Roborock S8+/S8 Robot Vacuum Review

This vacuum feels very well-built. It's very similar in feel to the older Roborock S7 MaxV, with a body made mostly from high-grade plastic with a matte finish. You can lift the top cover to see the Wi-Fi indicator light and system reset button. Like its predecessor, it has a front-facing camera to scan for hazards, but unlike that model, you can't look through it. You'll notice the biggest difference from the S7 MaxV on its underside: the S8 uses a new cleaning head with twin rubber rollers, similar to iRobot models like the iRobot Roomba S9. It has a single side brush to direct debris into the path of its cleaning head but with three arms instead of five.

The out-of-the-box setup isn't too difficult. You must download the Roborock companion app to complete the setup process and pair the vacuum with its docking station.

The Roborock S8 is fairly easy to maintain. You can keep tabs on the maintenance intervals of different components through the 'Help' menu in the vacuum's companion app.

• Dirt compartment: The internal dustbin can be removed by pressing the release tabs on either end of the dirt compartment. You can empty it over a trash bin, but if you buy the S8+ variant, it will automatically transfer debris from its dustbin into the dirtbag inside the charging dock. If necessary, wash it with water, but remove the filter beforehand. The dirt compartment must dry for 24 hours before it's put back in the vacuum.
• Base station dirtbag: The S8+ variant comes with a base station that contains a dirtbag, which can simply be pulled out of its housing after you remove the top cover. A cover on the dirtbag automatically seals the bag after removal, preventing dust and debris from spilling out. It isn't reusable and must be thrown away when it's full. It has an advertised capacity of seven weeks' worth of debris, though you'll likely find it less than that depending on whether or not you have floors that gather a lot of dirt, dust, and pet hair. You can use the small screwdriver packaged with the base station to remove debris clogging the inlet to the dirtbag.
• E11 filter: The filter is located inside the dirt compartment and can be unclipped from its housing pretty easily. It has a simple design and isn't especially difficult to clean. You should wash it every two weeks.
• Brushrolls: The twin rubber brushrolls can be accessed by lifting the brush guard on the bottom of the vacuum and pulling them out. Compared to older Roborock models, which featured only a single roller, the S8 has twin rubber rollers with removable bearings, making it a cinch to clear away the small amounts of pet hair that can get stuck. You should clean them by removing any tangled hair or stuck-on debris once or twice a week, depending on whether or not you have any pets.
• Side brush: Unfortunately, you'll need a screwdriver to remove the retaining screw holding the side brush in place, so it isn't quite as easy to clean as most of the other components on this vacuum. You should clear away any stuck-on debris once a month.
• Omni-directional wheel: The omnidirectional front wheel takes quite a bit of effort to pull free of its socket, and you'll probably need to use a pair of pliers for extra leverage. You should clear it of any tangled hair or debris every month.
• Mop cloth: The mopping cloth can be removed from its mounting plate and slid out. You should clean it under water after each use.
• Water tank: You can pull the water tank out from the back of the vacuum. You can clean it as required by filling it with clean water, shaking it gently, and then pouring out the dirty water.

Any component washed under water should dry for at least 24 hours before being reinserted in the vacuum.

This vacuum incurs high recurring costs.

• Brushrolls: The brushrolls need replacing after 300 hours of use or every six to 12 months. Replacements can be purchased here.
• Side brush: The side brush has a service life of 200 hours or approximately three to six months of use. You can buy a two-pack of replacements from the company's website here.
• Filter: The filter needs replacing following 150 hours, according to the maintenance tab of the companion app. You can buy replacements in packs of two here.
• Mop cloth: You should replace the mop cloth every three to six months. Replacements can be bought in packs of two, as seen here.

The S8+ version of the Roborock S8 is very easy to store. The vacuum itself isn't that big, and its self-emptying rack station has the same dimensions as the Roborock Q5+, which makes it pretty easy to fit between nooks in furniture. It also has a built-in rack to store any excess power cord length. Still, if you don't have a lot of space at home, you might be better off going for the basic S8 variant, which doesn't come with the self-emptying station.

This vacuum has a small internal dirt compartment. As a result, in the case of the standard Roborock S8, you'll need to empty it manually at the end of practically every cleaning session, while in the case of the S8+, it'll need to return to its dock to self-empty often. The dustbin doesn't have a fill sensor; instead, you'll receive reminders through the app recommending that you empty the bin regularly. If you want a robot vacuum with a bigger internal dustbin, the Roborock Q5 Max+ is worth a look.

The Roborock S8+ variant of this vacuum comes with a self-emptying base station, which transfers debris from the vacuum's dustbin into a 2.5L dirtbag. This is a comparatively simple docking station, with no mop washing or water refilling capabilities to be found. If you want a robot vacuum with a multifunction dock, the Dreame L10s Ultra is a good option.

• Roborock S8 vacuum
• Dirt compartment
• Auto-Empty Dock Pure self-emptying charging station (Only included with S8+ model)
• Auto-Empty Dock Pure self-emptying charging station top cover (Only included with S8+ model)
• Auto-Empty Dock Pure self-emptying charging station power cable (Only included with S8+ model)
• 2x Dirtbags (Only included with S8+ model)
• Charging Station (Only included with S8 model)
• Water tank
• 1x E11 filter
• 2x Rubber brushrolls
• Brushroll guard
• Mopping mount
• 1x Mopping cloth
• Recharge station
• Charging cable with Velcro strap
• Moisture-proof mat
• User manual and safety guide
• Quick Start guide

The battery performance is excellent. It delivers very similar performance to the Roborock S7 MaxV in this respect, with a max runtime of almost four hours in its most power-efficient 'Quiet' mode, which is far more than the advertised max runtime of 180 minutes. It can still run for an hour and a half in its most powerful 'Max+' mode, which is still ample time to deal with heavier debris. The vacuum stops its cleaning task once its charge level drops below 20%, at which point its battery life indicator light turns red, and the vacuum attempts to return to its charging station.

Given the fact that the Roborock S8 is part of the manufacturer's flagship model series, it comes jam-packed with an array of convenience features, though for the most part, it doesn't move the needle far beyond where the Roborock S7 MaxV left off.

It features five different suction power modes: the energy-efficient 'Quiet' mode, the default 'Balanced' mode, 'Turbo,' 'Max,' and 'Max+,' which is meant for cleaning extremely stubborn debris. It has a separate 'Carpet' mode, which you can toggle on and off within the app, and allows the vacuum to automatically increase suction power on different surfaces. Its side brush also spins faster when the vacuum passes along walls and edges.

There are a variety of mopping options, too. You can choose between three levels of scrubbing intensity: 'Mild,' 'Moderate,' and 'Intense.' There are also three modes of mop pathing: 'Standard' for moderately intensive cleaning sessions, 'Deep,' and 'Deep+,' which minimizes the vacuum's suction power and causes the vacuum to move in a tight Z-shaped pattern, resulting in more thorough room coverage.

Like the S7 MaxV, it has a front-facing optical sensor that allows it to spot, identify, and if necessary avoid obstacles in its path, even in low-light conditions. However, it doesn't have the latter's RGB camera sensor, and you can't use this vacuum as a roving security camera. If that's a feature you do want, you can consider the S7 MaxV or the Dreame L10s Ultra.

This vacuum does a good job of cleaning hard floors. Its suction inlet is positioned high enough to easily pass over bulky debris like cereal so that it can suck them up. That said, it does struggle a little bit with smaller material like rice or sand that's piled up against walls or smaller debris that's been pushed deep into corners.

This vacuum does a good job of handling debris on high-pile carpet. It struggles a little with debris that's been pressed right up against walls and in corners, but ultimately, it's quite effective in dealing with fine, medium, and large-sized debris on this surface type, even if another pass is necessary to collect every last bit of debris.

This vacuum delivers decent performance on low-pile carpet. It's quite effective in dealing with large and medium-sized debris like cereal or rice on this surface type but struggles with finer material like sand that's been worked deep into carpet fibers, especially along walls or in corners.

This vacuum does a great job of dealing with pet hair on low-pile carpet. It clears away the majority of strands worked into carpet fibers, though some shorter hairs can be left behind.

Real-world suction performance is poor. The manufacturer advertises this vacuum as having a stronger 6000 Pa motor than the 5100 Pa motor found in the Roborock S7 MaxV, but its wider dual-roller cleaning head diffuses this suction force over a wider area, resulting in lower measurements at its head.

The Roborock S8's airflow performance is fairly good, especially for a robot vacuum. It can't compete with most manually operated vacuums. Still, it will have an easier time dealing with heavier debris compared to many cheaper robovacs, like the iRobot Roomba j7/j7+.

This vacuum is very quiet. You'll hear what people nearby are saying even when the vacuum is running in its most powerful suction mode. It's a little quieter than the more powerful Roborock S7 MaxV.

The self-emptying station included with the S8+ variant is a little noisier than the vacuum itself, with a peak volume of 74.3 dBA.

This vacuum has excellent maneuverability. After mapping out your home, it cleans in an organized, time-efficient pattern. However, detach its mopping module before letting it map your home for the first time. Similar to the Roborock S7 MaxV, it uses a LIDAR mapping system in conjunction with a camera system that lets it identify and avoid obstacles, which you can see in a coverage map that the vacuum outputs to its companion app at the end of a run. After it's done a few cleaning runs through your home and firmly localized the position of various obstacles, it'll offer you the option of performing a quick-cleaning option that plots the most efficient path through your home. The vacuum noticeably adjusts its suction power when it cleans carpets, and the side brush effectively pushes dirt into the vacuum's path when it's near a wall. It's small enough to fit under low furniture and cleans around the feet of couches and tables. That said, it struggles with climbing onto thick shag-pile carpets, and rug tassels can easily get caught in its brushrolls.

The Roborock S8 does a poor job of sealing in fine particles. Like the Roborock S7 MaxV, fine allergens bypass its filter and are blown straight out of its exhaust port.

This vacuum has poor crack-cleaning performance. It struggles with drawing up fine debris wedged deep within crevices, but its side brush also tends to scatter debris around rather than direct it towards the suction inlet. Running the vacuum in the 'Max+' suction mode makes little to no difference in terms of performance in this regard, with the final results of said test seen here.

This vacuum's stain-clearing performance is okay when it's set to its 'Intense' scrubbing mode and the pathing set to 'Deep Clean+.' Installing the mop pads is easy, as seen here. The manufacturer recommends pre-soaking the mopping pad before letting it run. Still, if you want a more thorough clean, it's recommended that you do a second mopping run.

The Roborock S8 isn't designed for dealing with liquid spills. It can clear away small spills by soaking them away with its mopping pads, but having the vacuum suck up liquid will likely result in damage.

The Roborock S8 has a remarkably broad selection of physical automation features. The S8+ variant comes with a self-emptying station that's all but identical to the one included with the '+' variant of the Roborock Q5. That said, only the higher-end Roborock S8 Pro Ultra model comes with a more advanced docking station that not only empties its dustbin but also refills its water tank and washes and dries its mopping pad.

There are three physical control buttons that you can use to perform basic functions, without having to use the app. The power button doubles as a general 'Clean' button, sending the vacuum off to start a cleaning session. The 'Spot Clean' button directs the vacuum to clean a small area around itself. Pressing and holding the 'Spot Clean' button engages the child lock. You can press the 'Dock/Home' button to send the vacuum back to its base station.

The Roborock app has a remarkably dense feature set; you can see its interface here.

After it's mapped out your home, you can view a 3D map of the space, set up no-go zones, designate specific cleaning zones to spot clean, and set the suction and mopping modes you want for individual rooms. You can also schedule cleaning sessions for specific rooms or have the vacuum follow a pin that you place on the map.

It also offers multi-level mapping for up to four floors. Like the Roborock S7 MaxV, it can leverage its object recognition system to identify furniture or other landmarks and automatically determine which map it's currently on.

You can use the app to enable 'Carpet' mode, which allows for automatic power adjustment on carpeted floors, 'Low-Collision' mode, which prioritizes avoiding contact with walls and furniture at the expense of lower-precision scanning in tight spots, and 'Home With Pets' mode, which boosts object detection performance for avoiding hazards like pet waste, but may degrade overall coverage. You can also use the remote control function to automatically reorient the vacuum if it gets stuck.

The app also has a 'Help' sub-menu that gives you a projected service interval for its filter, brushroll, side brush, sensors, and mopping pad.