Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra test: our full opinion –

Unveiled simultaneously with the new Qrevo during CES 2024, the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra presents itself as one of the most innovative robot vacuum cleaners of the moment. It features the latest cleaning improvements including strong suction power, vibrating mop, hot water wash, detergent dispenser and intelligent dirt detection.

With such features, it is one of the most advanced robots for floor maintenance and many users will snap it up. However, its exorbitant price may put off more than one person, particularly because there are now more affordable and almost as efficient alternatives.

Let’s see what it’s worth on a daily basis and whether its cleaning performance and ease of use live up to its price.

Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra Product sheet

This test was carried out with a Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra provided by the brand.

Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra Premium design and build quality

The Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra aims to be premium and uses quality materials. The finishes are impeccable and both the robot and the docking station are robust and appear durable, with no play or imperfections in the alignments.

The robot has a sober but elegant look, particularly in its black version. The upper part is divided into two areas, one of which is covered by a shiny plastic cover – watch out for fingerprints – which hides the HEPA filter and the dust bin. The other half is made of matte plastic and accommodates the three quick access buttons, allowing you to launch the robot, activate wet cleaning and send it back to base. The LiDAR dome, covered with an illuminated Roborock logo, joins the two upper sections for the most beautiful effect.

Source: Hagop Kavafian for Frandroid

Source: Hagop Kavafian for Frandroid

Source: Hagop Kavafian for Frandroid

At the front of the robot, there are several sensors, including a camera and LEDs, guaranteeing precise detection of obstacles and dirt. As for the lower part, there is a double brush roller, a motorized side brush FlexiArmas well as a vibrating mop VibraRisewhich works in conjunction with a small rotating pad to clean along baseboards.

The station is quite impressive, since it is equipped with a 4 L clean water tank and a 3.5 L waste water tank, both located on the upper part. Although they are not hidden under a lid, they look very neat and both have built-in handles for easy handling.

On the front, a removable glossy panel hides the 2.5 L dust bag, as well as a refillable detergent tank, a first for Roborock.

The lower part of the station is designed for mop maintenance. For this purpose, it uses a dedicated brush which rubs and moves along the mop, while cleaning it with hot water. The small mop is also cleaned, thanks to a specific location provided for this purpose. Both are then dried with hot air, to minimize bad odors and bacteria.

Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra An application that makes it easy to use

During setup, the robot maps your living space and automatically segments rooms, including identifying furniture and recognizing floor types.

Once the map is generated, you can edit it, merge or split rooms and define prohibited areas. You can also personalize your floor coverings and adjust the furniture, so that the map is as accurate as possible. The robot can also store up to four cards and automatically knows its way around to choose which one to use.

The Roborock app allows precise control over cleaning preferences, such as suction strength, mop humidity level, and cleaning sequence. It is also possible to choose a more or less rapid cleaning, in order to clean particularly stained floors more thoroughly. You can fine-tune these settings for each room, such as more thorough cleaning for the entryway and kitchen, but less thorough cleaning for bedrooms.

However, if you don’t want to complicate your life, Roborock makes your life easier with the new smart SmartPlan and DirtTec features. These allow the robot to adapt its cleaning settings depending on the level of dirt and stains it encounters while cleaning, even going so far as to re-clean the dirtiest areas.

The S8 MaxV Ultra can of course recognize carpets independently and can therefore automatically adjust its suction power accordingly. The behavior to adopt in the presence of carpets is entirely customizable, ranging from complete avoidance to automatically lifting the mops so as not to wet them. It is even possible to configure the robot to mop the carpets, if they are fine for example, or to return to vacuum the carpets thoroughly after cleaning a room.

The station is not left out, since its parameters are also adjustable. These concern in particular the temperature of the water for washing the mops and their drying time, but also the frequency of washing during the cycle. Additionally, Roborock offers an off-peak charging option, allowing you to wait and recharge when rates are more advantageous.

Thanks to its on-board camera, the S8 MaxV Ultra intelligently recognizes obstacles and indicates them on the map, with the possibility of taking a photo of them. It also functions as a surveillance camera, allowing you to view a live video feed of your home with two-way audio — handy for monitoring your pets. The robot can also take photos of your quadrupeds during cleaning, turning cleaning into a photo shoot.

The Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra has the on-board voice assistant Hello Rocky, a very practical feature if you don’t have a connected speaker at home. When you call it, the robot turns towards you, letting you know that it is listening to you. Its overall understanding is quite good, facilitating daily use, without unwanted triggering.

Furthermore, it remains compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant, integrating with your usual ecosystems. Finally, the S8 MaxV Ultra is the first Roborock device to support the Matter protocol, allowing for better home automation integration.

Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra Exceptional cleaning performance

The Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra has an impressive 10,000 Pa of suction power, making it a powerhouse for cleaning hard floors and carpets. Its double brush roller allows it to collect dirt and dust effectively, particularly from carpet fibers or tile joints. Furthermore, the robotic side brush FlexiArm provides more complete coverage, sweeping along baseboards and into corners.

My dog ​​loves walks in the forest, the S8 MaxV Ultra was put to the test, as I confronted it with floors littered with earth, dust and even mud, which often tends to get into the joints . However, the robot had no trouble cleaning the floors effectively, removing dirt and dust without a hitch.

The robot is just as effective on rugs and carpets, thanks to its powerful suction and double brush roll. It can automatically increase its suction power to clean deeply and vacuum up hidden dust effectively.

Now let’s see what wet cleaning is all about. Unlike the competition which uses rotating mops, the S8 MaxV Ultra uses a vibrating mop to scrub floors more effectively, especially to tackle stubborn, dry stains. It also uses a rotating side mop, which cleans along the baseboards, ensuring complete coverage. The detergent tank integrated into the dock allows the cleaning solution to be automatically added to the water, ensuring greater efficiency.

Unsurprisingly, the S8 MaxV Ultra’s washing results are impeccable. It tackles dry and greasy stains without difficulty, most of the time in just one pass. In all cases, the robot can automatically detect soiling levels and automatically re-clean dirty areas, ensuring impeccable results. The base does the same for the mop, and cleans it thoroughly, depending on its level of dirt.

To find its way, the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra uses a LiDAR and a camera to recognize obstacles. He knows how to find his way and move around without hindrance, and can also recognize and avoid obstacles effectively. Whether it’s cables, shoes, toys, or other objects, the S8 MaxV Ultra knows how to identify them and can even take a photo of them to display them on the map. Although it avoids them, it does not leave too much space around them, maximizing the area cleaned.

Despite its impressive suction power, the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra is not particularly noisy and does not disrupt everyday life. It’s not as quiet as a Qrevo MaxV, which is barely audible, but remains relatively quiet on low settings. However, it is more noticeable at high power, without being particularly annoying.

The battery life of the S8 MaxV Ultra is excellent, with up to 180 minutes of continuous cleaning on a single charge. On average, expect to clean around 85 square meters in just under an hour and a half on a full charge, with deeper cleaning settings.

Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra A nearly maintenance-free experience

Thanks to its large dust bin and water tanks, the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra requires little intervention.

Thanks to the use of a dedicated brush which scrubs the mop, hot water at 60°C and hot air to wash and dry the mop, it requires almost no manual intervention. This cleaning limits mold buildup and eliminates odors, while keeping the mop clean, preventing you from having to wash it too often. If necessary, the mop is easily removable and can even be machine washed.

On the other hand, animal hair tends to wrap around the brushes, especially the side brush, which requires fairly frequent intervention if you have animals or long hair.

The base is quite simple to maintain, since it rinses each time you clean the mop, apart from the filter which must be cleaned frequently. This collects all the dirt after washing the mops and tends to get clogged quickly. Luckily, it’s removable and can be washed in the sink with a brush, but a removable tray like the Ultenic MC1 would have been more convenient.

Overall, you should expect about five minutes of cleaning every two weeks if you have pets and your floors are often dirty, or even five minutes per month if the station doesn’t get dirty much.

Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra Price and availability

The S8 MaxV Ultra will be available from April 25, 2024 in white on Amazon. The black version will be distributed exclusively at Boulanger, from May 15.

Both variants will benefit from an introductory discount of 100 euros, lowering their price to 1,400 euros.