Aiper Scuba X1 Pro Max Review

This is the Aiper Scuba X1 Pro Max — Aiper's newest and most expensive pool robot. It's their flagship model, priced at nearly $1,800 for the robot alone or $2,299 for the full bundle with HydroComm Pro.

On paper, it's a powerhouse: nine motors, 40 sensors, 8,500 GPH, and up to five hours of runtime. But numbers don't tell the whole story.

Hey guys, welcome back to the Pool Nerd. I'm Justin, your resident pool aficionado. If you're new here, I've tested over 30+ robotic pool cleaners from all the top brands.

I tested the Pro Max for weeks to answer one question: does it finally compete with the best — or does it fall short like every other cordless cleaner I've reviewed?

I wanted to know: is this finally the cordless robot that can go toe-to-toe with the best robotic pool cleaners? For this much money, I'd expect it to be able to.

So, I tested it for several weeks, running it through daily use, comparing filtration, and seeing how it stacked up against the best pool robots of the year. But in the end, it couldn't compete with the top models I'll recommend at the end of this video.

And while I give Aiper credit for trying to push cordless tech forward, the reality is the Pro Max still feels like a product that asks too much of you — and gives too little back. From daily recharging to disappointing filtration, lets dive into the Aiper Scuba X1 Pro Max.

First Impressions — Expensive Out of the Gate

When you first unbox the Pro Max, it feels like a premium product. It's huge, heavy, and slickly designed with matte black and carbon-fiber accents. Aiper doesn't miss on the design or packaging.

The spec sheet is packed:

• 9 motors
• 40 sensors
• 8,500 GPH of water movement
• Up to 5 hours of runtime (in Eco mode)
• App connectivity (with a few caveats)

But as soon as you start reading between the lines, cracks appear. That "up to 5 hours" is in Eco mode — the lowest setting of cleaning. Switch to Max mode, the one you'd actually buy this robot for, and it doesn't clean for as long.

And the price? $1,799 for the robot alone. Add HydroComm Pro, the only way to control it underwater with the app, and you're at $2,299.

That's squarely in Dolphin Sigma and Dolphin Premier territory — proven, corded heavyweights that don't need babysitting or charging. Both are actually cheaper than the Aiper Scuba X1 Pro Max too.

Daily Life — The Recharging Chore

Here's where cordless robots hit the wall: the battery.

Owning the Pro Max means building a routine around its charging cycle. After every single cleaning session, it demands 4–5 hours on the charger. That means if you want a clean pool every day, you're pulling a heavy, waterlogged robot out of the pool, carrying it to the dock, waiting hours, then hauling it back in.

Do that twice a day, every day, and you're at 14 separate interactions a week just to keep your pool clean.

Compare that to a corded Dolphin Sigma. Drop it in, set the weekly timer, and forget about it. It turns on automatically three times a week, cleans for a full three hours at full suction power, and shuts itself off. You empty the basket once. Done.

With the Pro Max, cordless convenience turns into daily babysitting.

Weight — Too Much of a Good Thing

Speaking of dead weight: the Pro Max is one of the heaviest pool robots I've tested. At 33 pounds dry, pulling it out is a workout.

Aiper includes a plastic hook attachment for your pool pole, but it bends under the load. It feels like you're one lift away from snapping something. And once you do wrestle it to the surface, you're trying to put the robot onto the deck without throwing out your back.

By comparison, the Dolphin Premier weighs around 20 pounds and drains water quickly. You tug the cord, it slides right out. It is a whole lot easier to take out and clean than the Pro Max.

The Pro Max feels more like a gym session you didn't sign up for.

Smart Features — Behind a Paywall

Aiper pushes the Pro Max as a "smart" robot, and in some ways, the app looks polished. Battery status, cleaning modes, and cycle information all look nice when the robot is on deck.

But once it goes underwater? The Wi-Fi signal dies instantly. You can't steer it. You can't change modes. You can't monitor progress.

Aiper's answer is the HydroComm Pro — a $500 add-on that relays the signal underwater. Without it, you're stuck with stiff, unresponsive physical buttons that feel more like a budget robot than a flagship.

So now you're looking at $2,299 total for a robot that still doesn't match the out-of-the-box functionality of a Dolphin Sigma, which includes underwater app control, remote steering, and scheduling for less money.

That's a hard pill to swallow.

Suction — Big Numbers, Small Pull

Aiper brags about 8,500 gallons per hour of water movement. Impressive on paper, but it doesn't tell you how much suction it actually has at the intake.

When I tested it with a manometer, the Pro Max measured noticeably weaker than top corded competitors. In practice, you feel that gap.

It's like watching a go-kart and a Lamborghini on the same track. The go-kart moves, looks sleek, and can handle the basics — but the Lamborghini laps it without breaking a sweat.

Leaves swirl around the intake instead of disappearing. Heavier debris gets nudged aside. Fine sediment often lingers even after multiple passes. By contrast, my Dolphin Premier clears the same mess in a single run.

For a flagship robot, the Pro Max just doesn't have the muscle.

Filtration — Not Flagship Worthy

The Pro Max uses a top-loading debris basket, which I like for convenience. But the basket itself is smaller than you'd expect, and it fills up quickly.

Aiper calls its insert an "ultrafine filter," but it's really just a cloth mesh. It traps some small debris, but not nearly at the level of Dolphin's NanoFilters, which use pleated ridges to catch microscopic particles.

The difference is obvious. With Dolphins, water looks polished after a cycle — sparkling, like it's been professionally filtered. With the Pro Max, you see improvement, but never that glass-clear look.

And because the basket is small, you're emptying it more often. Compare that to the Quantum's XXL MaxBin, which holds almost twice as much and rinses out in seconds.

For a premium flagship, filtration feels like an afterthought.

Safety — Always in the Back of My Mind

I didn't experience overheating or charging issues with my Pro Max. But Aiper's recent history is hard to ignore.

• 2023: 22,000 Elite Pro robots recalled for fire and burn risks
• 2025: 35,000 Seagull Pro robots recalled after 19 reports of smoking, melting, or catching fire while charging (including five cases of property damage)

The Pro Max hasn't been recalled, but with two major recalls in two years, I never felt comfortable leaving it charging unattended.

Corded cleaners don't carry that risk. That peace of mind matters.

Value — What You're Really Paying For

Here's the honest breakdown:

For around eighteen hundred dollars, the Scuba X1 Pro Max gives you:

• Gorgeous design
• Nine motors and flashy specs
• Cordless operation (with constant recharging)
• A basic filter system that lags behind competitors
• Smart features hidden behind a $500 add-on

For the same money (or less), a corded robot like the Dolphin Sigma, Premier, or Quantum gives you:

• Stronger, more consistent suction
• Larger, more advanced filters (NanoFilters, Multi-Media, XXL baskets)
• Built-in smart features
• True automation with weekly timers
• Proven safety and reliability

Better Alternatives

If you're shopping in this price range, I would 100% go with a corded pool cleaner. Here's what I recommend instead:

Dolphin Quantum

The Dolphin Quantum is one of those cleaners that instantly shows you what separates a premium robot from the rest. Its oversized XXL MaxBin basket doesn't just mean more storage — it means fewer clogs, fewer interruptions, and no constant emptying. You set it loose, and it just keeps going.

Where the Quantum really shines is with its NanoFilter cartridges. Standard filters can handle leaves and twigs, but NanoFilters capture the tiny stuff — silt, pollen, fine dust — that usually keeps your pool looking cloudy. With the Quantum, the water comes out looking polished and crystal clear. Add in its strong suction and a built-in Weekly Timer with AutoStart, and you've got a robot that delivers sparkling water day after day, without any babysitting or recharging.

Dolphin Premier

The Dolphin Premier has long been considered the benchmark for robotic pool cleaners, and for good reason. It's my top pick of the year.

Its commercial-grade motors aren't just powerful — they're built to last. While most consumer robots lose suction or burn out after a couple of seasons, the Premier's motors deliver consistent performance year after year. It's a cleaner you can rely on season after season without worry.

What makes the Premier even more versatile is its Multi-Media system. You're not locked into a single filter. Instead, you can swap between oversized leaf bags, fine cartridges, or NanoFilters depending on the conditions in your pool. That adaptability, combined with the raw durability of its build, is why the Premier remains my #1 choice today.

Dolphin Sigma

The Sigma takes things in a more high-tech direction. Equipped with three commercial-grade motors, each dedicated to its own task, it reduces wear and extends the robot's lifespan while cleaning like a pro.

But what sets the Sigma apart is its precision navigation and smart controls. With a built-in gyroscope, it knows its orientation in the pool, covering more efficiently and avoiding redundant paths.

And the MyDolphin Plus app actually works the way it should: scheduling, controlling it right from your phone, and cycle management all run smoothly. You can even tell Siri to start your Sigma, and it'll start up from anywhere, since it stays connected 24/7. Unlike the Pro Max, the app works out of the box while the robot is cleaning.

For anyone who values convenience without sacrificing cleaning power, the Sigma strikes that balance better than almost any cleaner I've used.

Bottom line:

The Quantum, Premier, and Sigma are in a completely different league than the Scuba X1. They deliver true automation, stronger suction, smarter filtration, and years of reliable cleaning — without the constant recharging and compromises of the Aiper Scuba X1 Pro Max.

Final Verdict

What's my final verdict on the Aiper Scuba X1 Pro Max?

It's Pool Nerd Disapproved.

I wanted the Aiper Scuba X1 Pro Max to be great. The idea of a truly cordless flagship robot that can rival corded cleaners is incredibly appealing. And to Aiper's credit, the Pro Max looks the part. It's bold, futuristic, and packed with features that sound impressive.

But living with it tells another story. Constant recharging. Awkward handling. Underwhelming suction. Filtration that lags behind. Smart features hidden behind a paywall. And a price tag that puts it against proven corded heavyweights it simply can't match.

The Pro Max feels less like a finished flagship and more like a concept car: exciting to look at, fun to show off, but not something I'd rely on every day.

Until cordless technology can match the suction, runtime, and filtration of corded robots, I can't recommend spending this kind of money on the Pro Max.

If you want something that just works — day in, day out — stick with a Dolphin Premier, Sigma, or Quantum. They deliver where it counts and provide daily cleaning without the constant recharging.

As always, if you wanna keep nerding out over your pool, head on over to my deals page at ThePoolNerd.com/deals where I post the best deals on robotic pool cleaners and other top pool equipment.

Your resident pool aficionado.

For over 5+ years, The Pool Nerd has been a leading source in the swimming pool industry. With years of experince owning a swimming pool, our hope here is to guide and help making owning a swimming pool easier.