime The Roborock Q5 and Roomba i3+ are cordless vacuum cleaners, and their duration of work directly depends on the battery capacity. Robots with large battery capacity and an average number of smart features typically work longer, which is enough for middle-sized apartments. On the other hand, if robots have a small-capacity battery, then automatic recharge and resuming at the spot where it has finished will be a good solution. So, what batteries do these robots have?
5200 mAh / 180 minutes

The Roborock Q5 has an extra-capacity battery of 5200 mAh, allowing it to work 180 minutes in light mode (3230 ft2).

In more intense modes, the runtime is lower: 60 min in Max mode (1076 ft2); 120 min in balance mode (2150 ft2).

The robot is equipped with top-up charging (automatic recharge and resume) function. When the battery is less than 80%, the robot automatically goes for recharging.

1800 mAh / 75 minutes

The Roomba i3 has an 1800 mAh Li-ion battery that allows it to work for only 75 minutes without recharging.

This time is relatively short, so recharge and resume functions help this robot extend the cleaning area. The charging time is only 2 hours.

That means, unfortunately, that if you have a middle-sized apartment, you need to add at least once two hours to the cleaning time.

Navigation and Mapping Navigation and the ability to create maps is the core function of autonomous robot work. The more precise the navigation system is, the more accurate a robot can avoid obstacles and clean around the furniture. Also, the presence of different sensors helps a robot avoid steps and find a charging station. The mapping function is responsible for scanning your home's parameters and remembering the areas required for cleaning. For example, some robots can remember several floors and particular rooms; this helps to send them to the required spot for cleaning. So, this part of the comparison is about the robot's brains.
LDS + mapping

The Roborock Q5 has LDS Laser navigation and high-precision mapping. This helps the robot to create precise maps for up to 4 levels with an accuracy of up to 0.8 inches. All maps with rooms are stored in the smartphone application, where you can check in real-time where the robot is.

The Q5 has the built-in ability to find the most effective paths for cleaning based on the room shape and obstacles; this feature is called an adaptive route algorithm. You can call the robot in a specific zone or room during cleaning.

In the application, you also can set No-Go Zones and invisible walls to prevent the Q5 from entering specific areas and rooms. You have the possibility to set up 10 Zones and install 10 walls. The Q5 has cliff sensors as well to avoid steps.

Smart Navigation

The Roomba i3 cleans intelligently with Smart Navigation; it goes in tidy straight rows back and forth. With integrated sensors and Patented Dirt Detect Technology, it detects the dirtiest areas and cleans them more thoroughly.

The i3 is also equipped with Imprint Smart Technology, so if you purchase the Braava M6 Jet mopping robot additionally, they will work in perfect sequence, the first vacuum, then the mop.

Also, with this technology, the robot memorizes all rooms, and you can call the robot in the required one. Built-in cliff sensors protect from falling from stairs and ledges.

The Roborock Q5 has better navigation and mapping possibilities for multi-level homes. In addition, the possibility of setting no-go zones and invisible walls helps to avoid sensitive areas.

Smart Features and Convenience The last parameter is about additional smart features that typically robots receive from a device connected to it via Wi-Fi (smartphones, Alexa, Google Assistant, etc.). These smart features add convenience and the ability to control the robot remotely. Here, you will find out what smart features these robots have.
Wi-Fi/App/Google/Alexa

The Roborock Q5 supports a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi protocol. That means you will have a dedicated smartphone application and smart voice control via Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri Shortcuts, or Google Home.

In the app you can set a preference for cleaning each level and room, set schedules for cleaning, customize the 3D rooms by editing furniture and surfaces, add no-go zones, and set do not disturb time.

For sure, the app and voice control devices allow you to start or stop the cleanups. The voice pack for the Q5 is available in English, German, Spanish, French, and Chinese.

The robot’s OS is updated “over the air” without plugging into a computer or other device.

Wi-Fi/App/Google/Alexa

The Roomba i3 supports 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi; it can also be connected with iRobot Home App and for voice control with Google Assistant and Alexa. The iRobot OS is learning your habits daily and offers cleaning suggestions, especially during allergies and shedding season.

In the application, you can check the status of the cleaning job and the estimated time to finish; the robot goes for recharging to the level required to finish the job. You can navigate the robot, set schedules in the application, and start and stop cleaning via it or voice devices.

The Roomba can clean when you are away by checking your smartphone geolocation. As iRobot OS constantly updates, you will receive all the latest smart features.

The smart features of the two robots are different. They both have the ability to be controlled via an app or Alexa. But other features are unique and should be chosen based on the owner's preference. There is no clear winner in this comparison.

Cleaning Test results

Vacuuming Perfrmance on Bare Floors

The cleaning test was performed to determine the winner in cleaning performance between these two robots. They were performed in actual conditions of household environments on bare floors and carpets. Below is an illustration of the Q5 and i3 performance.

8/10
9/10

Vacuuming Perfrmance on Bare Floors

  • Sugar
  • 97%
  • 96%
  • Flour
  • 98%
  • 98%
  • Rice
  • 96%
  • 97%
  • Cheerios
  • 94%
  • 95%
  • Saw dust
  • 92%
  • 93%
  • Kitty litter
  • 95%
  • 95%
  • Pet hair
  • 96%
  • 96%
  • Sand pebbles
  • 93%
  • 92%

Vacuuming Perfrmance on Carpets

8/10
9/10

Vacuuming Perfrmance on Carpets

  • Sugar
  • 95%
  • 95%
  • Flour
  • 96%
  • 97%
  • Rice
  • 95%
  • 97%
  • Cheerios
  • 93%
  • 94%
  • Saw dust
  • 93%
  • 92%
  • Kitty litter
  • 94%
  • 94%
  • Pet hair
  • 93%
  • 93%
  • Sand pebbles
  • 92%
  • 91%

Considering the fact that all parameters impact cleaning performance for the Roborock Q5 and Roomba i3 are very close to each other, both robots showed similar outstanding results.

Why Buy the Roomba i3?

The Roomba i3 is also a smart robotic vacuum cleaner recommended for pet owners. With smart iRobot OS, you will receive recommendations on when and where to clean; even if you are not at home, a dirt detection system helps to find the areas where it should be deeply cleaned.

The suction power, brush system, and Clean Base Automatic Dirt Disposal ideally ensure a good result for all cleaning jobs. Even though the runtime is limited to 75 minutes, the robot has a function to recharge to the level required to finish the cleaning job. The cleaning tests also showed that the robot could handle all cleaning tasks. So, this model is a good choice too.

Wrapping up

This is for a comparison of Roborock Q5 vs. Roomba i3. As you can see, the base technical parameters are close to each other; the main differences are in brushes and filters.

Also, some differences in navigation, mapping algorithms, and smart features make these robots unique. It is challenging to choose one of these models, as some people prefer the “clean while you are away feature”; others prefer the ability to set no-go zones.

Whatever you choose, this will be a good choice.

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