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The 2026 version of my favorite robot vacuum from last year has arrived: As of March 23, the $1,5999.99 Roborock Saros 20 is available for purchase in the US.
It’s hardly an issue whether the Saros 20 is better than the Saros 10R – from a technical perspective, it Literally Is. As a direct successor to the Saros 10R, the Saros 20 is obviously packed with a number of specification upgrades over its predecessor. So in my home testing, I’m considering whether I’ll be as excited about the Saros 20 in 2026 as I was about the Saros 10R in 2025.
What’s special (or not) about the Roborock Saros 20?
The premium robot vacuum market is a lot more crowded than it was last year, so the Saros 20 will have to work harder to stand out. Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete extremely Similar in cleaning capabilities, ultra-slim design, and price. The Roborock Qrevo Curve 2 Flow has weaker suction and a completely different mopping style, but it’s still a great vacuum from the same brand at a much lower price. Both of these have been in the market for at least a month, giving Saros 20 a slight boost since its debut.
And then there’s the Roborock Saros 20 Sonic, which is set to be released later this spring. “Sonic” refers to a vibrating D-shaped mopping pad like the Saros 10 had, but it is not housed in the vacuum’s spherical body. Most of its other features are similar to the Saros 20. Still, I can’t assess the Saros 20 into the void That’s when I found out there was another version coming out soon.
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At any rate, the Saros 20 has some key improvements over the 10R. Not only does its 36,000 Pa suction power trump the Saros 10R’s 22,000 Pa, but it now has the strongest suction power on the market by a hair (the Dream X60 Max Ultra Complete has 35,000 Pa). The Saros 20 is also equipped with AdaptiLift Chassis 3.0: a one-legged tri-wheel system that can hoist the vacuum body over obstacles up to 3.46 inches thick, such as changes in floor type, U-shaped chair legs, or plush rugs. (This is a big topic this year.) The Saros 20’s small obstacle avoidance seems years ahead of the Saros 10R.
It was a pleasant surprise to see that the Saros 20 is priced at $1,599.99 – the same starting price as last year’s Saros 10 and Saros 10R models. You’re getting an additional 14,000 Pa of suction and better navigation for the same price you paid last year. If you already have a Roborock, you can save up to $1,050 on the Saros 20 by trading in the old one.
The Saros 20’s small obstacle avoidance is phenomenal
Saros 20 uses the same Starsight 2.0 navigational system as Saros 10. This alternative to traditional LiDAR got a lot of marketing hype last year, but in my testing, it was no better at avoiding small obstacles than other robot vacuums I was testing. I expected Saros 20 to be the same GoodBut I’ve really been amazed by its accuracy – there’s no doubt that the Saros 20 has a far deeper understanding of the different objects that might hit the floor.
This is what your vacuum app looks like when you don’t have a shoe rack.
Credit: Screenshot/Roborock
The sight of me and my cat vacuuming the Saros 20 had to make me laugh.
Credit: Screenshot/Roborock
I think this is the first time that a robot vacuum in my apartment has had a 100 percent obstacle avoidance rate for multiple days. The Saros 20 knows that a shoe is a shoe, a reusable grocery bag is a bag, and an extension cord or charger is a cord. It will brush or rub directly over shoes or bags without snagging them, but keeps its distance from the cords to be safe. Its sharp peripheral vision also sees that the rolling desk chair is a type of chair that is easy to get stuck into, and accordingly easy to get back onto the dock.
Is Roborock Saros 20 good on carpet?
The Saros 20 has had generally reliable rug performance so far, but for 36,000 pA it hasn’t been as foolproof as I expected.
Two of its standout tests included dry quinoa poured from a bag onto a kitchen rugable (printed flatweave texture) and a giant area of dryer lint pulled around a tufted living room rug. I had to get down on the floor to find any strays in the mess. A lint roller test in the living room revealed only a few stray cat hairs and persistent fuzzies falling from the carpet.
Some lint tufts were loose, some were pushed down into the carpet fibers.
Credit: Leah Stoddart/Mashable
I left this rug unattended for several days to test the Saros 20, so that’s pretty impressive.
Credit: Leah Stoddart/Mashable
The Saros 20 also did a great job of soaking up spilled pancake mix from that flat rug. However, its performance on powder and small debris was poor on a fluffy carpet. It left behind a generous amount of protein blend and oats, which the Dream X60 Max Ultra Complete had no problem cleaning up afterward.
The ability to clean a bathroom without having a brawl with a bath mat is rare, but this is an extension of the rug’s performance nonetheless. The AdaptiLift chassis certainly works as intended in that regard – at times, I’ve seen the Saros 20 lift and tilt the vacuum body to skirt rather than pull under the corner flaps.
Is the Roborock Saros 20 good on hard floors?
The Saros 20’s dual spinning mopping pad system is almost identical to the Saros 10R’s, but that’s no bad thing. Although some of the roller mop robot vacuums I’ve tested can actually mop closer to the walls than I expected, the length of the roller prevents them from mopping close to a 90-degree angle (requiring pulling the entire roller to change direction). The corner accuracy is much higher when there are two round rotating pads that can rotate independently of each other.
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If you’re not picky about dusty corners or sticky spots near kitchen cabinets, your ideal robot vacuum and mop combo will have this hinged spinning mop pad system. These pads are thin enough to fit into extremely tight gaps near the floor, like under the bottom shelf of my island/bar cart. A disgusting amount of dust particles and dirt from the front door collects just below it, but a cylindrical roller mop certainly can’t get under that one inch of clearance.
A tall robot vacuum can’t get under low-clearance furniture and shelves.
Credit: Leah Stoddart/Mashable
Saros easily clears down to 20 shelves.
Credit: Leah Stoddart/Mashable
The overall height of the Saros 20 makes it a great choice for homes with low-clearance furniture. It’s a little over three inches long, which is short enough to completely clear under my TV stand and bed frame. The same applies to cleaning under kitchen cabinets and overhead appliances: If a robot vacuum can’t fit underneath to deal with those daily crumbs and spills, it’s always a no-go from me. I don’t want to live a life where I can’t just push the pieces off the counter and treat her like nothingness.
I knew the Saros 20 would pass that test, getting 98 to 99 percent of the sprinkles, shredded cheese and a few pinches of basil under the counter on the hardwood kitchen floor. It also reliably performed its litter box area duties on hardwood and tile in the bathroom, consistently picking up about 97 percent of kitty litter and litter dust.
After testing (and always to the rescue) the Dyson Spot+Scrub AI I’ve really got a new appreciation for ultra-slim robot vacuums. It’s about an inch longer than models like the Saros 20 and Dream
It’s great to see a robot vacuum fitting under the litter-robot stage.
Credit: Leah Stoddart/Mashable
Samsa is surprised by the height difference between the Dyson Spot+Scrub AI (left) and the Roborock Saros 20 (right).
Credit: Leah Stoddart/Mashable
Bonus test: Can the Roborock Saros 20 be used in a hair salon?
It also seemed appropriate to give the big, fancy 36,000 Pa suction a tougher test than my usual robot vacuum obstacle course. After giving a friend a quick buzz cut at home (no, I have no idea what I’m doing), I decided to see how the Saros 20 would handle the mess of clipping hair.
I usually reserve cleaning hair clippers for testing the powerful stick vacuum.
Credit: Leah Stoddart/Mashable
Saros 20 dragged this clump to the edge of the rug, then could not snatch it away.
Credit: Leah Stoddart/Mashable
The Saros 20 picked up about 90 percent of the hair, but couldn’t disentangle some of the larger clumps, even after four or five tries. The wet mopping cloth was integral during the second pass, wiping away the layer of fine, loose hair that was initially missed in plain vacuum mode. (And this is why hair salons can’t abandon the classic broom and dustpan.) The performance wasn’t perfect, but most of the mistakes were ones that could only have been avoided by a human with a manual vacuum. To be fair, the Dream X60 Max Ultra Complete missed those hurdles too.
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Factors I’m keeping an eye on
I shouldn’t have sent the Saros 20 back for a third pass as many times as I did, especially with it being the strongest robot vacuum one can buy right now. Although it was generally able to clean fairly well after three attempts, most people aren’t inspecting their vacuums like I am to know if a third pass is needed. Shouldn’t such an expensive vacuum be better off doing some kind of “before and after” check?
My kitchen floor felt smoother after testing the effectiveness of Saros 20 on spices like ranch and sesame oil. Maybe I’m spoiled with roller mops that wash themselves while cleaning. But now, it seems unhygienic for non-roller mops No Go back to mop every three minutes. The Dreame X60 Max Ultra Complete also doesn’t have a self-rinsing mopping pad, but at least it mops with warm water.
As a user, avoiding this is no rocket science: for larger spills that you don’t want dragged onto the floor, you need to clean the target area rather than letting it spread throughout the room. Maybe I need to let the AI stain detection run for a week or two. But right now, I don’t feel confident sending the Saros 20 on a spread larger than a coin-sized drop.
This doesn’t mean that I would recommend buying the Saros 10R over the Saros 20. (Even though the Saros 10R is now on sale for $999.99, I’d ask you to spend the same amount on the Roborock Qrevo Curve 2 Flow.) Although I’m feeling a little disappointed by the sequel to my favorite, I still have high hopes for the Saros 20 Sonic being one of the best robot vacuums. 2026.
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