By Justin D. • August 20th, 2025
Hey guys, welcome back to the Pool Nerd. I’m Justin, your resident pool aficionado. And today, I’m reviewing the Dolphin Skimmi – an automated solar-powered robotic pool skimmer from Maytronics.
The Dolphin Skimmi is ranked #1 on my list of the Best Robotic Pool Skimmers of 2025
Click here to read my full in-depth review of nearly a dozen of the top pool skimmers to see which is best
If you’ve followed along with some of my other reviews, you’ll know I do love the Dolphin robotic pool cleaners. They’re generally well-made, have long warranties, and are typically the top performing products. So, we bought a Dolphin Skimmi to see how it compares to other top solar skimmers from brands like Betta, Aiper, and Beatbot to see if this is the right cleaner for you.
And I have to say, it's a solid skimmer – but you may want to check out some of my other recommendations at the end of this video that may be a better bang for your buck.
Compared to the rest of the solar skimmers on the market, the Skimmi has almost everything every other one has. Solar charging, a rotating paddle to collect leaves, and even an app – but I’m going to dive into its performance, its quirks, and if it's the right skimmer for your pool.
I have a video on all of the top solar skimmers, so make sure to check that one out too – where I go more in-depth on the competition, what to look for, and which is right for your pool. But without further ado, let’s dive into the Dolphin Skimmi.
Solar Skimming
Before I tested a solar skimmer, I thought it may be kinda gimmicky. Two weeks in, I wondered how I would ever live without it. The panel spans almost the entire top of the skimmer, capturing photons from dawn to dusk.
On blazing Texas afternoons the battery gauge hardly dips; even on the two stormy, overcast days we had last week, it keeps going. That alone separates it from every battery-powered surface bot I’ve tested, which inevitably end up sitting on the coping, waiting for a charge when debris is piling up.
Drop-and-Forget
I placed Skimmi in the deep end on day one and it hasn’t left except for basket dumps. No magnetic charger, no charging stand, no fishing it out of the pool. Unlike the cordless robotic pool cleaners I’ve tested, which are severely underpowered and require constant recharging – this product actually works. It’s a big relief knowing your skimmer never clocks out and it’s always cleaning your pool.
Works With Robots
During testing I ran Skimmi alongside a Dolphin Premier on its 3-hour floor cycle. The surface bot never snagged the Premier’s cable or got shoved aside by the floor cleaner’s return jets. They worked in tandem: Premier handled the heavy lifting below while Skimmi erased every trace of leaves and bugs above.
Propeller Size
As I've always said, size matters when it comes to propeller size. And when comparing all the top skimmers on the market, the Dolphin Skimmi has the largest propeller size out of all the robotic pool skimmers I've tested in my pool.
This makes a BIG difference when it comes to raw cleaning power. With a larger propeller, the Skimmi has more power to move around the pool. This means it won't get stuck or float in place when wind or jets in the pool are pushing it back.
Proven Maytronics Build
There is one big benefit with going with Maytronics for any product. They’re a proven brand that has been around for decades.
Meanwhile, Aiper—maker of the Surfer S2—has been grabbing headlines for recall notices on its cordless pool robots, a red flag that’s still hard to ignore. With burn and fire recalls, there is a lot of noise around other brands and their cordless products – so I always keep that in the back of my mind.
Meanwhile, Maytornics only gives a 1 year warranty on this product, which is enough – but I would’ve liked to see a 2 or 3 year warranty like you get on the robots.
Smartphone App Notes
Yes, there’s a Bluetooth app. I paired it once, directed the Skimmi towards a pile of leaves, and haven’t opened it since. If you love toggling settings from your phone, the app works great. But I honestly just don’t think a smartphone app is necessary for a product like this.
You can have it come to you to be picked up and cleaned – but beyond that and the remote control ability, it’s not something that really was needed. If Maytronics made this without the app and I got to save some money, I probably would have bought that one – but it is nice to have.
Where It Fell Short
Bottom-Loading Basket
Skimmi’s debris tray drops out from underneath. That means kneeling on the deck, lifting the robot a foot in the air, and balancing it with one hand while your other hand grabs the tray. The plastic latch is solid, but compared to the Betta SE’s top-loading design it feels old-school.
It’s not my favorite but it’s not the end of the world either. If you look into a few of the other top skimmers, you mostly see the same design everywhere.
The bright side of the basket is that it works. And it works well. The basket and skimmer raked up a ton of leaves that was floating in my pool.
Comparing The Skimmi
I want to compare the Skimmi direct to the Betta SE, one of my other top picks for a solar skimmer.
Power & Flow
Skimmi drives harder. On windy afternoons it muscles itself off the wall instead of spinning in place. If your pool collects palm fronds, acorns, or the occasional frog corpse, that extra torque matters.
Ease of Cleaning
Betta SE wins. Top-loading top-loading basket compared to the bottom loading basket.
Smartphone app
Skimmi wins on default – the Betta SE only has a physical remote control.
Price
Skimmi costs roughly $100 more at the time of writing. You’re paying for the Maytronics badge, the stronger motors, and the optional smart features.
For the average homeowner with light leaf loads, Betta SE handles daily polishing duties for less money and less hassle. For pools surrounded by oaks or mesquites—or owners who value the Maytronics brand —Skimmi’s muscle, app, and brand justify the premium.
Final Verdict
So what’s my final verdict on the Dolphin Skimmi?
It’s Pool Nerd approved.
If you value your time and want to leave the pool net in the shed for good, I’d highly recommend the Dolphin Skimmi. It’s a little more than some of the other options out there, but it’s a great skimmer. I would recommend looking into the Betta SE as well if you want to save some money.
I just don’t have any complaints about the Skimmi. It’s a product that works well, skims continuously, never asks to recharge, and shrugs off gusty afternoons that stop weaker surface skimmers in their tracks. I wish the basket slid out the top; I wish the learning curve were shorter; but those are small trade-offs for solar autonomy and extra power.
Would I buy it again? Absolutely—especially for debris-heavy pools where a little extra thrust keeps the pool looking pristine. The Skimmi earns a solid A- on the Pool Nerd scale: tremendous performance, minor ergonomics to improve, and enough reliability to keep it patrolling long after the novelty wears off.
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 automatic pool skimmers and other top pool equipment.
Your resident pool aficionado.
For over 4+ 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.
