Hands on: Roborock S8 Pro Ultra smart home vacuum & mop
The recently-announced Roborock S8 Pro Ultra robotic smart home vacuum and mop is a great tool to automatically clean your house, and works with Siri Shortcuts. Here's a first look.
The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra docked
The S8 lineup includes three models of the smart home vacuum. You can choose the S8 for $749 with a normal charging dock, the S8+ for $999 with an auto-emptying dock, or the S8 Pro Ultra for $1,599 with the RockDock.
After happily recommending the S7 MaxV Ultra, the previous high-end unit from Roborock, we were eager to test the S8 Pro Ultra -- the new champ.
Cleaning laminate flooring
This full-featured vacuum can vacuum and mop your whole home, and empty out the dustbin automatically before having the mop washed and dried -- all without your intervention.
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Beginning with the robot, the new S8 has increased suction power, growing from 5,100 Pa to 6,000 Pa -- nearly a 20 percent boost. It also has a new set of dual rolling brushes.
Upgrading rising rollers
The brushes roll in opposite directions to help prevent entanglement from hair, and so far in our testing, this seems to be the case. When in mopping mode, the rollers will now lift.
As with the S7 series, the S8 mop pad comes off for additional cleaning, but the fixture is a permanent attachment. As an upgrade, Roborock has added a second vibration motor to improve the scrubbing ability.
Here in Ohio, we track plenty of salt into the house during the winter months, and as it dried on the textured laminate flooring, it proved challenging for some robotic mops to tackle. In our tests, while not perfect, the second motor has notably increased its performance here.
One thing that got removed with this upgrade is the remote viewing option. Some may find this beneficial if they don't want a mobile camera driving through their home, but it is also a step back for those who use this feature.
If you want this feature, you can pick up the S7 MaxV Ultra, which does have a new drying module to make it similar to the new RockDock.
Speaking of which, the RockDock empty, wash, fill docking station got redesigned. We love the new white colorway that has a much more modern look.
S7 MaxV Ultra versus S8 Pro Ultra
Compared to the S7 MaxV Ultra dock, the front is almost entirely covered, yielding a cleaner aesthetic. The water and dust bins sit at the top, and the robot will dock at the bottom, where it gets cleaned, emptied, and charged.
The new model is a bit larger than the last-gen as Roborock increased the capacity for the clean and dirty water tank. They've moved from 3 to 3.5 liters and 2.5 to 2.9 liters, respectively.
S8 Pro Ultra bins
With the redesign, Roborock has made it much easier to empty and refill those water tanks. The lids only go halfway, and the handles have moved to the opposite side.
After months of using the S7 MaxV Ultra, the new water tanks are a well-warranted and welcomed change we'd hoped for.
The final new addition to the S8 Pro Ultra is a heated fan that blows warm air on the mop pad, helping dry it and squash any bacteria growth. This is what led to smells on the last-generation unit.
It's a lot for the robot to traverse, yet it did so effortlessly. While we ran the vacuum, we saw new options enabled for the app, like a fast routing mode to go quicker.
Vacuuming carpet with the S8 Pro Ultra
During its run, it identified different objects it ran across, like shoes, surge protectors, and even a pile of faux dog poo we placed. These images get processed onboard with its built-in Ai engine.
As with the S7, the mop lifts as it goes over the carpet but doesn't lift quite enough if you have a shaggy rug or plush carpet. We could see the mop as it drug across our one carpet, though it wasn't left wet.
The increased suction, while nice to have, wasn't all that useful. This Max+ power drained the battery quicker, which wasn't ideal for whole-home cleaning.
The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra
This new model does charge faster, so it did take less time to complete a thorough clean.
AppleInsider will be reviewing the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra in full in the future.
Read on AppleInsider
The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra docked
The S8 lineup includes three models of the smart home vacuum. You can choose the S8 for $749 with a normal charging dock, the S8+ for $999 with an auto-emptying dock, or the S8 Pro Ultra for $1,599 with the RockDock.
After happily recommending the S7 MaxV Ultra, the previous high-end unit from Roborock, we were eager to test the S8 Pro Ultra -- the new champ.
Cleaning laminate flooring
This full-featured vacuum can vacuum and mop your whole home, and empty out the dustbin automatically before having the mop washed and dried -- all without your intervention.
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A notable upgrade
Roborock has packed the upgrades in for the S8 line, not even a year after the launch of the flagship S7 MaxV Ultra. We see new benefits incorporated for both the robot and the docking station -- now called the RockDock.Beginning with the robot, the new S8 has increased suction power, growing from 5,100 Pa to 6,000 Pa -- nearly a 20 percent boost. It also has a new set of dual rolling brushes.
Upgrading rising rollers
The brushes roll in opposite directions to help prevent entanglement from hair, and so far in our testing, this seems to be the case. When in mopping mode, the rollers will now lift.
As with the S7 series, the S8 mop pad comes off for additional cleaning, but the fixture is a permanent attachment. As an upgrade, Roborock has added a second vibration motor to improve the scrubbing ability.
Here in Ohio, we track plenty of salt into the house during the winter months, and as it dried on the textured laminate flooring, it proved challenging for some robotic mops to tackle. In our tests, while not perfect, the second motor has notably increased its performance here.
One thing that got removed with this upgrade is the remote viewing option. Some may find this beneficial if they don't want a mobile camera driving through their home, but it is also a step back for those who use this feature.
If you want this feature, you can pick up the S7 MaxV Ultra, which does have a new drying module to make it similar to the new RockDock.
Speaking of which, the RockDock empty, wash, fill docking station got redesigned. We love the new white colorway that has a much more modern look.
S7 MaxV Ultra versus S8 Pro Ultra
Compared to the S7 MaxV Ultra dock, the front is almost entirely covered, yielding a cleaner aesthetic. The water and dust bins sit at the top, and the robot will dock at the bottom, where it gets cleaned, emptied, and charged.
The new model is a bit larger than the last-gen as Roborock increased the capacity for the clean and dirty water tank. They've moved from 3 to 3.5 liters and 2.5 to 2.9 liters, respectively.
S8 Pro Ultra bins
With the redesign, Roborock has made it much easier to empty and refill those water tanks. The lids only go halfway, and the handles have moved to the opposite side.
After months of using the S7 MaxV Ultra, the new water tanks are a well-warranted and welcomed change we'd hoped for.
The final new addition to the S8 Pro Ultra is a heated fan that blows warm air on the mop pad, helping dry it and squash any bacteria growth. This is what led to smells on the last-generation unit.
A few quick tests
We have a wide assortment of test scenarios to throw at the S8 Pro Ultra in our home. We have hardwood floors, laminate flooring, high-pile carpets, rugs, several pets, and a baby with toys everywhere.It's a lot for the robot to traverse, yet it did so effortlessly. While we ran the vacuum, we saw new options enabled for the app, like a fast routing mode to go quicker.
Vacuuming carpet with the S8 Pro Ultra
During its run, it identified different objects it ran across, like shoes, surge protectors, and even a pile of faux dog poo we placed. These images get processed onboard with its built-in Ai engine.
As with the S7, the mop lifts as it goes over the carpet but doesn't lift quite enough if you have a shaggy rug or plush carpet. We could see the mop as it drug across our one carpet, though it wasn't left wet.
The increased suction, while nice to have, wasn't all that useful. This Max+ power drained the battery quicker, which wasn't ideal for whole-home cleaning.
The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra
This new model does charge faster, so it did take less time to complete a thorough clean.
Available soon
The S8 Pro Ultra will be available to order in late April. It will set you back $1,599 at full MSRP, though Roborock occasionally runs deals.AppleInsider will be reviewing the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra in full in the future.
Read on AppleInsider
Comments
Two years later, I was wooed by the Roborock S7 MaxV's suction power - supposedly twice my S5's. I didn't want any part of the auto-emptying, auto-mop-cleaning dock since the former simply meant you'd have to start buying bags for the robot (cleaning out the onboard dust bin is simple and requires no bag) and the latter meant more mechanicals that could go wrong and, potentially, a stinky mop. Anyway, to each their own when it comes to the dock.
Robot reviews are great in that you get to see the features of a robot. But reviewers rarely spend enough time with the robot to give long-term feedback on these devices. The reviews for the S7 were great - just like this review for the S8. But they didn't help discover any of the shortcomings that reveal themselves over time.
For me, the S7 MaxV has been a lot more hassle than its predecessor. I really don' know why - it has a lot more sensors than the S5 did - but the robot gets lost or stuck on a regular basis. It usually happens after a few weeks - not right off the bat. I am pretty sure it's some sort of software bug: I've noticed that over time, the map starts deteriorating: it starts showing little non-existent artifacts (like dark grey dots and lines that the robot avoids but which don't exist as anything real in the house) - and walls that were previously pretty perpendicular to one another start skewing one direction or the other. As a result, the robot begins making nonsensical decisions about where to go - or try to go as the case may be. I've contact Roborock about this on numerous occasion, but their stock answer is that I should delete the map and let the robot recreate it. And this is what I'm forced to do periodically - and it's annoying as heck. Mostly because the earlier version of the Roborock had none of these issues, but also because my house is one of those "open concept" houses where some rooms - e.g. kitchen, dining room, family room - aren't distinct rooms as far as the robot is concerned. So you have to manually divide up the space in the app - a laborious activity in the app consisting of dividing and combining things successively. Then there are the floor-ceiling windows or sliders that, without manually creating "invisible walls" the robot constantly runs into (and gets stuck at when there's also a sliding door track). So it takes a good half hour of time every time I have to recreate the map because the Robot f*&ked up the map again :-(
I love the fact that the S7's mop works better than the S5's and that the quiet mode is indeed pretty quiet and lets us run the robot every day. I'm not sure that our all-hard floor house needed the extra suction power of the S7 - and combined with the map headaches I've been having, I would not have upgraded from the S5 had I known this up-front. I'm glad the reviewer thinks the S8 is a good upgrade from the S7 - he must have never had the mapping errors I saw - or he's recommending the S8 because they fixed them there?
Another question for the reviewer: in the video you seem to indicate that with the S8 you can only remove the cloth mop? In the S7 the whole plastic piece the mop attaches comes out - which is very helpful because it means you don't have to turn over the robot every time you want to put a new mop cloth on. When I mop with the S7, I put a new mop cloth on for every room I have it mop. If that's no longer possible with the S8, that's a definite negative - unless you get the S8 Ultra, which supposedly cleans the mop cloth for you.
I also don't have any of those issues with my map. I haven't ever had to rebuild it and it still gets full coverage in my home. That's with my wife rearranging furniture and lots of dog/baby toys lying around. Im not sure why you are having such peculiar issues. My map has only gotten better as it collected more data and the rooms started to take better shape from the initial scans. I also have two floor-to-ceiling windows and a sliding door that never gave us any hassle. I'm so confused at why you're having these problems.
I draw issue with your insinuation that I didn't spend enough time with the S8, or the S7 for that matter. I've used the S8 for perhaps a couple months now and haven't had any issues you describe, but I did have a good experience with the S7.
For the mop question, it has the same bottom as the S7. You can't remove the entire mopping attachment, just the mop pad. At least on the S7 MaxV Ultra and the S8 Pro Ultra. They may be different the entry-level models.
However, from the article:
"As with the S7 series, the S8 mop pad comes off for additional cleaning, but the fixture is a permanent attachment"
I think that answers your question.
In my case (EU version) the bags for the auto empty dock are optional. You can use the cyclone unit instead of bags.
One curious note when ordering bags for the auto empty dock (S7): there are two versions. One for the US market (and maybe elsewhere) and another for the EU market. They aren't compatible between versions. I wonder if this has carried over to the S8 line.
You say this "expensive" and "huge" alternative, though as I state right at the beginning, Roborock has a range of choices. They have units for only a couple hundred dollars or the all-new S8 starts at $750 before getting up to the $1600 option. iRobot's Roomba line also has entry-level models up to an $1100 model with a very large docking station.
For what it's worth, the $1100 Roomba is actually $100 more than the equivalent Roborock S8+. Roborock then offers the $1600 S8 Pro Ultra with the empty, wash, fill station that iRobot doesn't even offer. None of them are capable of emptying the robot, cleaning the mop, and refilling it with new water.
With respect to my troubles with floor-ceiling windows: both the Roborock S5 Max and the S7 MaxV (which is not the base model - it's the Ultra minus the base) have trouble with those. My windows end a 1/4" above the floor with a 1/4" thick, 6" deep sill. I wish I could show you my map, but the robot basically thinks the room continues beyond the glass and always climbs onto the sill trying to get out. All the up/down movements from the sill has led to scuff marks, so I had to put an invisible wall on that section. A similar thing happens with the slider door tracks: the robot tries to get onto them and sometimes the wheel gets stuck in the groove and it can't get out.
With regards to the mop: on the S7 MaxV, there are two tabs on each side of the wate reservoir which allows you to slide out a half-elliptical piece of plastic that has the mop pad attached. You then slide the mop pad off that piece of plastic. Perhaps you consider the 'mop pad' to be both the cloth plus the piece of plastic?