Roborock S8 Pro Ultra: A 12-Month Long-Term Review
We bought a Roborock S8 Pro Ultra at retail in November 2024. Twelve months and 364 cleaning cycles later, here's how it's holding up.
After 12 months the S8 Pro Ultra is still in active duty, with caveats about the app and a couple of replaceable parts.
+ What we liked
- ✓Auto-fill water tank still seals reliably after 12 months
- ✓Mop pads have been washable through 200+ cycles
- ✓Reactive obstacle avoidance learns furniture positions accurately
− What could be better
- !Two app firmware regressions over 12 months added unexpected issues
- !Dock occasionally fails to retract mop pads cleanly
- !Replacement parts have gotten pricier mid-life
Long-term reviews are where every robot vacuum brand finds out which corners they cut. We bought the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra at retail in November 2024 and have been running it on a Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule for 12 months. Here's the honest report.
What's working
The mop system is the part we expected to fail and didn't. The pads have survived 200+ wash cycles in our test home (we run a hot wash, no fabric softener). The auto-fill water tank seals cleanly and we have not had a leak in 12 months. The reactive obstacle avoidance — which seemed gimmicky at launch — has gotten better at avoiding cat toys and shoes.
What's broken or wearing
Two things. First, the dock's retract mechanism for the mop pads has missed a clean retract maybe four or five times in 12 months, leaving wet pads on the floor of the dock. We can't tell if that's a sensor calibration issue or a wear issue. Second, the side brush has been replaced twice. That's not unusual but it's worth budgeting for.
App firmware
This is where we have to be honest. There were two firmware regressions over 12 months — one in April that introduced a 30-second pre-start "phoning home" delay, and one in August that broke the do-not-disturb scheduling for about 10 days. Roborock has been responsive to bug reports but the cadence of regressions is higher than we'd like for a $1,500 device.
The 12-month log
- 364 cleaning cycles, 78 mop cycles, 12 firmware updates.
- Brush teardown at month 6, 9, and 12.
- Replaced: side brush (×2), mop pads (×1 set), bag (×11).
- Failures: two app regressions, four mop-retract misses, zero hard failures.
Would we still buy it?
Yes, with caveats. The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra is still in our long-term fleet at month 12 and we'd recommend it to readers with hard floors who want a "set it and forget it" mop-and-vacuum solution. It's a $1,500 purchase, the firmware is more annoying than it should be, and the dock occasionally needs a wipe-down. If those are acceptable, this is the best mop/vacuum combo we've tested.
What our readers said
- Cassidy P.Dec 4, 2025, 6:28 AM★★★★★
Six weeks of daily use here. Echoing the review — the build quality is genuinely good. One thing I'd add: the customer service was responsive when I needed a replacement part.
- James E.Dec 5, 2025, 10:45 AM
Came for the data; staying for the writing. Thanks for taking the time to do this right.
- Kelvin H.Dec 5, 2025, 8:02 PM
How does this compare to the older model from two years ago? Mine is still going strong and I'd hate to upgrade if it's a sidegrade.
- Wren M.Dec 7, 2025, 12:19 AM
Bought a used one off Marketplace based on this review. Working great, half the price.
- M. DiazDec 8, 2025, 4:36 AM★★★★★
Curious about your noise measurement methodology. dB readings vary a lot with mic placement.
- Liz T.Dec 9, 2025, 8:53 AM
The methodology section was actually really helpful. Most reviews skip explaining how they tested.
- P. ChenDec 10, 2025, 12:10 PM
Bought ours four months ago. Holding up well, but the cord storage clip broke in week 8 and customer service didn't seem to care.
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