Smart Home
Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra Review: The Critics’ Verdict
“A brilliant all-rounder,” says Trusted Reviews, but PCMag found weaker hard-floor cleaning and obstacle avoidance than a cheaper rival.
No single aggregate score — here's what the reviewers agree on, below.
The short version
Critics report that the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra is a powerful, highly automated robot vacuum and mop with strong carpet cleaning, accurate mapping, extensive app controls and unusually good edge coverage. Its dock handles much of the routine maintenance, including detergent dispensing and mop cleaning. The trade-off is a very high price, and reviewers disagree about its consistency: Trusted Reviews praised its obstacle avoidance, while PCMag saw it run over objects and found its hard-floor performance behind the cheaper Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni. TechRadar also encountered buggy advanced features.
What reviewers loved
- The 10,000Pa vacuum performs well on carpet and removes pet hair and debris effectively, according to PCMag, while TechRadar also praised its strong vacuuming.
- The dock empties debris, cleans the robot and automatically dispenses detergent, cutting down the routine hands-on maintenance reviewers normally expect from a hybrid cleaner.
- Fast, accurate mapping and an intuitive app provide extensive control over where and how the robot cleans, according to TechRadar, Trusted Reviews and CNET.
- The extending FlexiArm brush and side mop are designed to reach corners and edges that round robot vacuums commonly miss; Trusted Reviews considered the resulting edge performance a standout.
- Trusted Reviews found enough battery power to clean its entire lab twice even while vacuuming and mopping at maximum settings.
What held it back
- It is expensive: PCMag reviewed it at a $1,799.99 MSRP and judged the less costly Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni the better performer overall.
- PCMag found that it could fling dirt on hard floors and fell behind the Ecovacs rival in both mopping and vacuuming performance.
- Obstacle avoidance was inconsistent across reviews. Trusted Reviews reported excellent navigation, but PCMag saw the robot run over obstacles during testing.
- Some headline features still need refinement: TechRadar found the built-in voice assistant unreliable and said the extending side brush did not always deploy when required.
Buy it if you want a premium, highly customizable robot that cleans carpet and edges well while automating most dock and mop maintenance.
Skip it if value, dependable obstacle avoidance or the strongest possible hard-floor cleaning matters more than having every advanced feature.
What the reviewers say
Trusted Reviews was the most positive, calling the S8 MaxV Ultra a “brilliant all-rounder” and praising its corner cleaning, dirt detection, navigation and app. TechRadar likewise reported great vacuuming, quick mapping, solid build quality and precise controls, but warned that the voice assistant and extending brush could be unreliable.
PCMag agreed that the app, carpet cleaning, self-cleaning dock and customization were strong, but found weaker hardwood cleaning and obstacle avoidance. It preferred the cheaper Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni overall. CNET scored the S8 MaxV Ultra 8.3 and placed it among the top 15 robot vacuums it had tested, highlighting Roborock’s mapping and automated dock features.
The competition
Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni
PCMag found it better at vacuuming, mopping and obstacle avoidance, with slightly longer battery life, despite its lower $1,499.99 price. The Roborock counters with automatic detergent dispensing.
iRobot Roomba Combo J7 Plus
CNET scored the Roomba 8.7 versus 8.3 for the Roborock, but said the S8 MaxV Ultra offers extras including 140-degree Fahrenheit hot-water mop cleaning, intelligent dirt detection and automatic detergent dispensing.
Should you buy it?
The Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra makes sense for buyers willing to pay heavily for strong carpet cleaning, detailed app controls, effective edge coverage and a dock that removes much of the daily maintenance. It is harder to recommend at full price because PCMag found better core cleaning and obstacle avoidance from the cheaper Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni, while TechRadar encountered bugs in some of the premium features. A substantial discount improves the case considerably. RightWei summarizes independent reviewers’ hands-on tests and does not test review units itself.
Sources
RightWei aggregates and summarizes independent reviews — we link to the original hands-on tests so you can go deeper. We don't test units ourselves.