The Samsung POWERbot R7040 is an okay overall robot vacuum. It has great automation features as it has a smart pathing feature that uses a camera to track itself. If it's done cleaning a room and still has battery life left, it starts cleaning the room for a second time until it runs out of battery. It has decent performance on bare floors as it picks up most debris but it struggles on carpet, so this isn't ideal if you have any carpet at home. Its dirt compartment is small, even for a robot vacuum, and the battery doesn't last the longest either. It has a good build quality with a lot of parts that need maintenance but luckily, there are virtually no recurring costs.
Our Verdict
The Samsung POWERbot R7040 is decent to use on bare floors. It cleans most small debris like rice on bare floors and it still sucks up a great amount of hair and large debris like cereal. Since it's a robot vacuum, it can go underneath furniture without a problem. It's not the easiest to maintain as there are a lot of parts you need to take care of but luckily, there are no recurring costs.
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Decent performance on bare floors.
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Uses camera to locate itself in the room.
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Not easy to maintain.
The Samsung POWERbot R7040 is an alright choice for low-pile carpet. It has some trouble with small and large debris on low-pile carpet but it sucks up a decent amount of hair. It has an automatic surface type adjustment that increases its power on carpet but the battery doesn't last very long in that mode.
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Uses camera to locate itself in the room.
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Disappointing performance on carpets.
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Not easy to maintain.
Disappointing on high-pile carpet. It has poor performance on this surface as it struggles to suck up small and large debris. It does a better job with hair but it's still not good. It has an automatic surface type adjustment that detects when it's cleaning on carpet.
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Uses camera to locate itself in the room.
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Disappointing performance on carpets.
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Not easy to maintain.
The Samsung POWERbot R7040 isn't bad if you have pets. It's better-suited for cleaning hair on bare floors as it struggles on carpet. It has a removable brushroll if you want to remove any tangled hairs. It's not the easiest to maintain as you need to clean a few parts but you don't need to buy any replacement parts regularly.
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Decent performance on bare floors.
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Uses camera to locate itself in the room.
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Disappointing performance on carpets.
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Not easy to maintain.
The Samsung POWERbot R7040 isn't designed to be used on stairs.
The Samsung POWERbot R7040 isn't designed to be used in cars.
- 7.6 Bare Floor
- 7.0 Low-Pile Carpet
- 6.8 High-Pile Carpet
- 5.4 Pets
- 5.8 Stairs
- 4.6 Cars
- 4.2 Workshop
- Updated Sep 23, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 0.6.
- Updated Sep 23, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 0.5.
- Updated Jul 06, 2020: Updated the scoring for build quality.
- Updated Jul 06, 2020: Review published.
Compared To Other Robot Vacuums
Compared to other robot vacuums, the Samsung POWERbot R7040 isn't anything special. It has limited performance on any type of floor, the dirt compartment is small, and its battery doesn't last the longest either. Also see our recommendations for the best robot vacuums for pet hair, best vacuums, and best robot vacuums.
The Samsung POWERbot R7040 is much better than the eufy RoboVac 11S. The Samsung has a smart pathing feature, it cleans better on bare floors, it's easier to maintain, and there are virtually no recurring costs. However, the eufy performs better on high-pile carpet, it has a longer battery life, and the dirt compartment is also bigger.
The Roborock S4 is a better vacuum for use on bare floors while the Samsung POWERbot R7040 is a bit better on carpet, although it's still not good on that surface. The Roborock cleans up almost all debris on bare floors, it has a much better battery, the dirt compartment is bigger, and it has a better build quality. However, the Samsung is easier to maintain and there are no recurring costs.
The Samsung POWERbot R7040 is a better robot vacuum than the eufy RoboVac 30C. It performs better on any type of floor and it has a smart pathing feature while the eufy doesn't have one. The Samsung is also easier to maintain and it has virtually no recurring costs. However, the eufy has a better battery and the dirt compartment is bigger.
The Neato Botvac D7 is a better overall performing robot vacuum than the Samsung POWERbot R7040. The Neato does a better job with all debris across different surface types, it's slightly easier to maintain, and it holds more debris inside of its dirt compartment. Its battery performance is also much better. However, the Samsung has virtually no recurring costs, and it has slightly better maneuverability.
The Samsung POWERbot R7040 is better than the iRobot Roomba 675. It cleans a bit better on bare floors and its performance on low-pile carpet is significantly better. The Samsung vacuum also has less recurring costs and it's easier to maintain. The iRobot has a better battery life and it has a side brush that helps clean debris in hard-to-reach areas.
The Roborock S5 is better overall than the Samsung POWERbot R7040. It has much better performance on bare floors and its performance on carpet isn't bad. The Roborock has better battery life and a bigger dirt compartment too. On the other hand, the Samsung is a bit easier to maintain and there aren't any recurring costs.
The Samsung POWERbot R7040 is a much better robot vacuum on bare floors as it does a great job with any type of debris. On the other hand, the iRobot Roomba E5 is somewhat better on low-pile carpet and it has significant improvement on high-pile carpet. The battery on the iRobot lasts longer and the vacuum itself has a better build quality. However, the Samsung is easier to maintain and there are virtually no recurring costs.
The Samsung POWERbot R7040 is better overall than the Eureka Groove. It clears more debris on bare floors and low-pile carpet, maneuvers more effectively, and has a broader range of automation features. The Eureka does a better job on high-pile carpet, weighs much less, and has a longer battery life, though it doesn't charge nearly as quickly as the Samsung.
The Samsung POWERbot R7040 is a better robot vacuum than the ONSON GOOVI F007 Robot Vacuum. The Samsung feels better-built, it's easier to maintain, and has virtually no recurring costs. It's also more maneuverable and has a better performance on bare floors as well as on low-pile carpet. However, the ONSON cleans high-pile carpet more thoroughly and it has a better battery performance.
The Samsung POWERbot R7040 is somewhat evenly-matched with the bObsweep Bob Pro. The Samsung is easier to maintain, incurs far lower recurring costs, and cleans much better on low-pile carpet. It also doesn't struggle with sucking up pet hair. However, the bObsweep has a much longer battery life and clears small and large debris more effectively on both bare floors and high-pile carpet.
Test Results
The Samsung POWERbot R7040 has a good build quality. It's made out of hard plastic, with a glossy finish on top and matte finish underneath, and the entire vacuum feels sturdy. Its design doesn't look as premium as some other robot vacuums, like the Roborock S4.
The display controls are well-positioned on top, and the dust bin is made out of see-through plastic, so you can see how full it is. Unfortunately, the emergency switch is at the bottom, which could be hard to get to. However, no assembly is required on the vacuum itself as only the dock station needs to be set up.
The R7040 isn't the easiest to maintain. There are quite a few parts that you need to clean often.
- Brushroll: You can access the brushroll by removing a plastic cover underneath the vacuum. You can remove any tangled hair with scissors.
- Shutter tool: The shutter tool is near the brushroll and if debris gets stuck on it, you might need to remove it with another vacuum.
- Dirt compartment: The dirt compartment is easy to take out but you need to disassemble it every time you empty it. You can also wash it with water if it gets really dirty but you need to let it dry before using it again.
- Filter: The filter is easy to access and you can clean it with water. You need to let it dry before using it again.
- Wheels: Debris gets stuck in the wheels at times and you can use tweezers or anything that's small to take it out.
- Sensors: You can clean the sensors on the vacuum with a dry cloth if dust accumulates on it.
There are virtually no recurring costs for the R7040. There's no disposable bag, plus the filter is washable and if it's well-maintained, it shouldn't need to be replaced for a few years.
Fantastic storing capability. The Samsung POWERbot R7040 lays on the ground and mounts onto the dock station by itself, and because of its small size, it doesn't take up much space.
The dirt compartment is small and will need to be emptied often. On the upside, you won't need to buy any bags for it. If you prefer something with a bigger compartment, then check out the eufy RoboVac 30C.
- Samsung POWERbot R7040 robot vacuum
- Rechargeable station
- Charging cable
- Remote
- User guide
The floor range on this robot vacuum is as far as the battery will allow it. However, it won't be able to go up stairs.
The R7040 has good portability. It's small in size, but it might be heavy if you need to move it to another floor. You'll also need to bring its dock with it to another floor.
The R7040 has a great battery. On low suction mode, it can last over an hour but doesn't last very long on the highest suction mode. There's a battery life indicator on the machine as well. Consider the Eureka Groove if you're looking for a budget-friendly robot vacuum with a longer battery life, though be aware that it takes much longer to charge.
It has a power adjustment feature, and there's an automatic surface type adjustment feature to adapt to any environment it encounters, so you won't have to change its settings. There's also a user-friendly on/off switch with the remote.
The Samsung POWERbot R7040 comes with a removable brushroll. It's equipped with a shutter tool that can extend to help clean along walls by bringing debris closer to the vacuum. If you want a robot vacuum that comes with a side brush, check out the iRobot Roomba 675.
Decent performance on bare floors. It keeps its performance consistent even as the dirt compartment fills up, and it's better at cleaning small debris, such as rice. If you want a robot vacuum with a better performance on bare floors, try the iRobot Roomba 981.
Mediocre performance on low-pile carpet. Has some trouble sucking up both large and small debris, but performs better with pet hair. If you want a robot vacuum that picks up a lot more pet hair on low-pile carpet, check out the iRobot Roomba E5.
Poor performance on high-pile carpet for the Samsung POWERbot R7040. Compared to other robot vacuums like the bObsweep Bob Pro, it struggles to clean small debris such as baking soda and large debris like sand, but it still can pick up some pet hair. It seems to lack the power necessary to clean deep carpets.
The R7040 has good maneuverability. Its shape allows it to get closer to walls and clean dust in dead zones, plus the shutter tool helps remove debris even closer to the wall. It's not very thick, so it fits well underneath the couch and table in our room. Unfortunately, it could get stuck on the rug or tangled in wires, so you will need to make sure there aren't objects lying around that could stop it. If you want a robot vacuum that's less likely to get caught on rug tassels and electric cords, take a look at the iRobot Roomba i3+.
The Samsung POWERbot R7040 has a great amount of automation features. It can be used without Wi-Fi with the remote, and there's a dedicated app if you'd like to control it with your phone. The app mainly has the same functions as the remote, but with Alexa and Google Assistant compatibility - although we don't test this. It has a smart pathing feature where it uses a camera to locate its movement within the room. Plus, if it's done cleaning a closed room, and still has battery life left, it'll clean the room for a second time before returning to its dock.
