Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra Review: New Benchmark for Robot Vacuums

Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra in a nutshell

Roborock doesn't do things by halves with the latest S8 model. There is an extendable side brush and an extra mini mop. In addition, the suction power has been increased to 10,000 Pa, while the base station is now pleasantly compact and also includes a 580 ml container for cleaning agents.

The Roborock vacuum robot is not only the new leader in vacuuming and mopping, but also in navigation. In the usual Roborock manner, the robot easily navigates past obstacles. The Roborock MaxV Ultra shows no weaknesses in the test.

It is also exciting that Roborock—despite the numerous innovations—has not increased the price compared to the previous model. The Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra costs €1,499 according to the recommended retail price. The S8 MaxV Ultra is also available with an optional station with a water connection for even less work. The price is then €1,599. As of publishing time, the S8 MaxV Ultra is not available in the US.

Design and processing

The S8 MaxV Ultra has a stylish station that you can optionally buy with a fixed water connection-and then logically without water tanks. The station conceals numerous self-cleaning functions and a clever solution for cleaning products.

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Pros:

• Model available with water connection.
• Compact, modern multifunctional station.
• Cleaning agent tank in the station.

Cons:

• -

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The Roborock S8 Maxv Ultra is available in two versions: One with a water connection for the station and one with two traditional water tanks for clean water and dirty water. The model tested here was the one without a water connection. This version measures 40.9 × 41.9 × 47 cm and is therefore significantly more compact than the station of last year's top model, the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra (see review).

At first glance, the robot looks unspectacular. The device is 10.3 cm high, round, has a navigation tower on the top and an RGB camera on the front. If we turn the S8 MaxV Ultra over, we see the same vibrating wiping plate as last year's model. A new feature is the extendable and rotating mini mop, which the robot vacuum pushes into corners as required. There is also a small rotating side brush at the front right in the direction of travel, which is designed to make corners shine.

Roborock has not only taken care of the robot but also completely revised the design of the station. Compared to the S8 Pro Ultra station, the dock is now much more compact. In addition, there is (finally) a container for cleaning products, which you will find in the compartment next to the 2.7 L dust bag.

Setting up the robot is very simple. All you have to do is establish a Wi-Fi connection. To speed up the process, it's best to use the QR code hidden under the magnetic adhesive cover. Once the S8 MaxV Ultra has mastered its way into the Roborock app, it's time to get to know its new workplace: mapping.

The obstacle detection during the mapping process is very promising. Even table legs or lamp bases, which have driven many a high-end vacuum robot—such as the Narwhal Freo X Ultra reviewed a couple of days ago—to a harmless crash, do not upset the S8 MaxV Ultra.

The robot vacuum cleaner needs ten minutes to map our 69 m² test area. Afterwards, the image of your living space is available to you in 2D or even 3D in the Roborock app. The MaxV Ultra divides all rooms correctly and also recognizes furniture, which is then displayed in the app.

Last but not least, the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra has a built-in RGB camera—which is also what the "V" in the "MaxV" in the name stands for. This means that the robovac also serves as a moving surveillance camera. Thanks to two-way communication, you can also scare the cat off the sofa from the office.

App and functions

Roborock offers you numerous ways to control the S8 MaxV Ultra, be it with the Roborock app, your Apple Watch, or via widgets on your iPhone.

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Pros:

• Clear and user-friendly.
• Huge variety of functions.
• Can be controlled via an iPhone widget and Apple Watch.

Don't like:

• "Wipe after vacuuming" function is missing, but...

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The Roborock app is bursting with setting options. This starts in the main menu, where you can edit the scanned floor plan. Here you can define no-go zones, add furniture, or edit rooms. The cleaning settings are available at the bottom of the main menu. If you want to vacuum and mop at the same time, you can choose between four levels.

If you only want the robot to vacuum, you have five suction levels to choose from. We therefore recommend that you vacuum first and then start the mopping process. However, as with the Q Revo MaxV (for review), the "Mop after vacuuming" function is missing. With the supported Roborock routines, you can configure this cleaning process as you wish. Also nice: You can also start the defined programs directly using the Apple Watch or the widget on your iPhone.

You can also control the base station via the app's main menu. Here you can see how long the self-cleaning processes will take and which process the station is currently busy with. You can call the robot back to the station or start the various processes yourself if you wish.

In the other settings, there are an incredible number of options for adjusting the robot to your wishes. Here you can configure the navigation—and whether the robot vacuum cleaner should drive on carpets or ignore them. As usual, you can also create plans for this robot hoover. The only requirement for this is that the robot cleaner has at least 20 percent battery power.

Suction and wiping performance

The S8 MaxV Ultra leaves nothing to be desired in terms of suction and mopping performance. Even corners are not spared by the robot vacuum's new equipment. In the test, the robot vacuum didn't get caught in any cables or table legs once.

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Pros:

• Almost perfect suction power.
• Great mopping performance.
• Super navigation.

Cons:

• -

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The S8 MaxV Ultra is the definition of efficient cleaning. No matter what surface and what kind of dirt and grime—this vacuum and mopping robot sets the benchmark for future vacuum robots—even though the S8 Pro Ultra (see test) was already unbeatably good. Nevertheless, Roborock goes one better with the S8 MaxV Ultra. In the practical test, the robot left absolutely no residue of our scattered oatmeal on our tiled test surface.

	Test volume (g)	Suction volume (g)	Efficiency (%)
Oat flakes (tiles)	10 g	10 g	100 %
Sand (tiles)	10 g	10 g	100 %
Sand (carpet)	10 g	9,9 g	99 %

The whole game is repeated with sand. Here, too, we found no residue on our test tiles. Only in terms of suction power on carpets does the Roborock vacuum cleaner come very close to perfection. Here we found 99 percent of the scattered sand in the robot's dust container.

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Speaking of scraping past by a hair's breadth—cleaning corners is no problem for the Roborock robot. This is ensured by the extendable side brush, which effortlessly removes even the last speck of dust from the corners. You don't have to worry about tangled pet hair from your house cat. Also good: After our practical test, we didn't find any hair in the roller brush of the S8 MaxV Ultra—neither from two-legged or four-legged friends.

The S8 MaxV Ultra mops at a high level. A special feature of the Roborock S8 series is that the devices have a vibrating mopping plate and no mops. Instead of relying on rotating mop pads like the Q Revo MaxV (to the test), Roborock installs a small, round additional mop on the front right next to its plate.

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Even though this mop is absurdly tiny, the mopping performance in corners and admittedly better than expected is surprisingly good. The robot is also carpet-friendly. As soon as the vacuum cleaner detects carpets, the entire mopping equipment is raised by 20 mm.

The battery life is also amazingly good. As a reminder: Roborock has increased the suction power from 6,000 Pa for the S8 Pro Ultra to a whopping 10,000 Pa for the S8 MaxV Ultra. Accordingly, we expected this to have a negative impact on battery life. On the contrary: the battery life is fully convincing. After 30 minutes of vacuuming and mopping at the highest levels, the robot vacuum cleaner only loses 30 percent.

Afterwards, the station takes over the cleaning of the cleaning equipment. The station vacuums the dust, washes the mops with 60-degree hot water and finally dries the mopping utensils with 60-degree hot air. If you are on a dynamic electricity plan, we recommend using the "off-peak charging" function to keep electricity costs low.

Finally, the navigation is excellent in the usual Roborock manner. The S8 MaxV Ultra never gets up close and personal and recognizes new obstacles during the test without testing the stability of the shock-absorbing front. We never had to help the robot out of a jam during the entire test period.

Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra

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