“The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra is a remarkable robot that automates all your mopping and vacuuming needs.”
- Impressive vacuuming skills
- Mops and vacuums in a single run
- Automatically cleans and empties itself
- Easy-to-use smartphone app
- Mop only lifts up a few millimeters
When it comes to robot vacuums, few companies are as well-regarded as Roborock. The company has been churning out premium gadgets for years, and that trend continues with the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra. Offering just about every feature you’d want in a robot vacuum/mop combo, it’s easy to forget the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra is installed in your home — which is just about the highest praise you can give to a robot vacuum.
It’s not without a few quirks, but there aren’t many products that function as autonomously as Roborock’s latest flagship.
Everything all at once
What sets the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra apart from the competition is that it automates nearly everything you can think of. The luxury device can autonomously vacuum carpet, mop tile, empty its dustbin, rinse its mop, and even go through a drying cycle to prevent the buildup of mildew (one of the big new features compared to the outgoing S7 Pro Ultra).
Seeing all these features on a single product is impressive. What’s even more impressive, however, is how easy it is to get things set up and working properly. After finding a good place for its dock (which also holds a disposable dustbin, water reservoir, and dirty water reservoir), you’ll simply need to let Roborock map your home before turning it loose to clean your floors.
It does a surprisingly great job of recognizing when it needs to mop versus when it needs to vacuum, and I never once encountered a time when it was accidentally performing the wrong task (something that’s often a problem on lower-end devices).
Set it and forget it
With the ability to clean all types of floors and then clean itself, it’s easy to forget about the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra — and that’s a very good thing. Robot vacuums are supposed to automate your cleaning routines, freeing you up to tackle more important tasks. Unfortunately, too many robot vacuums on the market require constant maintenance, frequent dustbin cleanings, mop management, or — even worse — they get stuck on objects in the middle of a run.
These are largely worries of the past with the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra. The high-end device has some of the best navigation AI I’ve yet seen, allowing it to avoid anything that gets in its way. It also does an excellent job of cleaning every inch of your home and avoiding “Restricted Zones” if you set them up using the accompanying smartphone app.
It’s possible to go nearly seven weeks without needing to worry about Roborock.
Best of all, Roborock does an excellent job with routine tasks, such as emptying its dustbin and cleaning its mop. After each cleaning cycle, the robot vacuum will head back to its base, where its tiny dustbin is vacuumed out into a larger waste bin above its charging dock. It also goes through a mop-cleaning cycle, which consists of running clean water over the mop and drying it with warm air. It’ll also refill its water reservoir for the next mopping session.
All told, it’s possible to go nearly seven weeks without needing to worry about Roborock. Of course, you might need to detangle its brushes every so often (and there’s the regular maintenance that’s recommended, such as cleaning its external sensors), but that’s unavoidable with all robot vacuums.
Toss in an intuitive smartphone app that lets you schedule cleanings and monitor performance, and it’s easy to see how the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra makes it easy to keep your home clean without having to lift a finger.
Top-tier performance
More important than its long list of features and autonomous design is its real-life performance. After all, there’s no point in automating your cleaning routine with the S8 Pro Ultra if it doesn’t provide adequate cleaning. Thankfully, both the mopping and vacuuming skills of this robot vacuum are top of the line.
Roborock outfitted the S8 Pro Ultra with its new VibraRise 2.0 Mopping System, which is just a fancy way to say that this is the best mopping experience you’ll find on a Roborock product. With a wider cleaning zone, high-speed scrubbing, and consistent pressure, I’ve yet to encounter a spill that it couldn’t handle.
Roborock maxes out at 6,000 Pa of suction, which is more than enough to handle most cleaning tasks.
The only downside to its mop is that it can only lift off the ground 5mm — which means it could graze the top of very plush carpets. That’s not too big of a deal for most homes, but it would be nice if the mop could completely retract out of the way as it does on the Roomba j7+ combo.
Its vacuuming performance is just as impressive as you’d expect, with various power settings available for all types of cleaning needs. All told, it maxes out at 6,000 Pa of suction, which I’ve found to be more than enough to pull out pet fur, food crumbs, dirt, and other debris lurking in my carpets.
Add it to your home
The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra is an easy recommendation for every household. Not only does it look great and automate both cleaning and maintenance, but its performance falls in line with other premium products with a similar price tag. That’s a hefty price tag, to be sure, as you’ll drop $1,600 if you’re looking to add the S8 Pro Ultra to your home.
Price aside, anyone looking to automate their cleaning needs would be hard-pressed to find a better product than this. With a sleek design, easy setup, powerful smartphone app, and a premium cleaning experience, the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra lets you forget about cleaning your home.
Editors' Recommendations
- Eufy’s new X9 Pro Robovac offers automated mopping and vacuuming for less than $1,000
- New Roborock S7 Max Ultra boasts maintenance-free dock, impressive mopping skills
- Arlo Pro 4 vs. Arlo Pro 5S: which security camera comes out on top?
- Roborock S8 lineup brings next-gen cleaning skills to CES 2023
- Roborock S7 Max vs. Ecovacs Deebot X1
