Petteri Pyyny
15 Aug 2024 5:37
Roborock has consistently ranked among the top-selling robot vacuums globally for years. The Chinese manufacturer has distinguished itself as a leader in high-end robotic vacuums, continuously introducing innovative features year after year.
In recent years, however, competition in the innovation space has intensified, with other Chinese brands making strong pushes into the premium robot vacuum market. Despite this, Roborock has adeptly met these challenges, maintaining its position at the forefront of the industry.
This context makes it particularly intriguing to explore what Roborock currently offers to consumers who prioritize features over price. For this review, we had the opportunity to test the company's latest flagship model, the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra, which was released in the spring of 2024. This model encapsulates Roborock's vision of the ultimate robot vacuum, incorporating the company's most advanced technologies.
The S8 MaxV Ultra is a premium robot vacuum that mops, avoids obstacles, empties its own dustbin, and even wets its mop automatically. However, its price is not for the faint of heart. As of this review's publication, the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra is priced at an astonishing €1500 / $1800.
Given its steep price tag, this model must be compared to the most expensive offerings from other manufacturers. In this price range, there is no room for compromise when it comes to usability and cleaning performance.
As usual, we put the robot to work in our test environment for a couple of months, using it as the sole floor-cleaning tool in the home, and closely monitored how this new model performed.
In itself, Roborock is very close to the perfect robot vacuum. But because the competition in this extraordinarily expensive vacuum category is so tight, our criteria for perfect scores are also very strict.
Unfortunately, the poorly functioning obstacle avoidance is a significant enough drawback to lower the robot's overall rating without mercy. Additionally, compared to competitors, the outdated technology used for mopping is also a minus when you consider what other models you can buy for nearly 1500 euros.