The Roborock S6 MaxV and S7 are the latest robots in the lineup. I was lucky to test both and since those two are similar yet different devices let’s talk about which robot vacuum is best for homes with a mixed surface, cluttered areas, etc.
The differences between the Roborock S7 vs. S6 MaxV
| Feature | Roborock S7 | Roborock S6 MaxV |
|---|---|---|
| Front camera (better object avoidance) |
no | yes |
| Remote camera view | no | yes |
| Avoids small objects (socks, cables, pet toys, shoes, pet poop, etc.) |
no | yes |
| Vibrating mop (better stain removal) |
yes | no |
| Mop lifting on carpets | yes | no |
| Deep mopping mode (denser cleaning path) |
yes | no |
| Ultrasonic carpet sensor (precise carpet detection) |
yes | no |
| Automatic carpet avoidance in mopping mode | yes | no |
| Main brush type | all-rubber | combined (bristles + rubber fins) |
| Cleaning performance | better overall on hard and carpet floors, but performs poorly with pet hair on carpets | worse overall, but at hadling with pet hair thanks to the brush with bristles |
| Water tank capacity | 300 ml | 270 ml |
| Noise level | louder, especially on hard floors, because of the rubber brush | not as loud thanks to the brush with soft bristles |
| Auto-empty base support | yes | no |
| Price | $649.99Amazon $394.99Roborock.com $459.99Geekbuying |
$649.99 |
In short, the Roborock S6 MaxV has a built-in camera to recognize and avoid small objects while the Roborock S7 has a more advanced mopping system as well as the ability to work with a self-emptying bin. Based on that, the S6 MaxV allows watching it cleaning in real-time, recognizes small things, and takes pictures of them as well as avoiding pet waste. Those things are not available in the S7.
The S7 tho has a deep mopping mode, child lock, button lights, allows selecting vibration frequency, and the robot avoids, ignores, or rise the mopping pad on carpet in mopping mode.
The dustbin of the S7 has a different design even tho its capacity is about the same as the S6 MaxV. If you forget to insert the filter, the S7 dustbin would not be able to close. With the S6 MaxV, you can accidentally run the robot without the filter and wouldn’t know about it.
The Roborock S6 MaxV has a brushroll that is a mix of bristles and rubber parts. The S7 roller is fully rubber. The brushrollers are not compatible.
The water tanks have a different design too even tho both are 300 ml in size.
What is the same
The Roborock S7 and S6 MaxV are guided by Lidar as a result coverage and navigation are equally the same. Both have the size dustbin and water tank and similar charging dock. The S7 and S6 MaxV deliver 2,500 Pa suction. As to a water container, both can control water flow but the shape of the tanks is different. Both have a HEPA filter and the same size dustbin but those are not interchangeable as the shape is different too.
Roborock S6 MaxV vs. S7
Cleaning performance
As to vacuuming, both have the same suction but a different type of cleaning brush which causes better results for the S7. The fully-rubber brush does better with ultra-fine debris like sand on hard floor and low-pile carpet too.
On hard floor, the S7 does better with sand as well as on a low-pile carpet.
The cleaning test results
| Score/Model | S6 MaxV | S7 |
|---|---|---|
| Bare floor, debris | 99.8% | 100% |
| Bare floor, sand | 95.9% | 100% |
| Low-pile carpet, debris | 99.5% | 99.9% |
| Low-pile, sand | 86.7% | 93.5% |
| Medium-pile, debris | 94.5% | 96.8% |
| Overall score | 95.2% | 98% |
In our testing, the S7 picked up more debris on the medium-pile carpet as well. The overall score in the S7 is 98% when the S6 MaxV is 95.2%.
Overall the S7 performs better at picking up fine and ultra-fine debris and I assume it is because of the fully-rubber brushroll. In general, the S7 is the best-performing robot vacuum I have tested to date.
Mopping performance
As to removing tough stains, the S7 performs better. Its mopping cloth along with the vibrating module does the job better. In our tests, it did better after the first and second passes too.
It also lifts the pad after the job is done and when it's charging so you don't have to worry about removing the pad when it's on the dock as well as don't need a water-proof mat.
You can keep the dock on carpet with no worry it would get dirty because of the mopping cloth.
You also don't need to set no-mop zones as the S7 knows where the carpet is and keeps vacuuming the carpet and mopping the hard floors at the same time.
For those who have a mixed surface, the S7 is definitely a better choice and is more convenient to use. For hard floors only, both do the job just fine.
Navigation
As to navigation, this is tricky. The S6 MaxV has a built-in camera that helps with recognizing and avoiding objects. So the S6 MaxV is safer if you leave shoes, socks, and other small objects on the floor. The S7 would probably push them as it works. As to bigger objects like chair legs, both would act about the same.
I tested both with the cable, socks, shoes, and other small objects. Since the S6 MaxV learned to recognize those objects it was significantly better. The cables are tricky. It depends on how the cable lays on the floor. 8 out of 10 times, the S6 MaxV recognizes it but still, I would recommend removing the cables off the floor so the robot does not get stuck on it.
As to avoiding bigger objects, both work pretty much equally the same.
The camera allows seeing what’s around in real-time. It also takes shots of avoided objects which you can see in the app. Sometimes I entertain myself when not home, turn on the camera and watch what my cat is doing.
The App
Both robots support the Roborock and Mi Home app. The appearance of the Roborock app for both devices looks very similar yet those have some features the other model does not.
1. Since the S6 MaxV has a built-in camera, it has the following features the S7 lacks:
AI recognition allows the robot to recognize small objects
Remote viewing helps to see cleaning through the robot's eyes ie the camera onboard
The obstacle photos feature makes the robot take pics of the obstacles it avoids as the robot cleans
Pet details help the S6 MaxV avoid pet waste tho I would not recommend leaving the robot with your pet on its own
2. The S7 does not have a camera but its mopping system is advanced so the robot has other things to offer:
The robot recognizes carpeted surface which you can see on the map
Child lock can be turned on and off via physically pressing the button or via the app. It locks the buttons so not your kid nor pet can turn the robot on
The deep mode in mopping reduces the suction and the pattern becomes tighter
With VibraRise when you choose water flow you also set the vibration frequency
Button lights can be turned on and off too
Carpet avoid, ignore, or rise is different settings for the pad to be lifted or not on carpet when the robot in mopping mode.
The No-Go and No-Mop zones, as well as room cleaning or zoned cleaning, are presented in both models as well as customization for each room. This means you can set water flow and suction mode for each room. Both robots support mutlimapping.
Charging dock / Self-Emptying bin support
One of the most significant differences between the two is the S7 supporting a self-emptying system. The S6 MaxV does not have such a feature which is unfortunate.
The self-emptying bin is not on sale for now but the company claims it will be by the end of the year.
Price & Where to get
As to pricing, on Aliexpress both models cost about the same which makes making a decision tougher.
Roborock S6 MaxV:
Roborock S7
To sum up which one is better
Both robots do the job equally well however, the S6 MaxV is smarter because of the built-in camera when the S7 is more efficient to use in houses with a mixed surface.
The Roborock S6 MaxV is good if you don’t have carpets or don’t need a self-emptying base but have a pet. Or maybe you want advanced navigation and the ability to avoid small objects.
The Roborock S7 is a great device for homes with a mixed surface. It has a new rubber brushroll I am a big fan of that is ideal for those who need to deal with long hair. It also performs a bit better on carpet and hard floors but on a day-to-day basis, you wouldn’t notice the difference.
If you want self-emptying bin support, have a mixed surface, or want an advanced and more efficient experience with mopping, go for the Roborock S7.
For those who are looking for object recognition, and don’t have lots of carpets, the Roborock S6 MaxV would be a great deal.
If you are curious about other Roborock models, check out our Roborock comparison.