Tried out the Roborock Saros Z70. The new OmniGrip feature got a lot of buzz, but honestly, it doesn’t really deliver. The retractable arm is cool, but the performance still feels lacking. Just another robot vacuum that needs improvement. Nothing too exciting here. #Roborock #SarosZ70 #RobotVacuum #CES2023 #TechReview

ZDNET's key takeaways The Roborock Saros Z70 is now available for purchase for The Saros Z70 is the first robot vacuum with a mechanical arm to lift lightweight objects and clean those missed areasThis robot vacuum performs impressively well, but you can expect some bugs with the OmniGrip mechanical arm function. View now at Roborock The Roborock Saros Z70 is currently on sale at Roborock for for Memorial Day, down from the usual price of 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: This midrange robot vacuum cleans as well as some flagship models - and it's 50% offThankfully, many companies are rallying behind the effort to create a household assistant robot. However, 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 created different kinds of household robots, the Saros Z70 is a multifunctional robot that could be a stepping stone to the future of smart homes.  details View at Us.roborock 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 can't dive into a review of this product without immediately focusing on this robotic grip. 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/ZDNETThe 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 looks like a small trash bin you'd see under a desk or in a bathroom. After your robot creates a virtual map of your home, you place the bin and you 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, like slippers and light shoes. The biggest question, of course, is: does the mechanical arm work as intended? After testing it in my home, I'm pleased to report that it does -- at least the vast majority of the time.Also: I invested in this 3-in-1 robot vacuum, and it's paying off for my homeTo 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/ZDNETOnce 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. Also: My picks for the best robot vacuums for pet hair of 2025: Roomba, Eufy, Ecovacs, and moreIn 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/ZDNETRoborock says the Saros Z70 currently recognizes socks, sandals, crumpled tissues, and towels under 300g, and that new sortable objects will be added continuously via firmware updates. When I only used the recognizable objects, the robot 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: This Ecovacs robot vacuum and mop is a sleeper hit, and it handles carpeting like a champAs 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 has the best obstacle avoidance feature I've seen thus far, so it doesn't get stuck on random objects, and it has an extendable mop pad to clean near edges. The robot also cleans quite thoroughly, much like the Saros 10 and Saros 10R, so you can count on it reaching pretty much every foot of your home.  Maria Diaz/ZDNETI 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, these bugs can be attributed to the fact that this is really new technology. Some bugs included the robot only vacuuming and "forgetting" to resume mopping after dropping off an object, and dropping objects that were hard to grip, like kids' water shoes.ZDNET's buying advice Maria Diaz/ZDNETThe 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.Also: This robot vacuum might be better at cleaning than me - and I'm a neat freakEven 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.However, it is quite expensive. The Saros Z70 will vacuum and mop like the best robot vacuums on the market. But you must be aware that you're not paying for a robot vacuum alone; you're paying for the innovation of having a future-forward robot in your home.  When will this deal expire? Deals are subject to sell out or expire at any time, though ZDNET remains committed to finding, sharing, and updating the best product deals for you to score the best savings. Our team of experts regularly checks in on the deals we share to ensure they are still live and obtainable. We're sorry if you've missed out on this deal, but don't fret -- we're constantly finding new chances to score savings and sharing them with you at ZDNET.com.  Show more Featured reviews #tested #viral #roborock #vacuum #with

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 That's a full 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 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. Related Stories Leah Stodart Senior Shopping Reporter Leah Stodart is a Philadelphia-based Senior Shopping Reporter at Mashable where she covers and tests essential home tech like vacuums and TVs, plus eco-friendly hacks. Her ever-evolving experience in these categories comes in clutch when making recommendations on how to spend your money during shopping holidays like Black Friday, which Leah has been covering for Mashable since 2017. #tried #robot #vacuum #with #mechanical

Roborock Saros Z70 review: an innovative robot vacuum with a robotic arm that just can’t get a grip MSRP Score Details “The Roborock Saros Z70 is a powerful robot vacuum and mop, but its robotic arm isn’t quite ready for the spotlight.” Pros 22,000 Pa suction Auto-detaching mopping pads Reliable navigation Slim profile Robotic arm is coolCons Robotic arm functionality isn't great Expensive “Why you can trust Digital Trends – We have a 20-year history of testing, reviewing, and rating products, services and apps to help you make a sound buying decision. Find out more about how we test and score products.“ Recommended Videos The Roborock Saros Z70 is the most innovative robot vacuum I’ve ever tested. Along with the ability to vacuum and mop, this unique gadget is equipped with a robotic arm. As it cruises around your home, it’ll pick up objects left on the ground, move them to a designated area, then continue with its cleaning routine. Or rather, that’s what it’s supposed to do. In reality, things are a bit of a mixed bag. First and foremost — the Saros Z70 does an excellent job of cleaning all types of floors. With heaps of suction and a premium spinning mop setup, it’s designed to tackle spills and debris with ease. But the robotic arm is the big selling point here, and it doesn’t do enough to justify its eye-watering price tag of. Roborock offers products at a much lower price point capable of cleaning just as well as the Saros Z70. And because the robotic arm isn’t quite ready for the modern household environment, it’s hard to recommend to anyone except those who need to be on the cutting edge of the robot vacuum industry — which is a pretty niche crowd. Still, I’m excited to see where the technology goes. The Saros Z70 might not be ready for the spotlight just yet, but its successors will most definitely learn from its mistakes. It’s all about the arm Jon Bitner / Digital Trends The Roborock Saros Z70 can automatically vacuum, mop, detach and reinstall its mopping pads, empty its dustbin, and wash itself — but the reason you’re even thinking about spending is because of its wild robotic arm. No other robot vacuum on the market offers this functionality. One of the biggest limitations of current robot vacuums is that they must clean around your mess. Forget to pick up a sock, shoe, or other object, and that portion of your home will be missed. The Saros Z70 attempts to fix this pinch point. Forget to pick up your dirty socks? It’ll pick them up for you, then return them to a specified point in your home. This should, in theory, result in a more comprehensive clean, as it doesn’t have to work around your mess — instead, it’ll simply clean up for you. It’s a remarkable idea for a robot vacuum, and the Saros Z70 is a fine first attempt at bringing this idea to life. Much like any new technology, it’s quite rough around the edges, but the proof of concept is there. It successfully picked up socks, slippers, and crumpled paper left out in my home. It would then bring them to a designated spot before continuing with its cleaning routine. When it works, it’s one of the coolest things you’ll ever see in the world of robot vacuums. Roborock But the successes of the robotic arm are overshadowed by its limitations. To be clear, Roborock is quite transparent with its restrictions. For example, detection doesn’t work very wellon carpet. The grip is only capable of picking up items of 300 grams or less. If the robot detects furniture above it, the arm won’t fully deploy — protecting itself and your belongings from a collision. This means you’re essentially limited to picking up small, lightweight objects like socks and slippers from hard surfaces. Even if the robot detects something it should, theoretically, be able to handle, the grip often struggles. Designed as a set of prongs that reach down to lift objects, it frequently misses the object or grabs it awkwardly and later drops it. Simply put, the system takes way too long to be an effective solution for your home. When not in use, the arm stows away into a chamber at the front of the robot vacuum. This results in a streamlined footprint capable of slinking under most furniture for a robust cleaning. The entire system looks nice, though the functionality of the robotic arm leaves much to be desired. Mopping and vacuuming Jon Bitner / Digital Trends While the robotic arm is a bit of a letdown, this isn’t the case for the rest of the Roborock Saros Z70. It’s essentially a superpowered version of the fantastic Saros 10R, featuring 22,000 Pa of suction, the accurate StarSight Autonomous System 2.0 for navigation, an anti-tangle system to keep brushes free of debris, and detachable mops that can automatically be left behind in the dock while vacuuming. Several secondary features are bundled in for added convenience, such as the ability to check in on the device remotely via video calls and a child lock to prevent curious kids from meddling with the expensive robot. Toss in a side brush capable of rotating outward for enhanced coverage and a mopping pad capable of the same, and you’ve got a robot well-suited for providing one of the best cleans on the market — plus a few fun extras. Verdict As innovative as the Roborock Saros Z70 is, it’s not the right fit for most customers. Its combination of price and lackluster robotic arm performance means it’s just not capable of living up to expectations, and you’d be better off with the Roborock Saros 10 or Saros 10R. Both products provide similar cleanings at a fraction of the price. Having said all that, the Saros Z70 is still an exciting product. The first time its robotic arm deployed to pick up a sock, I literally shouted in excitement. It’s hard to overstate how cool this technology is — and how it could seriously revolutionize robot vacuums. The Saros Z70 isthe first step on a much longer journey, and I can’t wait to see where Roborock takes us. #roborock #saros #z70 #review #innovative

Check out that display. Credit: ZTE China's ZTE's got a new flagship phone, the ZTE Nubia Z70S Ultra, and it's coming to the U.S. So what does that have to do with the iPhone 18? Hear me out. ZTE's phones don't always reach U.S. shores, which is a pity as the company has been producing excellent smartphones for more than a decade. The new ZTE Nubia Z70S Ultra is a good example of that: It's an absolute powerhouse of a phone, with a Snapdragon 8 Elite chip inside, 12 or 16GB of memory, a triple, 50/64/50-megapixel camera sensor on the back, and a monster, 6,600mAh battery. The phone has a 50-megapixel wide camera, a 50-megapixel ultra-wide camera that doubles as a macro camera, and a 64-megapixel telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom. Credit: ZTE And, according to Android Police, the Nubia Z70S Ultra will be available in the U.S., as well as Europe and other global markets. Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up! From the back, the phone looks like a compact camera, and ZTE sells a Retro kit that actually makes it look just like a camera, with additional physical controls for photographers. Less is more. Credit: ZTE But the Nubia Z70S Ultra's biggest highlight is its display. It's a 6.85-inch AMOLED display with a 2,688 x 1,216 pixel resolution, a 144Hz refresh rate, and no camera cutout of any kind. That's right, the display is just an uninterrupted rectangle, with no notches, islands, punch-holes, or anything else that gets in the way of viewing. Add to that the super-slim bezels surrounding the display, and you get a phone that finally offers a zero-distraction display. Related Stories The optional retro kit really turns the phone into a compact camera. Credit: ZTE The 16-megapixel selfie camera is there, of course, but it's hidden beneath the display — a technology that's been around for a while but somehow never reached the mainstream. Now, we've heard word that Apple is working on an under-display Face ID system for its iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max phones, paving the way for an iPhone with a fully uninterrupted display. So, if you want to see what that's like, checking out ZTE's new Nubia phone is probably your best bet. SEE ALSO: New leak gives fresh info on 'all-screen' iPhone The ZTE Nubia Z70S Ultra is actually a lot cheaper than the iPhone, too: It starts at $780 (€770 in Europe), and there's a $40/€40 discount if you pre-order it by May 28, which you can do here. Topics iPhone Stan Schroeder Senior Editor Stan is a Senior Editor at Mashable, where he has worked since 2007. He's got more battery-powered gadgets and band t-shirts than you. He writes about the next groundbreaking thing. Typically, this is a phone, a coin, or a car. His ultimate goal is to know something about everything. Source: https://mashable.com/article/zte-nubia-under-display-camera #ztes #new #usbound #phone #teaser #for #the #iphone

PROS: Distinctive Retro Camera Design Extra Large 6,600 mAh battery Impressive cooling under heavy use like gaming CONS: No wireless charging Moderate 16MP front camera RATINGS: AESTHETICSERGONOMICSPERFORMANCESUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITYVALUE FOR MONEYEDITOR'S QUOTE:The Nubia Z70S Ultra pays homage to pro digital cameras both in style and performance, without forgetting that it's a smartphone first and foremost. Smartphone manufacturers have gotten a lot smarter. Back in the day, you’d notice how they focused their marketing on megapixel counts, making you believe that more is always better. Thanks to some brands (like Apple and Google) proving that isn’t the case, they’ve switched gears to put the spotlight on sensor sizes, lenses, and even focal lengths. The closer they sound like pro camera specs, the stronger the pull for mobile shutterbugs. Nubia has recently been applying this strategy to its Z series flagships, particularly appealing to photographers who firmly believe in the benefits of a 35mm film equivalent lens. With its latest Z70S Ultra, it’s taking another stab at this still niche category, putting the focus, pun intended, on “premium 35mm photography.” But does it deliver on that promise, and does it come at the expense of everything else about the smartphone? Read on to find out. Designer: Nubia Aesthetics Photography has been one of the key features that smartphones have been selling for the past years, and some brands try to capitalize on that in more ways than just specs and output. A few smartphones have adopted designs that are reminiscent of digital cameras, either on their own or with “photography kits.” The Nubia Z70S Ultra is one of these, but it has a little twist to its aesthetic. It hasn’t forgotten that it’s a smartphone, and it doesn’t bend over backward to hide that fact. You have the telltale design cues of a classic camera, particularly its dual-tone aesthetic with a leather body and metal frames top and bottom. Here, that same appearance is recreated entirely in glass, though your eyes might be fooled until you actually grip the phone in your hand. Even then, your fingers might also be briefly led astray with 3D micro-etched faux texture on the back glass. Of course, actual cameras don’t have multiple lenses on the same body, so Nubia arranged the three rear cameras in ways you’d mistake one for a view and another for a sensor. Enclosed in a raised box that takes up the entire width of the phone’s back, you might be led to believe that the phone has an embedded point-and-shoot camera on its rear, which is probably the effect that Nubia was going for. The rest of the phone’s surfaces are clean and modern, with a flat-edged frame and an equally flat seamless display that hides the front-facing camera quite well. The camera area is the only visually noisy part of the phone, and that’s probably intentional. It faithfully recreates the identity of classic cameras but still manages to keep its own character as a phone, delivering a memorable experience for the eyes. Ergonomics The Nubia Z70S Ultra is by no means a small phone, and at 228g, it’s also slightly heavier than other “ultra” phones. A few aspects of its design do help mitigate that fact, or at least inspire a bit more confidence in your grip. Flat edges and a textured glass surface do help, though you’ll still have to be mindful of how low you wrap your hand around the phone. It’s a top-heavy phone, so it’s a good thing that the optical fingerprint scanner isn’t placed too low on the screen either. One advantage of the Z70S Ultra’s camera design is that it takes up the whole width of the device. That means no wobbling when you place it on your desk, making for a bit more comfortable experience while you tap on it repeatedly. Like other sizable camera bumps, it lifts the top of the phone ever so slightly for a better view of the screen when placed on a flat surface. Performance If the design is any indication, the Nubia Z70S Ultra is hyper-focused on its photography chops. That’s delivered by a triple camera system with a 35mm 50MP main camera leading the charge. It has a large 1/1.3-inch sensor and a matching large f/1.7 aperture lens, ensuring plenty of light and image information comes through. The 35mm format is still a rarity among smartphones, but it’s quite popular among photographers for its wide FOV and similarity to our own human vision. This camera is joined by a 50MP ultra-wide macro lens with a 13mm equivalent focal length and a 122-degree field of view, as well as a 64MP periscope-style telephoto lens. All these result in photos that look more natural and pleasing to the eyes. All in all, the three cameras work great in providing vibrant, detailed, and color-accurate shots. If there’s one minor flaw in the camera system, it would be the 16MP front-facing camera. Nubia does well in hiding it beneath the display, at least better than anything Samsung has ever done, but the lower resolution plus light bleed from the display still results in rather pasty and overexposed selfies. The Nubia Z70S Ultra’s nod to retro cameras goes beyond its appearance. It also has a dedicated shutter button that behaves almost like the real deal. A single press takes a photo, but a half-press cases the camera app to adjust the focus. A long full-press activates burst mode, just like on many pro digital cameras. You can also customize the camera button’s action or leave it at the default, which can conveniently launch the camera from a locked screen by just pressing and holding it. Even with all the focus on mobile photography, Nubia hasn’t forgotten that this is still a smartphone and that people will use it for smartphone activities. Equipped with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, it can handle any task with aplomb, even with the lowest 12GB RAM configuration like we had on our review unit. Even more impressive, however, is the Nubia Z70S Ultra’s understated cooling system, which held up well even after a fierce battle royale on Fortnite. Great smartphone cameras might not mean much if the screen you’ll be viewing them on doesn’t do them justice. Thankfully, the 6.85-inch 2688×1216 OLED display doesn’t disappoint in either brightness or vibrancy, especially with 100% DCI-P3 color gamut support. The edge-to-edge screen, made possible by a 7th-gen Under Display Camera design, makes it possible to truly enjoy content without any visual interruptions, at least until you need to take a selfie or make a video call. A standout feature of this powerful smartphone is its generous 6,600mAh battery, a reason why you’ll be able to forgive the heft. All-day battery life is already a given, and 80W charging reduced the downtime involved. Unfortunately, it also lacks wireless charging, which is already a staple on flagships like this. Whether it’s taking photos, gaming, or streaming media, the Nubia Z70S Ultra doesn’t disappoint and delivers a well-rounded experience. Sure, you might nitpick a few flaws here and there, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s still a well-balanced set of features wrapped in a package that will pull at the heartstrings of photographers. Sustainability It is becoming more common for premium flagships these days to boast more than just the usual IP68 dust and water resistance. With an additional IP69 certification, you’re phone is guaranteed to be safe from high-temperature, high-pressure water that may be accidentally sprayed on it. Of course, it’s still up to you to tempt fate, but when accidents do come knocking, you won’t need to panic. Unfortunately, you won’t find the other certifications often flaunted by more expensive models. You have a bit of scratch resistance and drop protection for the display glass, but that’s pretty much it. The phone will also run Nebula AIOS 1.5 out of the box, based on Android 15, and Nubia has so far been silent on the upgrade path for this newcomer. Value The Nubia Z70S Ultra has actually been out in the Chinese market for quite some time, but its global availability raises its value even further. After all, no matter how beautiful or powerful a product is, it holds no value if you can’t even hold it in your hands, let alone use it. Coming to countries around the world, including the US, the retro camera smartphone could very well be making waves in the international market. That deal is made even sweeter by a sub-$1,000 price tag, far lower than other smartphones with nearly equivalent capabilities. It’s still pretty mind-blowing how some brands can pull prices down significantly without compromising on the experience, making you feel like other companies are actually committing highway robbery. Of course, its unique design, lack of wireless charging, and 16MP front-facing camera might turn off a few people, but the Nubia Z70S Ultra definitely offers a lot more for most consumers. Verdict There was a time when smartphones were prophesied to displace digital cameras. Of course, that could hardly happen, perhaps except for the point-and-click camera market. Instead, smartphones have lowered the barrier to entry to digital photography, sometimes even leading to higher sales of digital cameras. Regardless, these devices have become accessible tools for creativity and communication, just as cameras changed the world. The Nubia Z70S Ultra pays respect to these trailblazers not only by embracing their unique aesthetics but also by delivering quality photos and videos. At the same time, however, it doesn’t push aside the rest of the smartphone features just to give way to those sensors and lenses. Be it for making memories, fighting your way to victory, or simply being productive, the Nubia Z70S Ultra offers an experience that is retro in looks but undeniably modern in performance. The post Nubia Z70S Ultra Review: A Nod To The Cameras That Changed The World first appeared on Yanko Design. Source: https://www.yankodesign.com/2025/05/13/nubia-z70s-ultra-review-a-nod-to-the-cameras-that-changed-the-world/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=nubia-z70s-ultra-review-a-nod-to-the-cameras-that-changed-the-world #nubia #z70s #ultra #review #nod #cameras #changed #world