I Tested Roborock’s Thinnest Robot Vacuum — Here Are My Honest Thoughts

I consider myself a busy person, and I find it hard to stay on top of weekly chores like vacuuming, dusting, and mopping. But I hate the feeling of dust and dirt accumulating on my feet (I keep a shoes-off household). That’s why I was excited to test the Roborock Saros 10R Robot Vacuum to see if it can help me keep my floors cleaner between deep cleans. Spoiler alert: It does! 

The Roborock Saros 10R Robot Vacuum is the thinnest Roborock available, at 7.98 cm tall. That makes it ideal for getting under furniture and reaching hard-to-clean spaces. What differentiates the Saros 10R from the Saros 10 is the StarSight Autonomous System 2.0, which features LiDAR coupled with 3D Time-of-Flight (ToF) Navigation that allows it to 3D scan your home for precision navigation and mapping. The ToF sensors also allow it to outline obstacles, and by using an RGB camera it can recognize barriers and objects with ease. 

It also has dual spinning mops that lift when it approaches soft surfaces like carpets or rugs, plus a side brush, and it’s completely self-cleaning. The 10-in-1 docking system has a 60-day automatic dust collection and auto tank refilling, and it uses 176°F hot water for mop washing and 131°F hot air drying, ensuring the mop stays clean and dry.

I was nervous that once the Roborock Saros 10R completed the initial mapping, it wouldn’t update or try to explore the bounds of my home further — even if rooms were blocked off or furniture was in the way. That is not the case; this smart robot will update its map and chart new pathways months after maps were created if things get moved around or if rooms suddenly open to it. 

I absolutely love the slim design of the Roborock — it’s slimmer than any vacuum that I own! — and it seamlessly got under my sofa, bar cabinet, dining room table, and even under the bed, which has an incredibly low clearance (like maybe 4 inches, maximum). It gets into areas that I would realistically only clean once every six weeks or so, because it would require moving furniture aroun, or even totally removing the mattress and bunkie board off of the bed frame to get to the areas needed to clean. For this reason it’s a godsend; it makes what would be difficult and even sweat-inducing work a breeze. 

Both the vacuum and mop features are highly effective, and I love running the Roborock a few times a week — maybe on a Wednesday and then again on Saturday, especially between deep cleans I would do myself. The Roborock is a great smart robot vacuum if you want something that does it all, but I found that it was especially great at picking up all sorts of dust and dirt on rugs and would move pretty well between rugs and hardwood floors. It’s also pretty good at clearing obstacles — and will try again and again to clear an obstacle like different leveled flooring. 

I will say that sometimes it struggles when cleaning on the edge of rug and wood floor to fully pick up dirt, and it can get stuck on even low-clearance rugs if they’re not sufficiently held down with rug tape (but it can work its way out of that jam pretty easily). Another thing to note: If you haven’t cleared out the dust bag (you won’t get automatically notified when it’s time to do so, so you have to monitor this after each cleaning), the machine will spit out a hairball or two throughout the apartment (although they are easy to pick up and toss out). 

And the big question: Does it replace a human being vacuuming and mopping completely? No. Ultimately, though, a robot vacuum is great to use in addition to your regular cleaning to help cut down on time spent on deeper cleans. It’s a powerful machine that makes those cleans further and fewer between, and keeps my floors much cleaner all of the time, eliminating that gross, dirty-foot feeling between deep cleans. For the time back alone, this machine is worth every penny — not even considering how much cleaner my floors are all of the time because it’s so easy to just have this thing vacuum away while I’m working from home, doing other chores, or just watching television. 

It’s incredible to watch it know the difference between rug and hard flooring, and the smart mopping feature is highly accurate, so I’m never worried about my wool rugs being ruined in the process of being cleaned. Plus, the dirty and clean water tanks and dust bags are easy to remove — even if you don’t get notified when the dust bag is full. 

• The ultra-slim design means the vacuum gets to places that are genuinely difficult for humans to reach.
• It 3D maps and navigates; plus the AI obstacle recognition and continuously updating maps mean the machine is always learning. 
• There’s a 10-in-1 docking system and self-cleaning capabilities; the tanks and dust bags are easy to clean and empty.
• It’s a great addition to your cleaning routine, keeping floors sparkling between manual deep cleans.

• It sometimes gets stuck on loose, low-clearance rugs, but finds a way to get out of that issue quickly.
• It can spit out hairballs if you haven’t cleaned out the dust bag regularly (it doesn’t notify you as often).
• It’s not a total replacement for manual mopping and vacuuming, but that’s OK. It extends time between your regular mopping and vacuuming routine.

If you’re looking for a robot vacuum that does many different things and has the power to deeply clean your floors, this is a really great one to buy — and the price point reflects that. If you are someone who lives in a home with a lot of foot traffic, regular spills, a pet, or children, this is the perfect way to keep your floors cleaner throughout the week when you might not have time to mop up spills, vacuum dirt and dust, or keep specific rooms or entryways clean. It’s great if you have a regular mess (like your kid drops a lot of food onto the ground in the dining room after dinner), as you can set cleaning routines and specific maps for your vacuum or mop (or both) to clean whenever you need it. And while it doesn’t replace manual labor (in my opinion), it certainly makes you do less of it — a win in my book. 

Buy: Roborock Saros 10R Robot Vacuum, $1,599.99