I tried the $2,600 robot vacuum with a crane arm, and it's absurd

Maybe you heard that Roborock made a robot vacuum with an arm back in January 2025, when the Saros Z70 was announced at CES. Maybe you were today years old when you found out such a thing exists. Either way, one unanimous question arises: Could a robot vacuum with an arm that picks up obstacles possibly be worth it?

The price tag further obscures the question of practicality here: The Roborock Saros Z70 costs $2,599. That's a full $1,000 more than the other two flagship Saros robot vacuums Roborock released this year. Even if you catch the Saros Z70 at its sale price of $1,999, it's still remarkably steep compared to the rest of the market.

So, for my Saros Z70 video review, I put the device to the test in my apartment for a month. I attempted to use the claw machine-style arm to pick up socks, sandals, and a few other common obstacles, and compared the Saros Z70's cleaning skills to the Roborock Saros 10 and 10R vacuums that also live with me. Here's how it went.