Roborock S8 Pro Ultra vs. S7 MaxV Ultra

The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra and S7 MaxV Ultra represent the pinnacle of robot vacuum technology.

These options are two of the best robot vacuum cleans I’ve tested with efficiency, mopping, and vacuuming performance.

And it’s no surprise to see the best options coming from one brand as Roborock continually pushes the envelope, unveiling new technology with every other release, and that’s the case with these models.

We’ll compare these products and determine which option is better. And if the S8 Pro Ultra premium is justifiable.

An overview of the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra and S7 MaxV Ultra

Introduction to the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra and S7 MaxV Ultra

Roborock has been busy with R&D, and these models are proof of this. New technologies are introduced with the release of the S8 Pro Ultra and S7 MaxV Ultra that help with autonomy, cleaning, and mopping performance.

With the S7 MaxV Ultra, Roborock introduced the do-it-all base station with the current layout (water tanks and a bag lined up) and the improved obstacle avoidance system.

More innovations are added in the S8 Pro Ultra, notably the dual roller system, improving its carpet cleaning performance, notably deep cleaning.

Pinnacle of Robot Vacuum Technology: Roborock S8 Pro Ultra

Pros

• The dual roller design improves carpet cleaning performance compared to the S7 MaxV Ultra
• Roborock adds a second vibrating element on the mopping bracket to enhance agitation and mopping efficiency
• The do-it-all base station is (nearly) autonomous
• High-end obstacle avoidance
• Efficient navigation (completed the second pass at the 18-minute mark)
• Excellent at navigating around tight quarters

Cons

• Crazy expensive cost
• The non-detachable mopping bracket requires consumers to flip the robot to detach the pad
• It can’t avoid stretched wires consistently

Roborock’s latest flagship offers a glimpse of the future of autonomous cleaning technology.

Nope, it’s not the Jetson’s-type helper that does everything, but it’s more subtle and, yet, nearly as efficient.

There are two notable upgrades Roborock put in – the DuoRoller Riser and VibraRise 2.0.

The DuoRoller Riser refers to the twin roller system similar to a Roomba, using straight rubber fins with deeper grooves.

It’s the first robot I’ve reviewed outside the Roomba with this roller design.

And the returns are positive as deep cleaning results jumped nearly ten percentage points (85.15%) over the older S7 MaxV Ultra and S7+.

VibraRise 2.0 is the mopping bracket with a pad lift and vibrating element. The lift feature remains the same at 5 millimeters, and the upgrade is the second vibrating element doubling its agitating capacity.

The S7 MaxV Ultra mopping performance was already excellent at removing stains, and the S8 Pro Ultra takes it (a step) further.

You could say the upgrade is overkill, but having it is excellent.

One downside to the new design is the non-detachability of the bracket. So you’ll have to flip the robot to remove the pad, which is an eventuality despite the pad-washing feature.

There are tweaks with the other features, like the base station and obstacle avoidance configurations, but there isn’t much variance with functionality (and results).

The S8 Pro base station has the same horizontal configuration, but the water tank handles are relocated behind the tanks.

Also, the water tank opening is smaller than the S7 MaxV Ultra, which isn’t a huge deal since it’s (still) big enough to clean. So these are non-factors (in my opinion).

Another subtle change is the obstacle avoidance system. Instead of using a twin-lens camera, Roborock switched to an all-laser system, perhaps because of privacy concerns.

I don’t see much variance in the performance, so again, choosing one will boil down to preference and budget.

Cheaper Alternative: Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra

Pros

• Cheaper than the S8 Pro Ultra
• Offers the same navigational and cleaning efficiency
• It has a do-it-all base station with pad-washing and self-emptying features
• (Slightly) better hard floor cleaning performance since it has more airflow
• Adequate carpet cleaning performance
• Excellent mopping performance

Cons

• Still expensive
• Not as good at vacuuming embedded dirt

After the S8 Pro release, I’d expect the S7 MaxV Ultra prices to decrease, and it’s excellent news for consumers because it offers most of the features at a lower cost.

Like the S8 Pro, it has the do-it-all base station, obstacle avoidance, and mopping features making it highly autonomous and proficient.

The S7 MaxV Ultra utilizes a twin-lens camera, aided by an LED underneath and lasers flanking on both sides, improving its obstacle avoidance capability over the S6 MaxV Ultra.

It retained the VibraRise feature from the Roborock S7+ to mop floors efficiently.

The clean base station may not have the self-drying feature, but there’s not much variance with autonomy, thanks to its Alexa compatibility and feature-rich app.

Though it has more airflow than the S8 Pro Ultra, it only has one brush roll – it won’t vacuum carpets as well, but except for deep cleaning, there’s not much difference (with surface dirt).

This variant retains the same efficiency with better hard floor cleaning performance, thanks to its higher airflow, but not as good on carpets.

One plus (at last for me) is the detachable mopping bracket, enabling consumers to remove it without flipping the robot.

It’s a usability aspect worth looking at between these robots.

Similarities of the Roborock S8 Pure and S7 MaxV Ultra

Next, we’ll look at the similarities between these premium Roborock options.

1. Do-It-All Base Station

The most obvious is the do-it-all base station with self-emptying and pad-washing features.

On paper, the S8 Pro Ultra has more functions (self-washing, self-refilling, self-emptying, self-drying, and self-refilling.

But the S7 MaxV Ultra has most of these features, minus the self-drying feature, but that shouldn’t be a deal-breaker since it’s not a must-have feature for robot mops.

Both have a ramp-style base station, so there won’t be any alignment issues, and they are usable on most surfaces.

2. Water Tank Configuration

There’s not much variance with the base station configuration, specifically the water tank placement.

Both have the exact clean and dirty container placement and the bag placement beside the containers.

3. Obstacle Avoidance

Another similarity is the obstacle avoidance system. The S7 MaxV Ultra brought it back, using the twin-lens camera enhanced by lasers on both sides, while the S8 Pro utilizes an all-laser system.

However, there’s not much variance with evading obstacles. Both are excellent at avoiding most objects, big or small, except for stretched wires with inconsistency.

4. VibraRise

These products have the VibraRise feature, combining a vibrating element and pad lift features.

One difference is the S8 Pro Ultra has two vibrating elements, doubling its agitating capacity.

The S7+ and S7 MaxV Ultra (only) have one vibrating element but (are still) efficient at removing stains in one pass.

Therefore mopping performance shouldn’t be a deciding factor, but one aspect should be – the detachability of the mopping bracket.

The S7 MaxV Ultra bracket is detachable, which is a big deal with usability since there’s no need to flip the robot to remove the pad.

5. LIDAR-Based Navigation

Both rely on LIDAR for navigation and are equally efficient at traversing even in tight areas around furniture legs.

Roborock products are some of the best in this category and are the best alternatives inside big homes.

The mapping run (added in the S7 MaxV and Q-Series) further adds to the map-creating proficiency.

6. Shape

All Roborock options utilize a round frame, valid for the Roborock S8 Pro and S7 MaxV Ultra.

Though square-front robots have distinct advantages with cleaning edges, round-shaped robots are more efficient at traversing cramped spaces, minimizing their risk of wedging.

Differences between the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra and S7 MaxV Ultra

We’ll look at the differences between the Roborock S8 Pro and S7 MaxV Ultra, some of which can be deciding factors.

1. Brush Roll

One of the most significant variances is the brush roll, precisely the quantity. The S7 MaxV Ultra has a single brush roll system, while the S8 Pro has two.

Adding a second roller significantly impacts the S8 Pro cleaning performance, particularly on carpets, where the extra agitation enabled it to pick up more debris despite the lower airflow.

2. Side Brush

For some reason, Roborock put a bristled side brush on the S8 Pro, which is a downgrade (in my opinion).

There’s not much variance in performance, but the all-rubber brush in the S7 MaxV Ultra will be more durable.

3. Water Tank

Roborock also tweaked the water tank in the S8 Pro, moving the handle from the front towards the rear with a smaller opening.

In contrast, the S7 MaxV has a bigger opening, allowing for easier access for cleaning, but it shouldn’t be a deciding factor since you’ll only need to clean the dirty water tank.

App Features

These options are compatible with the Roborock app, having countless updates over the past five years.

The last significant upgrade came when the S7 MaxV and Q-Series were released, and I’ll highlight the most helpful features in this section.

1. Live Map

One of the most helpful features (at least for me) is the live map showing the robot’s real-time location.

Regardless of the model, it’ll look similar across the model range – those with LIDAR.

2. 3D Map

This feature was introduced in the previous S7 MaxV and Q-Series options, showing the map differently.

One advantage of the Roborock version is that it’s integrated into the primary interface, which works with most features.

Even the no-go zone and invisible wall features are seen in the 3D map, something not possible with other brands (so far).

3. Mapping Run

Another helpful app feature is the mapping run, again introduced during the S7 MaxV and Q-Series release.

Roborock isn’t the first, but adding it takes its map-creating efficiency to another level, especially inside large homes.

It leverages LIDAR’s 360-scanning ability to create maps without the robot going through every nook and cranny.

4. Map Saving

The S8 Pro and S7 MaxV Ultra have a map-saving feature – up to four levels.

It’s been the same since Roborock introduced the S5 Max; each level is customizable.

5. Containment

Containment is available for the S8 Pro Ultra and S7 MaxV Ultra – invisible wall and no-go zone.

The invisible wall works like a “virtual wall.” and will block the robot from going past it.

In comparison, the no-go zone blocks a specified zone.

6. Obstacle Avoidance

Since these robots have obstacle avoidance, the app enhances its functionality, showing the obstacles detected.

One difference is the S7 MaxV Ultra shows a photo of the object since it has a camera, while the S8 Pro only shows a graphic.

Whether seeing a photo is better will depend on your preference, particularly privacy, since these are stored in a cloud.

7. Scrubbing Intensity

Since these robots have a VibraRise feature, consumers can adjust the scrubbing intensity depending on their cleaning needs.

I didn’t test all the settings, but the third-highest was enough to clean the hard-to-mop juice stains without the robot stalling.

8. Vacuuming and Mop Settings

Both options have these settings for vacuuming and mopping, but only the S8 Pro has the mopping-only mode because of the brush roll lift feature.

The S7 MaxV has the mopping-only function, but without the brush roll lift feature, it’ll still touch the surface, but the vacuum motor is shut off.

9. Remove View [S7 MaxV only]

Only the Roborock S7 MaxV has the twin-lens camera. It’s the only option with a remove view feature – (basically) a fancy term for a CCTV camera from the robot’s perspective.

Not many people are fond of this feature since it shows what’s inside your home, and some folks freak out with this technology, so it’s probably why Roborock ditched it in the S8 Pro.

Navigation

There’s not much variance with the navigation of these robots. Both rely on LIDAR to create maps and efficiently navigate around tight quarters.

Surprisingly, the S8 Pro finished a two-pass run quicker, completing it in (a little) over 18 minutes, while the S7 MaxV was two minutes slower (20 minutes).

Coverage

These robots did well during the coverage test, picking up most of the debris after the first pass.

The S7 MaxV Ultra picked up a good chunk after the first pass, thanks to its higher airflow and tight passes.

Here’s a before photo.

And here’s the after photo.

Airflow Comparison

I thought one area the S8 Pro would improve upon is airflow, but there was a regression, at least for my experiments.

It was around 2 CFM less than the S7 MaxV Ultra, which is confirmed in the cleaning tests as the latter got better scores on hard floors.

One redeeming factor for the S8 is the twin roller system, with the extra agitation benefitting it in the carpet cleaning experiments.

Cleaning Comparison

Despite the weaker airflow, the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra got a higher average because of its superior deep cleaning performance (85.15% vs. 77.95%).

The close to 10% variance is significant and one of only a handful of Roborock options over 80%.

Which Option is Better on Hard Floors?

The S7 MaxV Ultra, with its higher airflow, got higher averages on this surface (99.95% vs. 96.9%).

Another confirmation of its higher airflow is the sand on hard floor test, which got a higher percentage (99.6% vs. 98.6%).

The S8 Pro Ultra wasn’t bad since it got most of it, but it left more sand afterward.

Edge Cleaning

With the round frames of these robots, there’s not much difference with edge cleaning.

Both were decent but not exceptional and left chunks at the edges.

Here’s a before and after shot for the S8 Pro Ultra.

And the S7 MaxV Ultra.

The only round-shaped options that did well in these experiments are those with twin side brushes like the Ecovacs T8 AIVI.

Hair Wrap

Based on experiments, the Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra is the better option for vacuuming hair since it got higher percentages.

Look at the before and after photos, even with the seven-inch experiments.

And this much was inside the dustbin with five-inch strands.

Surprisingly, the S8 Pro Ultra was terrible in both experiments, even with the twin rollers.

Look at how much hair is wrapped on the rollers.

Plenty was on the axles, and fortunately, this part is detachable, but it’s not something I’d recommend for cleaning hair.

Which Option is Better on Carpets?

This is where the S8 Pro Ultra and its twin rollers shine. Despite the low airflow, it got a higher percentage in the deep cleaning experiments (85.15% vs. 77.95%), which is my barometer for carpet cleaning.

The S8 Pro Ultra was also (slightly) better at vacuuming surface debris (99.15% vs. 98.97%).

Mopping Comparison

Next, we’ll look at how these products compare to mopping floors, and (frankly) there isn’t much difference in the results.

Both efficiently removed stains and got everything out after the first pass.

So the second agitating element seems overkill, but having it helps in certain situations.

One disclaimer for these robots is that neither can pick up liquid. Hence, there will be limitations to what it can mop (practically speaking) without leaving a sticky mess.

I don’t recommend either for cleaning sticky, food-based stains because it’ll leave a surface residue.

For all robot mops I review, I put them through grueling experiments on red wine and juice stains to see how much and fast it mops them. And if it stalls.

Here are the before and after shots for the S8 Pro Ultra on red wine stains.

And juice stains.

It was excellent in both experiments, getting everything out after the first pass.

Here are before and after shots for the S7 MaxV Ultra.

And juice stains.

Again, the S7 MaxV Ultra was superb at stain removal, needing only one pass to get everything out.

There was no stalling for either option and with the efficient pad-washing feature, these are do-it-all options to consider.

Run Time Comparison

There’s no difference in run time as both utilize a 5200 mAh lithium-ion battery. Both have the same claimed run time of 180 minutes in the lowest setting.

One helpful feature is the quick charging feature, which is 30 minutes faster than older models (S7 and earlier variants).

Noise Comparison

I use a sound meter to check the noise levels of these robots. Check the table below for the results.

One plus with the lower airflow is the lower noise levels. The S8 Pro Ultra is as noisy, maxing around 70 decibels, and the S7 MaxV Ultra is almost 2 decibels louder.

Maintenance

With the added features, there’s added complexity to these products, which requires maintenance, and we’ll look at the list of components to clean or replace.

1. Rollers: This is one of the most abused components in a robot vacuum and requires the most frequent maintenance. Clean it once a week to remove any dust and hair accumulation on the surface and axles.
2. Side brush: Another hair magnet; use a Philips screwdriver to detach and clean. The S7 MaxV Ultra side brush will be easier to maintain since it’s all-rubber compared to the bristled tips of the S8 Pro Ultra.
3. Dustbin: With the do-it-all base station, there’s no need to empty the dustbin, but you’ll need to check it monthly and clean any dust accumulation, especially on the filter.
4. Wheels: Wipe the wheels using a damp microfiber towel to remove the surface dunk at least monthly.
5. Drop sensors: Clean it monthly using cotton buds or a clean microfiber towel to prevent an error code from firing and disabling the robot.
6. Bag: Dispose of the bag once it reaches full capacity. Do a visual check for this task.
7. Dirty water tank: Rinse the dirty water tank after emptying it to prevent odor from building up inside.
8. Pad-cleaning brush: Check this component monthly for any wear, and replace it once the bristles are all bent or worn.
9. Port: Ensure that the port going into the bag is free from clogs affecting the self-emptying function.

Related Roborock Comparisons

• Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra vs. S7+
• Roborock Q5+ vs. Q7 Max+
• Roborock S7+ vs. S6 MaxV vs. S5 Max
• Roborock Q5+ vs. S8 Pro Ultra

Product Specifications

Model	Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra	Roborock S8 Pro Ultra
Width	13.89"	13.89"
Height	3.79"	3.79"
Filter	Washable E11 Rated Air Filter	Washable E11 Rated Air Filter
Navigation	Smart Navigation	Smart Navigation
Run time	180 mins.	180 mins.
Recharge and Resume	Yes	Yes
Map Saving	Yes	Yes
Number of Maps	4	4
Dustbin capacity	400 ml	350 ml
Water tank	200 ml	200 ml
Auto empty capacity	2.4 liters	2.5 liters
Airflow	13.39 CFM	11.33 CFM
Warranty	1-year limited	1-year limited
Price	Check Price	Check Price

Where Can I Buy These Robot Vacuums?

The Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra and S8 Pro Ultra are available in online stores like Amazon. Check the links below for the latest pricing information.

• Roborock S7 MaxV (robot only) on Amazon
• Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra (robot + self-cleaning dock) on Amazon
• Roborock S8 Pro Ultra on Amazon

Disclaimer: I will earn a commission if you purchase through any of the links above, but at no extra cost, so it’s a win-win for us!

Which is Better, the Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra or the S8 Pro Ultra?

Despite the upgrades Roborock put in the S8 Pro Ultra, it’s not an automatic no-brainer option for several reasons.

The most obvious is the premium it’ll command once it’s available. I expect it to be well over the $1000 range and one of the most expensive options, while the S7 MaxV Ultra price will drop, further increasing its appeal.

Also, the upgrades (while game-changing) aren’t a necessity for every consumer since it affects only certain aspects, and given the price increase, it’s not something I’d wholeheartedly recommend for everyone.

To help consumers with their decision, I’ve enumerated reasons for each variant.

4 Reasons to Choose the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra

1. Better on carpets: The twin roller system increases agitation two-fold and is primarily responsible for improved carpet cleaning performance despite the lower airflow.
2. No more privacy issues: Using lasers for obstacle avoidance eliminates privacy concerns since it doesn’t have snapshots or videos.
3. More autonomy: Roborock added a pad-drying feature improving its autonomy and hands-free convenience.
4. Efficient navigation: It completed the second pass in around 18 minutes – one of the better results in the efficiency test.

4 Reasons to Choose the Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra

1. Cheaper: With the impending release of the S8 Pro Ultra, expect the S7 MaxV Ultra prices to go down.
2. Better on hard floors: This option will be better on this surface because it has more airflow.
3. Proficient navigation: The S7 MaxV Ultra is excellent at navigating tight quarters and is an excellent option inside large homes.
4. Better at cleaning hair: Another benefit of the higher airflow is its better at picking up hair, as it got a higher percentage in the five and seven-inch experiments.

The Verdict: Do You Need the Latest Technology?

Yes, some of its upgrades can be game-changing, but the premium cost gives me pause at fully recommending the S8 Pro Ultra because the increase will be significant.

The twin roller system is a practical design on carpets with the added agitation, but the lower airflow nullified this upgrade on hard floors.

The Reactive 3D obstacle avoidance eases privacy concerns, but both are nearly equal at evading objects – excellent at most but inconsistent with stretched wires, so it’s another toss-up.

The two vibrating elements in the S8 Pro Ultra give it more efficiency, but I feel it’s overqualified for daily tasks, and its inability to pick up liquid will limit what it can mop.

And upgrades with the do-it-all base station aren’t significant and shouldn’t be a deciding factor between these variants.

So the swing factor is whether you’ll need the carpet cleaning enhancements of the S8 Pro Ultra.