Roborock Saros Z70 review: a robot vacuum with a robotic arm

Roborock Saros Z70 at a glance

First impressions of the Saros Z70

Robot vacuums have looked more or less the same for a decade: a round disc that bumps, maps and avoids. The Saros Z70 is the first one in a while that made me stop and look twice.

The idea is simple to explain and hard to pull off. Instead of asking you to clear the floor before every run, the robot clears some of it itself. That turns a robot vacuum from a pure cleaning tool into an early home helper.

It also raises the bar for judging it. A robot like this has to clean well and handle objects well, and the published tests show it’s much better at the first than the second. Keep that split in mind as you read on, because it shapes my verdict.

What the Roborock Saros Z70 is

The Saros Z70 is Roborock’s most unusual robot vacuum. At first glance it looks like a regular Saros: a slim, dark disc with twin spinning mop pads and a large self-cleaning dock. The difference is folded inside the top.

Roborock calls it the OmniGrip arm. It’s a five-axis arm with a rotating base, two tilting joints, a rotating head and twin pincers, plus its own camera and light. When it unfolds, it can pick up small items from the floor and carry them somewhere else.

Every robot vacuum owner knows the pre-run sweep for socks, slippers and charging cables. The Z70 is the first serious attempt to automate part of that.

Under the arm, it’s a capable cleaner. Navigation uses Roborock’s StarSight Autonomous System 2.0, which combines solid-state lidar, structured-light sensing and an AI camera instead of a spinning lidar turret on top. That’s what keeps the robot just 3.14 inches tall.

How well does the OmniGrip arm work?

The arm is why anyone looks at the Saros Z70, so it’s worth being specific about what it can and can’t do.

What it’s designed to do

Roborock says the arm can lift items up to about 10.5 ounces. It targets socks, sandals and slides, small towels, and crumpled tissues or paper. In the app you set separate drop-off spots for general items and for slippers, and the robot uses its front camera and AI object recognition to decide what to grab. A manual mode lets you steer the arm yourself.

It’s off by default, and there’s a child lock and an emergency stop.

How it performed in tests

The results are mixed, and the most detailed numbers come from RTINGS. In its controlled tests the Z70 detected only 27 percent of eligible objects. Once it did decide to grab something, it did much better: it picked up 78 percent of the items it attempted and put 79 percent of those in the right place.

RTINGS’ arm results. Each step only counts objects that made it through the step before, so recognition is the real bottleneck.

Carpet made things worse. RTINGS saw the robot fail to detect eligible objects on carpet entirely in some runs.

Vacuum Wars estimated the automatic mode worked roughly half the time, with results swinging by object and conditions. It sometimes dropped items in the wrong spot. TechRadar found the arm reliable under remote control, but on its own it mistook sandals and socks for plastic bags in dim light, failed to grip a strappy sandal and left socks about 14 inches from where they started.

Android Authority saw the arm lift a shoe heavier than the official limit, then refuse a threshold and put it down. Notebookcheck said a firmware update improved the arm significantly, though not completely.

Good to know: You can train the Z70 to recognize custom objects for obstacle avoidance, but that doesn’t teach the arm to pick them up. The arm sticks to Roborock’s short list of supported items.

My take

I wouldn’t expect the arm to replace general tidying. It recognizes a limited set of items, not toys, cables or random clutter, and it works best in good light on hard floors. Think of it as an interesting bonus and a promising first version, not a finished feature.

The OmniGrip arm folds into the robot and unfolds to pick up light items.

Practical questions about living with a robot arm

A robot vacuum with an arm raises questions a normal robot doesn’t. These are the ones I’d want answered before buying the Saros Z70.

Is it safe around kids and pets?

Roborock ships the arm switched off, and you have to turn it on in the app. There’s a child lock and an emergency stop, and the arm senses when an object is too heavy to lift. Even so, I’d supervise the first few runs, especially with curious pets or toddlers around.

Where does it put things?

You set drop-off points in the app. In practice, that might mean a laundry basket for socks and a small trash can for tissues. Reviewers saw it miss those targets at times, so expect some items to land nearby rather than inside.

Does the arm slow down cleaning?

Picking things up takes extra time, so a run with the arm active is longer. Many owners will likely use the arm for a quick tidy-up pass, then run a normal cleaning cycle.

Will it get better?

Notebookcheck found that a firmware update noticeably improved the arm, which suggests Roborock is still refining the software. I wouldn’t buy it on the promise of future updates, but improvements are a realistic bonus.

Does the arm cost you anything elsewhere?

Yes. RTINGS points out that the arm takes up room that would otherwise go to the dustbin, and it ties the arm to compromises in bin size, battery life and brush performance. More moving parts also means more that can go wrong.

Tip: Register the robot and keep your receipt handy. A machine with this many moving parts is one where you’ll want the warranty paperwork in order.

Saros Z70 vacuuming performance

The arm takes up space and power, and the vacuuming results reflect that.

Hard floors

On hard floors, the Z70 does what you’d expect from a premium Roborock. RTINGS found it picked up most fine, medium and large debris, including near edges and corners, and TechRadar called its vacuuming excellent on vinyl.

Carpet

Carpet is the weak spot. Vacuum Wars’ deep-clean test, which measures how much embedded sand a robot pulls out, put the Z70 near the bottom of its results.

RTINGS found one practical reason: the Z70 retracts its side brush when it senses carpet. That may protect the brush, but it leaves debris along carpet edges and in corners where the main brush can’t reach. You can’t change this in the app. TechRadar also needed a second pass at max suction to clear oats and tea from carpet.

Pet hair

Pet hair results are mixed. RTINGS found it handled hair reasonably well and beat the Saros 10R thanks to more brush agitation, though some embedded hair stayed behind. Vacuum Wars measured below-average pet hair pickup and tangle resistance, and called crevice pickup subpar.

The tiny dustbin

The onboard bin holds only about 6 fluid ounces, which is unusually small. The arm eats into the space a bin would normally use, so the robot depends on its auto-empty dock. Heavy loads of hair or dirt can also clog the emptying port.

Tip: With a shedding pet, schedule shorter, more frequent runs so the small bin never overfills, and check the emptying port whenever you clean the brushes.

The honest picture: a very good hard-floor vacuum, but a so-so carpet cleaner for the price. Homes with lots of carpet or heavy shedders should weigh this carefully.

Saros Z70 mopping performance

Mopping is where the Z70 earns its premium. It uses two spinning pads, one of which extends out to reach baseboards, and lifts the pads about 0.9 inch when it drives onto carpet. It can also leave the pads in the dock for vacuum-only carpet runs.

It also left very little water behind: about 30 percent less than the average robot in Vacuum Wars’ test, so floors dry quickly.

Vacuum Wars got the best results with the highest water flow, the Deep+ cleaning route and the extending mop turned on. Dried ketchup needed two passes in TechRadar’s test and left a slight film, so this is still maintenance cleaning, not a replacement for scrubbing sticky messes by hand.

Best mopping settings: Max water flow, Deep+ route and mop extension on. Add a second pass for kitchens and entryways.

Mopping is the Z70’s strongest cleaning skill in lab tests.

Navigation and obstacle avoidance

Obstacle recognition is closely tied to the arm, because the robot has to identify an object before it can pick it up. Roborock says it recognizes 108 object types out of the box, you can teach it up to 50 more, and it spots objects as small as about 0.8 by 0.8 inches.

In testing, avoidance was very good. Vacuum Wars counted 22 of 24 obstacles avoided, well above the 16.6 average in its test. RTINGS found it handled typical furniture carefully and did especially well around pet waste.

Where it slips

• Carpet: RTINGS saw it nudge objects and occasionally run over socks.
• Thin cables: USB charging cords were the biggest problem.
• Tasseled rugs: loose fringe can wrap around the brushes.
• Chair legs: it sometimes gives them such a wide berth that it skips the floor underneath.

Tip: Tuck away phone chargers and flip rug tassels under before a run. Those are the two things most likely to stop the Z70.

Thresholds and speed

The AdaptiLift chassis raises the wheels to climb tiered thresholds up to about 1.6 inches, or around 1.2 inches for a single step. RTINGS measured a maximum climb of about 1.5 inches, which backs that up. Newer Saros 20 models climb higher still.

Speed is middle of the road. Vacuum Wars rated its navigation efficiency about average, and Notebookcheck noted it’s a little slower to orient itself without a lidar tower. Good at getting through a cluttered home, then, but not the fastest cleaner.

Dock, app and upkeep

The Multifunctional Dock 4.0 does most of the dirty work. It empties the robot’s bin, washes the mop pads with 176°F water, dries them with 131°F air, refills the robot’s water and dispenses detergent. It also cleans its own mop tray. The clean and dirty water tanks hold about 4.2 and 3.2 quarts.

RTINGS notes the dust bag may clog before it’s actually full. TechRadar found the dock noisy, and its review unit rattled.

The app

The Roborock app is one of the best around. You can edit maps, set no-go zones, schedule runs and customize vacuuming and mopping by room. SmartPlan can pick settings for you, and there’s remote arm control, a live camera view, pet monitoring, voice assistant support and maintenance tracking.

That’s a lot of settings. Tinkerers will love it; people who just want to press a button may find it overwhelming.

What you’ll still do by hand

Battery is 6,400 mAh, and Vacuum Wars estimated about 1,115 square feet of coverage per charge.

The dock handles emptying, mop washing and drying.

Who the Saros Z70 really suits

The Saros Z70 is a niche product, and I think that’s fine.

Technology enthusiasts

If you enjoy owning the newest thing and don’t mind rough edges, the Z70 is fascinating. Watching a robot vacuum fold out an arm and pick up a sock is something no other mainstream robot does.

Hard-floor homes that mop a lot

Its mopping is excellent and its hard-floor vacuuming is strong, so homes with mostly tile, laminate or hardwood get real cleaning value.

Homes with light floor clutter

Households where socks, slippers and tissues end up on the floor are the target. Even if the arm only handles some of them, that’s fewer things to pick up by hand.

How to get the best results from the Saros Z70

1. Start with the arm off

   Run a few normal cleaning cycles first so the robot builds a good map. Then turn on the arm and set drop-off spots for general items and slippers.

2. Give it light

   TechRadar saw the arm misidentify items in dim light. Schedule arm runs for the daytime or leave a lamp on.

3. Use the arm on hard floors

   Detection drops sharply on carpet, so expect the best results on tile, laminate and wood.

4. Stick to supported items

   Socks, slippers, small towels and tissues under about 10.5 ounces. It won’t pick up toys or cables.

5. Clear cords and fringe

   Thin USB cables and tasseled rugs are its biggest navigation weak spots.

6. Keep the firmware updated

   Notebookcheck found updates noticeably improved the arm, so install them as they arrive.

7. Use the remote control

   Under manual control, TechRadar found the arm reliable. It’s handy for fetching a slipper from under the bed.

Is the Roborock Saros Z70 worth the money?

The Saros Z70 launched at $2,599, far above any other Roborock at the time. It has since been discounted heavily; Vacuum Wars listed it at about $1,699.99 when it reviewed it, and prices still vary a lot between retailers.

At full price, it’s very hard to recommend on cleaning alone. The Saros 10R and Qrevo Edge give you most of what matters for much less, and the newer Saros 20 cleans better.

At a deep discount, it becomes a more reasonable choice for someone who wants the arm. You get excellent mopping, strong obstacle avoidance and a new feature that works some of the time.

What reviewers and owners say

Price tip: Robot vacuum prices drop hard around Prime Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. If you’re set on the Z70, those are the times to buy.

Saros Z70 vs Saros 10R

The Saros 10R shares much of the Z70’s platform, minus the arm, which makes it the most useful comparison.

Pick the Z70 if you want the arm and mop a lot. Pick the Saros 10R if you want excellent cleaning, better carpet results and a bigger bin for far less.

Roborock Saros Z70 specifications

From Roborock’s published specifications, the Amazon listing and independent reviews.

Best Roborock Saros Z70 alternatives

If the arm isn’t a must, the Saros 10R gives you very similar cleaning, better carpet results and better obstacle avoidance for much less. The Qrevo Edge is the value pick Vacuum Wars recommends for most people.

The Saros 20 offers far more suction and threshold climbing. For mopping-focused homes, the Saros 20 Flow has a self-cleaning roller mop.

How I researched and rated the Roborock Saros Z70

This is a researched review, not a long-term test of our own. I started from Roborock’s published specifications and the Amazon listing, then compared the hands-on and lab results published by RTINGS, Vacuum Wars, PCMag, TechRadar, Android Authority and Notebookcheck, plus owner discussions on Reddit. Where those sources disagreed, I say so above.

• Innovation (9.2): what the OmniGrip arm can do and how reliably it does it in published tests.
• Mopping (8.8): dried-stain removal, edge cleaning and water left behind.
• Vacuuming (7.0): hard floors, carpet deep cleaning, pet hair and edges.
• Value (6.2): price against features, and against the Saros 10R, Qrevo Edge and newer models.

The overall score of 7.6 is an editorial rating.