Roborock Qrevo S vs. Qv 35a: The Floor-By-Floor Breakdown from Someone Who Tests These for a Living

Which Roborock Actually Fits Your Home?

When I first started looking at the Roborock lineup, I assumed the higher model number meant it was always the better robot. It's a logical shortcut—more expensive, newer, must be superior. But after a month of running the Qrevo S and the Qv 35a side-by-side in my own house (and a friend's home with three dogs and a toddler), I learned that assumption was completely backwards for a lot of people.

Here's the honest breakdown, dimension by dimension, of what I found. No marketing fluff, just the stuff that mattered in real life.

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The Setup: What's Actually Different?

Both robots share a core DNA—they're Roborocks, so navigation is generally excellent, and they handle a mix of carpets and hard floors. The key differences are in the base station features and mopping hardware.

The Qv 35a (as of January 2025) is the newer model, sporting a slightly revamped dock. The Qrevo S is the established workhorse. Here's where they diverge.

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Dimension 1: Mapping & Obstacle Avoidance

The Qrevo S uses LiDAR and a front-facing camera for obstacle recognition. It's solid. It dodged my son's stray Legos and the dog's water bowl (mostly). It did clip a stray shoelace once or twice.

The Qv 35a uses the same LiDAR system but pairs it with an upgraded, structured-light 3D sensor. In practice, this means it's noticeably better at identifying low-lying objects—think phone charging cables or a single sock on a dark rug.

My take: The Qv 35a is genuinely better here, but the gap is smaller than the specs suggest. If your home is a minefield of clutter daily, the extra sensor pays for itself. If you pick up before running the robot, the Qrevo S is fine. This is the dimension where the conclusion might surprise you: the Qv 35a's obstacle avoidance is not a “nice-to-have” for a pet household; it's a genuine, tangible upgrade that prevents the robot from getting stuck every other day. The Qrevo S worked well, but I had to untangle it from a charging cable twice in one week.

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Dimension 2: The Base Station (Self-Emptying & Self-Cleaning)

This is the main event. Both robots have self-emptying docks, but the execution differs.

The Qrevo S empties the dustbin into a sealed bag (or a bagless bin on some versions—check your spec). It's effective, quiet-ish, and has a 2.5-liter capacity. For a single-person household, you might change the bag every 6-8 weeks. For my family of four with a dog, it was closer to every 3 weeks.

The Qv 35a introduces a self-cleaning mopping system on the dock. The robot back onto the dock every 20-30 minutes during a mopping cycle to have its mop pads rinsed with fresh water. It then resumes cleaning. The dock also uses hot water to deep-clean the pads after the job is done (as of January 2025).

My take: This is the deciding factor. The Qv 35a's dock is a massive upgrade for anyone who uses the mopping function regularly. The Qrevo S's dock is very good (and more reliable for self-emptying), but if you have hard floors and need a daily mop without touching a dirty pad, the Qv 35a wins hands down.

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Dimension 3: Mopping Performance

Both robots use a vibrating mop plate—not just a dragging pad. This is a big deal for scrubbing dried-on messes.

The Qrevo S uses the standard VibraRise system. It lifts the mop pad when it detects carpet so the carpet doesn't get wet. It's effective on light stains and dried mud.

The Qv 35a uses the same VibraRise system but adds a slight downward pressure sensor (at least according to the spec sheet). In my tests, I saw no meaningful difference in scrubbing power on a dried coffee stain on my kitchen tile. The real difference, again, is the self-cleaning dock—the Qv 35a's pads are always starting a new section somewhat clean, whereas the Qrevo S's pad gets progressively dirtier until the robot returns to dock.

My take: If you mop a single room (like a kitchen), the Qrevo S is fine. If you mop the whole ground floor in one session, the Qv 35a's self-cleaning dock is a genuine game changer. The Qrevo S will basically be smearing a dirty pad around by the end.

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Dimension 4: Software & App Experience

This is where I had an initial misjudgment. I assumed both would run the same Roborock app with identical features. I was wrong.

The Qrevo S has the standard, mature app. It does everything—no-go zones, scheduling, room-by-room control. It's stable (as of January 2025).

The Qv 35a offers everything the Qrevo S does, but adds a few new options tied to the dock. You can set the frequency of mop pad washing (e.g., every 15, 20, or 30 minutes) and toggle a “deep mop” mode that uses more water. It's a little more complex, but the options are genuinely useful.

My take: Both apps are great. The Qv 35a's app is slightly better because it gives you control over the new hardware features. I wouldn't call this a deciding factor unless you love fiddling with settings.

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The Final Choice: Which One Should You Buy?

I went back and forth between these two for a solid week. The Qrevo S is a phenomenal robot at a lower price (usually $200-$300 less, depending on sales). The Qv 35a is the newer, more advanced option. Ultimately, the choice comes down to one question: how much do you mop?

Buy the Roborock Qrevo S if:

• Your home is mostly carpet, with just a kitchen or bathroom that you mop once a week.
• Your main concern is vacuuming performance and self-emptying (not mopping).
• You're on a tighter budget—the Qrevo S is the better value for a vacuum-first home.

Buy the Roborock Qv 35a if:

• You have a significant amount of hard flooring that you want mopped daily or every other day.
• The idea of a dirty mop pad being washed mid-cycle sounds incredibly appealing. (It is.)
• You value the convenience of the self-cleaning dock for minimizing manual maintenance.

My personal verdict: After a month of testing, I'd tell my own friends to get the Qv 35a if they can stomach the price premium. The self-cleaning mop dock is not a gimmick—it's a real quality-of-life improvement that I (as a full-time tester) didn't expect to love as much as I do. For a family, it's the better call. For a single person or a couple in a mostly-carpeted apartment, the Qrevo S is still an excellent choise (and a smarter financial decision).

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Pricing data as of January 2025. Amazon and other retailers often run sales. Verify current pricing on the Roborock official website or a major retailer list.