Roborock S8 Pro Ultra

The Roborock S8 series was released in 2023, and the series is the new flagship series from Roborock. Roborock introduces some exciting new features and design changes in this new series, but has also removed some of the features available in the S7 MaxV series.

The S8 lineup consists of three models:

• The Roborock S8 comes with a traditional charge station and is the cheapest one of the three models. The dustbin is larger than the two other models (400 ml vs. 350 ml), and its water tank is a bit larger than the S8 Pro Ultra model (300 ml vs. 200 ml).
• The Roborock S8+ comes with an auto-emptying base station.
• The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra is the most advanced of the three models, and comes with an all-in-one base station (called RockDock Ultra), which is able to wash the mop, dry the mop with hot air, refill the robot vacuum cleaner’s water tank and emptying the robot’s dust bin. Further, the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra is able to lift its brush rolls up 6 mm when the robot is in “mopping only mode.”

Roborock S8 Pro Ultra vs. Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra

The Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra has been improved in some respects, compared to its predecessor, but there are also functions that have been removed. The main advantages of the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra compared to the Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra are the following:

• It has a stronger suction power (6000 Pa vs. 5100 Pa).
• The base station uses hot air drying for the mop, instead of cold air drying.
• It has two rubber main brushes (called DuoRollers), instead of one main brush.
• The base station has larger water tanks and a better-looking design.
• It can lift its main brushes 6 mm and has a “Mop only” function.

These are the areas where the Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra has the advantages:

• It takes pictures of the objects so you can see them in the app.
• It has live remote viewing and two-way communication through the robot and app.
• The Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra has a removable mop bracket; this is not possible with the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra.
• The Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra has a navigation light to detect obstacles in dark areas.

Who is the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra suited to?

• The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra suits medium and large-sized households. It has a powerful battery and an intelligent navigation system, which makes it recommended for households up to 300 m². It also requires a lot of storage space and would therefore not be suitable for smaller households.
• The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra is a good choice for households that want the robot vacuum cleaner to take over as much as possible of the floor cleaning (without daily maintenance of the robot), and who are willing to pay for it.
• If you have pets, the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra is a good choice because it has good avoidance technology to avoid items on the floor (such as pet toys, pet bowls, etc.). Furthermore, the robot vacuum cleaner is built with a double rubber brush, which is particularly effective for cleaning animal hair and does not get animal hair tangled in it.

Who is the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra not suitable for?

• Due to the large base station, the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra is not recommended for smaller households because it takes up a lot of storage space. Instead, look for a robot vacuum cleaner with a regular charge station, such as the Roborock S8, or the Roborock S7 MaxV.
• The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra is a very expensive robot vacuum cleaner, and it might be better to pick a cheaper one if you have a tight budget. Take instead a look at the Roborock E5, the Roborock S7, or compare the best budget robot vacuum cleaners here.
• There is a lot of focus on the mopping capabilities in the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra. If you do not use the mopping function, there is a lot of money to be saved by choosing a model without this functionality, such as the iRobot Roomba j7+, which might be a better choice.

Navigation

The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra is built with a highly precise LiDAR laser technology, which enables it to map your home with a 0.79 inches accuracy. It only takes 1 cleaning session for the robot vacuum cleaner to create an accurate map of your floor.

The robot gets around the entire floor well and gets into the corners well.

The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra is also built with Reactive 3D obstacle avoidance, which enables the robot to detect and avoid objects on the floor. This is particularly useful for households with pets, because the robot can better avoid animals and their food bowls, toys, etc. It is also good for households that are bad at cleaning up cables and the like.

The Roborock S8 Pro Ultras predecessors, the Roborock S7 MaxV and the Roborock S6 MaxV are built with a camera, which enables them to provide live remote viewing and take pictures of the objects on the floor. This feature has been removed from the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra, possibly due to privacy concerns. For me, the two functions did not have much practical use and are therefore not something I miss about this robot vacuum cleaner. But if it's something you think is useful, then maybe you should choose another model that supports this, like the Ecovacs Deebot X1 Turbo, or the Roborock S7 MaxV Plus.

Object avoidance test

We tested the robot’s ability to avoid objects. We placed the following 5 objects on the floor and noticed the robot’s ability to avoid them:

• A fake poop
• A can
• A piece of clothing
• A rolled up cable
• A water bowl (filled with water)

We divide the robot's behavior around the objects into 3 categories, and give points for each category:

• Completely avoided (20 points)
• Partly avoided (10 points)
• Not avoided at all (0 points)

The result was as follows:

• Fake poop: Avoided (20 points)
• Can: Partly avoided (10 points)
• Piece of clothing: Partly avoided (10 points)
• Rolled up cable: Avoided (20 points)
• Water bowl: Avoided (20 points)

In total, the robot vacuum cleaner scored 80 points, which is very good! The fact that it does not overlook any of the objects is a particularly good thing. This makes this robot vacuum cleaner suitable for households that are not always completely cleaned up or have animals.

In comparison, the Ecovacs Deebot X1 OMNI scored only 40 points in this test, and the Roborock S7 MaxV scored 70 points.

Cleaning

The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra has a very strong suction power of maximum 6000 Pa, which is among the highest suction powers for robot vacuum cleaners. The advantage of a strong suction power is that carpet cleaning is typically more thorough.

The robot vacuum cleaner took 46 minutes to clean an area of 39 m² in our test. This means it cleans 51 m² per hour, in my household's environment.

We tested the robot vacuum cleaner’s ability to clean parquet floor and carpet in three different tests:

• Test 1: We tested the ability to pick up 50 grams of sand on a parquet floor.
• Test 2: We tested the ability to pick up 50 grams of rice on a parquet floor.
• Test 3: We tested the ability to pick up 50 grams of sand on a carpet (repeated twice).

Test on parquet floor

The two tests on parquet floor went as follows:

• Test 1: The robot picked up 49 grams of the sand (98%).
• Test 2: The robot picked up 49 grams of the rice (98%).

This is a good result and shows the robot is capable of collecting the dirt, rather than just pushing it away. In general, for all robot vacuum cleaners we've used this test on, they've been able to perform well

Test on carpet

We tested the robot’s ability to pick up sand from a carpet. We spread 50 grams of sand on a carpet and weighed the dust containers before and after the test. In the carpet cleaning test, the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra picked up 26 grams (52%) of the sand, which is not a good result compared to other robot vacuum cleaners we have tested. We do this test twice to ensure the result is correct (the second time we tested it, the robot only picked up 25 grams of sand).

In comparison, the Roborock S7 MaxV picked up 30 grams of sand in this test, but the Ecovacs Deebot X1 OMNI managed to pick up just 24 grams of sand.

We usually perform this test without the mopping cloth attached. However, the velcro from where the mop is placed on the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra got tangled up in our carpet, so we had to do it with the mopping cloth attached.

Mopping

Roborock has focused on the function of the mop in the S8 Pro Ultra model, and if you do not want to use the mop function, you should consider another robot vacuum cleaner, because there is money to be saved.

The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra is built with a “Mop only” function, which is a new feature that was not in its predecessors. When this function is activated, the main brush rises 6mm, and the side brush stops rotating. The function is particularly good if you have liquid spills, as it prevents the robot from "smearing" itself into the liquid.

The Roborock S8 Pro Ultras is built with VibraRise 2.0, which enables the robot to lift its mop and scrub the floor.

VibraRise

The VibraRise function operates so the robot automatically lifts its mop 5mm when it encounters a carpet. This means the robot can vacuum and mop simultaneously without you having to create no-go zones, no-mop zones, or virtual barriers for the carpets, as you have to with other robot vacuum cleaners. VibraRise is a practical function, and a good solution to a common issue across robot vacuum cleaners with mopping functions. In comparison, the Ecovacs Deebot X1 OMNI completely avoids the carpets when its mopping pads are attached, meaning many areas don't get cleaned when the mopping pads are attached.

However, the VibraRise doesn’t work if you have medium or long-pile carpets, as the mop cannot be lifted high enough to avoid touching the carpet. It will lead to discoloration of your carpets (especially if you have light carpets) if you are not aware of this. In these cases, you will need to create no-go zones on the carpeted areas.

Sonic mopping

The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra is built with sonic mopping, which means the mop vibrates during the cleaning process. The purpose of this is to make mopping more thorough by simulating scrubbing movements to remove more stubborn stains.

In the Roborock app, you can select three modes of scrub intensity:

• Mild
• Moderate
• Intense

At the highest scrub intensity mode, the mop vibrates 3000 times per minute.

Mopping test

We tested the robot’s ability to mop the following three dry stains from a parquet floor:

• A dry stain of coffee
• A dry stain of ketchup
• A dry stain of sour cream

The test result was as follows:

• Stain of coffee: Almost removed
• Stain of ketchup: Not removed at all
• Stain of sour cream: Almost removed

The test results were very disappointing, especially because the robot should do particularly well in this test, due to the manufacturer's focus on the mopping capabilities.

We tried to let the Roborock E5 run over the left behind ketchup stain to see if it could remove it, and it managed to almost remove the stain, as you can see in the picture. However, as we mention in our review of the Roborock E5, this robot did a very good job in this test because it ran over the same spots multiple times before it was finished, which is not optimal because it makes the cleaning time very long.

Battery

The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra is equipped with a powerful 5200 mAh lithium battery. According to the manufacturer, the robot is recommended for household sizes of up to 300 ㎡.

Design

The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra is built with three control buttons on the top; with those buttons, you can select:

• Mop only / Child lock
• Power / Clean
• Dock

The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra is built with two main brushes (called the DuoRoller) made of rubber. The same system is seen in other robot vacuum cleaners, for example, the iRobot Roomba j7. The advantage of two rubber brushes is that they complement each other and provide better cleaning. They are also suited for pet hair removal because the animal hairs do not get tangled in the brushes.

The robot vacuum cleaner has a 0.35 liter dustbin and a 0.2 liter water tank. This is a bit small, but not a problem as the dust container is automatically emptied, and the water tank is automatically refilled. The water tank is non-detachable, which is an unconventional design choice. Thus, it is up to the base station to manage all the maintenance of the robot vacuum cleaner’s water tank. We also saw this design choice in the Ecovacs Deebot X1 OMNI.

The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra is equipped with a washable EPA 11 filter, the same filter used in other Roborock robots such as the Roborock E5, the Roborock S7, etc.

App

I have previously praised the Roborock app for being very intuitive, and I still think it is. When you have selected your robot vacuum cleaner in the app, you get a nice overview of:

• The cleaning area the robot has cleaned
• The remaining battery level
• The cleaning time

The robot creates a precise interactive map the first time you use it. In the app, you can follow the robot’s movement and see where it has cleaned. It is a good function, as you can ensure it has cleaned everywhere.

In the app, you can find objects detected and the detected carpets. By clicking on the detected carpet, you can easily set up a no-go zone. Also, the robot has divided the floor into rooms, and if it has misidentified something, you can easily change it in the app. In general, the app gives a lot of scope to customize your cleaning.

Maps

The robot can save up to 4 maps, and it can automatically switch between these maps. This feature is useful if you want to use the robot in a multi-level home.

The robot vacuum cleaner can create 3 types of maps:

• 2D map
• 3D map
• Matrix map

Personally, I only use the 2D map, and I think the 3D map is useless.

Do Not Disturb (DND)

The robot vacuum cleaner is built with a “Do Not Disturb” function, which is very practical. You choose a time interval where Do Not Disturb Mode is enabled and what actions it must not perform in this interval.

All-in-one base station

The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra comes with an all-in-one base station called the RockDock Ultra.

The all-in-one base station is even more advanced than its predecessor, the Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra, because it is built with hot air mop drying, whereas its predecessor used cold air.

The base station is larger than its predecessor, but also better looking because they have chosen to get a cover in front of the containers.

The all-in-one base station enables the robot to:

• To empty the robot vacuum cleaner's dustbin automatically into a 2.5 liter bag in the base station.
• To refill the robot vacuum cleaner’s water tank.
• To clean the robot vacuum cleaner’s mop.
• To dry the robot vacuum cleaner’s mop with hot air.

The all-in-one base station consists of three containers:

• Dustbin container
• Clean water tank
• Dirty water tank

Dustbin container

In the dustbin container, you find a 2.5 liter dustbag, where the robot vacuum cleaner’s dust bin is emptied into. When you buy the robot vacuum cleaner, you get an extra dust bag, and when they are used, you must buy new ones yourself. The dust bag can hold 30-60 days of dirt (it depends on how big your household is and how often you use the robot vacuum cleaner).

The dustbin is, by default, emptied every time the robot has finished cleaning. However, you can change this in the settings.

The emptying is noisy (we measured it at a maximum of 76.1 dB in our noise level test), but it only takes 15-30 seconds, so it's bearable. By setting up the Do Not Disturb function, you can select a certain time interval when you don't want the auto-emptying (and other tasks) to occur.

The auto-emptying station is a good choice if you have allergy sufferers in your household because it minimizes the exposure to dust particles.

Clean water tank

The clean water tank has a capacity of 3.5 liters, which is bigger than the capacity of the predecessor, the Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra, which has a clean water tank capacity of 2.5 liters.

The water from the clean water tank is used to refill the robot vacuum cleaner’s water tank and to clean the mop.

Dirty water tank

The dirty water tank has a capacity of 2.9 liters (the Roborock S7 MaxV Ultras dirty water tank is 2.5 liters). When the mop is cleaned with clean water, the water is filled into the dirty water tank. The dirty water tank should be emptied every 30-60 days.

Mop drying

The all-in-one base station is built with mop drying, which can be turned on and off in the app. In the app you can further select if the drying duration should be 2, 3, or 4 hours.

There is only a low sound from the base station when the drying is in progress.

The drying of the mop prevents odor and bacteria from building up.

Setup

The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra is very easy to set up, both the setup of the base station and connection to the app. The setup is straightforward and intuitive, and you are guided through the process.

Noise level

The noise level is stated to be 68.5 dB in “Balanced mode” by Roborock. In comparison, a regular vacuum cleaner has a noise level of around 72 dB.

We measured the maximum and the average noise level of the robot vacuum cleaner in different modes:

• Silent mode
• Balanced mode
• Max mode
• When it empties the dustbin in the base station

The test was conducted in accordance with our test methodology 1.1 for robot vacuum cleaners.
The results were as follows:

• Silent mode: Average noise level 57 dB, the maximum measured noise level 59.1 dB.
• Balanced mode: Average noise level 61.5 dB, maximum measured noise level 62.5 dB.
• Max mode: Average noise level 71.5 dB, maximum measured noise level 72.3 dB.
• When emptying the dustbin: Average noise level 75 dB, the maximum measured noise level 76.1 dB.

The robot is very noisy when it starts up, but when it starts cleaning, it becomes less noisy. As the test results show, the noise level becomes significantly higher when you select “Max mode” rather than “Balanced mode.” By default, the robot shifts to “Max mode” when entering a carpet, so when that happens, it also becomes very noisy. For some, it will be convenient to turn this off (you can do it in the app) for example if you use the robot vacuum cleaner when there are people or animals in the house.

Compared with other robot vacuum cleaners, the robot is quiet in Balanced mode but noisy in Max mode. The high noise level in Max mode is typically seen in robotic vacuum cleaners with a high suction power (for example, we only measured the noise level of the Roborock S6 MaxV to 69,4 dB in “Max mode” and this robot vacuum cleaner only has a maximum suction power of 2500 Pa).

Dimensions and weight

The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra is large and heavy, which you must keep in mind before choosing this robot vacuum cleaner. You must have an easily accessible area where you can place it, as you must be able to continuously empty and refill its containers.

The base station measures:

• Height: 7.07 inches
• Width: 6.6 inches
• Depth: 7.97 inches

The robot vacuum cleaner measures:

• Height: 3.8 inches
• Width: 13.9 inches
• Depth: 13.78 inches

This is a common size among robot vacuum cleaners, and it will be able to clean underneath most household furniture.

Maintenance

In the Roborock app, you can find the scheduled maintenance. The scheduled maintenance consists of:

• Replace the filter (after 150 hours of use).
• Replace the main brushes (after 300 hours of use).
• Replace the side brush (after 200 hours of use).
• Clean the sensors (approx. after 30 hours of use).
• Replace the mop (replace as needed).
• Clean the water filter (recommended once a month).
• Clean the maintenance brush used for mop cleaning (clean every 2 months).
• Replace the dust bag (replace as needed, approx. every 1-2 months).

The dust bag does not have a built-in sensor that signals when it is full, so you must be aware of checking that yourself.

In addition, maintenance also consists of:

• Refilling the clean water tank.
• Emptying the dirty water tank.

Which one should you choose: Roborock S8 Pro Ultra or Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra?

In many ways, the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra and the Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra are similar, and it is up to individual needs which one I would recommend. If you want to prioritize live remote viewing, which can be handy for a pet owner, the Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra is the right choice. If you have privacy concerns regarding the camera or you appreciate the extra mopping functions that the Roborock S8 Ultra offers, then it is a better choice.

The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra has a better looking design; however, personally, overall, I liked the Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra more.

Conclusion

There are many things I like about the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra, such as the intuitive app, the many functions, and the great navigation capabilities. However, I liked its predecessor the Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra more, and it performed better in our cleaning tests. The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra disappoints when it comes to carpet cleaning and mopping, and I don't think it worked optimally with the non-detachable mop cloth mount.