In 2022, we were introduced to Roborock S7 MaxV, which could be considered to be one of the best vacuums currently. In short, the robot has the most advanced LIDAR and active camera navigation system with computer vision. The cleaning module lets the robot simultaneously vacuum and mop the floor, while leaving the carpets dry thanks to the rising platform. Well, an optional self-cleaning and automatic wipe rinse station can be included. In the Ultra package, the robot vacuum cleaner becomes a full-fledged combine for automatic cleaning. So, as not to overload you with information, I decided to make a separate review of the Roborock S7 MaxV and separately on the Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra, as the price affects some things. For comparison, the cost of a robot with a regular charging base is about $1,000, while in the Ultra package it’s $1,600. Now, let’s see how cool this thing is, then test it!
Package
The vacuum came in this box:
The package is small and includes a charging base, a power cord, and documents.
Design
Now let’s look at the build. It’s round, and comes in black with little hints of red.
The front has a bumper with sensors and cameras to recognize and avoid objects. It’s important to note that under the camera is a LED backlight, which helps to detect objects even in total darkness, which I’ll just have to test. On the sides of the camera there are charging ports. There’s also a wall sensor on the right side of the bumper.
There are three buttons on the top. The lidar has a spring-loaded top that stops the robot from getting stuck under your furniture.
The 400 ml (13.5 Oz.) dirt container is under the lid. You can rinse it with water. The filtration system is only based on HEPA-filter. There is a curtain on the side of the container for self-cleaning. When buying a self-cleaning station, don’t forget to remove the cover under the container, which allows the robot to take care of itself.
The 200 ml (6.76 Oz.) water tank is at the back. The tank has an extra hole for refilling water from the station. This is really cool and a big advantage compared to other vacuums.
Let’s see this bad boy from the bottom. It has 6 sensors to stop it from falling. Next to the roller is an “ultrasonic carpet detection” sensor and charging ports to charge it from the regular base. There’s only one side brush with five silicone bristles, it’s screw mounted.
The silicone central brush can be taken off from both sides to clean from wrapped hair and fur. Its also fluid, which is cool.
The wipe sticks with VELCRO and a slider. In the center is a vibrating module, which according to the manufacturer reaches 3,000 vibrations per minute.
And I’ll emphasize that the wipe rises on carpets, when you stop the cycle, and when it returns to bae. This new tech is called VibraRise, and was first seen in Roborock S7, which I’ve also reviewed.
Technical features
Here are Roborock S7 MaxV’s main characteristics, given by the manufacturer:
- Battery Li-Ion 5200 mA*h.
- Suction power 5100 Pa.
- Battery life up to 180 mins.
- Cleaning area 300 sq.m (984 sq.f).
- Trash container 400 ml (13.5 Oz.).
- Water tank 200 ml (6.7 Oz.).
- Obstacle size 20 mm (.78 In).
- Size: 350*97 mm (13.7×3.8 In.).
Functions
Let’s get to Roborock S7 MaxV’s functions. The vacuum can be controlled through the Roborock app. It’s easy to install and connect, just follow the instructions.
The app has the following functions:
- It can save multiple maps.
- Automatically zones the map into rooms.
- The option to choose zones and rooms on the map.
- Uniquely set up cleaning parameters for each zone.
- It can set up a 3D map of your home.
- Virtual walls and no-go zones/no-mop zones.
- Getting notifications through the robot’s speaker.
- Setting up a cleaning schedule.
- It can identify and avoid obstacles.
- Three carpet cleaning modes (rise the wipe, go around the carpet, or drive over the carpet with the wipe down).
- The notifications are in several languages.
- Virtually looking after your house.
- Child-proof protection.
- Cupid mode.
- Cleaning log.
All in all, the functions are full to the max, and there’s lots of additional functions to flexibly adjust your cycle. This is really cool!
Testing
Navigation
Finally, let’s get to testing. First of all, let’s test the navigation in a room with obstacles. Upon entering, it first passes along the perimeter, after which it goes through the rest of the available area in a snake like pattern. It saw the hanger’s legs, box, and all four chair legs, and easily avoided them, then went back to base. So the test was definitely a success!
As for the rest of the house, Roborock S7 MaxV cleans room after room first along the perimeter, then in a snake-like pattern. Everything is left clean, it’s fast, and the navigation is great!
Obstacle detection and aviodance
Separately, let’s check how well it recognises objects on the floor. For this, I’ve put some household items in the room, which could make it harder to clean and even block the robot’s brushes, which would cause an error.
So Roborock S7 MaxV went around all of the obstacles, including pet poo, showing this as an obstacle with the correct size on the map. It gently tapped the toy, but this isn’t horrible. What’s important is to note how well it could identify all of the objects with accuracy!
Separately, I tested the same thing, but in total darkness. So, the robot recognized the objects, but the accuracy was lost a bit. Most of the objects it identified, and even an imitation of excrement, but he didn’t recognise it and even drove over it once.. Anyways, I still think the system is pretty accurate, at least the AI gives me hope that it’ll improve itself over time.
But the puddles weren’t seen, and the robot went right over them. So for places that might have puddles, like your bathroom, I recommend letting the robot wipe the floor without suction, so it doesn’t short-circuit.
Suction power
Roborock S7 MaxV’s suction is actually pretty high. It sucked debris out of a 10 mm (.39 In.) gap, like the younger Roborock S7. I didn’t notice a big difference in power with the actual results and the general feeling of cleaning. But either way- this is one powerful vacuum!
Hard floor cleaning
It did good picking up different objects on the laminate. Only some debris was left in the corners, where most vacuums can’t reach. All of the trash is in the container. And it’s important to note that the central brush isn’t wrapped in hair and fur. They are wound on the sides under the caps which makes it even easier to remove, which is a big plus!
Carpet cleaning
Roborock S7 MaxV also did well with carpets. I’d only note that the silicone side brush can be twisted on medium carpets and the silicone brush is still inferior to the regular bristle brush, but it’s still perfectly good for household cleaning.
Mopping
It did good with wiping the floor. The wipe presses down to the floor and absorbs the dirt. Only a small line along the baseboard is left, which is the achilles heel of all the robot-vacuum cleaners that were reviewed. Here it’s only worth noting that the maximum efficiency of wet cleaning is achieved just by the Ultra-station. In this case, the robot rinsed the cloth during the cycle, to remove streaks on the floor.
Getting ahead of myself here, but I’d like to note that it can also get off harder dried dirt, but I’ll stop on that later.
Passage of obstacles
The Roborock S7 MaxV is good off road, and could go over 2 cm (.78 In.) obstacles, with a lifted napkin, which is awesome!
Dark spaces
But Roborock S7 MaxV is still scared of dark spaces, seeing them as cliffs. Unfortunately, the problem hasn’t been solved, and the brand is aware, as they state on their site.
Volume
And finally, let’s measure Roborock S7 MaxV’s volume in different modes. At minimum power the volume hovers around 60-61 dB. At medium power it goes up to 63-64 dB. In turbo mode the volume is about 66-67 dB and in max it peaked at 75.1 dB. I can say that in the first three modes it’s quiet, considering the higher real power. And again, because of the high power it is logical that it’s louder at max power. So I’m not complaining.
Opinion
Today, I extensively reviewed and tested Roborock S7 MaxV in detail. Our algorithm gave it an 151 points. And this is with the regular base. To compare, the smaller S7 model with the Plus base scored 134 points. And, looking ahead, the new model in the Ultra set will score 175 points and took second place in the overall ranking in vacuums up to this point, that I’ve tested!
Now, as for my opinion, here’s what I liked:
- Great navigation.
- Very accurate object detection system.
- High suction power.
- Simultaneous mopping and vacuuming.
- The wipe rises on carpets.
- You can look after your home while you’re away.
- Lots of functions to flexibly adjust your cleaning parameters.
- Good mopping and vacuuming.
- A separate self-cleaning station and a self-cleaning and rinse wipe station are optionally available.
- Good off-road.
- Great assembly and high brand standard.
- Easy to clean central brush.
As for the downsides, or to be more exact inconveniences:
- Is scared of dark spaces.
- Can’t get dirt from the corners.
- The baseboard has a line of dirt left.
The inconveniences are common for almost all existing vacuum cleaners and, unfortunately, even Roborock can’t get rid of them yet. But nevertheless, S7 MaxV really proved that work was put in to make this the most advanced robot there is. As I said before, a separate review of the Ultra station will be released in the coming issues and there I’ll test in detail the effectiveness of this station and all its nuances, in comparison with the closest vacuums from other brands.
On this note I’d like to end the review. Leave any questions you may still have in the comments. Thanks for watching, and have fun shopping, bye!
