Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra Review

The Apex Predator of Clean: Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra Review

The world of robotic cleaning has been a story of iterative evolution, with each new flagship inching us closer to a truly automated, hands-off experience. With the arrival of the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra, however, it feels less like an iteration and more like a definitive statement. This isn’t just another robot vacuum; it’s an ambitious, feature-packed ecosystem designed to tackle the final frontiers of automated cleaning—the edges, the corners, and the stubborn, greasy stains. Roborock has thrown every piece of its cutting-edge technology into this machine, but does it justify its king-of-the-hill price tag?

Uncompromising Performance Where It Counts

At the heart of any cleaner is its ability to, well, clean. The S8 MaxV Ultra attacks this task with an almost absurd level of power. Boasting a staggering 10,000 Pa of suction, it leaves virtually nothing behind on hard floors or carpets. Fine dust, pet hair, and larger debris are dispatched without a second thought. But raw power is only half the story. The real innovation lies in its FlexiArm Design, a small, robotic side brush that extends automatically to clean deep into corners and along baseboards—areas that have been the Achilles’ heel of circular robots for years. In practice, this works remarkably well, resulting in a visibly more thorough clean that requires far less manual touch-up.

Mopping performance is equally impressive. The sonic mopping system, now upgraded to VibraRise 2.0, scrubs floors at 4,000 times per minute. The addition of a unique edge-spinning mop pad ensures that, like the vacuuming, mopping extends right to the room’s perimeter. This dual-pronged approach to edge cleaning is what truly sets the S8 MaxV Ultra apart from its predecessors and competitors.

The Brains Behind the Brawn

What elevates the “MaxV” models is their intelligence, and this unit is the smartest yet. Reactive AI 2.0 obstacle avoidance uses a combination of an RGB camera and structured light to identify and navigate around 73 different types of objects, from shoes to pet waste. It’s uncannily accurate, reducing the need to “robot-proof” your home before every run. The DirTect feature adds another layer of intelligence, using its sensors to identify heavily soiled areas and automatically ramp up cleaning power or perform a second pass.

The built-in “Hello Rocky” voice assistant allows for direct commands without needing a phone or smart speaker, a convenient touch for starting a quick spot clean. While it’s not a replacement for a full-fledged smart assistant, its integration is seamless for core functions. The camera also enables remote viewing and two-way video calls, a feature that’s part novelty, part useful pet-cam.

A Dock That Does It All (Really)

The “Ultra” dock is the command center that enables the robot’s autonomy, and it’s more capable than ever. It not only empties the dustbin and refills the water tank, but it now washes the mop pads with 60°C (140°F) hot water to better dissolve grease and sanitize the pads. It then dries them with heated air to prevent mildew. The final piece of the puzzle is an auto-dispensing detergent tank, which measures and adds the correct amount of cleaning solution for each run. This all-in-one station is a triumph of engineering, reducing manual intervention to refilling clean water and replacing the dust bag every couple of months. The only real-world trade-off is its considerable physical footprint; this is not a system you can discreetly tuck away in a small apartment.

The Verdict: Is It Worth the Investment?

The Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra is, without question, the most effective and autonomous cleaning robot on the market today. It systematically addresses the historical shortcomings of the category with clever engineering and powerful hardware. The combination of extreme suction, intelligent AI, and a truly comprehensive, self-maintaining dock creates a system that comes closer than ever to the “set it and forget it” dream.

However, this peak performance comes at a peak price. This is not a device for the budget-conscious or for those with small, simple living spaces. It is a premium, flagship product for tech enthusiasts, busy professionals in large homes, and pet owners who are willing to invest heavily for the ultimate convenience and a near-perfect clean. If you want the absolute best and have the space and budget to accommodate it, the S8 MaxV Ultra is the undisputed champion.

Where to Buy:

Check it out on Amazon