One of Xiaomi’s robotic vacuum cleaners has been revamped and has benefited from wrinkle stitching

Introductory

I was against robotic vacuum cleaners for years. I didn’t see much point in the structures wandering back in the apartment, which were equipped with minimal suction power, a small battery, and a tiny dust container. In the old days, the only sane explanation for buying a robotic vacuum cleaner was that we could show that we were full of juice.

Since then, of course, I have converted and become an avid robot believer, but for that I had to get acquainted with Xiaomi’s laser vacuum cleaners. The first generation was left out of my life, the Xiaomi Roborock S50 was the machine that was able to convince me that a robotic vacuum cleaner could, indeed, have a place in a modern household. However, in order to convert, it was necessary to get a truly intelligent vacuum cleaner in my hands, one that was really capable of “thinking”.

My friendship with robots has been around ever since, in fact, I’m already hunting for opportunities to try out a new machine. so it was last year when I had the opportunity to test the Viomi V2, and so it was this year when I was able to grab the updated version, the Viomi V2 Pro.

Packaging and appearances

Testing the Xiaomi Viomi V2 Pro went easily because the difference between the Viomi V2 and the V2 Pro is less than between any two free-choice tablets, though there’s not much difference either. In the case of the Viomi V2 Pro, we can clearly talk about the improvement of the first version, which is why we don't notice any differences during the unpacking, the shape, appearance, dimensions and weight of the machine all remained the same.

This is not a tragedy anyway, because with the first version, it was the exterior that was especially commendable. Xiaomi (even most manufacturers) prioritize practicality the most. Sleek form, white, black, maybe some shade of gray between the two, meaning creativity for our eyes disappears somewhere on the design table. In the case of the Viomi V2 and V2 Pro, however, we see something completely different, as the machine has been given a flashy cover, which makes us click with satisfaction. With a bright, tiny dotted pattern, circular lines on top of the laser cannon, it looks incredibly good!

Anyway, in terms of size, it’s essentially the same cord size for me as the Roborock S50. The VIOMI is a few millimeters lower, so there is no difference. This is good, because with us, the S50 fits under essentially all the furniture, which means that there will be no problem with the VIOMI, let's say, it gets stuck under the bed. Speaking of size, I have to mention that a lot of people are looking for a robot vacuum cleaner up to 6-7 inches high, but I’m sorry to let you know that there is no such thing as a laser. Because of the technology (laser sensor on the roof), unfortunately, all similar machines approach a height of 10 inches, only the dumbest can fit in 6-7 inches, and a camera or vacuum cleaner with one or two, which I don’t particularly like.

So back to the machine, the exterior is normal in every way. Round shape, the turret above, the dust and / or water tank under the openable lid, and two buttons that allow you to start cleaning without a phone or command the machine back to the charger.

At the bottom there is a roller brush and a side brush, and of course the wheels, which help you through the thresholds, for example. Both brushes are easy to remove and clean, and the roller also comes with a tool very similar to the one in the S50, with which we can cut through the curled hair and hairs. I’ve already loved this at Roborock, it makes cleaning incredibly easy.

There are more than ten sensors in the vacuum cleaner, from which the infrared in front and the anti-fall sensors at the bottom are clearly visible.

abilities

The Xiaomi Viomi V2 Pro is clearly aimed at the higher category, but as you’ll see at the end of the article, the price, true to Xiaomi’s good habit, doesn’t nearly reflect knowledge, much lower.

The machine knows everything you would expect from a modern and “smart” robot. Like other laser vacuum cleaners, it is able to map the apartment in real time when cleaning starts, and even, thanks to the powerful hardware, it plans or re-plans the most optimal route in the apartment in real time during cleaning. This is one of the tangible benefits of laser vacuum cleaners, efficiency. Thanks to real-time route planning, they walk through every nook and cranny of the apartment in the shortest possible way, without even saving a point twice by accident.

Of course, the Viomi V2 Pro also got a lot of extras. These are not real news, we have already come across them in the more advanced, more expensive Xiaomi machines. I am thinking of storing a map of the apartment for even more efficient and faster cleaning, or subtleties beyond the Roborock S50's knowledge that it can separate different rooms based on the map so we can tell him later, just head to the bathroom, or now just clean the big room Lujza!

Of course, there is no shortage of areas to be banned either, meaning you can designate places where you don’t have to smoke dust, use virtual walls, or set up areas on the map in the phone app that require more cleaning.

A big novelty in last year’s version, the Viomi V2, was that it was the first of Xiaomi’s vacuum cleaners to be able to dispense water in multiple volumes (3 different) for wiping. This was a really useful feature, as we could set it to give plenty of moisture in the kitchen, on the cold floor, for example, but less on the strip floor in the room. However, there was a serious problem with the mop, namely that we could not put water and a dust container in the vacuum cleaner at the same time, i.e. we either vacuumed or wiped it. That was really not a good idea.

Robotic vacuum cleaners cannot mop. I’m not accidentally using a boring-boring word for wiping, but because that’s what these structures know all about, just not mopping. That’s why I don’t understand video tests where jam and peanut butter are spread on the floor and then they regret that the machine can’t clean it up. Obviously not, since it wasn't invented for that. The task of wet wiping is only to remove the thin layer of dust left on the floor after thorough vacuuming.

Well, the Viomi V2 was incapable of doing so, as we could either put a water or dust tank in it, meaning it couldn’t do wet wiping at the same time as vacuuming. The V2 Pro has fixed this bug by getting a combined water and dust tank as well. True, this also had the unpleasant effect of both having a reduced capacity, but something for something. Fortunately, the machine also has a sensor to monitor the saturation of the dust container, so it sounds when it needs to be emptied.

This is perhaps the most significant innovation, namely the combined water and dust tank and the associated hardware and software modifications that distinguish the first version of the Viomi V2 from the second-generation, Pro-suffixed version.

Use and experience

Luckily, a lot of robotic vacuum cleaners have turned up with me, so I have some insight into how well it’s worth the price. Well, the Viomi V2 Pro really, I will also describe why!

For the first version, I ended the article by thinking hard about which machine to buy, the Viaomi V2 or the Roborock S50. Viomina had the adjustable amount of water there, but there were also reasons on the minus side of the balance. For example, it was not possible to wipe and suck dust at the same time, that the software could not do such a basic thing as a timed start of cleaning.

Roborock, on the other hand, was error-free, as he promised, he knew. Of course, both of them had / still have silly things, for example Roborock senses the carpet in vain, it also wipes it with water. In comparison, Viomi no longer had carpet detection, although it would have been unnecessary, because although there is the possibility to regulate the water, there is no way to completely shut it off.

For Viomi V2 Pro, it was expected that the bugs in the first version would be fixed. The promise was that they would do it. Well, I mean, I did it! Let’s start there by getting three tanks for the vacuum cleaner already. As with the previous version, there is a bazi large dust tank, a bazi large water tank, and third, new, a tank that is also a water and dust tank.

That is, if someone just wants to vacuum, you can use it without the mop function, if someone just wants to mop but with good plenty of water, put in a large water tank, and if you want to have a wet wipe along with the vacuum, use the integrated, water and dust container in one. To this we can say that it is the perfect freedom of choice!

To my great delight, the timing has now been included in the vacuum cleaner software as well. Moreover, we can not only set when the cleaning starts, but also whether the particular cleaning will be vacuuming or mopping. Of course, there is also a way to set this cleaning to start at the same time every day. I would say I would have included an option to specify which day to clean which room, but maybe we will get such an option with a software update.

These are two big red dots so far, but there is another feature that allows us to distribute points. And this is nothing more than overcoming obstacles. At the time I was writing the Roborock S50 article, I suggested packing up the room a bit before cleaning because there might be things that can trap the vacuum cleaner. These included, for example, a tubular, folding chair, the kind that has legs running horizontally on the floor. On this horizontal tube, Roborock could not overcome itself. The infrared sensor didn't see it because it's lower, but the wheels were constantly slipping off it.

If he managed to climb up by accident, he was stuck between the two legs, so he was completely unlucky to solve the situation. I am happy to report that this is not an obstacle for Viomi. Either the wheel has gotten better or you can lift yourself better, the point is that it passes nicely through the horizontal, slippery tube. Anyway, I found only one obstacle, the tassels on one of our rag rugs, because they were wound up by the round brush every time.

The Viomi V2 Pro can store a map of the apartment, but unfortunately it only keeps one in its memory at a time. Of course, this does not mean that it cannot be used in a multi-storey house, as the mapping and calculation of the cleaning route is done in real time, so you can’t get lost.

Why is it still recommended for cleaning single-storey flats or houses? Because then, on the map stored in memory, our various settings are also stored. For example, the machine is able to divide the apartment into rooms, the name of which can also be set. That is, the living room can be living room, kitchen kitchen, and so on. If you misidentify the rooms and mark one corner of the living room as a separate room, for example, you can use the map editor to merge the two areas.

Of course, there is also a way in this editor to separate areas, meaning that if we live in a house with an American kitchen, for example, we can separate the living room and the kitchen area. This is advantageous because we can also designate a specific room for cleaning, or in the case of an American kitchen, for example, if we have separated the living room and the kitchen, we can tell the machine to fly only the living room or just clean the kitchen.

In addition to such skills, there are, of course, the usual ways, ie in the application we can create virtual walls on the map to block the vacuum cleaner from certain areas, select areas to be cleaned inside the room, or a part where increased cleaning is needed. If the dirt is heavy, the Secondary Cleaning function can be switched on in the menu, in which case the robot will clean or wash the apartment twice in a row.

If the strength of the cleaning is already the topic, it is related to this that in addition to the amount of washing water that can be adjusted in three stages, we can control the strength of the suction in four stages. Silent mode is really quiet, you can still watch TV with Standard. The Medium and Turbo, on the other hand, are already quite loud, especially the latter, but the suction power is really brutal at this time. If you don’t have a pet at home, you might want to use this, of course, if you skillfully start cleaning when you’re not home.

Compared to the Roborock S50, a feature is missing, namely that we do not receive notifications about brush and filter wear. True, this is also only a half-solution, because no sensors monitor the wear, the software simply calculates from the total time of the cleaning when to replace each accessory.

In addition to the ones listed so far, there are a few million more smarts. Of course, the machine automatically loads itself. If the battery charge drops to 20 percent during cleaning, it will dock nicely into the charger, charge itself to 80 percent, and resume cleaning quickly. Due to the sensors at the bottom, already mentioned above, it does not roll down the stairs, it does not collide with the furniture due to the infrared sensor at the front, it does not knock the legs of tables and chairs, it does not cover the floor frame. It is almost unnecessary to detail these features, it is suitable for a modern vacuum cleaner to know them.

So the machine is clever, smart, it just doesn’t take the dog out for a walk. However, the main question remains, that is, how to clean up. Of course, this is only a question for those who have not seen a Xiaomi laser vacuum cleaner at work, because those who do know that there is no fault in the quality of the cleaning. It runs the shortest possible route through the apartment, making it orders of magnitude faster than most silly robots. So whoever can, get the laser vacuum cleaner!

Verdict

I wrote at the beginning of the previous chapter that while in the case of the Viomi V2 it was questionable whether this or the Roborock S50 was worth buying. Well, with the Viomi V2 Pro, there is no question for me anymore. With the V2 Pro, the painful flaws have been fixed, and the current features, such as the option of wet or dry cleaning and the newly introduced option of mixed, i.e. vacuuming with wet cleaning, are the perfect solution.

Adjusting the amount of water when wiping was a good idea, and although the Viomi V2 Pro still didn’t become a (up) Washer, wiping with plenty of water is still much more efficient than the MOP feature common to the Roborock S50. As I wrote above, the ability to overcome obstacles has also improved compared to the Roborock S50.

The final verdict, then, is that despite the only flaw described above, namely the lack of a warning to replace accessories, the Xiaomi Viomi V2 Pro is now clearly a better choice for me. Of course, you could still refine the settings, the machine would make room for it. As I wrote, a separate, room-adjustable timing would have been good if the vacuum cleaner was already able to treat the rooms in the apartment as a separate unit. Let’s hope that one day this feature (which of course isn’t included in the Roborock S50) will be included in the repertoire as well.

Which might even have a say in our decision on price. However, this will not affect anyone now if we have to decide between the Xiaomi Roborock S50 and the Xiaomi Viomi V2 Pro, because the two machines currently cost the same in dollars (including forints, of course). Foam on the cake is that the Xiaomi Viomi V2 Pro, as part of the introductory promotion, can be ordered from another European warehouse for another week, which means that we can keep our new cleaning robot in our hands within 3-7 working days after ordering.

If you want to take advantage of the current introductory offer, you can buy the vacuum cleaner from a European (German) warehouse, guaranteed duty-free here:

Xiaomi Viomi V2 Pro laser robotic vacuum cleaner - 109 HUF

Coupon code: D420E309265EB001

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