Hours after publishing, Roborock announced that theS8 MaxV Ultra is the first Matter-certified robot vacuum.
More information can be found onRoborock’s website.
Funny enough, catching the FlexiArm in action is extremely hard.
Justin Duino / How-To Geek
The S8 MaxV Ultra deploys the brush so quickly and only when necessary to clean a hard-to-reach area.
I had to stalk the bot around my kitchen to see if the robovac was using its new tool.
I also noticed that Roborock tweaked the design of the dual roller brushes.
This was a welcome change as my golden retriever sheds like crazy, and her fur always collects inside.
That doesn’t stop build-up from still happening along the edges, though.
I can’t say it does anything to benefit the bot, but it looks premium.
My favorite improvement is probably Roborock’s VibraRise 3.0 Mopping System.
First, the overall dimensions and shape have changed year over year.
It’s now slightly taller, but it’s also thinner and isn’t as deep.
Roborock has also hidden away the vacuum bag.
Instead of sitting beside the water buckets, there’s a front plate that keeps it out of sight.
The same goes for the new detergent container.
Justin Duino / How-To Geek
With the S8 MaxV Ultra, the built-in detergent container automatically adds the correct amount.
The good news is that you should get roughly three months of use out of a single bottle.
The mop cleaning feature has also been upgraded.
Justin Duino / How-To Geek
Last year, Roborock added a heater to the dock to dry the mop after it was washed.
They’re there to update a gear’s firmware and maybe tweak a setting or two.
After pairing the robot vacuum to your phone, you’ll be greeted with a ton of options.
Justin Duino / How-To Geek
I recommend sending the bot off to map your space before doing anything else.
At the time of publishing, it’s not possible to key in in a custom room name.
Personally, I find this disappointing.
Justin Duino / How-To Geek
One of the rooms the S8 MaxV Ultra cleans in my home is a walk-in pantry.
None of the presets come close, and there isn’t an option to leave a room blank.
But for now, my pantry will have to be named “Corridor.”
Justin Duino / How-To Geek
I would go through every submenu and set up the gadget to best fit your needs.
For my testing, I configured all of the prefs to my liking and then created a cleaning schedule.
New this year is an “AI SmartPlan” option.
With the SmartPlan option, Roborock customizes its cleaning based on floor materials and dirt levels automatically.
Your robovac will then move from room to room, searching for your animal.
Roborock also included a custom voice assistant in the S8 MaxV Ultra.
What is nice is that the frequency with which you interact with the robovac is shrinking dramatically every year.
I could go on, but I think you get my point.
My biggest complaint with the self-emptying dock is the water filter found next to the high-speed mop brush.
I can already hear people shouting, “Those two robots have completely different mop systems!”
Although the names are extremely similar, there are a decent number of differences.
Basically, if you already own the S8 Pro Ultra, I strongly recommend you resist upgrading.
Should You Buy the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra?
At $1,800, Roborock is pricing its top-of-the-line robovac to match its premium feature set.
