The Journey of a Stone to Obtain the Scriptures
All along, robotic vacuum cleaners have been a very special type in the home appliance category:
Although they are home appliances, the market has been developing for thirty years, yet their functions continue to evolve. There are minor revolutions every six months and major breakthroughs every two years. They have literally transformed into the likeness of consumer electronics.
This is a market where overseas competitors have a first - mover advantage, yet it is precisely Chinese brands that have captured the high - end market segment and are educating overseas markets through exports.
This is a market that is highly susceptible to "dimensionality reduction attacks". With an average selling price of around 2,500 yuan, the market is extremely crowded, like a battle among gods. Everyone is vying to apply autonomous driving technology, allowing the devices to cruise in living rooms and bedrooms. The players include traditional home appliance enterprises, 3C ecosystem companies, and even drone manufacturers.
Most importantly, this is a sector that heavily relies on blockbuster products. A successful product can help a company gain a firm foothold in the market, while a failed one can drag down the market reputation, inventory, and the overall R & D progress and cost.
Theoretically, this is a market where the leading players change frequently and the competitive landscape is constantly evolving. Yet, it is precisely Roborock that has always taken the lead.
According to the data in the prospectus, in this chaotic market, Roborock has not only ranked first in terms of GMV market share in the robotic vacuum cleaner market for many consecutive years, but also achieved double - crowns in terms of volume and value for multiple consecutive quarters in overseas markets such as Germany and South Korea. It has even expanded its capabilities to new product categories such as floor scrubbers and washing machines, achieving remarkable results in the second growth curve.
So, the question is, how did Roborock achieve this?
At the age of eleven, can Roborock continue to make "earth - shattering" achievements?
After winning the first place for many years, a voice has gradually emerged: Can Roborock still bring any more surprises?
The answer is yes. When an egg is broken from the inside, it gives birth to new life; when a rock is broken from the inside, it represents innovation.
On August 9th, the eleven - year - old Roborock reached a co - branding agreement with the Shanghai Animation Film Studio's IP "Ginseng Fruit", with the theme of "earth - shattering".
Compared with common cross - border collaborations where IP co - branding often stays at the superficial level of printing logos on products or attaching labels to images, this cooperation is more like an alignment of values between a Chinese enterprise and traditional Chinese culture. It breaks away from the routine of co - branding for the sake of co - branding. By delving deep into the cultural core of kindness and growth transformation in the IP story, it forms a profound resonance with the spirit of Chinese enterprises constantly breaking old orders and solving new problems.
As the most prominent image in the childhood memories of several generations, Sun Wukong was born from a spiritual stone at the beginning of chaos. He obtained consciousness after being tempered by the essence of the sun and moon, and the wind, thunder, and rain. This way of his birth itself implies an earth - shattering event.
When Roborock entered the market, it brought the same feeling to everyone.
The core technology of robotic vacuum cleaners, SLAM navigation (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping), was first developed by the US military, and the first commercial product came from Electrolux of Sweden. In the early market, overseas brands such as iRobot and Neato had a complete monopoly. When Roborock launched its first product in 2016, iRobot still occupied nearly 40% of the Chinese market.
At that time, overseas brands still adhered to the concept that lidar meant high - end premium. As a domestic brand, Roborock took the lead in a technology popularization movement: It brought lidar technology from products priced over 5,000 yuan down to the 2,000 - yuan price range, leading a group of domestic competitors to follow suit. In just three years, iRobot's market share in China dropped to less than 10%, becoming part of the "others" in statistical terms.
However, after 11 years of entrepreneurship, the real highlight of Roborock is far more than just the reversal of its market scale.
If the mythological story were written in the way of a popular online novel, after causing chaos in the underworld and heaven, "Journey to the West" should have entered its finale. But if the story really ended there, it would just be a mythological version of a male - lead drama.
What really makes Sun Wukong a cultural symbol is precisely those experiences of leveling up after leaving the spotlight: On the journey to the west, he fought against demons and monsters. From an unruly monkey to a Buddha who protects all sentient beings, it is the depth of his growth that gives Wukong the power to transcend time and space.
In Roborock's development path, there happens to be the same growth code. The reversal of market scale is just the initial highlight. What truly defines it is the continuous exploration in the technological uncharted territory after the highlight, the breakthroughs in finding answers to user needs, and the resulting continuous self - breakthrough:
In 2017, Roborock launched the LDS sweeping and mopping robot, achieving the large - scale mass production of the LDS module for the first time. In 2021, it pioneered the sonic vibration mopping module and the active self - cleaning base station. In 2023, it launched the molecular sieve washing and drying all - in - one machine, creating the third drying technology in the industry. In 2024, it globally pioneered the dual - light - source solid - state lidar navigation and obstacle avoidance technology, the chassis lifting ability, and the zero - sense cleaning system for floor scrubbers...
In 2025, Roborock also pioneered the steam and hot - water dual - effect floor scrubbing and the five - axis folding bionic manipulator for robotic vacuum cleaners, not only making cleaning more hygienic but also enabling the robotic vacuum cleaner to evolve from 2D to 3D capabilities...
It can be said that after achieving numerous firsts, in the limited space of cleaning appliances, Roborock can still bring about repeated breakthroughs and new starts, truly echoing the spirit of the Great Sage.
Transforming home appliances into technology products
Concepts can determine the height of a brand, but what really matters in the market and forms competitiveness is always the product itself.
In the robotic vacuum cleaner market, there are two approaches:
One is the "specification - obsessed" approach, where companies blindly pile up numbers such as suction power and battery life, while ignoring the actual user experience.
The other is to focus on the details for the user experience and treat home appliances as technology products, constantly adding to the imagination.
Obviously, Roborock follows the second approach. The newly launched P20 Ultra Plus is the best example:
Overall, this device truly achieves an all - around design with no short - comings in hardware and software.
For example, in the design of mopping methods, there are currently four mainstream methods in the industry: disc - type, vibration - type, roller - brush - type, and crawler - type. Although the latter two emphasize live - water floor cleaning, they are more prone to dirt accumulation on the chassis, and after a period of use, they may emit unpleasant odors. The P20 Ultra Plus adopts a dual - disc solution that requires less user intervention and maintenance. It not only has a large mopping area and a light - load rotating structure but also is convenient for edge - to - edge cleaning of hard - to - reach corners, making it suitable for the daily cleaning scenarios of more families.
However, all - around cleaning is just the first step. To make a home truly hygienic rather than just superficially clean, high - temperature assistance is needed. In the past, high - temperature antibacterial functions were standard in the high - end product lines of many robotic vacuum cleaners. But the P20 Ultra Plus is the first product at the 4K price range to achieve a 100°C high - temperature sterilization base station and an automatic mop detachment function. On this basis, the P20 Ultra Plus also offers 60°C hot - water mopping, combined with a 22,000Pa high - suction mopping, which can not only remove dirt but also inhibit bacteria throughout the entire cleaning process.
For low - lying spaces, Roborock has achieved an ultra - thin body of 7.98cm through the lifting LDS, completely solving the problem of inconvenient cleaning under sofas and shoe cabinets.
In addition, in the past, the disposal of mops and sewage after using a robotic vacuum cleaner has always been a pain point for many consumers. The P20 Ultra Plus, with its all - around self - cleaning base station, eliminates the trouble of "secondary cleaning" for users after cleaning. Combined with functions such as hot - air drying of mops and silver - ion sterilization, it solves the hygiene problems of mops and the base station, making it especially suitable for busy office workers or those who dislike dealing with dirt.
It is not difficult to find that for Roborock, being all - around does not mean simply adding more specifications. Instead, it means achieving full - scene coverage from a single floor environment to carpets, under - the - bed areas, and tile oil stains. It goes all out to solve every pain point and need of users and polishes every detail to perfection.
Following this logic, in the past year, Roborock's "earth - shattering" achievements are not only reflected in the P20 Ultra Plus and are not limited to robotic vacuum cleaners. New products in multiple categories have continued the same style.
The reason for its ability to replicate across categories is that Roborock builds robotic vacuum cleaners as "robots" rather than ordinary home appliances. From the perspective of underlying technology, it is more like a general intelligent architecture of "precise perception - intelligent decision - making - precise execution". This system can be almost seamlessly transferred to other categories of whole - house cleaning appliances.
For example, around high - temperature disinfection, the "steam + hot - water" dual - effect floor scrubbing pioneered by the A30 Pro Steam floor scrubber has the same origin as the high - temperature sterilization technology of the P20 Ultra Plus. Another example is Roborock's self - developed molecular sieve low - temperature drying technology, which was first implemented in the washing and drying all - in - one machine field. It replaces traditional high - temperature drying with the principle of low - temperature dehumidification, avoiding deformation and shrinkage of high - end clothing due to heat loss. Against the background of the limitations of traditional condensation - type and heat - pump - type drying technologies, it has brought a new "third drying technology" to the industry.
All in all, by leveraging the technological capabilities and channels accumulated in its first growth curve, Roborock can easily reuse them in various categories such as floor scrubbers, vacuum cleaners, and washing machines, and promote its R & D philosophy of "breaking to make way for new" to all aspects of its product portfolio. Eventually, it has become a leading force in the large - home - appliance field.
It is foreseeable that in the future, there will be more eye - catching new products. They will continue to break through in terms of intelligence, scenario - based applications, and user experience, bringing users more and more unexpected surprises.
How to win in every market battle
In 2014, when Roborock was founded, no one could have imagined that this company would rewrite the rules of the robotic vacuum cleaner industry. At that time, iRobot was the absolute king in the market, Ecovacs had been operating for many years, and numerous large technology companies were also gearing up to disrupt the market with cost - effective products.
However, 11 years later, according to the "2025 China Robotic Vacuum Cleaner Industry Status and Development Report" by MCR Global, the market size of the Chinese robotic vacuum cleaner market reached 13.7 billion yuan in 2024, a year - on - year increase of nearly 9%. Stimulated by policies and consumption upgrading, the shipment volume is expected to reach 5.658 million units in 2025. Among them, Roborock achieved the double - first place in terms of GMV market share (23.4%) and sales volume market share (16.7%) and has ranked first in customer recommendation and satisfaction in the industry for three consecutive years.
This high - speed growth is reflected in the financial reports. From 2022 to 2024, Roborock's revenues were 6.611 billion yuan, 8.640 billion yuan, and 11.919 billion yuan respectively. In the first half of 2025, its revenue was 7.903 billion yuan, a year - on - year increase of 78.96%. It not only achieved continuous high - speed growth but also achieved high - quality growth far exceeding the industry average.
A research report by Kaiyuan Technology pointed out that with the recovery of growth in core categories driven by technological iteration and product structure upgrading and the accelerated growth of new categories in the global layout, Roborock is expected to achieve double growth in profits year - on - year and quarter - on - quarter in the second half of the year.
So, the question is, in a highly competitive and ever - changing market, why can Roborock always stay at the forefront and continuously expand its leading edge?
Once again, the financial reports can provide the answer. In the home appliance industry, it is already remarkable for a company's R & D investment to account for more than 5% of its revenue. But Roborock has stabilized this figure at 7% - 8%. In 2024, its R & D expenses reached 971 million yuan, nearly half of its operating profit, a proportion far exceeding that of traditional home appliance giants such as Midea (3.5%) and Haier (3.1%).
High investment has brought about high technological barriers. Looking through Roborock's patent list, as of the end of 2024, it has accumulated more than 1,200 authorized patents, of which more than 40% are invention patents, far higher than the industry average.
