Testing the Xiaomi Robot Vacuum 5 Pro in our studio where obstacles abound – this was my experience
Robot vacuums live and die by three things: navigation abilities, cleaning capabilities, and operating volume.
These are the traits that determine whether they blend into your routine or disrupt it.
I recently got the chance to put the Xiaomi Robot Vacuum 5 Pro through its paces, and found that it is quieter, more powerful, and has significantly more features than other robot vacuums I’ve tested.
I was instantly impressed the first time I set it loose on our floors. It is not just another ‘nice-to-have’ gadget – once you get used to this kind of help, you will never look back.
And before I get caught up in the fun I had testing all the features – such as its built-in camera and remote control – let me state that it is the most effective cleaning robot vacuum I’ve tested.
I know this because I gave it a formidable challenge – to clean our studio.
Our company’s studio is a tough space for an automatic robot vacuum to prove itself in. Not because it is filthy, but because it is filled with an array of ever-moving obstacles.
There are lighting stands leaning at unfriendly angles, countless tripod legs that appear out of nowhere, cables draped everywhere, and a mix of flooring types that would give any cleaning machine a personality crisis.
Most of this hardware is also moved around daily to cater to the latest photoshoots, which presents a challenge for any robot vacuum, as there is always a new obstacle in its path rather than the picture-perfect map it created using its navigation hardware.
The 5 Pro handled these day-to-day challenges with ease, meaning it will be perfect for a chaotic home – whether you have pets leaving hair on the floor or children constantly traipsing in dirt.
The scouting voyage
I’ve tested many robot vacuums, and often they bring chaos in the form of uncontrolled wheel spins, awkward pirouettes, and constant slamming into walls and furniture to ‘learn the space.’
This experience was different with the Xiaomi Robot Vacuum Pro.
After I set it up – which was a quick process of plugging in the box and synchronising the device to the Xiaomi Home app – it confidently eased away from the dock, as if it had been living in our studio for years.
It quickly rolled up and down the room, scanning the nooks and crannies from a distance with its D-ToF (LiDAR) sensor, and had generated an accurate map of the studio foyer and entrance hall within minutes.
Once the map was created, and I had added room divisions in the Xiaomi app, it was time to put the cleaning to the test.
I let it loose on a deliberately filthy corner of the studio, which contained dust, footprints, and a bit of sand from a gear bag that someone had mistakenly tipped over.
It gently eased its way around each obstacle, using its AI Obstacle Avoidance to weave through our countless tripods and prop tables with unfazed precision.
The Robot Vacuum 5 Pro inhaled the dirt without a second thought and, once it was done, began to mop the floor, too.
This is where the combination of its impressive 20,000Pa suction and dual rotary mops began to show off.
Most robot vacuums I’ve seen and tested max out well below the 10,000Pa mark. But it is this apparent “overkill” that sets the Xiaomi Robot Vacuum 5 Pro apart – and made our studio floors shine.
The silent operator
I remember reading the number 20,000Pa suction power on the box and thinking, “Well, this will be the most powerful and the loudest robot vacuum I’ve tested.”
Xiaomi proved me wrong on the second part. With the ‘Silent’ setting deployed, the noise – or lack thereof – was surprising. I could easily go about my day with the robot vacuum quietly plodding along in the background.
Most importantly, the quietest setting still cut through dirt on the tiled floor, and it left me with three more powerful suction options for the most stubborn messes.
These more powerful suction options didn’t sound like a jet engine either. In a professional studio where audio is taken seriously, something this quiet earns instant respect.
What stood out most, though, was how little attention it demanded from me, thanks to its AI and smart features.
For example, I knocked over a bag of coffee while it was mopping, and upon approach, the Robot Vacuum 5 Pro detected the solids, lifted its mop, lowered its brush, and vacuumed up the coffee grounds.
It then raised its brush and lowered its mop pads to pick up any remaining finer particles.
Next, I intentionally kicked over a can of Coke in its path to see how it handled a sticky mess.
The Xiaomi Robot Vacuum 5 Pro paused. Its two LED lights (which give it night vision) activated to view the mess, and after a brief second of analysing, it decided on the correct course of action, deployed its mop pads, and handled the mess without fuss.
The dual-mop system rotates like two miniature floor scrubbers. Since this was a big mess, the Robot Vacuum 5 Pro returned to its station for a mop-cleaning session before continuing with its daily routine.
The station deployed 80-degree hot water to clean the mop pads thoroughly – and once the whole floor was covered, it would use hot air to dry the pads, too.
I have yet to find a mess that it can’t identify – unsurprising, since it offers 47 types of dirt detection and identification of over 200 objects.
The robot vacuum can do this because it uses AI-driven recognition – uploading images to the cloud for superior analysis and identification, before working out how to handle the toughest messes.
This dock deserves a shout-out, too. It doesn’t look like a hideous eyesore in the studio. It is unobtrusive and stylish enough to blend in with our fancy studio setup.
Let’s get technical
I was incredibly excited to test out the camera – and it did not disappoint. I could use the remote control function in the app to steer the vacuum around, while watching what I was doing through its camera.
When I saw a colleague walking around in the studio while I was in the office, I used the built-in speaker to ask them to bring an SD card of photos back with them, and the robot vacuum projected my voice clearly, they later said.
This is done through the app while in video mode. But the app does so much more.
It let me schedule routines to only clean one area when we weren’t there, create no-go zones, and choose between vacuuming and mopping as required.
I could set it to only clean at night or at times the studio was unoccupied.
The battery supported up to 140 minutes of continuous cleaning, the 4-litre tank provided up to 400 square metres of mopping, and the dock only needed to be emptied every 75 days.
In essence, the Xiaomi Robot Vacuum 5 Pro seamlessly blends smart technology with practical functionality, making it an indispensable part of any home or office.
It’s more than just a cleaning tool; it’s a smart, silent assistant that adapts and evolves to keep your space spotless.
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