Roborock Saros 20 - one of the most interesting high-end robot vacuums of this year, in which the manufacturer tries not only to improve the usual vacuuming and floor washing, but also to solve one of the biggest problems of robots - the ability to move freely around the house. For this, the AdaptiLift system is used, which allows you to overcome much higher thresholds, and various automatic solutions should help the robot do as much work as possible independently. 

I tested the Saras 20 at home, where it had to deal with different floor coverings, carpets, pets, various obstacles and higher thresholds. I also tested its object recognition, floor cleaning, smart functions and camera capabilities. So let's see if the Roborock Saras 20 is really a flagship worth its price, or if some of its shortcomings can ruin even a very good overall impression.

Unpacking and first impressions

Since the Roborock Saras 20 arrived to us already tested by others, it wouldn't be fair to talk about the unboxing experience this time. However, what about the assembly quality?

The station doesn't stand out with any drastic design decisions, but that's exactly what I like. Thanks to its lower construction, it immediately seems easier to adapt to the home than the Mova E40 Ultra I just tested and is reminiscent of the Narwal Flow or Z10 Ultra models I tested earlier. In my opinion, this format fits more easily into the overall design of the home. 

At the top of the station there are two containers - for clean (4 liters) and dirty (3.5 liters) water. After filling with clean water, the container locks firmly, so there is no feeling of anxiety when carrying it full by the handle. Below the station there is a dust bag and a detergent container - from it the detergent is automatically dosed together with clean water. The lower part, where the cloths are washed, can be easily removed, so the maintenance of the station itself is not complicated. The only minus in my eyes is the glossy plastic used in the containers, which was already visibly scratched after a short period of use. 

Although the Roborock Saras 20 itself is not much different from other robot vacuums in terms of design, as soon as you pick it up in your hands you feel that it is a slightly heavier device. In this case, the weight is more of an advantage than a disadvantage. In order to effectively wash the floor, the mops need to be pressed firmly against the surface, and the additional weight helps with this. True, I was hoping for a hinged top cover, rather than a completely removable solution - it would give a more premium feel to the device. Now, although I rarely have to do this, the cover keeps falling off when I lift the vacuum. 

Splitting the main cleaning brushes in the middle is a solution I haven't seen before, but such a design should help reduce hair tangling. Another big advantage is that the suction opening behind the brushes goes directly into the dust container - this reduces the likelihood of dirt accumulating between the brush and the container or clogging. Looking at the whole, it immediately feels like this is a high-class model, and I have no major complaints about either the assembly quality or the construction. 

App and smart features

Although this is my first experience with the Roborock app, I know that it has long been considered one of the most advanced on the market. However, using the Saras 20, I could not notice a big difference from other higher-end manufacturers. Here I found all the features I would expect from a higher-end robot vacuum - map editing, individual room settings, cleaning schedules, zones, prohibited areas, and smart home integrations.

The Lithuanian language is available in the app, but it is not fully translated. Everything in the main window is in Lithuanian, but when you enter the robot's settings, most of the functions are still displayed in English. This is not a big problem, but such inconsistency slightly spoils the overall impression. 

During the first launch, I missed a bit of a clearer guide, which is usually encountered when using the app for the first time. The map creation is not the fastest, but I have almost no complaints about the accuracy. Rooms are recognized quite accurately, and very few additional corrections were required. The only exception is the floor-to-ceiling mirror, which the robot considered as additional space.

The map editing options are extensive. You can divide rooms, create zones, set prohibited areas, assign different cleaning settings, and create automatic routines. True, the choice of room names could be wider - I missed the ability to separately mark a wardrobe, bathroom, or toilet. I also liked that Saras 20 can recognize the environment - for example, it offers to add detected furniture to the map.

The Saras 20 supports Google Home, Amazon Alexa, Siri Shortcuts, and its own voice assistant, Hello Rocky. True, the latter didn't always understand my commands (perhaps because of the pronunciation), and its functionality seemed somewhat limited. For example, the command "Hello Rocky, only vacuum the kitchen" also started mopping the floors during my tests. 

One of the more interesting features is the remote control of the robot with an integrated camera and the ability to call. You can select a point on the map and send the robot there, control it manually or turn on the pet search. When the robot detects an animal, it returns to the station, and its photo is displayed in the app. Of course, this is more my wish than a complaint, but it would be nice to see an automatic patrol function in the future - the robot could periodically go around the house, immediately clean it if it detects new dirt, and report it in the app. 

Pumping

Roborock Saras 20 is a top-of-the-line model, so you expect not only good, but also very good suction from it. During testing, the robot did not disappoint - it copes well both on hard floors and on carpets. However, I would like to highlight not the suction power itself, but several solutions that really improve everyday use.

First of all, I liked the side brush. It is not fixed in one position - the robot can push it forward and does this where a regular brush would have a harder time reaching dirt, for example, in corners or along furniture. The dual main brushes also seem well thought out. During the entire testing period, even after trimming the dog, I did not find a single tightly wrapped hair on them. 

However, I did notice one small thing. When using stronger suction modes, the airflow coming out of the back can sometimes blow lighter dust into an already cleaned area. I didn't notice this with the previously tested Narwal Flow model, but it's worth remembering that the Saras 20's declared suction power is almost 60% higher, so the airflow here is much stronger. 

Saras 20 is exceptional with carpets. When it approaches the carpet, it raises the chassis and drives onto it, and then gradually lowers to the optimal height. This allows the robot to better adapt to carpets of different thicknesses and allows the brushes to collect dirt more effectively. After cleaning, the carpets look neat, and clear suction lines are visible on shorter-pile carpets. 

Floor washing

The robot removes everyday stains, dust or light dirt very well, so the floors look clean and fresh after cleaning. Of course, like all robot vacuums, it does not replace manual cleaning in more complex situations, when the dirt is very dried or hard to reach. 

As with vacuuming, the FlexiArm mechanism provides many benefits here. One of the mops moves closer to the wall, so the robot can better clean the floor along skirting boards, furniture or kitchen cabinets. Another very practical solution is that the carpet robot can leave the mops in the station before going to vacuum. I have not seen such a solution before, but in homes with a lot of carpets, it is very useful, because you do not have to worry about their possible wetting. 

There is also no shortage of cleaning settings here - you can choose a cleaning mode based on the layout of the floor, adjust the moisture content of the cloths, or set more intensive cleaning in the pet's feeding areas. After washing, the entire marked area is cleaned consistently, and I did not notice any missed areas during testing. Overall, this is probably the best rotating mop cleaning system I have ever tried. 

After each wash, the robot returns to the station, where the cloths are washed with very hot water and then dried. This helps to keep them clean and reduces the likelihood of unpleasant odors. With daily use, there is practically no maintenance required - all you have to do is occasionally refill the clean water tank and empty the dirty water. 

Stop and maintenance

The Roborock Saras 20 station does almost all the maintenance work itself. It automatically sucks the dirt accumulated in the robot into the bag, rinses the mops with hot water, dries them, and refills the robot's water tank when necessary. All I have to do is add clean water and pour out the dirty water, change the vacuum bag, or clean the dust.

It's true that the station is noisy. Stations from other manufacturers certainly don't wash the cloths quietly, but this one seems to be much louder. In fact, the process is sometimes so unpleasant that you have to pause while watching a TV series and wait for the cloths to be washed.

Obstacle recognition

Navigation is one of the most important features of a good robot vacuum cleaner, and the Roborock Saras 20 caused mixed feelings here. The robot moves confidently enough during cleaning, but occasionally there are inconsistent movements. If some area remains untouched due to a temporary obstacle, it remembers it and returns later to check if the obstacle has been removed.

The most problematic items were children's toys. During testing, LEGO Duplo bricks were practically invisible to this robot, and tennis balls were pushed away quite often. Despite the fact that I chose to avoid collisions in the settings, Saras 20 still likes to touch, albeit gently, some objects in its environment.

However, with each cleaning, the robot seemed to move more confidently. It recognized the same toys a little better and avoided collisions more often. However, I would like to praise the Saras 20 for its animal recognition - both sleeping and walking pets were recognized and circled nicely during my tests.

AdaptiLift

It's not the vacuuming or mopping that's the biggest highlight of the Roborock Saras 20, but rather the AdaptiLift system. It allows the robot to overcome much higher obstacles than many of its competitors, and in my home it was the first robot vacuum that could reach places that no other model I've tested has been able to visit without any major problems.

All this is possible thanks to the lifting supports located near the main wheels. Having approached a higher threshold, the robot raises the front part, drives over the obstacle, then raises the rear part and thus overcomes the height step by step. When observed from the side, the whole process is very interesting - the robot seems to move over the obstacle, and not simply try to overcome it with greater force. 

True, the system also has its drawbacks. One of the biggest is the noise it makes. When the lift wheels spin, you get the feeling that their motor is more of a prototype than a final product. Also, at higher speeds, the front of the Saras 20 can hit the floor hard and loudly, so cleaning the house during quiet hours is really unpleasant. 

What could be better?

Although the Roborock Saras 20 left a very good impression in many areas, a few things still bother the flagship robot. My biggest disappointment is the recognition of small objects. Those with small children probably don't need to explain that it is practically impossible to collect all the toys from the floor before each start of the robot, so you expect such an expensive robot to help here. Unfortunately, Saras 20 sometimes simply runs over or pushes even quite large and bright toys.

I would also like quieter operation. The station itself makes quite a lot of noise when washing cloths, and the AdaptiLift mechanism, when overcoming higher thresholds, is also not quiet. For everyday use, this is not a critical problem, but in practice it makes you have to think more about the cleaning time of the robot - in the evening or while watching TV, its operation can really be annoying. 

Finally, I would like a little more completeness in the app. Lithuanian is only available in part of the menu, the choice of names for some rooms is quite limited, and the process of creating the first map could be explained more clearly. These are not problems that make Saras 20 difficult to use, but from a robot of this level, you want not only the technical part, but also the entire user experience to be impeccable.

Verdict

The Roborock Saros 20 is one of the most interesting robot vacuums I've tried. It vacuums both hard floors and carpets, mops floors very well, has one of the best rotating mop systems I've tested, and the AdaptiLift allows it to reach places that other robots simply couldn't get to. Add in a well-automated dock, a bunch of smart features, and a camera, and the Saros 20 truly lives up to its premium status. 

However, it is not a robot that I would call perfect. Some of its functions could still be more complete, and the shortcomings of obstacle recognition are especially evident in certain situations. However, overall, Saras 20 is a very capable assistant that performs most of the daily floor maintenance tasks on its own. If you have high thresholds, a lot of carpets in your home, or simply want a robot that can reach as many places in your home as possible, this model has very strong arguments in its favor.