Seagull SE
A small, light cordless robot that vacuums the floor of flat-bottomed pools and nothing else. Testers found it a handy cheap helper for sand and small debris, but it won't touch walls and stalls on big leaves.
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The short version
The Seagull SE is one of Aiper's oldest and simplest pool robots, launched in 2022 and now being phased out. There's no app and no route planning: you charge it, press one button and drop it in. It bumps around the floor for about an hour and a half, pushed along by water jets, then tries to park by a wall. It weighs about 3.5kg, so anyone can lift it out.
You give up a lot for that simplicity. It can't climb walls or clean the waterline, it only suits flat floors without big slopes, and the filter is a flat tray you rinse after every run. Aiper's newer Scuba SE and Scuba E1 are also floor-only, while the Scuba S1 climbs walls too. With stock running down, check you can still get spare brushes and wheels before you buy.
Our take: Buy it only as a cheap second cleaner for a small, flat pool, for grabbing sand, bugs and small debris after a windy day, if you don't mind rinsing it daily. If your pool has sloping sides, lots of big leaves, or you want the walls done, spend more: the Aiper Scuba S1 climbs walls, and the Beatbot Sora 10 covers walls and waterline in a light, cordless package.
Where it sits in Aiper’s range
- Seagull SEThis model
- Scuba SENewer floor-only Scuba model for above-ground pools
- Scuba E1Floor-only, stronger pump, adds a finer filter
- Scuba S1 2026Climbs walls and cleans the waterline · £494
- Seagull ProBigger Seagull that climbs walls and runs longer
What reviewers found
Four hands-on accounts, all agreeing it's a floor-only helper rather than a full pool cleaner. PCWorld saw it pick up about 90 percent of the leaves in a messy pool, and Bob Vila found it good at dirt, sand and bugs. The Gadgeteer and Smartzone both liked how easy it is to run, and Smartzone beat the claimed runtime. The disagreements are over parking, which failed for PCWorld, and how fiddly it is to empty. The Pool Nerd, a site that earns commission from rivals, rates it poorly.
PCWorld, hands-on, Nov 2022 · The Gadgeteer, hands-on, About a month in the reviewer's own in-ground pool, Dec 2022 · Smartzone, hands-on, Tested in wooden, fibreglass and frame pools, Sept 2023 · Bob Vila, hands-on
Good on small debris, not big leaves
In a pool full of fallen leaves, PCWorld watched it sweep up about 90 percent of the debris in one 90-minute run, though it struggled with larger leaves. The Gadgeteer found its low clearance good for sand and small bits, but it got stuck on bigger debris after a storm, and it had to be emptied three times in one run because it can't tell when it's full. Bob Vila found it collected dirt, sand, bugs and small debris well. Skim big leaves off first.
Flat floors only
Aiper says it's built for flat-floored pools, and testers found the limits. Smartzone tested it in several pools: on truly level floors it never stuck, but on a frame pool with an uneven base it sometimes hung up and needed a nudge. The Gadgeteer found it coped with a gentle slope in most places, but struggled on one steeper section, wedged itself in a corner once and drove straight off a shallow ledge. The Pool Nerd found it bumped around at random in its rectangular vinyl pool.
Runtime beats the claim
Aiper promises over 90 minutes from a 2.5-hour charge. Smartzone reached 90 minutes on every run and often got close to 100, though a full charge could take up to three hours. PCWorld and Bob Vila both saw about 90 minutes. That's plenty for a small pool, but it means a charge after every run, so this is a daily chore rather than a set-and-forget robot. The Pool Nerd complains it spends more time charging than cleaning.
Parking and getting it out
It's meant to park by the nearest wall when the battery runs low. That didn't happen for PCWorld, whose robot ended up near the middle of the pool, though the included hook on a pool pole reached it easily. Smartzone fished it out with the hook too. The Gadgeteer found its 3.5kg weight made lifting it out, and charging it, easy for anyone in the family, compared with a much heavier Aiper it also owned.
Emptying: quick or messy
You unclip the top half to reach the flat filter tray. Smartzone found rinsing it took seconds, and liked that the parts only fit back one way. PCWorld called the same job messy when wet, with reassembly confusing at first, and noted you need to do it daily rather than weekly. The Gadgeteer warns there can be a lot of water to tip out of the body before you lift out the filter. The Pool Nerd thinks the flat filter doesn't hold debris well.
Covers the Seagull SE, not the newer Aiper Scuba SE, which is a separate model.
Before you buy
The questions people ask about this one
Does it climb walls and clean the waterline?
No. It only cleans the floor, per the specifications. The Gadgeteer points out that most sediment ends up on the floor anyway, and a quick brush of the walls knocks the rest down for it. If you want the walls scrubbed for you, you need a climbing model.
Will it work in an above-ground pool?
Yes, if the floor is flat. Aiper lists round above-ground pools up to 33ft across and flat in-ground pools up to 40 by 20ft, per the specifications. Smartzone found it reliable on level floors but it sometimes stuck on an uneven frame pool base.
Is it cordless, and how long does a charge last?
Yes, fully cordless. Aiper claims over 90 minutes from a 2.5-hour charge, per the specifications. Smartzone got 90 to 100 minutes every time, and PCWorld about 90 minutes. Expect to charge it after every run.
How do I get it out of the water?
It's supposed to park by a wall when the battery runs low, and you hook it out with the included retrieval hook on a pool pole. PCWorld found it stopped mid-pool instead, but the hook still reached it. It's light, at 7.6lb, per the specifications.
Does it handle leaves as well as fine dirt?
Small debris, yes; big leaves, not really. PCWorld found it struggled with larger leaves, and The Gadgeteer saw it get stuck on them after a storm. Bob Vila found it good with dirt, sand and bugs. The flat filter won't catch the finest particles.
How do I clean the filter?
Unclip the front and back latches, lift off the top, tip out the water and rinse the filter tray, as The Gadgeteer describes. Smartzone found it took seconds; PCWorld found it messy. Either way, it's a job after every run.
Compare with
Scuba S1 2026
It climbs the walls and cleans the waterline too, and EFTM settled into a practical daily routine with it.
PCWorld kept finding whole patches of floor it never visited.
Sora 10
PCWorld found it light, easy to lift and simple to empty, and it cleans walls and the waterline.
Steps were a problem, and it sank again if nobody collected it within a few minutes.
Scuba E1
Also floor-only for flat pools, with a roller brush and a much finer second filter listed by Aiper.
There isn't enough owner feedback on this exact model to judge how it performs.
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 Seagull SE?
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.
- PCWorld: Aiper Seagull SE robotic pool cleaner review: An aquatic Roomba · 4 / 5Hands-on
- The Gadgeteer: Aiper Seagull SE cordless robotic pool cleaner reviewHands-on, About a month in the reviewer's own in-ground pool
- Smartzone: Aiper Seagull SE Poolroboter im TestHands-on, Tested in wooden, fibreglass and frame pools
- Bob Vila: The Best Robotic Pool Cleaners, Tested by Pool OwnersHands-on
- The Pool Nerd: Aiper Seagull SE ReviewRetailer, Tested in an 8 x 20ft vinyl pool
- Aiper: Seagull SE store page (US)Manufacturer