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Last year, Roborock announced the S7 robot vacuum, which offered some huge upgrades in the mopping department. And they were sorely needed. The big upgrades were Sonic Mopping and VibraRise. Allowing it to get up those dried-on messes and raise the mopping pad so it can still vacuum carpet. I really liked the S7, but I was really missing the S6 MaxV with its Stereo Cameras and ReactiveAI. It was so good at avoiding obstacles, and not getting trapped.
So when Roborock announced the S7 MaxV at CES back in January, I was ecstatic. And to me, it was the best announcement that came out of CES. It basically combines everything we knew and loved about the S6 MaxV and the S7, into one robot vacuum. The only problem, is the price. This is now the most expensive robot vacuum that Roborock has ever made. The vacuum itself goes for $859, whereas the Roborock S6 MaxV (the previously most expensive vacuum), was $749.
Yes, finally! The best announcement of CES is actually here. And one of the few CES products that will actually ship before summer 😂 pic.twitter.com/qXxToZbEUO
— Alexander Maxham (@alexmaxham) February 16, 2022
And that’s why we’re wondering, is it really worth the price tag? Is the entire package (with the Ultra Dock) worth the $1,399 price tag? We think it is, but we’ll explore more in the full review of the Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra.
Roborock made some subtle design changes
Roborock doesn’t typically make a lot of design changes when it comes to its robot vacuums. The changes are mostly to make it function better. For example, last year, it started adding some small brushes onto the docks, which clean the sensors every time it docks. Something most people likely didn’t notice, but does make a big difference.
With the S7 MaxV, there’s not a lot of changes in design here. There’s a couple of changes on the top of the S7 MaxV. Like for example, there are now some pieces of carbon fiber on top. Which looks really nice, and the top is now fully matte plastic. Instead of shiny plastic, which gets dirty and scratched super easy. Roborock has used this matte material before on things like the S4 Max.
Additionally, it has changed up the indicator lights. They now appear below the buttons, instead of within the buttons. While the light above the buttons still acts as an overall indicator light. Indicating when the vacuum is cleaning, as well as when it is charging.
There’s another feature that Roborock added to the design, which is really impressive, and definitely helps with the cleaning ability. There is now a light on the front of the vacuum, that shines the floor in front of it, in darker areas. This is actually a very bright light, and it likely helps the stereo cameras and ReactiveAI 2.0 to avoid obstacles a bit more. I would not be surprised to see that feature get added to more robot vacuums.
Roborock has also added some red accents on the side of the S7 MaxV that looks really cool. I don’t think it does anything to help with performance, but it still looks cool.
But how well does it clean?
We’re going to break this part of the review into two more parts. One focusing on the actual vacuuming, while the other focuses on the mopping. Because they are both equally important. So let’s start with the vacuuming, and putting this new 5100Pa suction power to work.
It vacuums incredibly well
The fact that the Roborock S7 MaxV vacuums really well, should come as no surprise to anyone that has used a Roborock robot vacuum in the past. They have always performed really well, and usually pushed the envelope on suction power. Being first to offer 2000Pa, and then 2500Pa. Now, the S7 MaxV pushes that all the way to 5100Pa. That’s a massive jump, over double what the S7 (and S6 MaxV) were able to offer.
With that added suction, the S7 MaxV does an even better job getting up pet hair, dirt and other debris. Right now, we’re approaching the end of winter. So there’s a lot of things being tracked in from outside, like some rock salt. Which it was also able to pick up without any issues. That doesn’t have much to do with suction, but the fact it was able to pick up larger debris like rock salt, is impressive.
I do have a dog, and she’s currently shedding her winter coat and working on her summer coat. Which means, dog hair everywhere. The Roborock S7 MaxV does an excellent job at cleaning it all up. Now is it perfect? No, it’s not. But it does get up most of it. I’d say a good 90% of the dog hair on the floor, the S7 MaxV is able to pick up with ease.
Part of this is due to the new roller brush that Roborock debuted last year on the S7. It’s a new rubber-finned roller that now sits closer to the floor, so it is able to get up more hair, dirt and other debris. All while not getting tangled in the brushes. Roborock has seemed to improve this compared to the S7’s brush, which got tangled and actually ripped – this was a common complaint on Reddit too. I had to replace my brush on my S7 a few times over the past year. But so far, it doesn’t see to have that issue on the S7 MaxV.
Mopping got even bigger upgrades
As if the mopping upgrades to the S7 last year were enough. Roborock is offering even more this year, with the S7 MaxV. As you’d expect, Sonic Mopping and VibraRise got some tweaks so it works even better this year. Roborock hasn’t told us what specifically was improved, but we can tell that they were improved. The mopping is even better than it was previously.
Like we mentioned in the vacuuming section, it’s currently the end of winter, so there’s still a lot of snow, salt, and other things being tracked inside. Some of it is dried on the floor, and pretty tough for most robot vacuums to clean up. However, the Roborock S7 MaxV is able to clean it up with ease. It even does a better job than the S7 did last year with its Sonic Mopping.
Of course, the biggest upgrade here is that you can now use soap on the floor with your robot vacuum. It’s the only robot vacuum on the market that can do this currently. However, you are limited to a specific solution from OMO (owned by Unilever). Which is not yet available in the US, so we were unable to try it out. But it’s definitely a nice upgrade. Letting you get the rest of that bacteria off of the floors.
Even the Roborock app got some updates
The Roborock app also got some updates with the new S7 MaxV model. One of the bigger updates is with the floor plan. It can now automatically identify rooms, though it’s not perfect. Out of all of the rooms in my apartment, it only got the bathroom right – which it likely determined that by seeing the toilet. The bedrooms and living room are just “Room1, Room2 and Room3”. And it thinks the kitchen is part of the living room, which does make sense with my floor plan.
It also can show the type of floor you have in each room. So it’s showing a plank floor in the living room, kitchen, and hallways, though it’s going the wrong direction. And then larger tile in the bathroom. They are small details but really cool to have. There is also a few animations that we’ve noticed. For instance, when the S7 MaxV is docked, it’ll show a charging animation on the dock icon. When it’s washing the mopping pad, it shows a cool washing animation on the dock too.
Roborock has also added a 3D option to the map in the app now. So you can see where the walls are, where furniture and other obstacles are too. It is neat, but to be honest, I never used it while working on this review of the Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra.
They are mostly subtle changes to the app, but it does make the app a lot better.
Just how good is ReactiveAI 2.0?
This is probably what everyone wants to know, just how good is ReactiveAI 2.0 now? Roborock has said that it is able to identify more objects now, as well as identify them correctly. That was a big, first-world problem, with the S6 MaxV. It labeled a lot of things around my apartment as “pet waste”, when none of it was. For example, my dog’s toys were labeled “pet waste” almost 100% of the time. And thats why I say this was a first-world problem. It avoided it as it should, so there really was no problem. But it did give me a good laugh.
Now with ReactiveAI 2.0, it can now identify a lot more objects. It will show you where you have furniture, identify pedestals (which are usually lamps, or bookshelves, or the Roborock H7, in my experience). It’s been able to correctly identify cords, as well as shoes too. All without running over them, or moving them.
It does work really well, and honestly, this is a really killer feature for any pet owner out there. Not just to avoid running over pet waste, but even pet toys that they might leave out.
The Ultra Dock is ultra-convenient
Probably my favorite feature of the Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra, the new Ultra Dock. It takes what the Auto-Empty Dock did well, and makes it better, while also adding a few other functions.
On the top of the Ultra Dock, you’ll see three compartments. From left to right, these hold dirty mop water from cleaning the mopping pad, clean water to refill the water tank, and the dustbin to empty the S7 MaxV’s dustbin. Roborock claims that this can go about 7 weeks before it needs to be emptied. We haven’t had it long enough to see if that is indeed the case, but it will also depend on how often you use it, how much dirt and debris it is picking up from your home, etc.
Roborock does not claim any length of time for the water tanks though. However, in the nearly three weeks that we have had the S7 MaxV Ultra in our possession, the water tank was not even half empty. So it can likely last around seven weeks as well. At least based on my usage. Your usage will vary depending on your mopping settings, how much of your home is being mopped, how dirty it is, how much it needs to clean the mopping pad, and so forth. The dirty water tank had very little dirty water in there. Part of that is because it is only being used to clean the mopping pad. So not much water is being used.
The S7 MaxV docks on the Ultra Dock and will empty the dustbin automatically. It sucks it in from where the main roller is on the bottom of the S7 MaxV. This is the same method it used for the S7 too. It doesn’t always clean the mopping pad though. In our experience, sometimes it will clean the mopping pad when it docks after cleaning, and sometimes it will clean it before it starts cleaning the next time.
Now the only disadvantage here is that the S7 MaxV needs to get off the dock, turn around and back into the dock to clean the mopping pad. Unlike other robot vacuums, that can just back in and charge that way, the S7 MaxV cannot. It is honestly, only a bit annoying. I would like for it to dock, and while it charges, empty the dustbin, and then clean the mopping pad. But this is another first-world problem to be quite honest.
You don’t need the Ultra Dock
With the Roborock S7 MaxV, it is still shipping with the same dock that has shipped with Roborock vacuums since the very beginning. Which only charges the vacuum.
However, the AED that it debuted with the S7 last year does also work with the S7 MaxV. Or you can splurge for the Ultra Dock.
The Roborock S7 MaxV by itself is $859. We don’t yet have pricing on it with the AED Dock – it’ll be called the S7 MaxV Plus though. But the bundle with the Ultra dock, called S7 MaxV Ultra, is going to cost you $1,399. You can also opt to buy either dock later on, as Roborock will sell them individually.
Should I buy the Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra?
After 2,000 words, what’s my verdict on the Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra? Well, if you can stomach spending $1,399 (plus tax) on a robot vacuum, go for it. I have very few issues with this robot vacuum. And it makes cleaning up my apartment a lot more automated. Before getting a robot vacuum, I’d vacuum maybe once a week. But with a robot vacuum, I do it almost every day. The S7 MaxV Ultra is set on a schedule so it cleans everyday at a specific time. And keeps my apartment looking nice and clean.
The Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra is the new gold standard for pet owners. As pet owners will want to vacuum everyday, and keep that pet hair off the floor, and the automation of the S7 MaxV Ultra makes that a whole lot easier.
You can buy the Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra starting in the second quarter from Amazon, as well as Roborock’s own website. Roborock has not yet given us a date for when it’ll be available, other than Q2 – which starts April 1.