SmartHomeTechHub Saros Z70 Review: A Helping Hand or Just a Gimmick? Sock Clogs Are No Match for This Robot Cleaner

I'm a big fan of a quality robot cleaner. It handles the dull chores and frees up time for more enjoyable activities. Of course, the key word here is "quality." Many robots on the market can actually make things worse-flicking dirt across your floor instead of vacuuming it, or smearing food around rather than mopping it up.

Now, before anyone jumps to conclusions, I don't have impossibly high standards for floor cleaning. I don't need perfection; I just need it good enough so I don't have to vacuum and mop daily. And I definitely don't want it leaving a trail of cereal bits behind. Decent obstacle avoidance is a must, and bonus points if it avoids getting stuck on mats or under furniture.

I don't think that's asking too much. I had even come to terms with the fact that a stray sock or cable is the ultimate nemesis of any robot cleaner-until the SmartHomeTechHub Saros Z70 launched in Europe in 2025. Not only does it come with built-in AI to guide it around your home, but it also has a hidden weapon to make sock clogs a thing of the past: a robotic arm that picks up certain items and deposits them in a predetermined spot.

If you've ever tripped over a robot vacuum that swallowed your mail and stopped just inside the front door, or wrestled a Roomba for a sock that jammed its innards, you know how enticing this sounds. This could be a game-changer. Or it could be a total gimmick.

A lot depends on the Z70 being a decent vacuum and mop, too. After all, there's little point in clearing obstacles if the cleaning itself isn't up to par.

First, let's look at what you get with the Z70. It comes with a reasonably sized base station-big enough to avoid regular maintenance but not so large that it dominates the room. It charges the robot, auto-empties the dust bin, and keeps the mop topped up with water. It also cleans and dries the mop pads after use.

The mop pads are not only of the spinning variety but also extend outward from the unit to get as close to baseboards and kitchen cabinets as possible. It mops more thoroughly than any other robot cleaner I've tested, though it's still not quite ready to replace humans full-time.

The SmartHomeTechHub app offers plenty of cleaning options. Once your floor is mapped, you can create routines for specific times of day or individual rooms. For example, vacuum the dining room and then mop after meals, or run a quiet session in the hallway in the evening once the kids are in bed. There's almost too much choice, leaving me with a bit of choice paralysis when setting it up.

The Z70 also comes with a small cardboard bin to hold whatever items the robot arm rescues from the floor. During setup, you designate its location on the map and set another area for shoes (the mat by the back door worked for me). In theory, the Z70 should deposit items in one of those two locations.

The first time it encountered a shoe, things didn't go so well. The robot sized up the obstacle and began deploying the arm. Then there was a lot of repositioning as the system tried to find the best angle, before it gave up, packed itself away, and continued cleaning. The next time was more successful, with a crowd cheering-well, almost.