Roborock Q8 Max+ review: Laser navigation for less

Price When Reviewed

$599.99

Best Prices Today: Roborock Q8 Max+

$599.97

Together with Dreame, Roborock has dominant in the robot vacuum category for the past couple of years. No other manufacturer comes close to the number of models Roborock has on the market, and apart from possibly Ecovacs, few robovac brands keep the same pace of product development and new features.

The successor to the popular Roborock Q7 Max+, the Q8 Max+ model is not among Roborock’s most advanced vacuums. That said, it’s a compact model that offers both advanced laser navigation and an automatic self-emptying bin for a reasonable price.

Design and setup

Tallying up its new features, the Q8 Max+ doesn’t rank as a blockbuster revamp of the Q7 Max+. Instead, it’s a solid evolution of an already good product.

Arriving with the same basic design as its predecessor, the Roborock Q8 Max+ is available in both white and black (we tested the black version). The Q8 Max+ is surprisingly compact for a self-emptying vacuum, which helps in terms of placement.

This review is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best robot vacuums.

The 2.5-liter dust bag in the base station is hidden under a lid on the top of the unit, and is easily replaced with a new bag when full. Each bag is rated to hold up to seven weeks’ worth of dust.

Andreas Bergsman

Mapping and navigation

Equipped with a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) navigation system, the Q8 Max+’s installation process is simple using the Roborock app. Once setup is completed, the robot can set out on an initial mapping run.

The resulting map will display the rooms in your home, complete with color coding for the various rooms. The Roborock app lets you manage everything related to room division, including the placement of different cleaning zones and virtual walls.

Andreas Bergsman

With its improved suction power (5,500 Pa, versus 4,200 Pa for the Q7 Max+), the Roborock Q8 Max+ picked up almost everything we fed into in its path. It missed some dirt in inward-facing corners, a challenge for most robot vacuums on the market, but other than that, the Q8 Max+ did an excellent job.

In another improvement over its predecessor, the Roborock Q8 Max+ is equipped with a light-based obstacle avoidance system (a feature borrowed from the more advanced S series). Thanks to that new functionality, the Q8 Max+ dodged obstacles with aplomb.

Handles carpets with care

The robot doesn’t have a dedicated mode for carpets, as some more advanced models do. That said, the Q8 Max+ had little trouble with carpets, handling even really thin varieties (such as Christmas tree skirts, which are usually a real challenge for robotic vacuum cleaners) surprisingly gently, without getting them tangled in the rollers.

Andreas Bergsman

The Q8 Max+’s mop function is, as with the Q7 Max+, of the simpler kind. The robot has no rotating pulleys or vibrations to rub clean; instead, you attach the mopping unit (a water tank equipped with a cloth) and the robot drags it across the floor.

This simple solution won’t be able to clean dried-in stains, but should serve as a complementary way to pick up the finest dust.

Should you buy the Roborock Q8 Max+?

To summarize, the Roborock Q8 Max+ is an incrementally improved version of its predecessor. More powerful suction capacity results in a more efficient dust pick-up and longer runtime, despite the same battery capacity (up to 240 minutes, compared to 180 minutes for the Q7 Max+).

Specifications

Model: Q8 Max+
Tested: January 2024
Manufacturer: Roborock
Battery: 5,200mAh
Runtime: Up to 240 minutes
Suction power : Up to 5,500 Pa
Dust container: 0.47 liters, 2.5 liters in base station
HEPA filter : Yes
Mapping: Laser
Communication: Wi-Fi
Associated app: Yes
Map function: Yes
Room division : Yes
Compatible with Google Assistant/Amazon Alexa/Apple Siri: Yes
Dimensions (robot and dock): 13.8 x 17.3 x 17.6 inches (WxDxH)