The Roborock Saros 10R and 10 launched at the same time, look very similar and come in at exactly the same price. So you could be forgiven for struggling to figure out exactly how they compare, and which one you should buy. I’ve been using both the Roborock Saros 10R and Saros 10 for the past few months, and I’m here to help you out.
These are some of the best robot vacuums I’ve tested; they both excel in almost all areas of navigation, suction power, mopping efficiency and ease of use. The headline feature for both is that they each have a height of just 7.98cm in height and can scoot under furniture with a clearance of just 8cm. Beyond that, though, there are some key differences in styling, features and functions that set them apart.
For navigational purposes the Saros 10R (covered in depth in my Roborock Saros 10R review) uses a unique form of solid-state LiDAR called StarSight, an RGB camera and a side-mounted VertiBeam. This means it doesn’t require a LiDAR turret, which normally adds around 3cm to the height of any robot. In contrast, the Saros 10 (explored in TechRadar’s Roborock Saros 10 review) sticks with standard LDS LiDAR and comes with a turret. However, it has a clever trick to enable it to reach deep under equally low furnishings: the Saros 10’s turret retracts when entering and then pops up again when it leaves.
When the Saros 10 and 10R were first announced in January 2025, Roborock had planned that these contrasting navigation systems would be the only difference between the two premium robots, but by the time they hit the market, a few more variations had appeared.
One of the biggest is that the Saros 10R uses two retractable circular spinning cloth mops while its stablemate is equipped with one of Roborock’s popular vibrating D-shaped mop pads, plus a small rotating mop that sticks out of the side for cleaning close to the edges of rooms.
The Saros 10R supposedly boasts an impressive 20,000 Pascals of suction power while the Saros 10 sports a stated 22,000Pa. Both are equipped with Roborock’s excellent two-part DuoDivide brush head and retractable side sweeping brushes, so it’s a tie in this regard. However, I do think that the Saros 10s dock has stronger suction when automatically emptying the robot’s small bin, but more on that below.
Finally, the docks are a little different in design. Both have the same gorgeous black mirrored finish that sets them apart from their competitors, at least in terms of aesthetics. But the Saros 10R’s dock has exposed water tanks and a pull-off dustbin cover while the Saros 10’s dock has hidden water tanks and a tactile push-to-open dustbin door.
Both of these models retail at the same price – $1,599.99. But which model do I personally prefer? Well the bells-and-whistles navigation specs of the Saros 10R are designed for more complex room layouts and are therefore difficult to ignore. But then again I think I prefer the look of the Saros 10 with its sci-fi pop-up LiDAR and neater dock. If I take their relevant docks’ suction power into consideration then, for me, the winner is the Saros 10. By a whisker!
Read on for a closer look at how the Roborock Saros 10R vs Saros 10 match up when it comes to design, cleaning powers, navigation, based on my side-by-side tests. Or check out Roborock’s own product comparison.
Roborock Saros 10R vs Saros 10: price & availability
- Saros 10 list price: $1,599.99 / £1,499.99 / AU$2,999
- Saros 10R list price: $1,599.99 (not yet available in UK / AU)
- Both launched January 2025
The Roborock Saros 10 and 10R were both announced at the same time in January 2025, then went on sale in February in the US. Both cost $1,599.99 at list price.
(In fact, there was a third model included in the January launch: the Roborock Saros Z70. The three were pitched as joint flagship models, but the Z70 is rather different from the 10s because it has a big robotic arm. That model isn’t on sale yet, and we’re in the process of testing it.)
The Saros 10 went on to go on sale in the UK and Australia, where it costs £1,499.99 / AU$2,999. At time of writing (May 2025), the 10R is not yet available anywhere apart from the US, although it is due to become available in the UK. I’d assume the pricing will be the same as the 10 – so £1,499.99 in the UK, and AU$2,999 if it arrives in Australia.
You can pick these bots up direct from Roborock or via a third party retailer like Amazon.
At list price, both sit in the premium price bracket, and are some of the most expensive robot vacuums currently on the market. However, there are deals to be had – I’ve spotted discounts on both models already, and the speed at which robovac brands release new models means more are likely to appear as even better bots succeed them in the Roborock lineup.
Roborock Saros 10R vs Saros 10 specs
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
Saros 10 |
Saros 10R |
|---|---|---|
|
Max suction: |
22,000Pa |
20,000Pa |
|
Robot size (W x D): |
13.8 x 14″ / 35 x 35.3cm |
13.8 x 14″ / 35 x 35.3cm |
|
Robot height: |
3.1″ / 8cm |
3.1″ / 8cm |
|
Dock dimensions (W x D x H): |
16.1 x 17.3 x 18.5″ / 40.9 x 44 x 47cm |
18.7 x 15 x 19.2″ / 47. 5 x 38.1 x 48.8cm |
|
Dust bin volume (bot): |
270ml |
270ml |
|
Dust bin volume (dock): |
2.5L |
2.7L |
|
Water tank volume (bot): |
70ml |
69ml |
|
Water tank volume (dock): |
4L clean, 3.5L dirty |
4L clean, 3L dirty |
|
Max runtime (quiet mode): |
3 hrs |
3 hrs 40 mins |
|
Noise (balanced mode): |
64dB |
65dB |
Roborock Saros 10R vs Saros 10: design
- Saros 10 has a puck that can raise and lower; 10R has no puck at all
- Saros 10 has a D-shaped mop pad; 10R uses two spinning discs
- Saros 10 has a smaller, slightly neater dock
Roborock is a class leader in home vacuum tech, especially products of the robotic variety. Indeed, as of writing this, the Chinese company has a perplexing roster of 25 models in its US roster and 16 in the UK, and that makes it extremely difficult for any mortal to get a handle on, especially if they don’t know what all the terminology means.
Take the Saros 10 and Saros 10R models for instance. These are both flagship products that have an awful lot in common while also being quite different in their functions and the target audiences they’re aimed at.
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Where they are most similar is in the size of the robot units themselves; both measure just 7.98cm in height. This means that they can go under furniture with clearances as low as 8cm. I know this because I’ve tested both of them with my low-slung TV cabinet.
However, in order to perform this limbo-like feat, both models adopt different types of LiDAR for their navigation. The Saros 10R doesn’t have a LiDAR turret at all because it uses a new type of navigation system called StarSight Autonomous System 2.0, which comprises a solid-state, dual-transmitter LiDAR combined with time-of-flight sensors (aka 3D ToF).
Image 1 of 2
Hence, all navigation is performed via the front-mounted sensors comprising the StarSight unit for overall mapping navigation, RGB and infrared cameras for visual recognition and a side-mounted VertiBeam for lateral obstacle avoidance around irregular-shaped furniture, walls and even loose cables. It also has a front-mounted LED headlight for seeing its way around in darker spaces like under sofas and beds. This is one reason why the Saros 10R is targeted at complex home layouts with unusually shaped walls and obstructive furniture.
The Saros 10, on the other hand, uses standard LDS-based LiDAR with an upward-facing range finder for detection of low clearance areas and a retractable LiDAR turret that pops up and down so the bot can go underneath equally low furniture. The Saros 10 also includes Reactive AI 3.0 Obstacle Recognition, a VertiBeam sensor to help avoid obstacles to the side, a top contact sensor to prevent the bot from jamming itself against sloping furniture, a front-mounted RGB camera for help in detecting obstacles, and an LED headlight. Both models also include the usual tranche of cliff and carpet detecting sensors.
Image 1 of 2
According to Roborock’s product blurb, the Saros 10R’s navigation system is more suitable for complex environments but, truth is, I haven’t been able to tell the difference. Both models have mapped my home impeccably well and they’re both sterling obstacles avoiders, but only when you’ve selected the ‘Pet’ option in settings.
Both of these models are capable of huge levels of suction power – an alleged 20,000Pa for the Saros 10R and 22,000Pa for the Saros 10 – and both feature Roborocks’ innovative anti-tangle DuoDivide brush heads and extendable side brushes.
Image 1 of 2
As you will have noticed, every premium robot vac these days includes a mopping facility, whether you like it or not. The Saros 10R ships with two retractable circular mop pads that either lift off the ground or are left behind in the dock depending on whether the robot is traversing any carpet en route to a mopping session. Also, one of the mop pads extends sideways by several inches whenever the robot is cleaning in corners and around furniture legs.
Conversely, the Saros 10 is equipped with a static D-shaped mopping pad that vibrates 4,000 times a minute while being pressed to the floor with 8 Newtons of pressure. Meanwhile, a small two-inch mopping wheel protrudes on one side to clean the edges of rooms. The main pad can also retract or be left behind in the dock.
Heading to the all important docks, which not only charge the robots but service them too by automatically emptying the contents of the robots’ small bins into large 2.5-litre disposable dust bags, filling their tiny mopping tanks and cleaning the mops after every session. Both docks are mostly hands-off, though the Saros 10 involves a bit more manual intervention when cleaning the dock’s mop basin of matted hair and other detritus.
Both cleaning stations are equipped with two water containers for their mopping systems but the Saros 10R’s containers are exposed at the top while the Saros 10 has them hidden from view. Also, the dock’s dust bag access on the Saros 10R is of the pull-off variety while the Saros 10’s is equipped with a tactile magnetic push-to-open mechanism. The 10R has a marginally larger dust bag – perhaps worth considering if you’re dealing with lots of dirt or pet hair – while the 10 has a larger dirty water tank, so will need less regular emptying.
Both units also contain a refillable reservoir for a hard floor cleaning solution of your choice, which is mixed into the fresh water as it’s pumped into the robots’ small onboard water tanks.
In terms of aesthetics, both docks are styled with mirrored facias that reflect the room so you hardly notice they’re there. They are among the most attractive docks on the market in my opinion. You have the option of two colours for the Saros 10 – black or white – but only black for the Saros 10R. Personally I would stick to black because it’s a far less obtrusive colour, especially if sited in a living area. For the record, the Saros 10R’s docking unit is 3cm deeper and 1.8cm taller than the Saros 10, while the Saros 10’s dock is 3cm wider.
Likewise, both robot units look sleek, stylish and expensive. The Saros 10R’s robot unit is encased in reflective black with manual push buttons while the Saros 10 has more of a ribbed matte effect, though I do like its touch-sensitive buttons.
I personally prefer the look of the Saros 10, mostly because its pop-up LiDAR turret is made from metal instead of the usual plastic and it’s beautifully designed, too. Besides, there’s something very pleasing about seeing it pop up and down. But on the downside, there is scope for it to be more easily damaged and there’s no knowing how reliable the mechanism will be in the long term. Also, visible spinning LiDARs can be jammed by strands of dog hair, specifically the thicker Labrador variety.
Roborock Saros 10R vs Saros 10: performance
- Both are equally excellent at navigation and vacuuming
- Saros 10R is more effective at mopping
- Saros 10’s dock is better at coping with lots of pet hair
When it comes to outright navigation prowess, the Saros 10R’s system has a whopping 21,600 sensor points as opposed to the Saros 10’s single point. This should mean that the Saros 10R is a clear winner in this category, but in my tests both units have navigated in a remarkably similar fashion. Granted, the Saros 10R seems to be a bit more aware of its surroundings but, truth is, I haven’t noticed much difference in the way they behave.
Besides, they have both avoided obstacles – including really small ones – with amazing reliability and that’s good enough for me. Just make sure you have the ‘Pet’ option toggled on in your app, which amps up sensitivity when it comes to how the bot deals with obstacles. However, I still wouldn’t trust either to avoid dog mess so be careful if you have a puppy.
Likewise, both machines have been amazing at vacuuming – they really are state of the art in this respect. Based on specs, the 10 should be slightly more powerful (offering 22,000Pa of suction compared to 20,000Pa for the 10R), but testing them side-by-side I haven’t detected any differences in their relative pick-up performance. You could frankly choose either machine in this regard.
While the two models tie when it comes to navigation and cleaning efficiency on both carpet and hard floor, there’s more of a divergence in performance when it comes to mopping. The jury’s out, on the effectiveness of the Saros 10s moping pad against the Saros 10R’s twin circular mops. I found that the Saros 10 left dry, unmopped steaks on my slightly concave hardwood floor, while the Saros 10R didn’t. So it’s a win for the Saros 10R here.
However, there’s one specific area where I feel the Saros 10R is quite significantly less effective than the 10, and it’s to do with the dock. I have two moulting Labradors and two cats and am plagued by more dust here in the countryside than I can ever remember experiencing in London. Must be the nearby farm fields. As a consequence, I consider one of the most vital functions of any robot vac to be the level of suction power in the dock when it’s emptying the robot’s bin.
I can’t begin to tell you how much hair these vacs collect on each run – staggering amounts that are stuffed to the gills in the robots’ bins – and I sometimes come across docks that just can’t handle it. When they try and suck the dust and hair from the bot’s onboard bin, it instead ends up getting clogged up. Usually, the blockage occurs where the dock’s suction tube meets the dust bag. This means that the robot’s bin isn’t emptied which in turn means having to remove the dock’s dust bag in order to extricate the bundle of mattered hair blocking the path. And this isn’t easy since many dust bags have a thin plastic sliding mechanism that’s difficult to budge when there’s a cardigan’s worth of hair jammed midway between the inlet tube and the bag itself.
I’m sorry to say that I have, on a number of occasions since my review, had this issue with the Saros 10R. Meanwhile, I’ve had no jamming with the Saros 10 hasn’t. Both units are in areas frequented by pets: my Saros 10R is positioned downstairs where I have hard floor and rugs; while the Saros 10 is upstairs which is almost universally carpeted in old inherited carpets that are starting to lose their fibres and are therefore well past their prime. All that makes me think that the Saros 10’s suction motor is more powerful than the Saros 10R’s.
Hence, it is with this one sole issue in mind that I have to recommend the Saros 10 over the Saros 10R, especially if you have pets. If you don’t have pets then you likely won’t experience this dock suction problem at all, in which case your decision should be based on whether you prefer circular mops (Saros 10R) to static mops (Saros 10) or a charging dock with hidden water tanks (Saros 10) or exposed water tanks (Saros 10R). Over to you.
Roborock Saros 10R vs Saros 10: which should you buy?
Buy the Saros 10R if…
Buy the Saros 10 if…
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