Roborock S7 Review: a Game Changer In the Robot Vacuum World

Roborock sent us a sample of the S7 so we tested it and shared our thought it in this review. The robot has an advanced mopping system that includes a vibrating mopping pad. The biggest improvement we have been looking for is mopping pad lifting technology. Now you don’t have to set no-mop zones, the robot will automatically lift the mopping pad when detecting carpets. Unlike the previous models, the Roborock S7 can vacuum carpets and mop the hard floors in one cleaning cycle. The S7 also got an upgraded brushroll that is ideal for pet owners and supports a self-emptying bin. That’s right, the company is going to sell a self-emptying base this year later. The robot is available on Geebuying for $459.99 or on Amazon for $599.99.

Our video review of the Roborock S7

Roborock S7 what has changed over the Roborock S6 MaxV

Roborock S7 vs. S6 MaxV Mopping Test


Design and appearance

Roborock S7 white
Roborock S7 in white color

The Roborock S7 design reminds me of the S6 MaxV with a few additions. It has the same water tank and dustbin size as well as dimensions tho the water tank and dustbin have a different shape. I kind of like the new water tank. The newer model is heavier than its predecessors. It is 4,7 kg which is on the heavier side in the robot vacuums world. It will be available in two colors, white and black.

The filtration system looks different too. Because of the new design, it doesn’t get clogged as fast and easy which helps with keeping suction at the same level for a longer period of time. I actually noticed the difference between the S7 and other Roborock modes especially at picking up sand on both hard floor and low-pile carpet.

The water tank and dustbin inserted inside at the same time which is more convenient if you want to use mopping every other day.

The robot supports Alexa, Google Home, and Siri. You can not only make it start and stop but clean in a certain room with your voice too.

At first sight, the charging dock looks the same but not really. Here you can see some additions that help to clean the cliff sensors.

Mapping and Navigation

As well as other high-end Roborock models, the Roborock S7 uses Lidar for navigation and mapping purposes. It scans the surroundings creating the map. Unlike the camera-based robots, the Lidar-guided machines complete a map after the first cleaning session. When the map is complete, the robot automatically divides it into separate sections (rooms) that can be named to make the robot clean one or a few rooms by voice commands.

Roborock S7 black
Roborock S7 (black version)

A purposeful back-and-forth navigation pattern helps the robot to not miss any area as it cleans. Roborock is known for its efficient navigation, and the S7 is no exception.

A wall sensor located on the side keeps the robot from a 2cm distance from the walls. With a bunch of other sensors, the Roborock has one of the best navigation systems on the market being gentle with furniture and covering almost 100% of the cleaning area.

As always I am fascinated by how smoothly the Roborock moves.

Cleaning Performance

A large 5,200 mAh battery ensures up to 180 minutes of cleaning on one charge and if the robot didn't get the job done, it'll top up to the level of battery it needs to finish and then resume cleaning. A large battery makes the Roborock suitable for large houses. It covers up to 300 square meters (3,230 sqft) on one charge.

The Roborock S7 uses the same motor as the S6 MaxV that delivers 2,500 Pa suction.

Roborock S7 roller brush
New rubber roller brush

A new carpet detection technology not only boosts suction when carpets are recognized but also shows the carpets on the map so the robot always knows where your carpets are located. You can see the carpet location on the map.

Another improved thing is the cleaning brush. It is now all rubber which is supposed to agitate dust off carpets better than previous-gen rubber & bristle brush.

Roborock S7 new rubber roller brush
Roborock S7 new rubber roller brush vs. old-style brush

As a nice bonus would be easy maintenance. This is essential for pet owners and those who have long hair. In addition, it has detachable side tips.

The New Mopping System

Let's talk about what we are here for. The Roborock S7 is equipped with a new sonic vibrating mopping system. According to Roborock, a variety of high-intensity scrub settings from 1,650 times/min to 3,000 times/min helps disintegrating surface dirt and breaking up even the toughest, dried-on messes - leaving floors cleaner than ever. The company claims that the new sonic mop is one of the fastest on the market.

In the demonstration video, we can see how easily the Roborock S7 handles dry coffee stains. In my testings, the Roborock S7 did better than the S6 MaxV after the first pass removing most dried stains. Overall it does better as a mop perhaps because of the new mopping cloth that looks completely different.

Another big thing is the mopping pad lifting system.

What is VibraRise technology?

The VibraRise is a technology that automatically lifts the mop when carpets are detected. Now you don't have to set no-mop zones to avoid carpet in mopping mode, the robot will do things for you. When the robot steps on the carpet, it lifts up the mopping pad, and when leaving it, the pad resumes the previous position. So now the robot can vacuum carpets and mop hard floors in one cleaning cycle. When the pad is raised, the robot shuts off the water flow.

The robot is equipped with a 300 ml electronic water tank that allows setting water flow depending on cleaning tasks. It covers up to 200 square meters of a mopping area.

When mopping is complete and the robot is charging, it automatically raises the mopping pad

Even during the first run, the robot automatically lifts the pad on carpet.

Test results. How well the Roborock S7 performs on carpet and hard floor

As to cleaning test results, I must say the Roborock S7 is one of the best robot cleaners I have ever tested. It was best on hard floor and carpet and overall did the best. I assume because of the improved filtration system and fully-rubber brushroll the robot does not lose suction and is able to pick up fine debris on both surfaces.

On hard floor, it did pick up a solid 100% of sand and debris which is the best result I have ever seen. The same was on a low-pile carpet with 99.9% of debris and 93.5% of sand collected and hands down, it was the best result among all robot vacuums I put through these cleaning tests.

One of the best cleaning results on the market so far

As to pick up test on a medium-pile carpet, the S7 scored 96.8% which is also one of the best results.

Floor type Hard floor (sand) Hard floor (debris) Low-pile carpet (debris) Low-pile carpet (sand) Medium-pile carpet (debris) Overall
Score (%) 100 100 99.9 93.5 96.8 98

I couldn’t be surprised enough by how well the Roborock S7 cleans and I expected no less than the Roborock S6 MaxV on this.

Mopping test

To test the mopping performance, I made stains out of coffee, cocoa, fruit juice, and soy sauce. I thought the vibration would be loud and you actually can hear it when the robot is working but it’s actually doesn’t make a difference with the older models.

To my experience with the S7, it is so far the best hybid robot vacuum on the market. It removed most stains after the first pass and almost completely removed them all after the second. In the menu, you can select between deep and standard mopping mode.

The Roborock S7 showed the best mopping results I have ever seen

The deep or high-intensity mode is recommended for just vacuumed floors. It tighens the Z-shape so the robot goes over the same area twice. You can’t select suction in this mode too as the vacuuming power is going to be reduced automatically once you make the robot mop.

As to the whole house cleaning, I likes the way Roborock S7 mops too. You can see the wet lines it leaves on the floor which is satisfying.

And by the way, the robot lifts the mopping module once it completes the job so if the dock’s location is on carpet, it would not touch it with the wet cloth.

The App

The Roborock S7 would probably support both, the Mi Home and Roborock apps.

On the main menu, you can select cleaning mode, water level output, and intensity.

The app offers features we have seen in other models such as:

  • real-time tracking (watch the robot working in real-time)
  • no-go & no-mop zones support (prevent the robot from crossing certain areas)
  • scheduling. You can select cleaning mode, mopping intensity and water level for each room or the whole house

  • zoned cleaning (customize where to clean)

  • room cleaning (send the robot directly to a specific room)

  • customizable scheduling (set cleaning mode and water flow for each room)

  • multimapping (supports up to 4 floor plans)

  • child lock locks the buttons so your kid nor a pet can turn on the robot
  • remote control to control the robot like a radio car

  • pin and go to send the robot to a particular location

  • edit map (merge/divide the areas, name them, set no-go and no-mop zones, etc)

  • cleaning history

With all these features, you can customize where the robot should or should not clean but there are some new settings.

There is Carpet Display in App that shows carpeted surface on the map so the robot knows the carpet location. On the map, you are able to see which area the robot mopped and which one is covered with a carpet.

And the other feature is carpet settings. It includes three options:

  • Rise. This option is suitable for low-pile carpets and rugs. It lifts up the mopping module to vacuum the carpet.
  • Avoid. With the mopping attachments on, the robot will avoid the carpets altogether.
  • Ignore. Suitable for surfaces with no carpet or rugs that can be mopped such as rubber mat.

A self-emptying bin is coming soon

The Roborock S7 supports a self-emptying bin which is currently under development and will be available this year. This is the first self-emptying bin from Roborock and we hope it would be as good as the robot itself. On the render, it looks fantastically good. Like nothing, we've seen before.

The S7 self-empty base render
The S7 self-empty base render

*this is a draft render which means that there's still design changes down the line.

Keep in mind, the bin will be available only in black color so if you want to get one, you'd better go with the black robot.

To me, the bin looks awesome!

Price and when will be available to buy

The Roborock S7 is already available on Amazon in the US.

In Europe, you can order the S7 from Geekbuying for $459.99.

About Roborock

Roborock has been producing robot vacuums for about 6 years. Founded in July 2014, Beijing Roborock Technology Co., Ltd. (Roborock) specializes in the research, development, and production of products that make people's lives more comfortable. The company develops and produces robot vacuums under its Roborock brand, as well as creating robot vacuums for one of China’s largest technology companies, Xiaomi.

Currently, Roborock is available in 40 countries, including the U.S., Germany, France, and Spain. The company operates out of four locations, with offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong.

Read more about the Roborock S6 MaxV on the official Roborock website.

To know more about Roborock, feel free to visit its official website and join the unofficial Roborock community on Reddit.

You can also find an email to contact Roborock if needed in the app.

To conclude or who is the Roroborock S7 for

The Roborock S7 is easily best vacuum-mop on the market to date. It has new features to the market and performs great on both surfaces. It is ideal for homes with bare floors and carpets as it would keep vacuuming your carpets and mop the hard floors at the same time. This is absolutely new and none robot vacuum performs this way.

Thanks to the upgraded cleaning brushroll, the S7 agitates fine debris better than the previous models and is easier to maintain too.

I really like the S7, I was impressed by cleaning results even tho I expected them to be better than average. I think this is an ideal choice for those who have a mixed surface. Keep in mind the robot will still be touching a medium-pile carpet with the mopping module but I don’t see the reason of not getting one even if you have such carpet.

Yes, the price tag is higher than average but we never seen anything similar on the market before. In fact, the Roborock S7 is not only a good vacuum but also one of the best mops too. Normally you have to choose one among the two but with the S7, you can have both.

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30 comments
Bill ⋅ 3 years ago #

I purchased the Roborock and after returning the Honiture and the 360 S7 this is an amazing vacuum -
1. it is quieter than all the others.
2. while it is doing its' mapping if you make a no go zone it goes on hold and waits till you are done and resumes. Incredible -

3. it does not get stuck on high carpet - it climbs on when the 360 S7 refused and would not vacuum - it also can vacuum carpet that others failed on because they needed their fall sensors to be taped off.
4. it has a very long battery.
5. the resume function works better than all the others as well.
This is a very impressive vacuum.

Natalie Red ⋅ 3 years ago #

Nice Bill, I am glad you have decided to stick with a Roborock. These are my favorite robots of all too. The combination of good software, navigation, smart features, and cleaning performance make the Roborock robots the best value.

Mirko Genovese ⋅ 3 years, 2 months ago #

Hello! I need some help on choosing the best vacuum that would fit me. Do you have Instagram or something that we can just have a chat? To talk about?

Natalie Red ⋅ 3 years, 2 months ago #

No Instagram. The main parameters:
- Your budget
- Home size
- What is your surface
- Do you need a self-emptying bin
- Do you need mopping
- Do you have lots of furniture
- Is your place one-floor or two-floors

Mirko Genovese ⋅ 3 years, 2 months ago #

— Your budget: 300€
— Home size: 30mq
— What is your surface: Laminate
— Do you need a self-emptying bin: if in budget why not. Not essentially
— Do you need mopping: Yes?
— Do you have lots of furniture: no, but I have a cat and sometime I have some small object on the floor
— Is your place one-floor or two-floors: one floor

I have right now a Tesvor S6 and almost the time are stuck on some small object while my old xiaowa e2 was better . I was thinking about the Xiamo mi vacuum mop pro, how will handle small object? Will get stuck easily?

Natalie Red ⋅ 3 years, 2 months ago #

So to handle small objects you would need something with a camera and Lidar like the Roborock S6 MaxV but that is not a budget option.

The Xiaomi Mop Pro is a good one if you don't have carpets and it is actually good for the price if you are looking for a good mopping feature. As to navigation, the Xiaomi is more or less a good machine, it does not get stuck as much as I have experienced with the other robots, and it successfully avoids bigger objects. The thing with small things is that Lidar can't detect them because of the size and probably no robot would at least for now.
As to the robots with self-emptying, you wouldn't find one for the price and most of them (the cheaper ones I mean) are not good on carpet and don't have mopping feature as good as the Xiaomi's.

So in one word, if you remove the small things off the floor, the Xiaomi would be a good option.

Does that help?

Mirko Genovese ⋅ 3 years, 2 months ago #

If I would go to the next step, after xiaomi vacuum mop pro which one ?

Natalie Red ⋅ 3 years, 2 months ago #

I would go for a Roborock. Maybe the S5 Max

Mirko Genovese ⋅ 3 years, 2 months ago #

There is a big difference between xiaomi mop pro and roborock s5 max?

Natalie Red ⋅ 3 years, 2 months ago #

In details. The Roborock is better on carpet. Have a look at our comparison between the two.

Mirko Genovese ⋅ 3 years, 2 months ago #

Do you know if I would find some difference between my tesvor s6 and this xiaomi vacuum pro?

Natalie Red ⋅ 3 years, 2 months ago #

I believe the Xiami would have better navigation but I have never tested the Tesvor to be sure about it. Mopping is what the Xiaomi shines with.

Mirko Genovese ⋅ 3 years, 2 months ago #

Also, it support alexa? And there is a way to have the detachable brush on xiaomi vacuum mio pro?

Natalie Red ⋅ 3 years, 2 months ago #

Probably no way for the detachable side tips. If you don't have long hair that should not be an issue but for me it's essential.

Mirko Genovese ⋅ 3 years, 2 months ago #

I have long hair and my girlfriend also.

Natalie Red ⋅ 3 years, 2 months ago #

Have a look at the 360 S7 Pro. I have tested the 360 S7 and personally used the 360 S6 for two years. Can recommend as both have a cleaning brush with detachable side tips.

Mirko Genovese ⋅ 3 years, 2 months ago #

What the difference between this and xiaomi mop pro? Why I have to choose one or other one?

Natalie Red ⋅ 3 years, 2 months ago #

360 S7 vs. Xiaomi Mop Pro

1. Cleaning brush with detachable tips
2. The Mop Pro is good on hard floors but not so on carpet
3. The S7 is good on both surfaces but not as good at mopping as the Mop Pro
4. The S7 has better software (in my experience)
5. In my experience the S7 works flawlessly while with the Xiaomi I had issues ie map not loading; I don't know how to delete the current map; it's leaking; etc. Every time I tried to test it a new problem shows up and never the same.
6. The S7 has a gravity-fed mopping system (read point 3)
7. The S7 has carpet boost

My personal experience with the S7 is better than Xiaomi but as a mop it is a good robot vacuum.

Mirko Genovese ⋅ 3 years, 2 months ago #

After some days with xiaomi vacuum mop pro I have some problem.

Vacuum and Mopping is ok. But every time I try to clean 1 room the robot delete the map and start cleaning the all room. If I push him to the charge station the map load back again, but there is no way to get it to clean just one room. In this way make no sense to have a map. Do you know if there is a solution about? Or return it, and
buy another robot? Thinking about Roborock S5 Max Pro or 360 S7 Pro. I don’t know. Any suggestion?

PS: Would be better to get something that have object recognition also. So I don’t have problem with stuck with around object of cat.

Bill ⋅ 3 years ago #

This is by far the best vacuum I have tested/owned. I have sent back more than I can say - they all failed miserably in some way that was fatal to me. This is the best software so far. You can actually divide the house into rooms. You can edit the map. You can name the rooms.
So far everything works and works better than all other vacuums.

I have not integrated it yet with Alexa - but that will come today. To see if it works well - they actually have help in the app that shows you how to link with alexa and do voice commands.

Michael ⋅ 3 years, 2 months ago #

twd

Semyon Zhukovskiy ⋅ 3 years, 3 months ago #

Natalie hi, could you please help me to reach 360 customer service. It is enabled to deliver emails to their email addresses. I have big issues with my 360 S5. Thank you

Natalie Red ⋅ 3 years, 3 months ago #

Hi Semyon, try to contact them via Facebook

Semyon Zhukovskiy ⋅ 3 years, 3 months ago #

Thank you!

Jake ⋅ 3 years, 3 months ago #

Nice innovation in regards to a 2 in 1 vac mop, but pricey. The self empty bin is likely $200-300 add on on top of that.

Wonder if this is another global model as the Chinese site doesn't list it.

Natalie Red ⋅ 3 years, 3 months ago #

When the Roomba i7 was released it was ~$1,000. Without mopping, no-go zones, and other stuff. Add to this its inability to build a map after the first run too. The Roborock brought something absolutely new, none robot vacuum had before. I think the price is fair enough :)

The S7 is a global model.

Jake ⋅ 3 years, 3 months ago #

While thats true, I think the market has shifted because of Roborock and alternative chinese options offering similar and better feature sets at a lower price. Roborock has sorta abused the pricing factor with the gap in western markets.. and for good reason.

I will say that modern "I" series Roomba design/quality is quite nice, and regardless of being a "dumber" bot, there are certain features that are just much nicer all around but I can understand patent infringements or certain factors impacting other brands.

I cant speak for the EU, but the warranty support from Roomba seems more traditional in regards to replacement parts and general warranty inquiry if anything does fault in a year. Roborock "US" seems a little more grey area if.. lets say the motherboard for example has issues. They require you to pay to ship the product, and for me this is cross country, which is a tad silly in regards to recurring cost. (Granted they probably a low percentage of fault in the grand scheme of total sales).

It could be argued this extra cost is fronted for amazon fulfillment and that specific service center , but the logistics of the product doesn't make sense after awhile and would arguably be cheaper for the client and brand to refurbish units sent back IMO. Just seems archaic to me :P

Anyway, if were basing this on Amazon MSRP price, then sure. It's the "same" price as the S6 without "discounts", but the reality of the matter is that a vacuum like the T6 or P5 are much much cheaper domestically for the brand. Competitors such as IRobot have more of a static pricing globally, even in china.

The S7 looks like a completely ground product and not just a P5/T7 mash up like the S5 MAX. Would be nice if it has the T7 navigation algorithm which is basically pseudo object avoidance without stereo camera use from the T7 PRO/S6 MAX V.

Seems like the S7 will have a new top load E11 filter from what I can see via renders.

Btw, have you seen the new Samsung Lidar/camera hybrid bot? Seems interesting.. and bulky.. haha.

I think the pricing of robots will drop quite a bit in the next 2 years. Were already seeing mass discounts on alt brands like Dreame.

Natalie Red ⋅ 3 years, 3 months ago #

Had a look just now. Now I'm wondering what the price will be, not much info out for now

Jake ⋅ 3 years, 3 months ago #

Some news blogs claim it will be close to the $1000 price segment with the auto empty bin, which is quite high, but I can see the reasoning if it delivers due to the Samsung marketing and name.

The real world price point comes down to functionality and competitive offerings. Like I said, prices of robots should drop in the next few years given trends. Also wouldn't surprise me of IRobot enters LIDAR with a modular replacement unit sold on their store lol

Natalie Red ⋅ 3 years, 3 months ago #

Samsung robots have always been on an expensive side of the market so I'm not surprised the price might be up to $1,000. Have to read more about it tho.

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