The Roborock E4 is a decent robot vacuum with excellent performance. It is a budget-friendly option that is a top preference for many because it can vacuum and mop at the same time. It is more affordable than other high-end Roborock products because it does not come with a precise navigation system. Without the navigation system, you cannot have the robot clean specific rooms or areas in your home at specific times. Another thing that alludes to Roborock E4’s convenient price point is that the optional mopping feature is sold separately.
The Roborock E4 is easy to assemble and disassemble. It performs exceptionally on bare floors and boasts a rugged build quality. The robot has great maneuverability thanks to its compact build and is conveniently lightweight. On the flip side, the Roborock E4 has its downsides. For instance, it struggles with both large and small debris on carpeted floors. Our Roborock E4 review has in-depth details about the robot vacuum’s capabilities and features. Read on to see if it I something you are looking for.
The Roborock E4 is the ultimate entry-level robot vacuum option for budget-conscious shoppers. It is not the least expensive robot in the market, but it offers excellent value. Its most impressive feature is its efficient navigation. Thanks to its sophisticated dual gyroscope system and opticEye sensor, it will not wander around in a random direction after bumping into obstacles like other robot vacuums. The robot stacks up against high-end models like Roomba s9 and Neato D7 in terms of cleaning performance. Here are some of the features that set the Roborock E4 apart from its peers when it comes to overall performance.
Roborock is popular for consistency in their robots’ designs. All Roborock models have a similar side and combo brush. The design, together with the high airflow, make the Roborock E4 a fantastic choice for picking up surface debris.
The machine delivers remarkable vacuuming performance on bare floors. It picks up pet hair, large and small debris easily. However, larger debris can get stuck at the dirt compartment’s entry as it fills up, and they may end up getting trapped in the main brushroll.
On low pile carpet, the robot has no trouble picking up pet hair, but it struggles with large debris and finer particles like baking soda. On the bright side, it can maneuver well on a high-pile carpet and pick up all pet hair easily. However, unlike the low pile carpet, it will need a few extra passes to clear small and large debris completely.
If you need a robot vacuum for removing pet hair and are having a hard time picking one from all the options available, read the detailed buying guide on our best robot vacuums for pet hair article to make the best-informed choice.
The Roborock E4 can mop. It features a gravity tank like the one in S6 Pure model. However, the water tank is not electric, so it can only cover a small area. Switching from vacuum to mop involves attaching the onboard water reservoir, filling it with water, and attaching a microfiber mopping cloth. The robot can mop and clear stains from wine or juice spills pretty well. If the stains are too tough, it may leave invisible residue and tire marks. If that’s the case, you can easily refill the water tank for more mopping to achieve desired results.
The only downside of the Roborock E4’s mopping feature is that the water tank would need frequent refills and extra pads to mop a large area.
The Roborock E4 robot vacuum has six programmed cleaning modes, including;
Robots with a circular design have never been the best for edge cleaning. The Roborock E4 is no exception. Its round shape, navigation, and rapid spinning brush make it poor at cleaning edges and corners. It might be able to clean some litter on edges and corners, but it will leave a huge chunk of it because of its design.
The Roborock E4 features edge sensors and contact sensors. The edge sensors on the vacuum’s edge prevent the vacuum from dropping off lofted areas and stairs’ edges. Contact sensors tell the robot vacuum that it has correctly docked into the charging base between cycles.
The Roborock E4 features silicone side brushes that are easier to maintain. Unlike the standard bristle side brushes that most robots come with, the silicone brushes hardly get tangled with hair. The side brushes direct debris toward the main brushroll.
The dual brushroll is also less likely to tangle as it combines soft spiral bristles with a rubberized paddle for better performance. The spinning brush is also top-quality, with five arms that sweep debris from edges and corners into the brushroll’s paths.
Like other Roborock vacuums, the E4 uses a HEPA filter. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Trusted Source What is a HEPA filter? | US EPA HEPA is a type of pleated mechanical air filter. It is an acronym for "high efficiency particulate air [filter]" (as officially defined by the U.S. Dept. of Energy). This type of air filter can theoretically remove at least 99.97% of dust, pollen, mold, www.epa.gov , HEPA is an acronym for High-efficiency particulate air. A HEPA filter can theoretically remove up to 99.97% of pollen, dust, bacteria, mold, and other airborne particles. The filter makes the Roborock E4 one of the best robot vacuums for people who have allergies.
Unlike many other robot vacuum filters, the HEPA filter on the Roborock E4 is washable. You can wash it once every two weeks for maximum efficiency and longevity. Roborock suggests replacing the washable HEPA filter after 150 hours of use.
Despite not having LIDAR, the Roborock E4 has excellent navigation. It uses a combination of two gyroscopes and an OpticEye sensor under it to mark its location. Unlike other Roborock robots with LIDAR, the E4 does not begin cleaning the middle portions before moving to the outskirts of an area. It also lacks the meticulousness of other robots that allow users to amend the number of times they can go over a certain area.
While it lacks digital mapping, the Roborock E4 has the ability to drive in straighter, more logical paths than the zigzag patterns made by less advanced traditional robot vacuums.
The Roborock E4 is not the best robot vacuum to buy if you have many obstacles in your home. It doesn’t come with the proprietary ReactiveAI obstacle avoidance technology and stereoscopic vision, which estimates the size and location of an obstacle so that the robot can change route. Instead, the robot vacuum comes with two gyroscopes and OptiEye sensors that help it maneuver around obstacles easily.
Furthermore, the Roborock E4 does not scuff furniture like other many other machines within its range. It may not be able to avoid furniture and other obstacles completely, but it will slow down just enough that it doesn’t smash hard into it. Its performance around cramped spaces is also not the best, but it can find its way out without getting wedged or stuck. As for wires, you have no choice but to remove them out of the way before running the robot. Otherwise, you would be risking tangling.
The best thing about not having LIDAR as a feature on the Roborock E4 is the extra space inside the robot’s housing that allows the integration of a larger dust bin. The Roborock E4’s dust compartment is larger than that of other Roborock robot vacuum models. Nonetheless, it still needs frequent emptying. The good thing is that you will get a reminder from the app to empty it when full. To dispose of the bin’s contents, you would have to remove the filter and shake the bin to empty everything. Be careful not to spill dust on the sides of the trash container.
The Roborock E4 uses a 5200 mAh Li-ion battery that can run up to 200 minutes on a single charge. When running continuously on its most powerful ‘Max’ mode, the robot lasts just under two hours. On its least powerful mode; the ‘Quiet mode’, the runtime can be as long as three hours or more. When the battery drops below 20%, the robot will abandon all the cleaning tasks and look for the charging dock.
Luckily, the robot has a recharge and resume feature, which is pretty handy in cleaning large homes or large spaces. Whenever the battery runs low, the robot will recharge just enough to resume and finish the job. Roborock calls the recharge and resume feature top-up charge. You will know you are running out of battery when the power button changes from solid white to red. In a matter of 232 minutes, you will have the Roborock E4’s battery fully charged. It takes longer to charge than higher-end robot vacuums, but for its price range, it is more than okay.
The Roborock E4 offers easy usability and maneuverability. It has intuitive controls on top of its body, and the smartphone app offers many other features and controls. The two buttons on top of the vacuum are for powering it on and off and sending it back to the charger. Unlike previous models, it doesn’t come with the Spot Clean button, but you can still get Spot cleaning on the app.
The robot is only compatible with the Xiaomi home app. From the app, you can start, stop, schedule, or change a cleaning mode and send the robot back to the charging dock. It may not have the same level of functionality as the popular S5 or S5Max, but at its price point, it is arguably one of the most feature-rich apps. Some of the key features of the app include;
Connecting the app will take you just a few minutes if you have a good Wi-Fi connection.
The Roborock E4 is an incredibly well-built robot vacuum that can last a long while if cared for well. The vacuum is made of dense, high-grade plastic that looks and feels robust. It is lightweight and compact, thus easily portable. Even though it does not have a handle, you can easily carry the Roborock E4 around because of its convenient lightweight build. The top cover for accessing the brushroll has a matte finish. It always stays open during maintenance.
The robot vacuum also features durable rubber-coated wheels that make movement on carpeted floors pretty smooth. Further, the robot features two sets of speakers in the body that provide audible updates of its current status. The only part of the Roborock E4 that feels flimsy is the dirt compartment. It may crack if dropped.
Like most robot vacuums, the Roborock E4 is fairly easy to maintain. Its design is pretty convenient as it makes access to various parts easy. Most of the robot vacuum’s parts require regular maintenance for it to perform optimally for a long time. These parts include;
If you get the mopping attachment you would have to change the water tank filter as needed. The manufacturer recommends getting a new water tank filter every one to three months depending on how frequent you run your robot.
You also have to wash and fill the water tank reservoir after every mopping session. Ensure the robot begins a new mopping session with fresh water.
Some of the accessories that the Roborock E4 comes with include;
As for the mopping accessories, you would have to buy them separately. They include;
The Roborock E4 is arguably one of the best robot vacuums to buy for the money. It goes for $139.99 which is relatively affordable. However, the robot vacuum has a couple of recurring costs including; a HEPA filter replacement after 150 hours of use, and a side brush replacement after every 200 hours of use. The main brushroll is also replaceable, but it has a longer service life of up to 12 months.
Check the ‘Maintenance’ tab on the vacuum’s companion app to see the estimated longevity status of each component. You can easily get the replacements from third-party brands on Amazon.
In case you are wondering whether there are other robot vacuums under $300 worth the buy, check out our article about the best robot vacuums under $300 for the top-rated options in the market.
| PROS | CONS |
|
|
The Roborock E4 would be a worthy buy if;
You are budget conscious: If you are looking for excellent value for money, the Roborock E4 is the ultimate robot vacuum to buy. It comes at a convenient price tag yet it performs nearly as good as higher-end options in the market that are twice its price. It is incredibly easy to set up and use. What’s more, it can clean most types of floors effectively, and its large capacity 5200 mAh battery together with the recharge and resume feature make it suitable for cleaning multiple rooms.
You are looking for excellent cleaning performance: The robot performs exceptionally on all floor types including hardwood, tile and low pile carpet. It only struggles with capturing larger and small debris from high pile carpets, otherwise it is a perfect choice for most floor types.
Digital mapping is not a priority for you: the Roborock E4 only offers straight navigation which is efficient at cleaning but not as convenient as digital mapping which most advanced robot vacuums have. The Roborock E4 can detect obstacles but it won’t map your floors or store digital maps of your floor plans.
You want your floors mopped after vacuuming: the Roborock E4 is among the rare robot vacuums that have an integrated mopping function. The 2-in-1 vacuuming and mopping capability offers unmatched convenience, especially if you like it when most of the cleaning is done for you.
You have a low-pile carpet: The Roborock E4 has a high suction power, suitable for cleaning carpeted floors. It is a fantastic choice for anyone who has wall-to-wall carpets. It even has the ‘Carpet boost’ feature that takes it to the Max settings immediately it detects carpets. Unfortunately, the robot vacuum doesn’t perform well on high-pile carpets. It struggle with sucking small and large debris from high-pile carpet fibers.
If you need a robot vacuum for your hardwood floors and are not sure about the brand or model to go with from the sea of options, check out our article on the best robot vacuums for hardwood floors for the best-rated options.
Our Roborock E4 review depicts the Roborock E4 as one of the best affordable 2-in-1 vacuum/mopping robot vacuums on the market that offer fantastic performance driven value. With six cleaning modes, the robot performs excellently on different floor types. It may lack a few bells and whistles that premium robot vacuums come with like digital mapping but you get a lot of functionality for its price. It is easy to set up and control via the app. Plus, it can easily maneuver its way around obstacles thanks to its anti-entrapment sensors. If you are in the market for a simple and affordable robot vacuum, the Roborock E4 is a solid option.
