360 S7 vacuum robot for $399.99

At the moment, the vacuum robot market is all over the place. Xiaomi has two absolute top models in the pipeline with the Mi Robot 1S and the Roborock S6, which obviously makes the manufacturer 360 Mobiles (parent company Qihoo 360) feel incited. The Chinese company became known for its production of budget smartphones and surveillance cameras, and with the 360 S6, 360 Mobiles was even able to compete with the Roborock S50 with its first vacuum robot.

Now the manufacturer is bringing the 360 S7 to market, at that time the robot was software-based on the top models even for a few months in advance. The S7 also has the strong features of the newly announced Xiaomi models, but why should you choose this model?

• 360 S7 vacuum robot
  • at GearBest for $399.99 (Coupon: GB-360S7) – with free electric toothbrush

Technical data: Comparison to predecessor 360 S6

Of course the S7 also has to compete with the current top model Roborock S6, a tabular comparison can be found below.

The also relatively new 360 S5 (Global Launch was on 15.04.) brought some innovations, but less from the software side. Qihoo’s new top model is definitely the S7. If the new features work as they should, the S7 plays a major role in the fight for the vacuum robot throne.

The improvements to the predecessor model S6 at a glance:

• Map storage of several floors incl. no-go zones
• Carpet detection while using the wipe function (does not drive on it)
• Single and multi-room cleaning
• Targeted scheduling of working times for each room (order of cleaning can be specified)
• increased suction power (from 1800 pa to 2000 pa)
• larger dust chamber (from 0.42 l to 0.57 l)

The attentive reader will notice: “I only recently read these new features in the Mi Robot 1S and RoboRock S6“. Exactly. Except for optimizations of the wipe function, you will have to take a closer look to find differences. You can now read how well the app and the individual features work in practice.

Scope of delivery of the 360 S7

The scope of delivery includes besides the vacuum robot:

• Charging station with charging cable
• 0.15 l small water tank with microfibre wiping cloth
• six different adapters for the charging cable
• Operating instructions in many languages (English)

I’m always happy to find a minimalist scope of delivery, no spare parts at all (brush heads, microfiber cloths etc.), but I feel a bit cheeky. Here the manufacturer is obviously insisting on making a little more profit with accessories and spare parts. In which condition which single part is, you can also see in the app.

Design and workmanship

In terms of design, not much has changed with the 360 S5, the laser distance sensor (LDS) has moved to the centre front, as is already the case with the S5. With the S6, this was still at the rear end. There’s a pink edge between the flap on the top and the outer white edges, otherwise the air filters on the rear edge were changed and parked.

The optical similarity to the Roborock models cannot be denied, also there are clearly flatter and less bulky models. With dimensions of 35 x 35 x 10 cm, the vacuum robot is not only comparatively wide, but also quite high. Accordingly, it is necessary to check whether the robot fits under the sofa, the chest of drawers, etc. before buying some pieces of furniture.

The workmanship is top (as usual from the manufacturer), there is absolutely nothing to criticize here. The surface, the edge, the bumper – everything makes a very high-quality impression. Nothing jerks, everything is firmly processed with each other. From my point of view, you can take it for granted for a model above $350.

For owners of the predecessor S6: Accessories and spare parts also fit on the S7. However, this does not apply to the 0.57 l dust chamber, as it has grown considerably compared to the S6. There are also dust chambers with a potential capacity of 0.9 l, but 0.57 l are also sufficient for more intensive cleaning. Depending upon pollution degree of the floor space one must empty these then only after each cleaning, but not during a passage.

The dust chamber can simply be emptied over the trash can without coming into contact with the contents. Practical for allergy sufferers like me.

As if all this were not appealing enough already, there is a CE mark on every single part of the robot. So nothing stands in the way of the worldwide distribution of the model. Well thought out, Qihoo.

Charging station and working time

Of course, the 360 S7 also finds its charging station autonomously again as soon as the battery performance decreases. This is the case after a working time of 2 hours. Of course, the value also varies depending on the degree of soiling and the complexity of the corners. But with such a value, the robot can easily be used for rooms above 150 m². Finding his small home again is a matter of seconds due to the laser room measurement.

The robot parks backwards after being a few centimeters in front of the station.

Clever thinking on the part of the manufacturer: The LED light on top of the charging station goes out as soon as the robot has docked. The lighting of the operating elements on the top of the robot can be switched off in the app. This means that the lighting does not interfere in the dark, for example if you intend to place the charging station in the bedroom.

The 360 S7 automatically detects when it has left each area of the premises on one floor. So if the battery power drops – and the S7 notices that it has to go to the station but still has work areas open – it returns to the station, recharges the battery and continues cleaning. You can call that really “smart”.

Operation and sensor technology of the vacuum robot

The 360 S7 measures the premises through the laser tower including laser distance sensor (LDS) installed on the upper side. In addition, an AI and a SLAM algorithm (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) work inside, making it possible to create a visual map. In fact, the robot only needs a short rotation around itself and already knows what obstacles (furniture, walls, etc.) are around it.

Currently, laser space surveying is the ultimate, there is currently no more precise and reliable way of navigation. The built-in collision sensors prevent frontal and lateral collisions, as well as falls from heights such as steps.

On the underside of the vacuum robot “only” one brush head works, most models work with two. We know from the Xiaomi and Roborock models that only one brush can be used. In fact, it makes little difference whether an intelligently navigating suction robot works with one or two brush heads. After all, the S7 moves the premises in straight lines – and thus pushes the dirt in one way or another towards the middle brush on the underside. Looks like it then:

https://youtu.be/C-mPJsqutyo

But first he drives down the outer walls and obstacles before he drives down the framed area.

After the middle brush follows the intake hood, in front of the dust chamber there is another HEPA filter which filters the dirt again before it ends up in the dust chamber in a less coarse state. The 2000 pa suction power at the maximum suction level (three are selectable) is more than noticeable, with the currently highest value for vacuum robots, the robot is also suitable for cleaning thicker carpets.

The S7 overcomes obstacles up to a height of 2 cm (or 2.5 cm depending on the shape of the obstacle), which means that most door thresholds should pose no problem. Otherwise, you build / buy a small ramp, technically experienced solve this in doubt with the 3D printer.

Performance without App

From time to time I read about people who are worried about the re-use of data. Finally, an intelligent robot scans the contours of its own four walls. A few months ago, iRobot announced that it would resell the data it had collected from the robots. This is not known from the Chinese yet, but I would like to point out the theoretical possibility.

I must honestly say: If I didn’t want to use an app control, I wouldn’t buy the 360 S7. Sure, it cleans up anyway, navigates just as well without app control as with app and does its job. But: Too many functions are simply missing, which make the S7 a really powerful vacuum robot. Nor is it supplied with firmware updates, i.e. software improvements or even new functions.

If you still want to use it without an app, you can control it via the two operating elements on the front.

A power button to switch the robot on and off, to start and stop it manually, and a button to send the robot to the charging station to charge the battery. These are the control elements, there is nothing more.

Suction levels and operating volume

With an operating volume of 50 dB at the lowest suction level (silent mode), the robot is indeed very quiet, but at the higher suction levels it also reaches a volume of 65 dB. The following three suction levels can be set in the app:

• Quiet Mode (1400 pa suction power, 50 dB operating volume)
• Standard Mode (1600 pa, 58 dB)
• Max Mode (2000 pa, 65 dB operating volume)

To compare these values: We humans talk at an average volume of 60 dB. Thus the robot is not quiet, but also not very loud. I also wanted to show you the carpet detection in a video, but in it you can also hear quite well the volume at which the robot works.

https://youtu.be/6TI8righcPk

In fact, the robot does not always detect carpets so reliably that it automatically increases the suction power on them. Sometimes it takes a few seconds for the robot to give full throttle. So nice thinking, it still fails (at least currently) because of the implementation. Possibly there will be a firmware update.

App control via 360Smart

With the App 360Smart (Android, iOS), the vacuum robot can be controlled from anywhere, provided it is switched on and you have an Internet connection on the way and at the robot’s position. At first the usual registration process becomes due again, where 360Smart even wants to have the mobile phone number. Two options for those who don’t want to enter the number:

1. Use a fake mobile phone number on the Internet (simply consult the search engine).
2. Register via the camera app of the manufacturer 360Mobiles (360 Smart camera for Android & iOS) by (spam) mail, then use account with 360Smart-App.

Then it’s pretty fast: Select 360 S7 to connect, hold both buttons on the top for three seconds, select WLAN and enter the corresponding password. The robot will then start connecting to the WLAN.

You should then make a few adjustments before the first ride, such as setting the DND mode (Do-Not-Disturb). This mode specifies the times at which the robot should not start and “speak” automatically. Also works in practice. In addition, you can switch off the LED lights of the buttons on the top if you want.

Much more practical and a novelty we don’t know yet: By switching the “Collision protection mode” on or off, you can decide whether the robot should drive against furniture or not. If a vacuum robot moves against a piece of furniture, it naturally also vacuums it more precisely at the edges. The bumper at the front makes this harmless for the robot, but for sensitive pieces of furniture such as vases it may be the end. The mode works really well, so you have a free choice.

Also the setting of the working times can be easily done with a few finger movements.

Functions within the App

The 360 S7 comes with a real stronghold of app features. Most of them have already been described here or can be found in the table above with the technical data. There are also remote control via remote control, voice packages (voice with which the robot speaks), condition of the individual parts (when what needs to be cleaned or replaced), localization of the robot and a visible history of the cleaning processes.

As with the app itself, there is currently only English available as a downloadable language pack. Qihoo continues to primarily serve the Chinese market with 1.38 billion people, which means that smaller countries are not necessarily the most desirable market. If something happens, we will of course inform you immediately.

Mapping, No-Go Zones and Room Layout

The core of the app is the mapping, i.e. the live display of a visual map. This not only makes it possible to see where the robot is at the moment, but also whether the robot has travelled through all areas. The 360 S7 should start its service from the charging station so that the mapping works perfectly.

The created map can also be rotated 90, 180 and 270 degrees. In addition, no-go zones (areas that the robot should not move) and go-to zones (areas that the robot specifically moves to) can be drawn on the map. Unlike its competitors, the 360 S7 can even draw in areas that the robot should not wipe. This means that it is possible to draw in exactly to the centimetre where no suction is required and where no wiping is to take place.

Since the Roborock S6 still has some software problems with the card storage of several maps, we would like to take another one or two days to test the card storage completely before we make a judgement here. But a card is definitely stored reliably, we will test several floors now.

Another strong feature is to let the robot do a complete cleaning of the rooms on one floor. Then you get the possibility to divide your home into different rooms. In this way, rooms can be cleaned individually and exactly specified when which room is to be vacuumed or wiped.

It is also possible to define a sequence in which the rooms are to be processed one after the other. For the sake of clarity, these can also be renamed, e.g. “corridor”, “kitchen”, etc. From a technical point of view there is nothing to complain about, everything works as hoped and described.

The optimal wiping function?

The top feature of the S7 that has not yet been particularly grazed is the targeted use of the wipe function. So you can specify in the app on the map which rooms the robot should wipe wet and which not. In addition, special no-go zones can be set for the wipe function. These are then drawn in blue on the map and look like this:

The robot automatically detects the 0.15 l small water tank and switches from vacuuming to wiping. For this you have to let it snap into place together with the microfibre cloth on the underside.

The S7 was advertised with the fact that it automatically recognizes carpets when using the wipe function and avoids them, unfortunately this is not the case – or at least does not work for me. The carpets get as wet as the floor. Fortunately, you can draw “No Wipe Zones” on the map, which solves the problem.

The wiping function of the 360 S7 is comparable to that of the Roborock S6: Really good for the wiping function of a vacuum robot – but not comparable to manual wiping. A nice extension for the clean household, but not an all-rounder in this area. From the point of view of wiping, I would take a closer look at the Ozmo 900 or Narwal vacuum robot.

Comparison to the Roborock S6

A model with such strong specs has to put up with the comparison with the current top model, the Roborock S6. After a week and a half of testing, we think it’s still a little too early to decide which of the two suction robots will win the race. That’s why we’ve only put the technical data in relation here so far.

Soon you will be able to find out which model is really the best on the market.

From the table it becomes clear: The race is really close, which our direct comparisons should also show so far. The 360 S7 actually has one or the other function more than the S6, but we don’t want to judge too early.

Conclusion: Buy 360 S7 vacuum robot?

GearBest lists the robot for the Global Launch (05.08.2019) for less than $500 for the first time. That’s steep, but compared to Vorwerk, Dyson or iRobot it’s a value you can live with. Above all, because the 360 S7 currently stands out from the competition in terms of its variety of functions. The S7 is a real all-purpose weapon. Even if you don’t want to admit it as a critical tester, there’s almost nothing to criticize, everything works as it should and is very mature.

Since today you don’t have to spend more than $360 for an all around strong vacuum robot that has everything you want. But now the question arises: Do I buy the 360 S7 or the Roborock S6 to have the currently best model with wipe function? I don’t want to commit myself yet and let the two models compete even more against each other in the next few days. With the next update you will know.

What do you think of the new 360 S7?