Roborock S7 vs S8 Pro Ultra: Features and Key Differences
By Elisabeth Christ
Updated August 2024
Step into the future of home cleaning with Roborock's latest offerings, the S7 and S8 Pro Ultra. These smart robots don’t just vacuum—they scrub, map, and adapt to your home with precision. But what sets these two apart? While the S7 revolutionized floor care with its VibraRise technology and sonic mopping, the S8 Pro Ultra takes it a step further with unmatched suction power and a fully automated cleaning dock. Let’s dive into the details that make these robotic titans unique.
Key Takeaways
The Roborock S7, with its 2500Pa suction and 3000-per-minute sonic mopping system, excels in hardwood floor maintenance and basic smart mapping, making it a solid choice for those seeking efficiency without overkill. The S8 Pro Ultra, however, pushes boundaries with a 6000Pa suction, dual rubber rollers, advanced PreciSense LiDAR navigation, and a self-cleaning mop—all wrapped in a sleek design. For those who demand top-tier cleaning performance and automation, the S8 Pro Ultra is a clear winner, albeit at a significantly higher price point.
Roborock S7 Robot Vacuum
Smart Robot Vacuum that Works Best for Hardwood Floors Maintenance
✓ 2500Pa suction power
✓ VibraRise mop
✓ Keep Out Zone and No Mop Zone modes available
✓ Flexible and easily-moving brush housing
Roborock S8 Pro Ultra Robot Vacuum
Advanced Smart Robot Vacuum and Mop with Great Automation
✓ dual main brushes
✓ VibraRise 2.0 mop
✓ PreciSense LiDAR technology
✓ Up to 180 minutes of operation
#1 Price & Design
Roborock S7
The Roborock S7, priced at $650, offers a smart robot vacuum that’s particularly adept at maintaining hardwood floors. It boasts a sleek design, available in white and black, and measures 13.9 inches in diameter while standing 3.8 inches tall. The shiny white plastic body is accented with brushed silver trim around the top, giving it a modern and clean aesthetic. The S7 is equipped with a raised disc in the center, housing the LiDAR sensor, a hallmark of Roborock’s advanced navigation systems. Additionally, the S7 features silver buttons near the front for spot cleaning, power/start cleaning, and docking, with a bright orange button at the rear for releasing the onboard water tank. The robot’s design also includes a red, studded, rubber-finned brush roll between two large black rubberized wheels, which is engineered for flexibility and durability.
Roborock S8 Pro Ultra
On the other hand, the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra comes with a hefty price tag of $1,599, and its design reflects this premium positioning. Like the S7, it’s available in black and white, with dimensions of 13.8 x 13.8 x 3.8 inches, but it’s noticeably heavier at 10 lbs. The S8 Pro Ultra’s design incorporates dual main brushes without long bristles, replacing them with dual rubber roller brushes that enhance cleaning efficiency and durability. Its standout feature is the large RockDock Ultra station, which includes a 2.5-liter dust bag pre-installed. The S8 Pro Ultra’s design also integrates a liftable main brush and mopping component, adding to its versatility. While the S7’s design leans towards simplicity and efficiency, the S8 Pro Ultra’s design screams luxury and advanced functionality, with every component meticulously crafted to ensure a seamless and comprehensive cleaning experience.
#2 Vacuuming & Mopping Performance
Roborock S7
When it comes to vacuuming performance, the Roborock S7 offers a solid 2500Pa suction power, which is more than sufficient for everyday cleaning tasks, particularly on hardwood floors. Its sonic mopping system, a highlight feature, includes multiple scrub settings via a removable half-moon-shaped mopping plate and reusable microfiber pad. The S7’s mop automatically lifts up by 5mm when the robot detects carpet, preventing any accidental wet messes on your carpets, a feature known as VibraRise technology. This model is designed to handle typical household debris effectively, although it might struggle with deeper carpet cleaning due to its lower suction power compared to newer models. The sonic-mopping technology vibrates the mopping pad 3000 times per minute, ensuring that your floors are not just vacuumed but also thoroughly scrubbed, leaving them spotless.
Roborock S8 Pro Ultra
In contrast, the S8 Pro Ultra pushes the envelope with a whopping 6000Pa suction power, making it a beast in vacuuming performance. It handles everything from fine dust to larger debris with ease, and the dual rubber roller brushes ensure that no dirt is left behind. The S8 Pro Ultra’s mopping system, enhanced by VibraRise 2.0, covers a wider mopping zone with varying levels of intensity, from mild to intense scrubbing. Unlike the S7, the VibraRise mop in the S8 Pro Ultra is not a removable component, and it self-dries when the robot returns to the base, minimizing the need for manual maintenance. While the S7 excels on hardwood floors, the S8 Pro Ultra is designed to tackle a variety of surfaces, including carpets and tiles, with its superior suction and mopping capabilities.
#3 Smart Mapping & PreciSense LiDAR
Roborock S7
The Roborock S7 is equipped with smart mapping technology, which allows it to map your home accurately in just one run. Its PreciSense LiDAR navigation system, housed in the raised disc on top of the robot, enables the S7 to navigate efficiently, creating a detailed map of your home for targeted cleaning. The S7 follows an S-shaped cleaning pattern after mapping, ensuring that it covers every inch of your floors systematically. It also includes keep-out zones and no-mop zones, allowing you to customize the cleaning areas according to your needs. This model avoids objects pretty well, thanks to its array of sensors, although it lacks the AI-obstacle recognition found in more advanced models.
The S8 Pro Ultra, however, takes smart mapping to the next level with its PreciSense LiDAR technology, offering not just 2D but also 3D mapping options. This allows for a more detailed and accurate representation of your home, making it easier to set up specific cleaning zones and no-go areas. The S8 Pro Ultra’s navigation is precise, with better obstacle avoidance compared to the S7, allowing it to clean between walls and maneuver around furniture without bumping into them. The mapping process is seamless, and the robot’s ability to select certain rooms or zones to clean adds to its versatility. Whether you need a quick clean of the living room or a deep clean of the entire house, the S8 Pro Ultra’s smart mapping technology ensures that it gets the job done efficiently.
#4 Battery Life
Roborock S8 Pro Ultra
Battery life is a critical factor for any robot vacuum, and the Roborock S7 does not disappoint with its 5200mAh Li-ion battery. It offers approximately 180 minutes of runtime on a full charge, depending on the settings. This is more than enough for most households, allowing the S7 to cover a large area before needing to recharge. The robot supports recharge-and-resume operation, so if the battery runs low in the middle of a cleaning cycle, it will automatically return to the dock to recharge before resuming where it left off. Charging the S7 to full capacity takes about 3-4 hours, ensuring that it’s ready for the next cleaning session in no time.
The S8 Pro Ultra, while also equipped with a 5200mAh lithium-ion battery, has a slightly shorter runtime of 130 minutes under normal settings, extending to 180 minutes in quiet mode. This difference is likely due to the S8 Pro Ultra’s higher suction power and advanced features, which consume more energy. Like the S7, the S8 Pro Ultra supports recharge-and-resume operation, ensuring that your cleaning sessions are uninterrupted. However, it takes about 4 hours to charge fully, which is on par with the S7. Despite the shorter runtime, the S8 Pro Ultra’s powerful performance and advanced features make it a worthy contender for larger homes or those with more demanding cleaning needs.
#5 Connectivity
Roborock S7
Both the Roborock S7 and S8 Pro Ultra excel in connectivity, making them easy to integrate into your smart home ecosystem. The S7 is compatible with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri, allowing you to control the robot with simple voice commands. It supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi connectivity, ensuring a stable and reliable connection regardless of your network setup. The Roborock app, which is easy to navigate, allows you to customize cleaning schedules, set up keep-out zones, and monitor the robot’s progress in real-time. The app’s intuitive design makes it accessible to users of all tech levels, ensuring that you can get the most out of your S7 with minimal hassle.
The S8 Pro Ultra offers similar connectivity features but with added sophistication. It also supports Alexa, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, and Siri, making it a perfect fit for any smart home. The Wi-Fi connectivity is robust, ensuring that the robot can receive commands and updates without interruption. The S8 Pro Ultra’s app setup is straightforward and uncomplicated, much like the S7, but with additional features that allow for more precise control over the robot’s cleaning parameters. You can adjust the suction power, scrubbing intensity, and even select specific rooms or zones to clean, all from the convenience of your smartphone. The connectivity options in both models are top-notch, but the S8 Pro Ultra’s advanced controls give it a slight edge for those who want more customization in their cleaning routines.
Roborock S7 vs S8 Pro Ultra
Final Thoughts
Roborock S7 vs S8 Pro Ultra
Both the Roborock S7 and S8 Pro Ultra offer impressive cleaning capabilities, but they cater to different needs and budgets. The S7 is perfect for those who want a smart, efficient, and reasonably priced robot vacuum that excels on hard floors. It’s a great all-rounder that covers the basics with style. The S8 Pro Ultra, on the other hand, is designed for those who want the best of the best—its superior suction power, advanced mapping, and self-maintaining features make it ideal for larger homes or those with more complex cleaning requirements. If you’re looking to invest in a top-tier robotic vacuum that takes care of everything with minimal input, the S8 Pro Ultra is your go-to choice.
If you like to read more about Robot Vacuum Cleaners, check out our other relevant guides here:
Roborock Q8 vs S8
Roborock QRevo vs S8
Roborock Q5 vs Q7 Max
Roborock S7 vs Q7 Max
Roborock S7 vs S8
Roomba J5 vs J7
Roomba I5 vs J5
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