Roborock RockMow Z120 LiDAR review: the king of vacuum cleaners has ventured onto the lawn for the first time

When a robotic vacuum cleaner manufacturer announces it’s starting to make lawnmowers, it sounds almost like a joke. But with Roborock, the joke makes sense. The company has spent years perfecting navigation, mapping, obstacle detection, and mobile applications – and all of these are equally necessary for a robotic lawnmower, only instead of mops, blades rotate. I had the flagship model RockMow Z120 LiDAR, priced at 67,990 CZK, for several weeks of testing, and since the competing Segway Navimow X450E also recently navigated my garden, a comparison is in order, which I won’t omit at the end of the article.

One disclaimer right at the start: my garden is roughly 80 square meters, while the Z120 is built for 2,000 m². Therefore, I couldn’t test some parameters, especially climbing ability and endurance on a large area, to their limits. Nevertheless, a month of living with it was enough to understand what makes this lawnmower different from the rest of the market.

From vacuums to lawns: wire-free and antenna-free installation

Fortunately, the perimeter wire has already been buried by the entire industry (in this price category), so its absence won’t surprise anyone. But Roborock goes a step further – it doesn’t even need a separate GNSS antenna, which competitors require you to mount on a wall or stake into a flowerbed, finding a spot with a clear view of the sky. Just set up the charging station, connect the mower to the app, and start the mapping round.

The mapping itself is classic – you guide the mower in manual mode around the perimeter of the lawn, mark forbidden zones, and the map is created. For me, the whole procedure took fifteen minutes, and the result could then be freely edited with a finger on the phone screen. In addition to the station, the package includes a power supply, an extension cable, and a set of spare blades. Weighing 21.7 kilograms and measuring 661 × 475 × 294 millimeters, the Z120 is a substantial piece of technology, even if it’s actually a lightweight compared to the 29kg Segway.

LiDAR sees 70 meters away, even under trees

This is the core of the entire machine and the reason why the model has the word LiDAR in its name. While the vast majority of modern robotic lawnmowers rely on satellite positioning with RTK corrections, Roborock opted for a 360° laser radar with a range of 70 meters, which collects 200,000 points per second and is supplemented by VSLAM visual navigation with cameras. The manufacturer collectively calls the entire system Sentisphere, and in practice, it means one crucial thing: the mower navigates not by the sky, but by its surroundings.

Why does that matter? Satellite navigation has one chronic weakness – dense tree canopies, pergolas, narrow alleys between buildings. There, the signal weakens, and GPS-dependent mowers start to falter. The laser is immune to this. I deliberately sent the Z120 into the shadiest corner of the garden between the house and the fence, where satellites have a really poor view, and the mower navigated the route with absolute calm. It performed just as confidently at dusk. The only weakness I encountered? The laser module is positioned quite high on the back of the machine and is protected only by plastic struts, so I would drive it carefully under low branches.

Obstacle detection is handled by cameras at the front. The test with a shoe, garden hose, and forgotten watering can passed with flying colors – the mower slowed down, went around the object, and continued. In a narrow passage, unlike the Segway, it didn’t hesitate as much, but be aware of the limit: the manufacturer states a minimum passage width of 80 centimeters. A narrower corridor between flowerbeds will simply be a problem.

Yellow springs aren’t just for show

The chassis is the second thing that makes the Z120 LiDAR stand out. The prominent yellow springs look as if Roborock stole them from an off-road buggy, and they serve the same purpose – the Dynamic Suspension system keeps the mechanism in a stable position even on bumpy surfaces. Add to that all-wheel drive with an electric motor in each wheel and a theoretical climbing ability of 80% (38 degrees). It crosses obstacles up to 8 centimeters high, such as a curb or a root, without stopping.

My flat garden gave the chassis about as much work as a supermarket parking lot, so I’ll leave extreme slopes to the specifications. What I appreciated daily, however, is Active Steering – the front wheels turn like a car’s, so the mower turns in a smooth arc, or it turns in place with counter-rotating wheels without tearing up the lawn. After a month of operation, I don’t have a single significant rut on the grass, which couldn’t be said for older robotic mowers with skid steering.

24 centimeters of cutting width is the price for agility

And now for the less flattering numbers. The cutting disc with six blades has a cutting width of only 24 centimeters – for comparison, competing machines in this price category cut in a swath over 40 centimeters wide. On a single charge, the Z120 operates for approximately 110 minutes, then returns to the station for 50 minutes. On my mini-garden, this was irrelevant; the mower finished before I even finished my coffee. However, on a two-thousand-square-meter property, for which the machine is intended, you’ll be counting mowing in days rather than hours. It’s worth noting that a robotic lawnmower doesn’t really care – it works even when you don’t.

I have no complaints about the cutting quality. The floating blade deck follows the terrain, the cutting height is adjustable from 20 to 70 millimeters directly from the app, and even taller grass after a rainy week was cut in a single pass. The noise level of 62 dB is even slightly lower than what most competitors offer – neighbors will only notice the mower if they see it. Edge trimming with 3-centimeter precision from a fixed obstacle is handled by the optional PreciEdge module, which, however, is not included in the package and must be purchased separately. For a machine costing 68 thousand, I would expect it to come complete.

An app you know from your living room

The mower is controlled from the same Roborock app as their robotic vacuum cleaners, and it shows. The interface is in Czech, clear, and anyone who owns a vacuum cleaner of this brand will feel right at home. The garden can be divided into up to 15 separate zones with their own mowing plan and pattern, and there’s a rain sensor and night mode. Fifteen zones is significantly fewer than what competitors offer, but honestly – who actually uses more?

An additional gimmick is the so-called lawn printing, where the mower cuts a simple pattern or stripes into the grass. Practical value is zero, but the effect on visitors is one hundred percent. Mobile 4G connectivity for remote monitoring is free for the first year; what happens next, the manufacturer has not yet clearly communicated. The same goes for Segway. Fortunately, the mowing itself does not depend on mobile data; at home, Wi-Fi is sufficient.

Security and Warranty

The anti-theft protection is three-layered: a PIN code for startup, a loud alarm when lifted, and GPS tracking via 4G, so you can see the machine’s location in the app even if someone takes it across half the city. IPX6 water resistance means both the mower and the station can withstand rain outdoors without batting an eye. The 36-month warranty is also a welcome bonus, as Roborock surpasses the standard two-year period offered by most manufacturers.

Roborock vs. Segway: a battle of two philosophies

The promised comparison with the Segway Navimow X450E, which I tested some time ago. Both machines aim for the premium league, but each takes a different path. The Segway, priced at 76,990 CZK, is a large-area mower: 43-centimeter cutting width, twelve blades on two discs, coverage up to 5,000 m², and NetRTK satellite navigation with free corrections forever. The Roborock, at 67,990 CZK, is smaller, lighter, quieter, and thanks to its laser, can handle gardens where the Segway has to rely on cameras and position recalculation.

In terms of off-road capabilities, the machines are remarkably close – Segway states an 84% climbing ability, Roborock 80%, both have all-wheel drive and a steerable front axle. The character of the property will therefore be the deciding factor. A large open area with a good view of the sky? Segway, without a doubt – it will mow it significantly faster. A complex garden full of mature trees, nooks, and shade, where the satellite signal struggles? There, Roborock’s laser has the upper hand. And a not insignificant argument is the eight thousand crowns that the Z120 will leave in your wallet.

It’s also worth noting that Roborock only has a monochrome and relatively simple display, while the Segway’s is colored, larger, touch-sensitive, and allows for more operations; with Roborock, you’ll more often reach for the mobile app.

What else to add?

For a debut, the RockMow Z120 LiDAR is a surprisingly mature machine. Roborock brought what it does best – navigation and software – to the garden and wrapped it in a robust chassis that isn’t intimidated by challenging terrain. Weaknesses can be found: the narrow cutting width prolongs mowing of large areas, the edge-trimming module costs extra, and the fate of 4G connectivity after the first year is a question mark. None of these are critical flaws, however, but rather a reminder that even the best newcomer still has things to learn.

If you have a garden up to 2,000 m², ideally complex and shaded, the Z120 LiDAR is among the most capable machines you can acquire this year. Owners of large open properties should look at its sibling, the RockMow Z150, or the aforementioned Segway – there, Roborock’s narrower cutting width ceases to make sense.

Editor’s rating: 90 %

The lawnmower was provided by Roborock for the purpose of this review.

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