Alright guys, I’ve tested both of these robots — the Aiper Scuba X1 Pro Max and the Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra. They’re two of the top cordless pool robots on the market right now. Both look incredible. And both cost a small fortune. But, are they worth that price tag? I don’t think so.
After weeks of testing them in our test pool—including hooking both up to a manometer to measure suction power at the intake — I’ve got some thoughts. And spoiler alert: neither one blew me away. Let me break it all down so you can decide for yourself.
Hey guys, I’m Ryan from ActuallyUsed—where we don’t just unbox products, we actually use them to find out if they’re the real deal.
Price: What You’re Actually Paying
Let’s start with the elephant in the room—the price. Both are ridiculously expensive.
The Aiper Scuba X1 Pro Max comes in at a retail MSRP of $1,799 for the robot alone. Want the HydroComm Pro module so you can control it underwater? That’ll run you $2,299. So right out the gate, you’re looking at nearly $2,300 for full functionality.
The Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra? A staggering $3,000. That’s the same price as a down payment on a car.
For context, a corded Dolphin Premier—which I’ve tested a lot —runs about $1,500. And as you’ll see, it outperforms both of them. But we’ll get there.
Suction Power: The Numbers Don’t Lie
This is the most important thing any pool robot does—how well does it actually vacuum? Both Aiper and Beatbot throw around big GPH numbers in their marketing. Aiper claims 8,500 gallons per hour. Beatbot claims 6,500 GPH. Sounds impressive, right?
But GPH just tells you how much water the robot moves—not how hard it pulls at the intake. That’s why I use a manometer, which measures suction pressure in PSI. Here’s what I found in my testing:
- The Aiper Scuba X1 Pro Max came in at 1.3 PSI. That’s a slight bump over the base X1 at 1.2 and the X1 Pro at 1.0—but for a “Pro Max” flagship? Not exactly the massive leap I expected.
- The Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra had a similar, but lower PSI in my testing at 1.2 PSI. Still not great, especially since it costs way more than almost every other robot I’ve tested.
But here’s where it gets interesting.
When you compare to the dozens of corded robots I’ve tested, they have blown away the cordless robots. In my testing, the corded Dolphin Premier pulled 2.2 PSI under the exact same conditions. That means both the Aiper Scuba X1 Pro Max AND Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra had around 40% less suction power compared to the Premier. Both cordless robots are getting outperformed by a corded cleaner that costs significantly less.
Filtration: Where Performance Fell Short in Testing
Both the Aiper and Beatbot advertise “ultrafine” filtration, but in my testing, neither performed at the same level as Dolphin robots equipped with NanoFilters.
The Aiper Scuba X1 Pro Max uses a mesh basket with a fabric-style insert. In practice, this does improve fine particle capture compared to basic mesh alone — but it still didn’t match the clarity I saw from pleated NanoFilters. The surface area is limited, and once debris starts loading the filter, fine particles pass through more easily than they would with cartridge-style filtration.
The Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra uses a dual-layer mesh design. On paper, that sounds great — but during testing, it behaved a lot like standard mesh filtration. What Beatbot calls Ultra-Fine is more similar to a synthetic fiber pad rather than a pleated design. The basket capacity is relatively small, and once it fills up, cleaning effectiveness drops noticeably.
Neither robot includes pleated NanoFilters. For comparison, Dolphin NanoFilters use a rigid, accordion-style design with significantly more surface area. In side-by-side testing, they consistently captured fine debris like pollen, dust, and silt that mesh-based systems struggled with. You could see the difference in overall water clarity after a single cleaning cycle.
As a reference point, the Dolphin Quantum includes an oversized XXL MaxBin with NanoFilter panels. In my testing, it seemed to hold substantially more debris and delivered better fine-particle removal — despite costing significantly less than the Beatbot. After testing both back to back, the difference was hard to miss.
Battery Life and What It’s Actually Like to Own
Battery-powered designs are where both of these robots introduce some real trade-offs compared to corded models.
The Aiper Scuba X1 Pro Max advertises up to five hours of runtime, but that figure applies to lower-power cleaning modes. In deeper or more thorough modes, runtime was closer to three hours in my tests — followed by a recharge time of roughly four to five hours. That limits how often the robot can actually run in a single day without you stepping in.
The Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra claims extended runtimes depending on cleaning mode. And while it features “Smart Surface Parking” to help with retrieval, in my testing, it actually ran out of charge and sank to the pool floor upside down in the deep end. I had to fish it out with a hook and pole. Why? Well, it’s designed to float at the surface when the battery is low—but if you don’t grab it within that window, it will float back down, sometimes to the middle of the pool.
From a day-to-day standpoint, both cordless robots require regular hands-on interaction. To keep up with daily cleaning, you’re typically pulling the robot out for charging and dropping it back in afterward. Over a week, that adds up to roughly 14 interactions.
If you’ve seen my videos, you know how much I don’t like having to recharge these cleaners daily.
By comparison, corded robots equipped with a Weekly Smart Timer run automatically on a set schedule. Once you program it, the robot cleans daily without any involvement from you — and you’re just emptying the filter once a week. In terms of time and effort, the difference between daily handling and weekly maintenance was night and day in my testing. A weekly timer unlocks full pool cleaning automation. You don’t get that with the Aiper or Beatbot.
Weight: These Things Are Heavy
Cordless means big batteries, and big batteries mean serious weight.
The Aiper Scuba X1 Pro Max clocks in at around 30 pounds dry. Once it’s waterlogged, you’re probably lifting close to 35 to 40 pounds out of the pool. The box literally has “HEAVY” printed on the side in massive letters. And retrieving it is a full-blown balancing act with a pool pole.
The Beatbot is around 30 pounds dry too, and once you add the water weight, it’s a challenge—especially when you’re doing it every single day. Meanwhile, a corded cleaner typically weighs around 20 pounds, has an easy-pull cord, and drains water quickly on the way up. In, out, done. That extra 10 lbs was a struggle, especially if you have a bad back.
App and Connectivity
Both of these robots advertise smart app control. Both of them lose connection the second they go underwater. Yes, you heard that right. They lose connection once they’re underwater.
The Aiper’s solution? Buy the HydroComm Pro bridge—a separate add-on cable and buoy that relays Wi-Fi signals to the robot underwater. So you’re paying for a “smart” robot that needs around a $500 upgrade just to be smart while it’s actually cleaning. That’s not premium—that’s pay-to-unlock-basic-functionality.
The Beatbot doesn’t even offer a workaround. As soon as it’s submerged, the app is useless. You can’t manually steer it, you can’t swap cleaning modes mid-cycle, and if you want to stop it to let your kids swim, you’re literally chasing a moving robot with a pole.
Compare that to something like the Dolphin Sigma, where the MyDolphin Plus app actually gives you real-time control while the robot is cleaning. You can switch modes, steer it to problem areas, and schedule automatic cleanings—all from your phone. It just works.
A Note on Safety
I want to be fair and transparent here. While I did not personally experience any safety issues during testing, Aiper has had publicly documented product recalls in the past.
Based on CPSC records from August 2023, approximately 22,000 Aiper Elite Pro units and thousands of Seagull Pro units were recalled following reports of overheating incidents during charging, including cases of melting or smoking.
To be clear, those recalls involved different models—not the Scuba X1 Pro Max specifically. However, given that this is a lithium-ion battery device that requires frequent charging, I think it’s reasonable for consumers to be aware of that history. Personally, I wasn’t comfortable leaving the unit charging unattended, and I believe that’s a relevant consideration to share for anyone evaluating cordless pool robots.
Head-to-Head: Who Wins?
If I had to pick between the Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra or Aiper X1 Pro Max, I would go with a corded pool robot. But if I had to pick, the Aiper edges out the Beatbot on suction—1.3 PSI versus 1.2 PSI in my testing.
And with a longer runtime in deep-clean mode, and at $1,799, the Aiper is significantly cheaper than the Beatbot. Neither one has great filtration, and both require daily recharging.
But if I had to give a recommendation to you, I wouldn’t recommend either. And that’s not me being biased—it’s the data I found talking.
What Should You Buy Instead?
If you’re spending this kind of money on a pool cleaner, let me point you toward some options that, in my testing, flat-out outperformed both of these cordless robots.
- Dolphin Premier – This is my go-to recommendation. It pulled 2.2 PSI in my manometer tests—nearly 40% more suction than the Aiper and the Beatbot. It comes with three different filter media options including NanoFilters and a Leaf Bag, and has a Weekly Smart Timer so it cleans automatically every day. No batteries, no charging, no babysitting.
- Dolphin Sigma – If you want app control that actually works, the Sigma is the move. Three commercial-grade motors, dual NanoFilter cartridges, and the MyDolphin Plus app lets you control it in real time while it’s cleaning.
- Dolphin Quantum – If value is what you’re after, the Quantum is hard to beat. It costs roughly a third of the Beatbot, comes with an XXL MaxBin that holds significantly more debris, and includes NanoFilter panels.
Final Thoughts
Look, I get the appeal of cordless. No cable, sleek design, futuristic marketing—it all sounds great on paper. And both Aiper and Beatbot have clearly put effort into the engineering and aesthetics of their robots. I’ll give them that.
But wanting something to work and it actually working? Two very different things.
When you look at the data—the suction numbers, the filtration quality, the daily interaction math, the total cost of ownership—corded cleaners win across the board. They’re not as flashy, but they just work. Stronger suction, better filters, true automation with weekly timers, and you never have to think about battery life.
The Aiper Scuba X1 Pro Max and Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra both feel like concept cars—sleek and futuristic, but not something I’d rely on every day. Save your money, skip the daily babysitting, and go with something proven. Your pool—and your sanity—will thank you.
Thanks for watching, and I’ll catch you on the next one!
