360 S6 Review

We’ll be looking closely at the 360 S6 in this review. They have some lofty claims, but how does it stack up against more established brands like Roomba and Roborock?

I’ve put it through the same tests as those brands (navigation, cleaning, app tests) and show you how the S6 stacks up.

Introduction to the 360 S6

360 is another company aiming to unseat Roborock. It has features similar to those of the laser distance sensor and combo brush.

It adds an extra side brush to give it better edge cleaning, in theory. I like that these brushes don’t spin rapidly, but having two will scatter more dirt based on tests.

This shouldn’t be a problem for cleaning stuff like dust, but it is for debris like quinoa and quaker oats.

Design

The variant I have is the white version, which I recommend, only because it’s cheaper. Like Roborock, it has the LIDAR on top. Below is the dustbin that pops out but doesn’t hold much dirt – only 0.4 liters. Unfortunately, it’s a smaller volume than the S5 Max.

Dustbin design

The dust container is unique, with the opening on top, giving it a lot of space, so disposing of dirt will be easy.

There are three layers of filtration: a thin mesh, foam, and a HEPA filter. 360 says the filter is washable, but you’ll need to replace it every 12 months.

A close look underneath

Next, we’ll look at the design underneath. The 360 has a combo brush similar to Roborock with bristles and rubber blades.

But the brush assembly doesn’t have a spring-loaded system. So the brush roll sits on a fixed pane and can’t adjust to the surface’s height.

Another robot with this feature is the Viomi V3, and it was terrible on carpets.

Fortunately, the S6’s design is better and picks up debris at a higher rate. It does struggle with fine stuff like coffee grounds on low or mid pile carpet.

It has two side brushes and a slot for the mopping pad/tank behind it.

How does the 360 S6 navigate?

The best attribute of the 360 S6 is its navigation. With LIDAR, it traverses in neat rows. I like that it doesn’t bump into obstacles hard and accurate at finding the charging dock after runs.

One issue I have, and this is significant, is its inability to go over the area more than once.

Other brands, like Roborock and Viomi, allow the user to increase or decrease the number of runs, but this feature is absent from the 360 app.

It only goes around once before docking, which affects its cleaning performance. A workaround would be scheduling additional runs, but I would prefer to have control of this aspect.

You can only adjust the number of runs in the spot cleaning section.

Will the 360 S6 scuff furniture?

One plus point for the S6 is its ability to avoid the furniture. It does an excellent job of slowing down, only nudging objects, and not bumping into them at full speed.

How will it do in cramped spaces?

This robot is smart enough to navigate through a narrow maze. I tested it under this cluster of chair legs, and it didn’t get lost or stuck.

The LIDAR and algorithm are well-designed in this aspect.

Can it avoid wires?

Unfortunately, none of the robot vacuums I’ve tested can altogether avoid wires. Even the Roborock S6 MaxV, with its AI technology and the front-mounted camera, still gets tangled. The 360 S6 isn’t an exception, so please tidy those wires before running this robot.

Climb-ability

A new test I’m trying right now is climb-ability or the robot’s ability to climb obstacles. For the experiment, I use an 0.5-inch and 0.8-inch rug.

Climbing rugs 0.8 inches won’t be a problem for the S6.

The 360 S6 was pretty good for both rugs and didn’t have any issues going over them.

One caveat is it will push light rugs. Remove any rug with tassels or those without any rubber padding as it’ll skid all over the place.

App features of the 360 S6

360 has its app, and we’ll go through the features in this section.

It has the map in the main interface with additional info below it. There are four icons on the bottom row for toggling the default cleaning cycle, power modes, and accessing the options box.

No-go zones

Users will also have access to no-go zones, preventing the robot from going into rectangular or square zones.

But it doesn’t have virtual walls or lines that act as walls.

Area

Users can also inform the robot to clean a specific area of a room or floor using this feature. It’s like the spot cleaning feature but with more control of which zone you want to be cleaned.

Unfortunately, it goes over the area once. You’ll have to do repeat runs for a more thorough clean.

Scheduling

Consumers also have the option to schedule when the robot will clean. It has the same flexibility as a Roborock for scheduling unlimited runs per day. It also provides users the opportunity to select weekdays, weekdays, or specific days of the week.

History

This part shows the previous cleaning cycles of the robot. You can see the map, the area cleaned, and the time it took to clean.

Maintenance

It provides users a heads up when to replace components like the filter, side brush, main brush, and sensors.

Please note the percentages there aren’t accurate as it is based on time. It would be best if you still did your due diligence and visually check the parts.

How much power does the 360 S6 have?

I used an anemometer to check airflow at the main brush in the three power settings.

• Silent: <3 CFM
• Standard: 6.78 CFM
• Powerful: 7.91 CFM

The results were underwhelming, only with a max of 7.91 CFM, at the level of a Roomba 675 and 690.

Since the S6 doesn’t have the counter-rotating brushes or dirt detection, it won’t do as well on carpets as Roomba.

The lowest setting isn’t usable even on surface dirt and only for mopping, leaving only two vacuuming settings.

Cleaning performance

To check how well the 360 S6 picks up various types of dirt, I ran it through a series of tests with stuff like coffee grounds, quaker oats, quinoa, sand, cheerios, fruit loops, and more.

The lack of a self-adjusting brush initially concerns me because Viomi utilized a similar brush and performed poorly on carpets.

First, here are the overall scores.

• Overall: 84.85%
• Hard Floor: 93.6%
• Carpet (surface): 89.95%
• Sand on hard floor: 93.7%
• Deep cleaning: 62.15% (2nd run: 78.5%, 3rd run: 88.9%)

The 360 S6 got one of the lowest scores compared to other LIDAR-based robots. However, it was still better than the Viomi V3 on carpets.

One reason is the lack of passes. The app doesn’t have a feature to adjust how often the robot will go around.

That’s why I tried to see how much it could pick up in the second and third runs in some of the tests.

However, this omission is something 360 should improve upon if it wants to compete with Roborock and Roomba.

I believe it’s a simple tweak they can roll out.

Hard floor results

• Quaker oats: 96.2%
• Coffee grounds: 94%
• Quinoa: 91.2%
• Pet litter: 93%

The double side brush was one reason why it didn’t pick up as much as it kicked debris around. Also, the one-pass-only option didn’t help because it lacked thoroughness.

These are the final results because I tested all robots based on a single default run for smart navigating robots to ensure uniformity.

Edge cleaning test

I sprinkled coffee grounds on one edge of the room to see how much the S6 will clean.

For the experiment, I used the area cleaning mode with cleaning times set at two. So it’ll go around the area twice.

This is a before and after shot after the first run.

The results were decent. It was able to pick up most of the coffee, but it wasn’t a clean result. I did a second run.

Unfortunately, it didn’t pick up much, so the brush does not have enough width to capture debris in this zone.

Hair wrap test

I tested the 360 S6 and how well it resists hair tangles with five and seven-inch hair strands. Unfortunately, it didn’t do well with either length. You can see the amount of hair wrapped after both tests.

One reason is the low airflow. Another is the lack of an anti-tangle system.

Low pile results

• Quaker oats: 92.8% (2nd run: 96.8%)
• Coffee grounds: 76% (2nd run: 85%)
• Quinoa: 92.6%
• Pet litter: 94.8%

The results on low pile mirror the hard floor results, except for coffee grounds where it struggled. I tried doing a second run and recorded the results. Even with an extra run, the S6 didn’t score as high as the S5 Max.

Mid pile results

• Quaker oats: 97.6%
• Coffee grounds: 73.8% (2nd run: 85.4%)
• Quinoa: 96.6%
• Pet litter: 95.4%

One surprising result here is the high score with quaker oats. Again, it struggles with cleaning fine debris like coffee. I did a second run to see if it’d pick up more (around 12% more), but there was a lot of visible debris left.

Deep cleaning results

The absence of a self-adjust system did concern me initially. But the S6 was decent with the amount of sand it picked up versus the airflow numbers.

The official score is 62.15%, not bad for a robot doing a single pass. It went up to  78.5% in the second run and 88.9% on the third, Roomba territory.

Again, controlling the number of passes is a must-have for any smart navigating robot vacuum.

Can it clean large debris?

Yes, I tested it on large and extra-large stuff like Cheerios and fruit loops.

It will pick up large debris, even in the middle setting. The only limiting factor is the small dustbin volume – you must empty it often.

Mopping feature

In addition to vacuuming, the 360 S6 can mop floors, adding to its versatility. It comes with an 80 ml gravity tank, so the range is limited.

I tried it with dried red wine stains on tile and here’s the result after the first run.

For a robot with a gravity tank, the results were impressive. There are minimal stains left, but there are visible tire and side brush marks. Not something you want on a dark tile.

I run it a second time to see if will erase the thread marks and it did not.

But the results are slightly better than the Roborock S6 Pure and E4 with water flowing more freely. You’ll need to refill it often because of the small capacity.

How noisy is the 360 S6?

One saving grace of the low airflow is the low noise output.

• Quiet: 60.3 dB
• Standard: 60.7 dB
• Powerful: 63.7 dB

You can use this robot even late at night and not wake up the neighborhood. I would recommend using a quiet setting for mopping as suction is almost non-existent.

How long does the 360 S6 run?

The 360 S6 will run for up to 110 mins in the lowest setting. One caveat is the lowest setting is almost unusable since it hardly has any airflow. Expect a number closer to the 90-minute mark with the standard or powerful modes.

Run time shouldn’t be a concern as the S6 has recharge and resume. So it will resume cleaning at the same spot it left if it doesn’t finish the job.

What comes in the box?

1. 360 S6 Robot Vacuum
2. Charging dock + power cord
3. Socket adapters
4. Water tank/microfiber pad
5. Manual + quick start guide

Maintenance

As with all robot vacuums, the 360 S6 will need some upkeep to function at its peak.

I’ll outline below the components that need regular maintenance.

1. Main and side brush: These two components need regular upkeep. Contaminants like hair and dust will accumulate.
2. Dustbin: Empty after every run to prevent debris from spilling over. Clean the three filters with a handheld vacuum or wash it when you see any buildup of dirt.
3. Wheels: Use a cloth microfiber towel to wipe debris sticking on the caster and side wheels.
4. LIDAR: Check for any debris around the laser sensor’s vicinity and use a handheld with a brush attachment to clean.
5. Drop sensors: Wipe the three drop sensors underneath with a clean towel.

Parts Availability

Components such as the filter and brushes won’t be hard to find. You can find them on Amazon. However, parts like the battery or side brush motor are tougher to acquire. I’ve seen some on AliExpress, but nowhere else.

Product Specifications

Where can I buy the 360 S6?

The 360 S6 can be bought at online stores like Amazon and GearBest. Please check the links below for the latest prices.

• 360 S6 on Amazon

Disclaimer: I’ll earn a commission if you buy through any of the links above, but at no extra cost, so it’s a win-win for us.

Does the 360 S6 offer excellent value?

There’s a lot to like about the S6. It’s cheaper than the Roborock S5 Max and the Roomba 980 – two of its main competitors. And very decent at deep cleaning carpet for the single-pass run.

However, it lacks some features I feel are essential for a robot vacuum.

First is the lack of control for the number of passes. Brands like Roborock and Roomba have this feature to specify how many times the robot can go around an area. It’s only available in the area cleaning mode, which isn’t enough.

Second, the brush roll lacks an auto-adjust system. This means the brush sits in a fixed area and cannot self-adjust to different surface types.

Lastly is the lack of airflow. I was surprised that it was at the level of a Roomba 675. In the lowest setting, it barely moved the anemometer.

5 Reasons to Buy the 360 S6

1. Lower cost: The S6 is a cheaper alternative than the Roborock S5 Max or the Roomba 980 (the white version is much less expensive).
2. Smart navigation: LIDAR and SLAM enable it to traverse efficiently in multiple rooms.
3. Saves up to 10 maps: The 360 app can save up to 10 map levels. However, you’ll have to select the correct level manually if you move it to another level.
4. Easy to empty: The S6 dustbin’s top-door design provides ample space for disposing of dirt.
5. Decent at deep cleaning: I like the S60 S6 more for deep cleaning carpet than anything else. Even with the single-pass run, it picked up 62.15%. With three runs, it’s up to 88.9%, close to Roomba territory.

The Verdict: Excellent Option on Carpet

Despite the low airflow, I’m pleasantly surprised with how the 360 S6 did on carpet. The side brush scattering debris isn’t as pronounced on carpets as it is on hard surfaces.

One surprise during the testing phase is the quantity of embedded sand it picked up. Despite the one-pass only run, it picked up in the low 60s and up to 88.9% in three runs – higher than the S5 Max’s 85% average.

Users can’t adjust the number of passes, except in the area cleaning section of the app. One workaround is scheduling consecutive runs, but that’s an extra step and a time-waster.

It’s a good, less expensive alternative to a Roborock, Neato, or Roomba. Just be wary of the limitations I’ve outlined in this review.