ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The Roborock Saros Z70’s full price is $2,599, but it’s currently on sale for $1,999
- The Saros Z70 is the first robot vacuum with a mechanical arm to lift lightweight objects and clean those missed areas
- This robot vacuum performs impressively well, but you can expect some bugs with the OmniGrip mechanical arm function.
more buying choices
Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.
I’ve spent the past few years of my life turning my home into the closest version of the Jetsons’ house that I can get, bypassing the midcentury decor and flying cars. While I’m pleased to report that many of the predictions made by the 1960s sitcom have materialized over the decades, many remain unrealized. The biggest one? Rosie the Robot.
Also: Shelly’s new smart plug is at home with all major automation systems
Thankfully, an increasing number of companies are rallying behind the effort to create a household assistant robot. After being lucky enough to test the Roborock Saros Z70 with a mechanical arm, I believe Roborock has a definite edge on the competition.
While other companies have developed various types of household robots, the Saros Z70 is a multifunctional robot that serves as a stepping stone to the future of smart homes.
Best robot vacuum deals of the week
Deals are selected by the CNET Group commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article.
The Roborock Saros Z70 is a premium robot vacuum and mop with all the bells and whistles you’d expect from a flagship, plus a mechanical arm to pick up objects. And I must immediately focus on this robotic grip when reviewing this product.
When the robot vacuum is cleaning, it detects small obstacles it can handle and picks them up. The robot then navigates to a predetermined area to drop off the item. Then, the device returns to the spot the object occupied and resumes cleaning the area.
Maria Diaz/ZDNET
The Saros Z70 comes with a Roborock bin that you can place in your home for your robot to drop soft items into. It’s a rigid cardboard bin that resembles a small trash can, often found under a desk or in a bathroom. After your robot creates a virtual map of your home, you place the bin and add it to the map in the Roborock mobile app. You can also add a larger area for your robot to drop off other items, such as slippers and lightweight shoes.
Also: This vacuum mop combo changed my mind about smart cleaners, and it purrfectly tackles pet hair
The biggest question is: Does the mechanical arm work as intended? After testing it at home, I’m pleased to report that it does — at least, the vast majority of the time. To test the OmniGrip mechanical arm, I set out ten obstacles around the house several times and ran full cleanings. I also did smaller area cleanings with fewer objects. The robot vacuum sees the object and gives a voice prompt to announce it’s going to sort an item. It deploys the mechanical arm and lines itself up to pick up the item.
The Roborock Saros Z70’s OmniGrip mechanical arm can be remotely controlled to pick up and drop off items at will.
Maria Diaz/ZDNET
Once the arm grips the item, the robot travels to drop it off. It lines itself up with the bin or designated sorting area and releases the object, then retracts the arm.
In my tests, the Roborock mechanical arm picked up the intended objects 83% of the time. This is a great number for a robot that is effectively introducing this type of technology to the market. It’s also a great number when you consider that the robot’s initial rollout has a very limited number of items it can recognize and pick up.
Maria Diaz/ZDNET
Roborock states that the Saros Z70 currently recognizes socks, sandals, crumpled tissues, and towels weighing under 300g (approximately eight ounces), and that new sortable objects will be added continuously via firmware updates. When I used only recognizable objects, the robot successfully gripped and relocated 90% of the items.
When I added other small obstacles, like shoes, small cups, and plastic film, it gripped 75% of the objects.
Also: The top 10 robot vacuums and mowers ZDNET readers bought in 2025
As a robot vacuum and mop, the Roborock Saros Z70’s performance is outstanding — I have zero qualms with it. It is one of the best robot vacuum and mop combos I’ve ever tested. It features the best obstacle avoidance I’ve seen thus far, ensuring it doesn’t get stuck on random objects. Additionally, it has an extendable mop pad for cleaning near edges.
The robot also cleans thoroughly, much like the Saros 10 and Saros 10R, so you can count on it reaching nearly every inch of your home.
Maria Diaz/ZDNET
I did encounter some bugs with the robot’s OmniGrip performance, but I can’t fault Roborock for them. Aside from the fact that no robot vacuum is perfect (and this one comes close), these bugs can be attributed to the relatively new nature of this technology.
Some bugs included the robot only vacuuming and “forgetting” to resume mopping after dropping off an object, as well as dropping objects that were difficult to grip, such as kids’ water shoes.
ZDNET’s buying advice
The Roborock Saros Z70 isn’t the right robot vacuum for most shoppers. Instead, this robot vacuum and mop is perfect for early adopters who enjoy testing the newest cutting-edge technologies. As the first robot vacuum with a mechanical arm to be widely available on the market, you can expect to encounter bugs with the Saros Z70 — it’s only natural.
Even so, I was thoroughly impressed with the robot’s cleaning performance and the OmniGrip technology. I was also impressed with Roborock’s fast and widespread launch of this robot after announcing it late last year. The Roborock Saros Z70 is the next level in robot vacuum technology, and it’s pioneering the idea of a functional, multipurpose household robot that you can truly rely on.
Also: I let my robot vacuum go on autopilot for 10 days while I was away – here’s the result
However, it is quite expensive. The Saros Z70 will vacuum and mop like the best robot vacuums on the market. However, you should be aware that you’re not just paying for a robot vacuum; you’re also paying for the innovation of having a future-forward robot in your home.
