Roborock S9 MaxV Ultra: The Truth About the 2025 Newcomer! 22,000 Pa, Lidar Lift, and New Features!

The latest new product to review is the Roborock S9 MaxV Ultra robot vacuum cleaner. The device has received a number of updates compared to its predecessor, the S8. The main highlight is its retractable lidar, which allows the robot to clean under furniture as small as 8 cm while maintaining its familiar navigation. An off-road mode with enhanced floor pressure has also been added. Furthermore, suction power has been increased, the cleaning module has been updated, and new features have been added that enhance the robot vacuum's efficiency. As expected, the price of the new model isn't budget-friendly—around $1,400. Below, I'll thoroughly test the Roborock S9 MaxV Ultra, highlight its pros and cons based on my test results, and then share my personal opinion. Let's get started!

Equipment

The package includes the robot itself, its station, a power adapter, a spare dust bag, and documentation in Russian. This is a standard package.

Appearance

Now let's take a look at the Roborock S9 MaxV Ultra's design. Let's start with the robot vacuum itself. It's round and comes in white and black.

The height of the case with hidden lidar is 7.98 cm.

A wall sensor is installed on the right, which also detects objects on the floor to accurately avoid them. The technology is called VertiBeam.

The center houses the Reactive AI 3.0 Obstcale Recognition sensor and camera system for recognizing and accurately avoiding obstacles on the floor, as well as remote home monitoring.

There is a backlight next to the cameras, which increases the robot's alertness in the dark.

The robot's primary navigation system, the lidar, is equipped with a spring-loaded cover that prevents it from getting stuck under furniture. The lidar extends when the cleaning process starts and retracts into narrow spaces, as well as when the robot returns to the station after cleaning.

The control panel features three touch-sensitive control buttons, an upper height sensor, and microphone openings for voice control of the robot. Nearby, a backlight displays the robot's status.

The 270 ml dust container is located under the top cover. Its shape has been updated, and the HEPA filter is also slightly larger than its predecessors. The manufacturer allows the container and filter to be washed with water. The filtration system is HEPA-based only. The water tank is not removable on this robot. It is hidden inside the body and holds up to 70 ml of water. Water is pumped in automatically through the station.

A holder with a napkin is attached to the bottom of the robot:

The cloth is secured with Velcro and a groove. The holder features movable sections, each generating up to 4,000 vibrations per minute. When entering carpets, during dry cleaning, and when returning to the station, the holder and cloth automatically rise.

And here's another major update: the Roborock S9 MaxV Ultra can automatically remove the cleaning cloth holder from the station for a full dry cleaning.

The vibrating platform with a cloth works in tandem with a small round rotating cloth, which is designed for washing floors close to baseboards and furniture, without blind spots.

I'd also like to add that the robot vacuum cleaner can lift its body to overcome single-level obstacles up to 3 cm high and two-level thresholds up to 4 cm high. Interestingly, when detecting puddles or stains, the Roborock S9 MaxV Ultra lifts its front roller to press the rear part of the vacuum cleaner, holding the cleaning cloth, more firmly to the floor. This lifting technology is called AdaptLift.

The robot's underside is equipped with five anti-fall sensors, including a carpet sensor. The side brush is dual-beam, preventing hair and fur from getting tangled. In corners, the side brush automatically extends to thoroughly sweep away debris.

Central brush, like the previously released ones Roborock Qrevo Curv and the Saros 10R. It's called DuoDivide. It features two bristle-petal half-brushes with a central gap between them. The brush unit is floating, with each part disassembling. The gap itself collects wound hair and fur. The turbo brush rises during floor cleaning, when driving over obstacles, and when the robot vacuum returns to its home station.

The Roborock S9 MaxV Ultra's cleaning station features self-cleaning, refills the robot's tank with clean water, automatically adds detergent during washing, washes the cleaning cloths with hot water, and dries them with warm air, increasing the robot's overall cleaning life. Furthermore, the station automatically detects the degree of soiling of the cleaning cloths, allowing for re-washing or cleaning of particularly dirty areas. The cleaning cloths are washed at a temperature of up to 80 degrees Celsius (176 degrees Fahrenheit) and dried with air heated to 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit).

The robot's access ramp is removable. The main cleaning cloth at the station is cleaned with a special roller with elastic bristles. The drain area features a removable coarse water filter. The base's bottom is self-cleaning with scrapers, which is very convenient. An additional round cleaning cloth is cleaned in a separate area.

Above the napkin washing area, under the lid, there is a garbage bag and a container for filling with detergent.

The top houses tanks for clean and dirty water. The clean water tank contains a disinfection module.

As for connecting to sewer and water, as is now tradition, this station cannot be connected to utilities. A separate version of the station is available for this purpose, but it's highly unlikely to appear on the market.

Overall, we see that a number of improvements have been made that have increased the robot's efficiency and autonomy. We'll test how everything works in real life.

Technical specifications

The main specifications of the Roborock S9 MaxV Ultra, as stated by the manufacturer, are displayed on the screen:

Robot vacuum cleaner:

• Li-Ion battery 6400 mAh.
• Suction power up to 22,000 Pa.
• Operating time up to 220 min.
• Cleaning area up to 240 sq.m.
• Dust collector 270 ml.
• Water tank 70 ml.
• Obstacle clearance up to 40 mm.
• Robot dimensions: 353*79.8 mm.

Station:

• Clean water tank: 4 l.
• Dirty water tank: 3.5 l.
• Bag in the station: 2.7 l.
• Detergent tank: 580 ml.
• Station dimensions (L*W*H): 440*409*470 mm.

It's important to note that suction power has been increased to a record 22,000 Pa, which will be verified in tests. The vacuum's maneuverability has also been improved, and the battery capacity has been increased.

Functional capabilities

Let's move on to an overview of the Roborock S9 MaxV Ultra's features. The robot vacuum is controlled via the proprietary Roborock mobile app. Connecting to the network is straightforward; follow the manufacturer's prompts. My version is Russian-language, so the voice prompts are in Russian. The global version is in English, as is control via the proprietary assistant. Keep this in mind.

The main functions are displayed on the screen:

• Side brush extension in corners.
• Wash napkins with hot water (80 °C).
• Drying napkins with warm air (60 °C).
• Automatic mixing of detergent.
• Removing the napkin holder at the station.
• Support for the "Hello, Rocky" voice assistant.
• Self-cleaning of the dust collector at the station.
• Refilling the tank in the robot through the station.
• Recognizing objects on the floor.
• Automatic recognition of puddles and stains.
• Remote monitoring via camera.
• Saving multiple cleaning maps in memory.
• 3D map of the room.
• Automatic zoning of premises into rooms.
• Selecting areas and rooms for cleaning.
• Virtual walls and no-go zones (and for wet cleaning mode).
• Suction power adjustment.
• Adjusting the degree of wetting of the napkin.
• Intensive wet cleaning mode.
• User mode.
• Setting the frequency of washing napkins.
• SmartPlan smart cleaning planning.
• Cleaning log.
• Setting up cleaning according to a schedule.
• Automatic power increase on carpet
• Carpet cleaning in wet cleaning mode.
• Lifting napkins when driving onto carpets.
• Raising the body when overcoming obstacles.
• Increased pressure on wipes when contamination is detected.
• Improved cleaning under furniture.
• Raising the brushes in floor washing mode and when returning to the station.
• Yandex.Alice support.

Compared to the S8 MaxV Ultra, we've increased the washing temperature for the wipes, added a function that ejects the wipe holder from the station, and increased pressure on the wipes when wiping away dirt, which will be demonstrated in tests.

The robot's control via the proprietary "Hello Rocky" voice assistant deserves special attention. You simply give the robot a command by voice, and it carries it out. No third-party devices are required. Very cool!

Another interesting feature is that the robot now navigates under furniture better, occasionally dipping its rear end. I don't think this makes much sense, since the cleaning cloth extends toward the body, and more importantly, the side brush doesn't extend into the gaps. But it's an improvement, and it's worth mentioning.

In general, work is actively progressing from new product to new product.

Testing

A detailed video review with all tests has already been prepared and published on the channel:

Navigation

And finally, let's move on to the tests. First, we'll test navigation in a room with obstacles. When entering the room, the robot vacuum first swept around a box, then walked the perimeter, and finally cleaned the entire accessible area in a serpentine pattern. The mirror introduced an error in the map, but the functions now allow you to remove non-existent areas like this from the map. When traversing the perimeter, the robot recognized the legs of a clothes dryer, so it carefully avoided this trap. When swept around the legs of a table, it didn't go inside, although it was physically possible. It simply swept the outside.

Speaking of navigation within the home, the Roborock S9 MaxV Ultra cleans room by room, first along the perimeter, then in a serpentine pattern. After each room, as specified in the settings, the robot vacuum returns to the station and washes the cleaning pads, then returns to clean from where it left off. When returning to the station and back to the cleaning point, the robot picks up not only the cleaning pads but also the brushes. This is a plus. There are no uncleaned areas, the cleaning speed is high, and this model has excellent navigation!

Passing under low furniture

The minimum clearance height the robot can pass was also tested separately. I was able to create a clearance of 83 mm, and it drove through without a problem. So, I actually believe the S9 MaxV Ultra can pass under furniture up to 8 cm thick, as stated in the promotional materials.

The only thing I'd like to point out is that the lidar's placement isn't ideal, in my opinion. Near narrow spaces, like under the toilet in my case, the robot can spin without the lidar's input and end up stuck. Also, when driving near tight spaces, the lidar can be hit, which doesn't seem very reliable. I'm afraid that with such harsh impacts, it could fail prematurely. I hope the engineers will address this issue and fix it. In this regard, the Saros 10R design is safer.

Autonomy

I also tested the battery life when running the robot at maximum power with wet cleaning enabled. It lasted 107 minutes, cleaning 90 square meters of usable space. In reality, that's more than two full cleanings of a 70-square-meter two-bedroom apartment. It also features a resume cleaning mode after recharging at the charging station and a quick charge at the charging station in 150 minutes, making this model capable of cleaning larger areas.

Recognizing objects on the floor

Regarding the object avoidance system, in good lighting, the robot was able to accurately avoid six of six objects on the floor, correctly identifying five of them, but not identifying the pet surprise. It was also able to correctly identify and accurately avoid three of three socks and all four wires. Regarding avoidance of imitated pet surprises, the Roborock S9 MaxV Ultra was able to accurately avoid all six traps, identifying two of them. The robot didn't avoid these objects, although it was physically possible. But it's better than touching and being blown up by a mine.

In complete darkness, the object recognition system does become somewhat blind. Of the six standard household objects tested, the robot avoided five, only passing a simulated pet surprise. It also recognized four of the six, surprisingly failing to recognize the shoes. Of the remaining objects, the robot avoided three of the three socks in the dark, moving one slightly and recognizing one of the three as fabric. It also avoided all four wires, but failed to recognize one. However, the robot failed the "Minefield" test, avoiding only one of the six traps in complete darkness, recognizing nothing at all.

Overall, the brand's engineers still have some work to do. I personally haven't noticed any difference between the object recognition systems in the Roborock S9 MaxV Ultra and the Saros 10R.

The puddle and stain detection feature deserves special attention. For testing, I left a ketchup stain to dry overnight and also spilled a clear liquid and milk before starting the robot. The robot first detected the milk, then turned off suction, first spot-cleaning the puddle area as usual, and then mopped the same area again in a serpentine pattern, keeping its rear end pressed to the floor by extending the front swivel roller. After this, the robot returned to its station, rinsed the cleaning cloth, and resumed cleaning. The sensors didn't detect the clear puddle, so the robot moved over it as usual. However, the robot did detect the stain and also began mopping the floor in that area separately, pressing the cleaning cloth harder on the second pass. Then the robot returned to its station, rinsed the cleaning cloth, and resumed cleaning, this time without separately mopping the stain, even though it hadn't removed it previously.

In my opinion, the stain recognition and removal algorithm needs some work. The robot should have rechecked the area and, if any stain residue was detected, rinsed it again locally, and continued until the stain was removed. This is how it's implemented in the Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Plus. The stain removal feature is only partially implemented there. Still, it's good to have it.

Cleaning behind the curtains

I also checked whether the new navigation system can clean behind curtains and drapes, something most lidar robots can't do. No, this robot, like its siblings in the line, doesn't clean behind curtains.

Suction power

The power test that interested me most was the power test. In Silent mode, the Roborock S9 MaxV Ultra only managed to partially clean debris from a 2 mm gap. In Balance mode, the result remained unchanged. In Turbo mode, the robot cleared the 2 mm gap better. In Maximum mode, the robot partially cleaned the 4 mm gap, and in Max+ mode, the 4 mm gap was cleared better.

The result is the same as the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra, which has 10,000 Pa. So I can't confirm the increased power. The brush, dust container, and HEPA filter have been changed. It's likely the updated design still suffers from aerodynamic losses.

Dry cleaning

The quality of debris collection on laminate floors was good. Various debris was collected from the rack, including cat litter pellets, which often clog the turbo brush. Importantly, this robot vacuum cleaned corners well, leaving no debris behind. The side brush algorithm has finally been refined, and there are now no blind spots. That's good!

I'll note that the robot doesn't completely sweep the outer corners either, leaving some small blind spots. This would be a good issue to address. Otherwise, the turbo brush and side brush are clean after testing, and all debris is collected in the dust bin, so the test passes!

Anti-tangle Hair Protection

I also tested how the new turbo brush handles self-cleaning hair and pet hair thanks to its special design. I laid hair of varying lengths on the floor. The robot collected them, and the turbo brush was clean. Some hair remained in the spaces between the brushes, but it all ended up in the dust bin. Bravo, Roborock engineers!

Carpet cleaning

There are some nuances when cleaning carpets. The Roborock S9 MaxV Ultra cleans low-pile carpets well, but the side brush lifts up and the rotation stops, just like the previously released Roborock Saros 10R. This feature cannot be turned off. As a result, if the carpet is placed close to the wall, the area near the baseboards isn't swept, and all the debris remains there.

In principle, it also does a good job of cleaning medium-pile carpets in just a few passes. However, I can say that without the side brush, carpets are still less clean. This issue definitely needs to be addressed by adding a manual override feature for the side brush!

Self-cleaning

Immediately after the "dirty tests," I checked the robot vacuum's self-cleaning performance. We see that the dust bin is completely full. We return the robot to the station and start self-cleaning. The result is good. The dust bin is completely empty. The test was successful!

Wet cleaning and carpets

When it comes to wet cleaning on carpeted floors, the robot offers several different modes of interaction. It can carefully navigate around the carpet in wet cleaning mode, or it can enter the carpet and make contact with the pads if you want to use the robot to clean it. It can also clean carpets during wet cleaning, automatically lifting the pads and even the body when entering the carpet. It can also automatically remove the platform with the pad from the station and clean carpets without it, completely eliminating any contact between the wet pad and the carpet pile. The last two options are the most efficient.

Wiping off dirt

The dirt removal performance is excellent. The cloth presses firmly against the floor and absorbs dirt. At the same time, there's only a minimal, narrow area along the baseboard, just a couple of millimeters, thanks to the additional cloth extending out from the baseboard. That's a plus!

I also checked the blind spots along the outer and inner corners separately. Here, too, we see that the outer corner isn't being cleaned completely, leaving a small blind spot less than 1 cm wide. In the inner corners, the blind spot is about 5 cm wide, as the cloth physically can't fit tightly into the corner.

Removing difficult stains

Regarding tough stain removal, I disabled the stain detection system to avoid changing the cleaning algorithm and increasing the number of passes due to spot cleaning of each stain. Unfortunately, the enhanced floor pressure function can't be manually enabled, as it only activates automatically when puddles and stains are detected. As a result, in the standard, tight-snake cleaning mode, the robot was able to remove stains on the 9th pass.

By comparison, the S8 MaxV Ultra completed this task in 11 passes, so there is a difference. And in a domestic environment, the robot managed to remove a single stain on the floor with stain detection and cloth pressure, and with the addition of a proprietary cleaning solution, in just the eighth pass. So, the pressure doesn't have a significant effect, but it's an interesting feature nonetheless, and it does improve the cleaning efficiency, albeit slightly.

Washing quality of napkins

I'd like to immediately talk about the station's effectiveness. Let's start with the quality of the wipes' washing. Even after extensive testing, the wipes look significantly better after washing with the station. The water heating function, which heats the water to 80 degrees, undoubtedly improves the washing efficiency.

In a domestic setting, after washing the floor, the wipes are thoroughly rinsed at the station. We see that the water pressure doesn't wash anything out of the wipes. The water is clean.

A few words about the wipe's drying process—it's really effective. After 4 hours, the wipe is completely dry. That's a plus!

Station maintenance

Maintaining the station is also easy. The drain is easily removed for cleaning in the sink, the coarse filter for the main and additional cloths can be rinsed with water, and the tray underneath can also be wiped with a cloth if necessary. The tray under the roller itself can be wiped clean of accumulated dirt.

Obstacle clearance

An interesting point is crossing thresholds. The Roborock S9 MaxV Ultra can easily cross a 2 cm threshold, which seems obvious. However, the robot vacuum cleaner struggles to overcome a 3 cm threshold. The robot vacuum cleaner failed to cross a 4 cm threshold, or to be more precise, a 38 mm threshold, despite multiple attempts, no matter how much it raised its body or at what angles it tried to enter.

In fact, a similar situation was observed with the Curv version, as well as the Saros 10R. The fact is that the 4 cm indicated in the promotional materials refers to the two-level threshold: 1 cm + 3 cm. But in any case, this robot has good maneuverability and is better than most similar models.

Driving on black surfaces

Driving over black carpets is no problem. The robot glides over the black carpet as if nothing had happened.

Noise level

As for the noise level, it ranges from 56 to 67.5 dB, depending on the selected operating mode. The robot's noise level is actually low. The station's noise level during self-cleaning is around 72.5 dB. This is also a standard result.

Personal opinion

The Roborock S9 MaxV Ultra robot vacuum cleaner has been thoroughly reviewed and tested. According to our rating system, it scored 231 points and take third place in overall rating At the time of writing this review, I didn't deduct points for some of the shortcomings that will be discussed below, hoping they will be fixed with a firmware update.

For comparison, the predecessor Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra scored 212 points and placed in 8th place, and was simultaneously announced Roborock Saros 10R scored 237 points and is the silver medalist.

I'll highlight the pros and cons of this new product, and then share my opinion. First, the pros. I liked the following:

1. The lidar moves into the body, allowing the robot to clean under furniture in gaps as small as 8 cm.
2. A backlit object recognition system that works effectively in good lighting conditions and with many objects in complete darkness.
3. The presence of an all-in-one station for self-cleaning the dust collector, washing and drying wipes.
4. The updated station is highly efficient. It features high-quality self-cleaning, washing of cloths with very hot water, thorough drying of cloths with warm air, self-cleaning of the tray, spacious tanks in the station, and an automatic detergent dispenser. In short, it has a lot going for it, and the entire system does its job perfectly.
5. The side and central brushes do not tangle hair and fur thanks to their updated design.
6. Improved maneuverability thanks to the raised body. The robot vacuum cleaner can overcome thresholds over 3 cm high, a feat not possible with similar products currently available on the global market.
7. The retractable side brush completely sweeps away debris from corners.
8. An additional napkin at the edge for washing the floor close to the baseboard.
9. Lifting napkins when driving onto carpets.
10. Automatic removal of the holder with a napkin at the station.
11. Raising the turbo brush in wet cleaning mode.
12. High-quality dry and wet cleaning on various surfaces.
13. Capable of removing even stubborn stains faster than many similar products.
14. The floor stain detection mode allows the robot to automatically press the cloth harder against the floor and locally clean the area with the stain or puddle.
15. A large number of functions in the application.
16. Full Russification in the version for the Russian market.
17. Remote home monitoring by connecting to the robot's camera via a smartphone.
18. Control via the proprietary voice assistant Hello Rocky.
19. The robot vacuum cleaner is not afraid of black surfaces.
20. Low noise level of the robot.
21. High-quality assembly and high brand authority.
22. Availability of warranty and service.

Among the disadvantages I would like to highlight:

1. The claimed suction power was not confirmed in real-world tests.
2. When turning near gaps, the robot can be severely impacted by the lidar. In my opinion, the lidar placement on the body isn't the best.
3. The version of the station we received for review cannot be connected to a sewer or water supply. This is the station the robot is sold with on the market. A different station is not available from authorized distributors.
4. The robot vacuum cleaner does not clean behind curtains and drapes.
5. The side brush lifts up on carpets, and this feature can't be turned off. As a result, if the carpet is close to a wall, the area along the wall won't be swept by the side brush.
6. The object recognition system still requires minimal refinement.

Overall, the Roborock S9 MaxV Ultra deservedly ranks among the best robot vacuums of 2025. This is a smart development for the S-line, which, in my opinion, is relevant for those concerned about their flooring. If you have a wooden floor, the popular two rotating pads can seriously damage it. In this regard, the vibration platform is more gentle on the floor and doesn't wet it as much, even at the maximum water flow rate. At the same time, it can remove even the most stubborn dirt and leaves a smooth, streak-free finish, which is ideal for everyday wet cleaning.

The result will be a slim SUV with a good object recognition system, an effective cleaning module, and a large number of advanced capabilities for both the robot and the station.

The differences in test results with its brother, the Roborock Saros 10R, are surprisingly minimal, despite the different navigation approaches and floor cleaning technology. However, they do exist, and if you're interested, I'll compare these two robots in a separate video. In a simplified format, choose the type of cloth you prefer. You're unlikely to notice any difference in cleaning performance or capabilities.

I'd like to end this review on that note. If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments below the video. Happy shopping, everyone. Bye!