The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra and Roborock S7 Max Ultra are two of the best robot vacuums of 2023. With the ability to both mop and vacuum — and then empty their dustbins and clean their mops at the charging dock — they offer everything you need to automate your home cleaning. But aside from remarkably similar names, the two also share many of the same specs.
Here’s a closer look at the S8 Pro Ultra and S7 Max Ultra to help you decide which is best for your smart home.
Pricing and availability
The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra is available in either black or white and costs $1,600. The Roborock S7 Max Ultra launched on June 11 and costs $1,300. Like its more expensive sibling, it will also be available in white or black color schemes. Both feature a dock with reservoirs for clean water, dirty water, and a dustbin, although the S8 Pro Ultra is a bit more striking thanks to a design that largely hides these massive tanks.
Vacuuming
The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra offers up to 6,000 Pa of suction, which is better than nearly all other robot vacuums on the market. You can easily adjust the suction settings through the smartphone app, allowing you to perform low-intensity daily cleanings and a noisy, high-powered cleaning while out for dinner on the weekends.
The charging station can also automatically empty the robot’s dustbin, so you won’t have to get your hands dirty after each run. Rounding out the vacuuming skills is an automatic brush-lifting feature, which allows for better mopping performance.
It’s a similar story for the Roborock S7 Max Ultra, though it only offers 5,500 Pa of suction. That’s still an impressive number, and in practice, both are more than capable of cleaning floors. The S7 Max Ultra can’t lift its brush, however.
Mopping
Mopping skills between the Roborock S7 Max Ultra and the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra are nearly identical. Both offer automatic mop washing, auto mop drying, auto tank refilling, high-speed sonic mopping, and auto mop lifting when traveling on carpet.
Additional features
Both Roborock products offer a robust smartphone app to control the action, impressive collision detection and mapping skills, and a sleek design that looks much better than most other products on the market. They’re also both designed to tackle spaces up to 300 square meters and can run for up to 180 minutes before heading back for a recharge.
Is the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra worth the added expense?
There are just a few differences between the S7 Max Ultra and the S8 Pro Ultra. On the S8 Pro Ultra, you’ll benefit from 6,000 Pa of suction instead of 5,500 Pa, and it can also lift its brush to improve its mopping skills. Its design also looks a bit more premium, with a docking station that better hides its water tanks and dustbin.
Beyond that, these two robot vacuums are incredibly similar. Whether or not the S8 Pro Ultra is worth an extra $300 depends largely on the type of floor you’re dealing with. If you want the extra 500 Pa of suction to deal with thick carpets, then it might be worth the investment. But if your floors primarily consist of tile or other hard surfaces, the decreased suction found on the S7 Max Ultra shouldn’t be a deal breaker.
Regardless of which you pick, you’ll be treated to an automated cleaning experience that lets you go a long time before requiring manual intervention. If money is no object, however, it’s hard to beat the S8 Pro Ultra, which gives you a few extra features and a slightly upgraded design.
