Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra review: Advanced cleaning, for a price

At a glance

Expert's Rating

Pros

Cons

Our Verdict

The Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra delivers the customized cleaning you expect from a high-end robot vacuum. But it doesn’t clean appreciably better than some more affordable competitors.

Price When Reviewed

$1,799.99 (base model), $1,899 (with refill and drainage system)

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Retailer Price

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Roborock has built a reputation for producing cutting-edge robot floor cleaners, with each new model building on the innovations of the last. Its new flagship, the S8 MaxV Ultra, continues that trend with an industry-leading 10,000 Pa suction power, a new robotic arm, and a helpful built-in voice assistant.

The S8 MaxV Ultra is available in two variants. The first, reviewed here, includes a Roborock Ultra base station with integrated water tanks and a dust bag for self-maintenance, and costs $1,799.99.

For $100 more, the second configuration adds a refill and drainage system you can connect to a water line to automatically fill and empty the base station’s tanks.

Design

The Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra has a sleek design that combines aesthetic appeal with advanced smart technology.

The vacuum itself has a compact, low-profile design, measuring 13.8 x 3.8 inches (WxH), allowing it to easily slip under furniture and into tight spaces. Its matte black finish provides a modern look that fits seamlessly into any home decor.

For navigation, the S8 MaxV Ultra combines a top-mounted LiDAR sensor turret with an integrated front-facing camera that can recognize and avoid 73 different types of obstacles.

There’s also a built-in microphone to facilitate Roborock’s “Hello Rocky” voice control (more on that in a moment), and when the robot is not cleaning, it can be deployed as a roving indoor home security camera, capable of patrolling your home or even locating your pet.

The robot’s control panel is minimal, featuring buttons for power, docking, and spot cleaning, with most functions controlled via the Roborock app.

Michael Ansaldo/Foundry

One of the standout features of the S8 MaxV Ultra is its powerful suction capability, boasting an impressive 10,000 Pa of suction power. Dual brush rollers are paired with concealed scrapers to prevent hair tangles; these lift off the floor during mopping to avoid wet messes. Additionally, the vacuum is equipped with a spinning side brush to help clean edges and corners more thoroughly.

For mopping, the robot uses Roborock’s VibraRise 3.0 system, which employs sonic vibrations at a rate of 4,000 times per minute to tackle stubborn stains. The mop pad can lift 0.79 inches to avoid carpets when the robot is vacuuming. A new secondary circular mop is connected to the robot’s edge by an extending arm, and it rotates 185 times per minute for better edge cleaning.

The base station of the S8 MaxV Ultra is a multifunctional hub that not only charges the vacuum but also automates several maintenance tasks. Measuring 16.1 x 16.5 x 18.5 inches (WxDxH), the base is designed to fit neatly into your home without hogging space. It features separate compartments for a dust bag, cleaning solution, and clean and dirty water tanks, facilitating the vacuum’s auto-empty and mopping functions.

The base station further enhances convenience by automating tasks such as emptying the dustbin, washing the mop with 140-degree Fahrenheit water, drying the mop with 140-degree air, and refilling the water tank.

Setup

While it won’t overtake the room, the S8 MaxV Ultra does require a bit of space to work efficiently.

Ideally, you’ll need a spot against a wall with about 1.5 feet of clearance on either side and about 4 feet in front. This gives the vacuum plenty of room to dock and undock without obstacles. When you connect the power cord to the base station and plug it into a power outlet, the base station’s indicator lights will turn on signaling that it’s ready to go.

If you’re new to Roborock, you’ll need to download the Roborock app (it’s available for Android and iOS) and create an account. Next, you’ll tap the “+” icon to add a new device, and the app will prompt you to scan the QR code under the vacuum’s lid and press and hold the “Home” button and the “Spot Clean” button simultaneously to enter pairing mode. From there, you’re prompted to select your network and enter your Wi-Fi password. The app should then connect the vacuum to your network within a few minutes.

Once you’re connected, you have to fill the clean water tank to enable mopping, and, if desired, add detergent to the separate compartment. (Roborock doesn’t include a detergent sample, and a 16-ounce bottle will cost you $18.99.) Then you send it on a quick run to map your home.

On my mapping run, S8 MaxV Ultra created a map of all the accessible space in my house in about 10 minutes.

While the floorplan was accurate, the room labeling was not—it classified three different rooms as the living room, for example—but I was able to make manual corrections in the app. I also took this time to set some no-go zones, customize a few cleaning areas, and make other tweaks.

App control

The Roborock app has a sleek, intuitive interface. The main device page provides easy-to-use controls at the bottom for starting a full run, targeting specific rooms or zones, and scheduling cleanings.

Michael Ansaldo/Foundry

The app offers an AI SmartPlan mode that lets the robot set its parameters based on the state of your floors, while other modes like Vac & Mop, Mop, Vacuum, and Customize allow for tailored cleaning. A map icon enables map editing, zone creation, furniture placement, room divider adjustments, and room labeling for more precise cleaning control.

A camera icon, secured by an unlock pattern, activates a robot’s-eye view of your home, supporting two-way audio, remote control, pin-and-go navigation, scheduled routes, and a pet-finding function. Your results with this last feature will vary; my cats tended to run and hide from the robot and even when they didn’t, the S8 MaxV Ultra didn’t recognize them initially, but it improved over time.

A circular button on the top right opens a menu with advanced options, including cleaning history, maintenance status, and access to the digital manual. It also allows advanced obstacle avoidance customization, including taking photos of pets or obstacles.

Voice control

The Roborock S8 MaxV includes a built-in voice assistant, Rocky. To activate it, simply say “Hello, Rocky,” and the vacuum responds to commands such as cleaning specific rooms, skipping areas, or canceling tasks. The vacuum comes with a reference card listing commands, and the app’s settings menu provides a comprehensive list.

During testing, the microphones picked up commands effectively, even from different rooms when idle. While running, a louder voice may be needed, but it still responds reliably. Although Rocky’s natural language processing isn’t as advanced as other assistants, it accurately follows specific commands.

Alexa and Google Assistant are also supported, and the Matter-certified robot can integrate with most smart home systems, including Apple HomeKit.

Performance

I used AI SmartPlan mode for most of my testing on laminate floors and a couple of low-pile area rugs. The robot cleaned in a steady up-and-down pattern, though it often would head off to another room before it finished cleaning the current one, only to return later and complete the job.

The S8 MaxV Ultra’s obstacle avoidance was superb; it never got stuck, not even on some charging cords that I left on the floor, and it dutifully photographed obstacles it identified for my review.

On hard floors, the S8 MaxV Ultra did an excellent job removing dust, dirt, and cat hair, both in open spaces and along wall edges. It also did an exceptional job removing about 95 percent of the rice I spread on the floor. It left behind a dozen or so grains because its spinning edge brush flung some of the mess across the floor and out of the vacuum’s path.

On carpet the vacuum did even better, sucking up 100 percent of the rice I distributed there, along with the other household debris.

My mopping tests yielded mixed results. The S8 MaxV Ultra returned some luster to floor areas that weren’t particularly grimy, but its mopping vibrations weren’t strong enough to lift the dirt embedded in front of my patio door. It also didn’t completely remove the teaspoon of jelly I spread on the floor, leaving a ring of residue.

Michael Ansaldo/Foundry

On the plus side, it didn’t spread the mess around, as some mopping systems tend to do. The VibraRise system also worked like a charm when the robot traversed my carpets, leaving them bone dry.

Once a cleaning job is complete, the robot automatically returns to its dock and empties its dustbin, washes and dries its mops, and refills its water tank for the next run. If you’ve added detergent to the compartment, it will be automatically dispensed as well.

Most of these operations are surprisingly quiet. The mop maintenance is virtually inaudible, and I often had to check the app to be sure it was actually happening. There’s no way to completely mask the sucking sound of the dustbin contents being emptied, but even here the noise level is a notch below many of Roborock’s competitors.

Specifications

Should you buy the S8 MaxV Ultra?

The S8 MaxV Ultra is a sophisticated system packed with advanced features. However, given its hefty price tag, it’s probably not the first robot vacuum I’d recommend.

Alternatives like the Eufy X10 Pro Omni and iRobot Roomba j9+ offer comparable or even better performance. It’s worth considering these options before committing to the S8 MaxV Ultra.