360 S5: A budget robot vacuum cleaner with lidar for dry cleaning only

This review examines the 360 ​​S5 robot vacuum cleaner, which went on sale back in 2019 and is still selling well. The increased interest in this model is due to its price, which ranges from $140-$160. And these are just the prices offered by local stores. On AliExpress, the price can be even lower during sales. For your information, the 360 ​​S5 is equipped with lidar for navigation and quite a few features built into its mobile app. The price was kept low because the robot vacuum is only suitable for dry cleaning. It does not come with a cleaning pad. If you don't need the robot to mop your floors but are looking for an affordable robot vacuum with lidar, I recommend reading the rest of this review. Next, I'll thoroughly examine and test the 360 ​​S5, after which I'll express my opinion on whether it's worth buying. So, let's get started!

Equipment

The robot vacuum cleaner arrived in a branded cardboard box like this one.

It contains:

1. Charging base.
2. Power adapter with four interchangeable plugs for different socket standards.
3. Operating instructions translated into several languages, including Russian.

The equipment is minimal, and this is also justified by the robot’s budget price.

Appearance

Now let's take a look at the 360 ​​S5's design. It's white, round, and just over 10 cm tall. The mechanical bumper has a wall sensor on the side and an obstacle detection sensor in the center.

The lidar cover is spring-loaded, preventing the robot vacuum from getting stuck under furniture. The control panel features two mechanical buttons: start/pause and a forced return to the charging base.

The dust container is located under the top cover and holds up to 550 ml of dry waste. The filtration system is exclusively HEPA-based. The manufacturer states that the filter is washable with water. A tool for cleaning the dust container and the robot's central brush is conveniently located next to the container.

We see that the charging terminals are located at the back. The robot docks with the charging base at the back.

The robot vacuum cleaner has four fall protection sensors mounted on the bottom. It has a single, three-pronged side brush secured with a screw. The center brush, with bristles and petals, can be removed from both sides to remove tangled hair and fur, which is a plus.

Overall, the 360 ​​S5's build quality is average. Considering its price, there are no complaints about the robot.

Technical specifications

The main characteristics of the 360 ​​S5, as declared by the manufacturer:

• Li-Ion battery 2600 mAh.
• Suction power up to 2000 Pa.
• Operating time up to 90 min.
• Cleaning area up to 100 sq.m.
• Dust collector 550 ml.
• Obstacle clearance up to 20 mm.
• Dimensions: 350*100 mm.

As with the Xiaomi Trouver LDS Finder, this robot has a weak battery, which means it has a limited battery life and, consequently, can only clean an area of ​​100 square meters on a single charge.

Functional capabilities

Let's move on to an overview of the 360 ​​S5's features. The robot vacuum is controlled via a proprietary mobile app. Installing the app and connecting the robot to the network is straightforward; just follow the manufacturer's instructions. The app's interface is in Russian, which is a plus.

On the main control panel, the robot creates a room map and automatically divides it into rooms. To the right of the map is the "Cleaning Plan" section. Here, you can customize the suction power for each room, as well as the number of passes the robot makes: 1 or 2.

Above the map are the main cleaning modes: selecting specific rooms for cleaning, automatically cleaning the entire available area, or selecting cleaning zones on the map. An interesting, but not very useful, feature is the ability to switch between a 2D and 3D map of the room.

On the map itself, you can set virtual walls and no-go zones that the robot should not enter. Incidentally, the 360 ​​S5 can store up to 10 unique maps in its memory, which is a major advantage.

The bottom row of buttons below the map is responsible for forcing the robot to return to the charging base, starting cleaning, and adjusting the suction power.

The "More" section hides additional features of the robot vacuum. These include map management, where you can change room boundaries and name them, and scheduled cleaning settings, where you can select not only the time and days of the week but also the rooms you want to clean, as well as the suction power. You can also view the cleaning log, flip the map, and select a voice package for the robot vacuum. Here's where things get interesting.

The 360 ​​S5 supports voice alerts in several languages, including Russian. When you select a female voice, the commands are quite standard, but when you select the "Disgruntled Assistant" voice pack, the robot starts speaking in the style of the custom firmware found on Xiaomi robot vacuums. That's awesome!

Additionally, you can switch to manual control mode, update the firmware version, enable the robot vacuum cleaner's sound signal search, track the status of consumables, share control with other users, change the robot's name, set up "Do Not Disturb" mode, adjust the volume of voice alerts, and turn off the robot vacuum cleaner's indicator lights if necessary.

You can also enable obstacle avoidance mode in the settings section, which will allow the robot to move carefully without touching objects, and enable automatic power boost on carpets.

Overall, this model has a complete set of features, in my opinion. It has everything you need to automatically keep your home clean, and more. It's also worth noting that the 360 ​​S5 supports voice control via Yandex.Alice, which is another plus for this robot vacuum.

Testing

A detailed 360 video review of the S5 has already been prepared and published on the channel. I recommend watching the video:

Navigation

And finally, let's move on to the tests. First, we tested the 360 ​​S5's navigation in a room with obstacles. While navigating the perimeter, it got stuck on the legs of a dryer for a bit, but was able to free itself. After navigating the perimeter, the robot vacuum cleaner began cleaning the entire accessible area in a serpentine pattern. It was able to clean around all the legs of a chair and a box separately, then returned to its base. Test successful!

Regarding navigation within the house, the robot vacuum cleans room by room in a serpentine pattern, and then along the perimeter. We see that in rooms with fluffy carpets, the navigation algorithm is inconsistent. The robot gets confused and drives in circles. This happens even if the gentle obstacle avoidance mode is disabled. However, on low-pile carpet, there are no issues. So, there are navigation issues, for which a point will be deducted. However, at the same time, there are no actual uncleaned areas, which is more important.

Suction power

The suction power is quite average. The robot was only able to vacuum debris from a 2mm gap, like most similar robots. This power is sufficient for household cleaning, especially without fluffy carpets.

However, it's worth acknowledging that the entry-level model in the line, the 360 ​​C50, is significantly more powerful. This robot was able to vacuum debris even from a 10mm gap. For those interested, check out the detailed review on the channel.

Dry cleaning of laminate flooring

Dry cleaning performance on laminate floors was also above average. Only a little debris remained in the corners, where round robots can't sweep. However, the bulk of the debris was collected, and the robot did a good job.

Cleaning the carpet

As for carpet cleaning, there are no problems either. The 360 ​​S5 does a good job of removing hair, pet hair, and other debris from carpets. It passed this test with flying colors!

Obstacle clearance

The robot is able to overcome thresholds up to 2 cm high, which is another advantage of the model.

Driving on dark surfaces

However, the 360 ​​S5, like most other robot vacuums, is sensitive to dark surfaces. This is important to keep in mind.

Noise level

Finally, we measured the robot vacuum's noise level in different modes. In "Quiet" mode, the noise level was around 57-59 dB, in automatic mode it reached 65 dB, in boost mode it was 66-67 dB, and at maximum power, the peak was 71 dB. Yes, this robot vacuum has a higher noise level, despite its standard suction power.

Let's sum it up

The 360 ​​S5 has been thoroughly reviewed and tested. our evaluation system he managed to gain 58 out of 100 pointsConsidering that this is a dry-only robot vacuum and it couldn't score 10 points for its wet cleaning capabilities, the result is good. By comparison, iRobot Roomba i7+ For $1000 I can score 1 point more.

Overall rating of robot vacuum cleaners tested on robovac.washerhouse.com: https://robovac.washerhouse.com/en/rejtingi/robovac-obshhij-rejting-robotov-pylesosov-robo.html.

I'll share my personal opinion about the 360 ​​S5. I liked the following:

1. An incredibly low price for a lidar robot.
2. Multi-map support, the robot can store up to 10 cleaning plans in its memory.
3. Good quality of debris collection on both carpets and hard surfaces.
4. The app is user-friendly and multifunctional. Particularly noteworthy are features such as increased power on carpets and flexible cleaning settings, including the ability to select individual suction power for each room.
5. Completely Russified.
6. Availability of a creative voice package, like Xiaomi.
7. Good cross-country ability.
8. Capacious dust collector.

Regarding the shortcomings, unfortunately, there were some as well. The main ones are:

1. Incorrect movement on fluffy carpets.
2. Fear of dark floor coverings.
3. Weak battery.

Overall, the 360 ​​S5 left a mostly positive impression, especially considering its price, which is around $200. I would recommend this robot vacuum for areas up to 80 square meters, as would the Trouver LDS, which is considered a direct competitor. However, the 360 ​​S5 was more appealing for its capabilities and its disgruntled grumbling.

On that note, I'd like to end this review. If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments. Happy shopping, everyone. Bye!