Roborock’s new S7 and advanced S6 MaxV duke it out for keeps

This story was originally published 2021/05/28
8:00am PDTon May 28, 2021 and last updated 2021/05/30
9:02am PDTon May 30, 2021. 

As we covered in a recent article, there are a lot of great Roborock vacuums to choose from. Whether you want the best value, the best tech, or the best of both, you can find it in Roborock’s lineup. On the high end, though, two vacuums in particular stand out above the rest. Today, we’re taking a closer look at Roborock’s most advanced products — the brand new S7 in one corner and the advanced S6 MaxV in the other — to see how they stack up.

First thing’s first, let’s take a quick look at the specs:

Pound for pound, the new S7 and the advanced S6 MaxV have a lot in common. They both achieve the same level of suction, their lithium-ion batteries are identical, and they have similar dustbin and water tank capacities. Where things start to differ are in their specialized features and tech upgrades.

Roborock S7: Mop like Rosey the Robot, without the sass

The S7 is the first and only Roborock smart vacuum that comes equipped with a retractable vibrating mop head. When activated, the mop will scrub your floors up to 3,000 times per minute, enabling it to buff away more dirt and debris than a typical non-vibrating mop, like the one that comes with the S6 MaxV. When the mop is no longer needed, it retracts 5mm up into the body of the vacuum so that the S7 can sweep your rugs and carpeted floors without getting them wet. All of this happens automatically, allowing the S7 to flit about your home — from carpets to hardwood floors and back again — without you needing to do a thing.

In addition to an advanced mop head, the S7 comes equipped with a new rubber brush. Not only is this brush more durable than the bristled variant found on the S6 MaxV, but it also hugs the floor for better dirt and debris removal.

To learn even more about the new Robroock S7, check out or full review here.

S6 MaxV: The Magellan of robotic vacuums

Although the S7 may have a smarter mop and a better brush than the S6 MaxV, you shouldn’t count 2020’s flagship vacuum out just yet. Even at more than a year old, the S6 MaxV is the only vacuum in Roborock’s collection that can literally see where it’s going. Equipped with two front-facing cameras plus LiDAR navigation, the S6 MaxV is able to view the path in front of it, identify potential obstacles along its current route, and steer around them if necessary.

This gives the S6 MaxV a unique advantage over the S7, which just uses LiDAR with adaptive route algorithms to guide its way. That means the S6 MaxV is the only Roborock vacuum that can see unexpected obstacles — like shoes, cords, small children, or even presents left by your favorite furry friend — and actively avoid them so as not to cause a bigger problem. Lastly, for the sake of security, all images captured via the S6 MaxV’s cameras are processed on device and immediately deleted afterwards.

Choose wisely

So which vacuum’s best for you? It all depends on your home and your needs. For instance, if you have a house comprised mostly of hard floors, it’s tough to beat the S7 with its vibrating retractable mop head. If your home is filled with kids and/or pets, or if it’s a place where movable obstacles occupy the floors, the all-seeing S6 MaxV is the way to go. Luckily, whichever smart vacuum you choose, both options come with Roborock’s renowned cleaning power and refined cleaning technology.

Buy: