Xiaomi Viomi V2 robot vacuum cleaner - Not recommended

The Viomi brand is a member of the Xiaomi ecosystem, best known for its large and small household appliances. In both design and features, it is considered a premium manufacturer in China. Its smart ovens, fridges and dozens of products could be popular in our country, if the manufacturer wasn't content with its own domestic sales in China. Nor would it have an easy job outside Asia, as protective tariffs in the EU and the US would make prices in yuan significantly more expensive. Back at the beginning of July, their most powerful robot vacuum cleaner, the Viomi V2, arrived, and based on the specs alone, it looks like a very good deal. Until we tried it, we were hopeful, but after a few weeks of suffering, we're letting it go.

Basically, we wanted to present a rich test to add a little bit of colour to the domestic offer, and within that, we wanted to give the Roborock S5 series a competitor, in-house so to speak. Unfortunately, we did not succeed.
We have prepared the specifications, unboxing videos and photos, but knowing the capabilities of the vacuum cleaner, it is unnecessary to draw attention to it at this time, as we cannot recommend the product with a good heart.
I would like to point out here that this is not a sponsored article, this is not a test, nobody paid us to make the product look good or bad.

I will briefly describe what we experienced during the weeks of testing. Although several sites have published positive reviews, obviously the reflink matters more to them than the long-term satisfaction of their customers. Which is also important for us, because anyone who judges the Xiomi ecosystem after buying such a product will only have a bad taste in their mouth in the future. I say this after having had the opportunity to take a closer look at the Mi robotic vacuum cleaner, the Roborock S5 range, as well as the Xiaowa Lite and E20 models.

The packaging of the product is tasteful, as is the robot vacuum cleaner itself. On closer inspection, we couldn't find any points that we could fault in terms of material quality. I prefer the black and graphite grey colour to the drab white of the Mi robot vacuum cleaner. The turquoise blue laser head and main brush used on Viomi's product looks distinctly good, fresh and modern. The components show a lot of similarities with the Roborock S50 solution. Viomi cannot deny where the concept comes from.

Viomi V2

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What I liked the first time was the separate water tank, which unlike the Roborock S50, can be inserted in place of the dust tank. This also shows how much emphasis has been put on wet wiping.
So far, so good. The mechanics are relatively quiet when not running at maximum. Unwinding works nicely, perhaps even more efficiently than with the Roborock S50. It cleans thoroughly, dark floors are no problem. And that's pretty much it.

The accompanying factory dock has a similar design to the Mi robotic vacuum cleaner, i.e. it has a side contact that allows the vacuum cleaner to "attach". However, the docking station is much smaller and lighter, which means that the vacuum cleaner only pushes it (the rubber pad is useless) and cannot attach it stably. This is why it required human intervention several times, because it was not able to take the last (battery) charge. This can be partially eliminated by leaning it against the wall (or a more iron nail), but it is not perfect. The other thing is that although it is a mop, there is no drip tray for the dock. so once you are done mopping, it is recommended that you pour out any remaining water yourself shortly afterwards if you don't want to get the floor wet. There is no valve solution like the Roborock S50. This is not easy either, as the design of the tank does not allow you to pour out every last drop of water. And it's not just drops, there's roughly a sip of water left in the gaps of the tank, and only by taking it apart can we remove it more effectively, and by drying it for days. This isn't so much of a problem in summer, but it's a hassle in damp weather or winter. If the water stays in, scale is guaranteed, and in larger quantities, unpleasant odours can be expected.
To make such a design mistake... is incomprehensible.
The app itself is not perfect, although the updates have compensated somewhat. The algorithm and the LDS consistency are not perfect either, this is reflected in the poor map function, but most importantly in the lack of anti-trapping protection. And what is the most annoying - and the reason we gave up on it - is the gimmick in the map + LDS + infra sensor combination.
Specifically, we went to the test room with a sinking feeling in our stomach as to whether it had made it back to the dock on time or whether it had run out of fuel halfway through.
Unfortunately, the latter happened more often. A minimally furnished, about 10m²-Even in a room with a docking station, it happened that the battery was waiting for help metres away, running low, or even inches away, draining its last milliampere.
The manufacturer itself does not mention a design flaw, perhaps it is outside China that it feels so frustrated that it is not providing the service expected.
Wherever he could squeeze in, he tended to tip objects over himself. It just didn't have the polished consistency that the Roborock S50, and even the Xiaowa, can do better, let alone the Mi robot vacuum cleaner using the same charging design.

A firmware update will not solve the problem of the much smaller docking and therefore probably smaller scattering infra sensor.

Mi robot vacuum cleaner (white) on the left, Viomi V2 (black) dock on the right. The smaller one is not better now.

Knowing the facts, and considering that the domestic price would be under 100e forints, I cannot recommend this robot vacuum cleaner.
It would be more annoying to own than helpful, and expensive.
I did some checking to see if it was a unique defect and another piece was not so stupid, but the Chinese official distributor (I won't mention his name) could not deny the problems listed. He also stated that it is not recommended, there are a lot of sales and defective pieces.
In the light of this, it is not expected to be sold in large quantities in Hungary either, because its warranty would be a failure. For those who do take it, good luck.
The supply of parts is more efficient and lead times can be expected to be long weeks. There are three costly defects that should be carefully considered. The most common is the battery failure, which is very likely to be completely discharged. If you're not at home, it can sit flat for days (fatal for the battery). You can also expect the laser unit to fail, which if it jams (because it can) will further reduce the chances of trouble-free operation. Thirdly, the motor. Considering that it has one of the most powerful (brushless) suction motors, this also increases the risk of failure. Also with the Roborock S5 series, using Turbo mode for extended periods of time will cause failure. This is recommended for short periods of time and only for use on carpet. All three failures separately cost at least 25e HUF, plus up to one and a half months of downtime.

So Viomi V2 was a big disappointment, and I had my eye on it, but Viomi still has room for improvement if it really wants to compete with Roborock.
However, there is good news, the Roborock S5 (S50/S55) is expected to be reduced in the autumn, and the new S6 will arrive in a few weeks, and will also be officially available in Hungary with a 2-year warranty and manufacturer support. And my guess is that the Global version of the Mi Robotic Vacuum Cleaner 2 will be available this autumn, which based on the current specs seems like a good deal.