9650iQ Sport
Polaris's corded four-wheel-drive robot for in-ground pools, run from an app over home Wi-Fi. One tester and one owner found it climbs walls, steps and obstacles well, but a third saw it miss spots.
See the alternatives below, or switch market.
The short version
The 9650iQ Sport is the app-controlled model in Polaris's Sport family, sold in the US. A power unit by the pool feeds it through a 70ft cable with a swivel to cut tangling, and four-wheel drive carries it across the floor, up the walls and along the waterline. The app works over your home Wi-Fi, so you can schedule runs, pick a mode and steer it from your phone. A button brings it up to the surface where you want to lift it out.
The trade-off is that it's a fairly simple cleaner with a smart remote. There's no pool mapping, one front brush and one filter canister, and you still carry it out on its caddy after runs. The Pool Nerd calls it the same robot as the 9550 Sport with an app added. If you don't want to use your phone, that cheaper model does the same cleaning. It isn't sold in the UK, Europe or Australia.
Our take: It suits a US in-ground pool with steps and benches, a socket nearby and strong Wi-Fi at the poolside, where you like scheduling runs from your phone. The evidence is thin, so expect to check its coverage at first. If you'd rather have a choice of filters, including a big leaf bag, look at the Dolphin Premier. For a corded robot with an app and a filterless canister, compare the Hayward AquaVac 650.
Where it sits in Polaris’s range
- Polaris 9550 SportSame cleaning hardware with a motion-sensing remote, no app
- P70Small floor-only robot for simple pools
- 9650iQ SportThis model
- EPIC 8642 iQTracked app-controlled model with front and rear brushes
What we know so far
Limited evidence Only one independent, finished hands-on review so far. A score and badge appear once there is a second.
The evidence is short but mostly positive. Bob Vila tested it for a round-up, named it the best in-ground pick and liked how its four-wheel drive handled walls, stairs, benches and toys left on the floor. Charles & Hudson, a short owner's post we don't count, ran it for a few months in a tree-lined pool and found the floor and sides much cleaner. The Pool Nerd, which doesn't count here because it's linked to a Dolphin dealer, disagrees on coverage: it saw the robot miss some areas and repeat others. The app gets praise, but The Pool Nerd warns it needs good Wi-Fi outdoors.
Bob Vila, hands-on (Part of a tested round-up; named best in-ground pick) · Charles & Hudson, hands-on, A few months in the writer's own pool, Feb 2018 (Short post; no test method described; A short owner's post from 2018 with no test method, so we don't count it as an independent review.) · The Pool Nerd, hands-on, Mar 2024 (The Pool Nerd is linked to a Dolphin dealer, so we don't count it as an independent review.)
Coverage: praised, then questioned
Bob Vila found four-wheel drive let it climb over obstacles without getting stuck, which helped with toys forgotten on the pool floor, and it handled walls, stairs and bench seats. Charles & Hudson says its pool, which collects leaves, seeds and berries from nearby trees, stayed much cleaner on the floor and sides. The Pool Nerd saw a different side: with no mapping, it missed some areas and cleaned others over and over. None of them describe their pool's size or shape in enough detail to explain the difference.
The app is the main extra
The app connects over home Wi-Fi. Charles & Hudson liked setting and editing schedules and steering it like a remote-control car. Bob Vila liked choosing how long it runs and which mode to use, running it longer on a deep clean after storms, and points to Alexa voice control as an alternative to a phone at the poolside. The Pool Nerd warns that home Wi-Fi often weakens outdoors, which can make the app unreliable, and says the app is the only real difference from the cheaper 9550 Sport.
One brush, one filter
The Pool Nerd points out it has a single front brush and a single standard filter, where Dolphin's rivals at a similar price offer two brushes and a finer filter option. It rates the waterline cleaning well but thinks the filter won't catch the finest particles that cloud water. Bob Vila says to watch the dirty-canister indicator and empty it often if trees, pets or children bring in lots of debris. Emptying is a shake and a spray, per Polaris.
Getting it in and out
Charles & Hudson found it easy to lift out and store, and it needs no hoses, just a power unit plugged into a normal socket. The caddy comes in the box, which Bob Vila liked, though it notes the caddy cover costs extra. Polaris says a button brings the robot up to the waterline where you want it, then it drains water as you lift. None of the testers describe using that lift feature, so it's untested here.
Bob Vila and Charles & Hudson both tested the 9650iQ Sport. The Pool Nerd's review doesn't separate the 9650iQ from the Sport; the features it describes match this model.
Prices
Where to buy the 9650iQ Sport in Australia
Not sold in Australia. Switch market above, or see the alternatives below.
Before you buy
The questions people ask about this one
Does it climb walls and clean the waterline?
Yes. It has floor, floor-and-wall and waterline-only modes, per the specifications. Bob Vila found it handled walls, stairs and bench seats, Charles & Hudson says it climbs walls with ease, and The Pool Nerd credits it with cleaning all the way to the waterline.
Does it need an app?
The app is the point of this model: it adds scheduling, mode choice and steering from your phone over home Wi-Fi, per the specifications. Bob Vila also used Alexa. If your Wi-Fi is weak by the pool, The Pool Nerd warns control can be unreliable, and the 9550 Sport uses a handheld remote instead.
How do I get it out of the water?
Press the lift button and it surfaces at the wall you choose, then drains as you lift, per the specifications. Nobody we found tested that feature. Charles & Hudson found it easy to remove and store, and the caddy is included.
Does it handle leaves as well as fine dirt?
Charles & Hudson found it coped with leaves, seeds and berries from nearby trees. The Pool Nerd says its single standard filter won't catch the finest particles, and Bob Vila advises emptying the 5-litre canister often if you get lots of debris.
Will it work in an above-ground pool?
Polaris lists it for in-ground pools only, per the specifications, and Bob Vila tested it as its in-ground pick. For a simple above-ground pool, Polaris sells the smaller P70 instead.
Compare with
Premier
A long-running corded Dolphin with a choice of filters, including a big leaf bag, and testers rate its waterline scrubbing highly.
It has no app, and it's heavy to lift out.
AquaVac 650
Another corded robot with Wi-Fi control, and both testers praised its cleaning and filterless canister.
Neither tester could make its tug-the-cable recall work.
Nautilus CC Plus
A mid-price corded Dolphin that testers found cleans floors and walls quickly, with easy filters.
It sometimes gets stuck on steps, and testers disagree about its waterline cleaning.
Full specifications
Figures come from the manufacturer’s product page unless a source is named. A blank means nobody we trust has confirmed it.
Owner reviews
Own a 9650iQ Sport?
Tell people how it’s held up: cleaning, maintenance, faults and support. Owner reviews are shown separately from expert tests and never mixed into the score.
Sources
Everything cited on this page. Expert scores are shown as the reviewer gave them.
- Bob Vila: The Best Robotic Pool Cleaners, Tested by Pool Owners · 4.8 / 5Hands-on · Part of a tested round-up; named best in-ground pick
- Charles & Hudson: Polaris 9650iQ Sport Robotic Pool Cleaner ReviewHands-on, A few months in the writer's own pool · Short post; no test method described · A short owner's post from 2018 with no test method, so we don't count it as an independent review. (not counted towards our two-review minimum)
- The Pool Nerd: Polaris 9650 iQ review · Think before you buyHands-on · The Pool Nerd is linked to a Dolphin dealer, so we don't count it as an independent review. (not counted towards our two-review minimum)
- Polaris: 9650iQ Sport product page (US)Manufacturer