Roborock Saros 10 review: a robot vacuum evolution

The Roborock Saros 10 is an evolution of Roborock’s best robot vacuums, offering heaps of suction, tangle-free brushes, a self-cleaning docking station, and more customization options than you’d ever imagine. It’s a premium product with a premium price tag — and if you’re seeking one of the best robot vacuum and mop combos money can buy, it’s an easy recommendation.

Roborock launched the Saros 10 and Saros 10R around the same time, and along with similar names, they offer many of the same features. In fact, our in-depth comparison found them equally matched at most tasks, and you can’t go wrong choosing either model. However, the Saros 10 uses an older navigation system than the Saros 10R — meaning it’s a tried-and-true solution bound to appeal to long-time Roborock customers.

When that system is coupled with 22,000 Pa of suction, a premium dock, a slim new robot design, and a detachable mopping plate, you end up with one of our favorite robot vacuum and mop combos. The Saros 10 is absolutely incredible, and most shoppers will find it to be a welcome addition to their smart home.

A do-it-all robot vacuum

Robot vacuums priced at over $1,000 are built to be highly autonomous. That’s doubly true for the $1,600 Saros 10, which can run for weeks without any manual input. After running through the quick installation and mapping process, you can program an automated cleaning schedule. For example, you can schedule it to run every day while you’re away at work, allowing you to come home to floors that have been thoroughly vacuumed and mopped. The onboard AI does an excellent job of determining the settings needed to best clean your home, but you’ll find a wealth of customization options if you’re interested in tinkering with its settings (including suction levels, mopping wetness, and restricted zones).

The Saros 10 cleans better than most other robot vacuums we’ve tested, thanks to a staggering 22,000 Pa of suction — which is more than nearly all competitors, including its sibling, the Saros 10R. A tangle-free brush design means you won’t have to worry about hair or strings clogging up its components, and a swinging side brush helps it reach tricky locations.

Mopping is much the same, with an updated VibraRise 4.0 Mopping System capable of scrubbing out tough stains without any trouble. The big selling point of the mop, however, is that it can automatically detach when not in use. This allows the Saros 10 to leave its mop in the docking station when cleaning carpet, then return to the dock to install the mop when cleaning hard floors.

It’s a genius design — and one that’s bound to win over homeowners with plush carpets (like myself).

Once a cleaning cycle is complete, the robot will head back to its dock. Here, it’ll automatically empty its dustbin into a larger reservoir, then clean its mopping plate with hot water and dry it with warm air. It’ll also clean the docking station itself, ensuring any gunk that fell off the robot gets washed into the dirty water reservoir.

Apartments and cozy homes will find the Saros 10 only requires input every week or so, thanks to large water reservoirs and a dustbag that lasts weeks before needing to be replaced. Larger homes might need to perform more frequent checks — but regardless, it’s a highly automated robot vacuum that handles nearly all its tasks without needing a babysitter.

Tried-and-true navigation

While the Saros 10R employs the same navigation system as the upcoming Saros Z70 and its robotic arm, the Saros 10 uses an updated version of its Reactive AI system found on many of its existing products. This means you’re getting a tried-and-true system that’s been working successfully for several years — and our testing proved it to work wonderfully during daily cleanings.

From properly mapping my home and avoiding obstacles to navigating around my two wild dogs, the Saros 10 cruises around without much trouble. However, like most robot vacuums, it still has trouble with cords and cables. Specifically, it had issues identifying a white charging cable I purposefully left out for testing — instead of moving around it, the vacuum plowed right over it.

Thankfully, that was one of the only instances where the Saros 10 struggled. Beyond that, it never once got stuck or needed to be rescued, and it managed to reach most of the nooks and crannies scattered throughout my living space.

What about the Saros 10R?

The Saros 10 is remarkably similar to the Saros 10R. They both have premium docking stations, they both can automatically remove their mopping pads, and they both can use AI to automatically determine the right settings to best clean your home. However, there are a few key differences between the 10 and 10R.

As mentioned above, the Saros 10 uses an older navigation system compared to the new StarSight Autonomous System 2.0 on the Saros 10R. This hasn’t been around as long, but we found it to work just as well (and sometimes better) than that of the Saros 10.

The Saros 10 offers more such at 22,000 Pa compared to 20,000 Pa of the Saros 10R. Both of those numbers are more than capable of handling daily cleaning tasks, though the extra 2,000 Pa of the Saros 10 could be useful for demanding jobs.

Mopping technology is also quite different, with the Saros 10 using a large vibrating mopping plate, whereas the Saros 10R uses two spinning mopping pads. I personally prefer the spinning mopping pads for daily cleanings, but the plate on the Saros 10 certainly works well for clearing tough stains or dried material caked onto the floor. While both are great, testing found newer technology like the Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni’s roller mop to be the best solution for hard floors, though it lacks the ability to detach its mop — making it a poor companion for carpets.

Truth be told, you can’t go wrong with either Roborock product. Yes, there are some serious differences in their technology. But both are so advanced and well-designed that they’re equally capable of cleaning all types of floors.

Verdict

The Roborock Saros 10 is among the best robot vacuums on the market. Featuring a reliable navigation system, heaps of suction, and a slim design that can slip under furniture for improved coverage, it makes a wonderful addition to most homes. The price is a bit steep — and the availability of the Saros 10R makes the shopping process a bit more convoluted than it should be — but the Saros 10 will surpass the expectations of even the most discerning shopper.