ILIFE V5 Pro Review (or V5S): A V5 With More Power

Here’s another robot vacuum and mop hybrid from ILIFE called the V5 Pro.

It is basically like an X5 that you can schedule at the exact time you want to clean that comes with the same remote as the A4.

This isn’t an upgrade version of an X5. It’s a V5 with more power.

Of the 9 ILIFE vacuums I’ve tested it is the shortest (2.76″ tall), shorter than the A4. This allows it to clean areas under furniture where robots like Roomba or Dyson can’t reach.

Editor’s note: This vacuum is no longer in production. In it’s place is the ILIFE V5S Pro, please click on the link to read the review.

A quick look at the features

• Capable of cleaning areas up to 180 square meters in a single charge
• 2-in-1 functionality of a robot vacuum and wet mop (you can use it to dry mop and vacuum at the same time)
• Anti-collision sensors (1 wall sensor and 5 IR sensors) located on the front bumper prevent it from bumping hard into furniture
• Measures only 2.76 inches tall (or 7cm) so this should fit under a lot of furniture
• 2,600 mAH lithium ion battery will run between 120 to 150 minutes
• On normal power mode it only produces 50 decibels
• 300ml dust bin and water tank capacity
• Comes with a microfiber mop (with bracket)
• 3 cleaning modes – spot, edge and auto cleaning modes
• Utilizes a brush-less dc motor – it will last longer than conventional motors

Pros

• Dual vacuum and wet mopping functionality
• Great for bare floor surfaces for in-between clean ups
• You can dry mop and vacuum at the same time – great for cleaning up statically charged dust
• One of the cheaper options in the market for wet mopping and it comes with a vacuum
• Scheduled cleaning is available once a day, seven days a week

Cons

• No motorized brush means it cannot clean carpet
• Small dirt bin – you will need to empty often
• Cleaning pattern is inefficient so it will take a long time to clean a room
• No virtual wall to keep it off areas that are off limits

What to expect from the ILIFE V5S (or V5 Pro)

I mentioned previously that V5S is an upgraded X5 but it isn’t. It is a different variant and is actually a more powerful version of the V5.

But both the X5 and V5S share the same bin and water tank mounted on the same location.

The ILIFE V5S comes in a white and champagne gold color combo with a single “clean” button at the middle flanked by 2 LED strips to indicate charge status.

Bottom view

Underneath reveals a mostly while finish. I must warn you that white stains easy so occasionally wiping it down with a clean microfiber cloth is a good idea.

Like the V5 and X5, the this robot comes with two side brushes that funnel dirt toward the vacuum opening on the middle.

Underneath that opening are rubber flaps that helps funnel debris upward towards the bin and not go past it.

Mop and Vacuum functionality

The V5S can wet mop and vacuum but not at the same time because the bin and water tank occupy the same spot.

When the water tank is attached the robot detects it and shuts off the vacuum motor.

The water tank itself is just a plastic container with an opening on top for refills and two small holes at the bottom where water drips out.

It does not have any sort of regulator to control water droplets but only relies on gravity. So when using it, don’t limit yourself to using water but you can use a tile cleaner or hardwood cleaner and use the robot to mop it for you.

Since it cannot scrub, you will need a separate machine to scrub it. Using distilled water reduces the risk of leaving water marks.

Navigation

Like all ILIFE robots, the V5S uses a random navigation pattern that simply runs until it detects that it’s low on battery. It then shuts off the motor and returns to home base.

Depending on the layout of your home there will be instances where the robot will run out of battery before it reaches the charging station.

On a smaller home it shouldn’t be an issue unless it has a really complex layout. In our small home, it manages to go back to the dock 95% of the time.

Potential roadblocks include loose wires, narrow chairs, small toys like Lego, sheets of paper and black rug. This will not go over black rug.

Make sure to tidy up any loose wires and taking out narrow chairs to maximize the efficiency of this robot.

No Virtual Wall

Unlike the X5 the V5S does not have any virtual wall that allows you to block it off areas that you don’t want it to go to.

The X5 is the only variant with a virtual wall. Though I’ve receive a comment that they’ve successfully used the virtual wall of the X5 on other variants like the A4, V7 and V7S.

Remote control

When you look at the V5S’ remote it looks exactly like the A4’s remote…

Both of them have exactly the same layout with the max button located at the same area as the down arrow.

It also has a display for clock and plan which represents the time and schedule. For example in the X5 if you schedule at 10:00, the robot will clean 10 hours after. In the V5S, it will clean exactly at 10:00 am.

See the difference?

What comes in the box

GearBest is pretty generous with the V5S, it comes with 2 extra side brushes (one of the left and right), 2 extra HEPA filters, dirt bin, water tank, docking station, power cord, cleaning brush, manual (yes it comes in English) and the V5S robot.

Bare Floor Cleaning

For the bare floor test (and navigation test as well) I scattered a good sized amount of rolled oats and baby powder.

If you remember one of my previous “big mess test” with the Xiaomi, I did an almost similar test with rolled oats and baby powder and cut pieces of paper.

The more efficient cleaning pattern didn’t do a particularly good job on baby powder as it left a good amount of it on the floor.

Here’s the video recording of the navigation and cleaning test…

It isn’t as efficient as the MI robot vacuum but the cleaning pattern is much thorough. Take note that in the last few minutes I used the remote to control the direction of the robot just to cut the video short.

Traces of baby power on the floor…

But after attaching the microfiber mop, it was able to take these off and left a few pieces of rolled oats.

Where did all the mess go? Good question first let me show you the dirt bin…

Even without the water tank, the mop did a pretty good job picking up dirt…

For the price the performance is really good but it lacks the polished navigation of more polished robots like the Roomba 980, Roomba 960, Dyson 360 Eye, Neato BotVac Connected and MI Robot Vacuum.

Mopping

To use the wet mopping feature, you will need to remove the dirt bin and attach the water tank in its place.

This will automatically shut down the vacuum motor but not the side brushes as it navigates around a room.

Here’s a video I recorded to demonstrate how to do this…

Remember that the V5S does not scrub the floor, it only mops similar to the Swiffer but this one does it for you.

You’d be better off putting distilled water and or your preferred cleaner so it does not leave water marks.

Remember that the water tank only relies on gravity so water will continually seep down towards the mop. Once you’ve attached the water tank, you better let it run or you’ll end up with a damp mess.

In mop mode, it simply runs a similar cleaning pattern as it would in vacuum mode unlike the iRobot Brava 380t that has a scrubbing motion and a more advanced navigation system that has a GPS but this robot costs only half of the iRobot and it can vacuum so there is a trade off.

Product Specifications

Battery type	Lithium ion
Charger type	Charging dock
Charge time	280 mins
Water tank capacity	300ml
Dirt capacity (dry)	300ml
Run Time	120 to 150 mins
Net weight (with battery)	4.52
Shipping weight	9.92 pounds
Diameter	11.81 inches
Height	2.76 inches
Vacuuming
Dry Mopping
Wet Mopping
Multi Room
Self docking
Remote control
Hepa filtration
Cliff detection
Self adjusting
Side brush
Full bin indicator
Stair Cleaning
Cleaning sessions per week	7
Extra Filter	2
Containment	None
Brush cleaning tools	1
Accessories included	Charging base 300ml water tank 300ml dirt bin 2 microfiber mops A/C adapter Remote (AAA-batteries included) 2 extra filters 1 brush cleaning tool 2 extra side brushes English manual
Voltage	auto volt
Manufactured in	China
Warranty	1 year (learn more)

Where can I buy this?

The best place to get this very affordable robot vacuum would be in GearBest where this can be purchased for less than $160 (depending on the plug type) and use these promo codes to get more savings.

Check out links below to see the latest prices and coupon codes. The V5S isn’t in production anymore. V5S Pro has replaced this variant.

Amazon still has this variant on sale but it’s more expensive compared to buying it from GearBest.

Check on the links below for the latest prices in GearBest…

• GBapdeal09 (China warehouse) – $149.99

Wrapping Up

If your home does not have any carpet and only bare floor then give the ILIFE V5 Pro a look. It has the same functionality as the X5 without the virtual wall.

I like it because of the schedule feature wherein you can schedule it at the exact time you want it to clean without having to count (a quirk in the X5). Even if it’s shorter than the A4, the bumpers are thicker.

It lacks the advanced cleaning pattern of a Dyson 360 Eye or a Roomba 960 but it costs literally a fraction of those two brands and you can set it and forget just make sure to clear out all wires and stray toys to maximize it.