Roborock S8 Pro Ultra review

Even in case you’re accustomed to the world of robotic vacuums, you may not have heard of Roborock. 

The Chinese language agency stays one of many lesser-known corporations on this sector, regardless of launching a number of units since 2016 and sustaining deep ties with Xiaomi. 

Its flagship robotic vac would possibly sound like a smartphone, however the S8 Professional Extremely is definitely one of the vital succesful robotic vacuums you should buy. With class-leading suction energy, self-cleaning and emptying performance and tons of options, it appears like a power to be reckoned with. 

However how does it maintain up in actual life? I spent a number of weeks utilizing the S8 Professional Extremely to seek out out, and the outcomes are a little bit of a combined bag. 

Design

• Chunky disc design
• Plastic exterior feels low-cost
• Nice object detection

The S8 Professional Extremely could be Roborock’s flagship robotic vac, however you wouldn’t essentially realize it from the design. Each the vacuum itself and dock are lined in a fairly cheap-feeling plastic, with the corporate’s efforts clearly centered on what’s happening inside. 

It actually isn’t ugly, however there are higher trying robotic vacuums on the market. Given how rapidly the white mannequin I examined collected dust and stains, I’d suggest choosing the black model as a substitute. 

A big disc design is nothing new, though at 9.65cm, it’s pretty low profile. Nonetheless, earlier than shopping for, it’s value ensuring it might probably match below furnishings reminiscent of espresso tables or TV stands – I bought fortunate with this. 

Few robotic vacuums could make it into tight areas, however that’s very true of the S8 Professional Extremely. A diameter of 35.3cm means it’s solely actually appropriate for bigger open areas. 

The important thing design function on the highest of the vacuum is the raised LIDAR tower for navigation, however there are additionally three bodily buttons: energy (for stopping or beginning cleansing), dwelling (to return it to the dock) and mop-only. Urgent and holding the latter for 3 seconds toggles the kid lock mode, which disables all three. 

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A flap on the entrance affords direct entry to the mud bin, however that is solely obligatory when the filter wants cleansing. The S8 Professional Extremely is self-emptying, so it’ll by no means get full in case you return it to the dock frequently. The latter is the one option to fill the 200ml water tank, because it’s not accessible straight. 

You’ll discover three wheels on the backside, with a small one on the entrance enabling the machine to rotate a full 360 levels. In contrast to some robotic vacuums, the rotating aspect brush isn’t designed to be eliminated. 

The mop pad and twin rubber rollers are additionally mounted into place, however each can elevate themselves out of the way in which when not in use. Each work simply fantastic on tiled flooring and carpets, however thicker rugs might show to be a problem.

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On the entrance of the machine, a big 3D sensor emits invisible infrared mild that allows glorious object detection, whatever the lighting within the room. The S8 Professional Extremely makes use of AI to recognise 42 frequent family objects, and it’ll cease earlier than swallowing up something over a sure dimension. 

Setup

• Very simple to arrange
• Roborock app required
• Wants a stable Wi-Fi connection

In contrast to some robotic vacuums, the S8 Professional Extremely could be very simple to arrange. You merely connect the plastic base to the dock, join it to the ability and slide the vacuum itself into place. 

Simply be sure you hear out for the ‘charging’ voice message or search for the pulsing energy icon on the highest of the machine. There was some cost out of the field, nevertheless it’s value ready for an hour or two till it hits 100%.

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As soon as totally charged, the S8 Professional Extremely is able to begin cleansing, with a mud bag already pre-installed throughout the dock. For mopping, you’ll simply have to refill the center of the three containers with chilly water, both by itself or mixed with Roborock’s personal ground cleaner. Different manufacturers supposedly danger corrosion and injury.

To map your rooms or start cleansing cycles, you’ll have to obtain the Roborock app. Connecting the S8 Professional Extremely to the app is simple, and it’s simple to hyperlink it to your own home Wi-Fi community. 

Offered you place the dock on a tough, flat floor, establishing the S8 Professional Extremely is easy and seamless. Even in case you’ve by no means used a robotic vacuum earlier than, you’ll be up and operating with out an excessive amount of trouble. 

App and mapping

• Free companion app is simple to make use of
• Detailed, correct mapping
• A great deal of options accessible

As I alluded to above, the Roborock app is required to entry all features of the S8 Professional Extremely. It’s a free obtain for Android and iOS, and comparatively simple to get your head round. 

However earlier than you check out any options, you’ll have to create a map of your own home. Mapping my flat (minus the 2 bedrooms) took round 20 minutes, after which I used to be offered with an in depth overview of all of the rooms it had visited.  

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The map it creates might be considered in both 2D or 3D, whereas you can even select no-go zones or a particular sequence through which you’d like the complete space to be cleaned. You may create as many maps as you’d like, each for single- and multi-level properties, though I can’t touch upon how efficient the latter is. 

Roborock makes use of an AI system to try to determine any obstacles it encounters. Every guess is given a share, and it tends to be correct more often than not.  

The principle exception I observed was when it repeatedly mistook the legs of chairs for wires, however this didn’t seem to have an effect on cleansing. If it ever seems to be an issue, you may manually edit the names of furnishings, rooms or surfaces throughout the app. 

That’s the place you’ll additionally discover granular management over the actual areas you’d prefer to be cleaned. You may select the complete map, solely sure room/s and even particular zones, with the latter going as small as 0.1m². 

There’s additionally the flexibility to ship it to a location in your home – a terrific choice in case you spot a specific space that wants cleansing. You may both set a pin and let it discover one of the simplest ways there, or use in-app controls as a distant for the vacuum. Each work nicely. 

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Like most robotic vacuum cleaners, you may schedule cleansing for while you’re not at dwelling, both for a one-off event or the identical time each day/week. There are additionally customisable routines accessible, with a full clear of the entire home or vacuum and mop of the kitchen/eating room after meals amongst these really helpful. 

Whereas there’s no voice assistant on the machine itself, the S8 Professional Extremely is suitable with each Amazon’s Alexa and the Google Assistant. I examined the previous through my Echo Dot, which labored nicely throughout quite a lot of instructions. It’s good to not have to consistently depend on the app for key features. 

And people are simply the core options accessible. Inside the app, there are dozens of various methods to fantastic tune the expertise to your liking. The default choices might be fantastic for most individuals, however the array of customisation choices makes the S8 Professional Extremely a really succesful machine.

Efficiency

• Nice vacuum suction
• Underwhelming much less highly effective modes
• Spectacular mopping

The S8 Professional Extremely is among the strongest robotic vacuums you should buy. It boasts a powerful 6000PA of suction – that’s increased than nearly all rivals. 

Nevertheless, you’ll solely really get near that on the ‘Max’ or ‘Max+’ suction energy modes, which deplete battery life rapidly. On my tight weave carpets, it did an excellent job of accumulating all seen dust and made the cream floor noticeably brighter. On probably the most highly effective modes, I couldn’t have performed a greater job with an everyday vacuum. 

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However the large trade-off right here is noise. The S8 Professional Extremely is extraordinarily loud on this mode, and it rapidly turns into annoying if you want to consider something at dwelling. 

Subsequently, it’s a a lot better choice for people who find themselves comfortable to schedule their cleansing for after they’re out. The stable object detection means it’s unlikely to get caught. 

In fact, you may drop all the way down to the much less highly effective modes, however I discovered them to be far much less efficient. ‘Quiet’ is barely value it for giant bits of dust, whereas ‘Turbo’ continues to be noisy sufficient to be disruptive.

I hoped for the default ‘Balanced’ mode to be the candy spot, however sadly that wasn’t the case. It delivered a really patchy clear of the carpet, lacking a number of apparent bits of dust and particles. Even for a fast each day clear, it doesn’t actually reduce it. 

Luckily, the mopping performance is way extra spectacular. The ‘Intense’ setting is quiet sufficient for use regularly, whereas ‘Average’ and ‘Delicate’ modes nonetheless do a great job if it’s not too soiled. 

Throughout all depth ranges, the S8 Professional Extremely leaves flooring trying shiny and streak-free. It could actually’t clear the deepest in-ground stains, however I doubt any robotic vacuum may. 

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A mixed vacuum-mop cycle will make use of the ‘Dynamic Elevate’ function, the place the mop is raised and water movement stopped when a carpet is recognised. It’s not all the time prompt, however I by no means ended up with a moist carpet. 

Roborock says the 5200mAh battery will final for as much as three hours on ‘Quiet’ mode. However you’re taking a look at about half of that on ‘Turbo’ – a full 63-minute vacuum and mop dropped the battery from round 80% to 10%. 

In fact, a very powerful factor is that it might probably final a full clear with out operating out of battery. Until you will have a really giant home, that shouldn’t be a problem. 

Charging whereas within the dock is comparatively fast, too. Inside round three hours, it went from that 10% battery to completely charged. 

Dock and upkeep

• Enormous, heavy dock
• Self-cleaning, emptying, drying and refilling
• Little or no upkeep required

Thought the S8 Professional Extremely itself was giant? The dock takes issues to the following stage. It measures 42.6 x 51.3 x 45 cm, and also you’ll want at the very least 0.5m above and 0.7m in entrance for it to work successfully. 

Given it’s additionally round 9.5kg in weight, you additionally gained’t need to transfer the so-called ‘RockDock Extremely’ round a lot. Most of my flooring are carpeted, with probably the most logical location being within the nook of my front room. However as I quickly came upon, the dock is designed to solely be positioned on exhausting, flat surfaces, in any other case the robotic vac can’t discover its means again. 

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My solely different was to maintain it within the nook of my small kitchen all through testing, the place it typically bought in the way in which of different issues. In case you even have numerous carpets in your house, it’s one thing to concentrate on. 

This all appears like plenty of trouble, nevertheless it’s value it. The dock’s dimension and weight are justified by a powerful vary of performance. It could actually automate just about all robotic vacuum upkeep, from cleansing and drying the mops to refilling with water and emptying the mud bin. It could actually even clear the underside of the dock and all brushes. 

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In reality, there are solely a handful of stuff you’ll ever have to do to maintain the S8 Professional Extremely in tip-top situation. Exchange the mud bag and clear water each few weeks, empty the soiled water and really often clear the mud filter. That’s it. 

The outstanding low upkeep is a key promoting level of the S8 Professional Extremely. It takes plenty of the stress out of proudly owning a robotic vacuum, permitting you to completely get pleasure from all its advantages as a substitute. 

Worth and availability

Worth is among the large drawbacks of the S8 Professional Extremely. Roborock is promoting the machine for $1,599.99, though it solely ships to the US. 

Within the UK, your finest wager is to import the machine from Amazon Spain, the place it prices €1,499 (approx. £1,290). You’ll pay extra for supply than traditional, nevertheless it shouldn’t take too lengthy to reach. 

Whereas there’s one spare mud bag, you’ll must pay additional for any after that, as they’re not designed to be reused. Roborock’s personal ground cleaner and another spare elements are additionally bought individually. 

It means the S8 Professional Extremely is among the priciest robotic vacs you should buy. It’s dearer than nearly all of the choices in our greatest robotic vacuum chart, with the Ecovacs Deebot X1 OMNI probably the most life like different. 

There are different premium choices round, nevertheless it’s some huge cash for a tool that doesn’t get all the things proper. 

Verdict

The S8 Professional Extremely makes it simpler than ever to automate cleansing round your own home, nevertheless it comes at a price. 

A big dock would possibly look unpleasant, nevertheless it means emptying, cleansing and refilling with water are all dealt with for you. It’s additionally extraordinarily highly effective, with complete vacuuming that may rival a guide model. 

Nevertheless, that depends on utilizing the very best modes, which are sometimes loud and deplete the battery far more rapidly. The sheer dimension of the S8 Professional Extremely additionally means many smaller areas are out of attain. 

Mopping is constantly good, and nearly each conceivable robotic vacuum function is current right here, nevertheless it doesn’t fairly tick all of the containers. 

It actually gained’t be capable to substitute an everyday cordless vacuum, making the excessive price ticket exhausting to justify. 

Specs

• Robotic vacuum and mop 
• Self-emptying dustbin 
• Self-emptying and filling mop 
• Self-cleaning 
• 6000PA suction 
• 3D impediment avoidance 
• 3D mapping 
• 5200mAh battery