Scuba V3 Ultra
2 independent reviewsRead the findings →Aiper's top cordless pool robot, with cameras that steer it to dirt and a skimming mode. It suits large pools that collect plenty of leaves. Its skimming is hit and miss, and the software can be buggy.
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What reviewers found
Two hands-on reviews, two very different verdicts. The Gadgeteer calls it the smartest pool robot it has tested and liked the skimming, with caveats. PCWorld also rated the camera mode as the best part, but hit repeated task errors, a lid that wouldn't close, weak skimming and a filter it dreaded cleaning. Both agree the debris-hunting camera mode visibly works. Skimming and reliability are where they differ most, which may come down to one unit or its firmware.
PCWorld, hands-on, Jun 2026 · The Gadgeteer, hands-on, Aug 2026
Floor, wall and waterline
Mixed resultsUnderwater it does well: The Gadgeteer found wall and waterline cleaning solid. Skimming splits the testers, with The Gadgeteer rating it strong but noisy, while PCWorld saw it collect less than half its floating test leaves in three hours.
Debris
Mixed resultsIts camera mode does hunt debris: The Gadgeteer watched it steer to piles and come back for missed leaves, and PCWorld called it the robot's best feature. But PCWorld found it struggles with very small bits, and heavy piles took The Gadgeteer several passes.
Coverage and navigation
Mixed resultsThe Gadgeteer found it got past the main drain without sticking, and PCWorld found it covered almost the whole floor with test debris. Shallow areas are weaker: cloudy water and a stepped ledge confused The Gadgeteer's robot, and PCWorld found it too tall to skim above steps.
Battery and charging
Mixed resultsThe Gadgeteer got 159 minutes in automatic mode, enough for a full clean of its pool, and liked the plug-free dock. PCWorld saw about three and a half hours in its all-areas mode but thought the battery too limited for everything it tries to do, and found the dock fiddly.
Filter and retrieval
Mixed resultsThe Gadgeteer found it floats even with a flat battery, drains before lifting and has an easy lid-mounted basket. PCWorld found it heavy and awkward to handle, with a fine mesh sleeve that was miserable to clean and refit.
Pool types it suits
Not enough evidenceNone of the reviews we use compared it across pool shapes, surfaces or above-ground pools. The Gadgeteer notes shallow sun shelves are still awkward for it.
Reliability and support
Not enough evidenceNeither review ran it long-term. PCWorld got task-failure errors on almost every full clean and a lid that wouldn't close, while The Gadgeteer reported no such faults, so we can't say which is typical.
Value
Mixed resultsThe Gadgeteer thinks it earns its premium price if you want Aiper's most complete cordless cleaner. PCWorld called the price a massive ask in its current state and suggests the Scuba S1 Pro, which cleans nearly as well for much less.
Verdicts come from independent, hands-on, finished reviews. An area needs at least two of them before we say more than “Not enough evidence”. We don't score robots ourselves. How this works
The cameras really do chase debris
This is the one thing both testers agree on. The Gadgeteer scattered debris on purpose and watched the robot steer towards piles, slow down as it got to them and go back over them, especially round the main drain. It sometimes missed a leaf first time, then came back for it. PCWorld called the camera mode the robot's best feature and found it worked on the floor and the surface, though very small bits gave it trouble. It isn't the default mode, so pick it in the app before a run.
Skimming splits the testers
The Gadgeteer rated skimming strong, with trade-offs: the intake is smaller than it would like, and the impeller makes a repeating thump you'll hear from a sun lounger. PCWorld was far less impressed. In a three-hour skim the robot collected less than half the leaves it had scattered, and the rest were still floating or had sunk. It blamed how slowly the robot moves on the surface, with its wake pushing leaves away. If floating leaves are your main problem, treat skimming as a bonus, not a guarantee.
Errors and a gaping lid
Near the end of almost every full clean, PCWorld got a "task terminated abnormally" or "task failed" message, and those failures froze parts of the app until it had force-quit several times. The lid over its debris basket also stayed a few millimetres open. Even so, it measured 98 percent coverage with test debris. The Gadgeteer reported no errors like that, and its robot got past the main drain without sticking. One bad unit and one good one, so we can't tell which is typical.
Filter cleaning: easy or awful
The Gadgeteer liked that the basket sits in the lid, so you lift the top, tip it out and rinse it without taking off a second cover. Its only wish was to spray water straight through. PCWorld found the three-part basket miserable: the fine mesh sleeve was hard to pull off wet, impossible to get fully clean and fiddly to refit. It also found debris, including a snail, trapped under the basket inside the robot. If you'll use the fine insert, expect a messier clean-up.
Runtime, dock and getting it out
The Gadgeteer got 159 minutes in automatic mode, enough for a full clean of its pool, and PCWorld saw just under three and a half hours in its all-areas mode. Both charged it on the plug-free dock, though PCWorld found it tricky to seat the robot properly. At about 13kg it's big, but The Gadgeteer found it drains before you lift it and stays afloat even with a flat battery, so you won't need a hook.
This covers the Scuba V3 Ultra only. The single-camera Scuba V3 is a different robot with its own reviews.
Our take
Should you buy the Scuba V3 Ultra?
Best for: Pools with both floating leaves and dirt on the bottom. Skip it if: You want simple setup with little time spent adjusting maps or settings.
for a large in-ground pool where leaves land on the surface and gather on the floor, if you can put up with early software rough edges. If your pool mostly collects grit and sunken debris, the lighter Aiper Scuba V3 does that job, and the Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra is a camera-led skimmer with more testing behind it.
The Scuba V3 Ultra is the top of Aiper's 2026 range. Two cameras on the front spot debris and steer it there, and after cleaning the floor, walls and waterline it floats up to skim the surface. It charges on a dock with no plug, and airbags keep it afloat when it's done so you don't have to fish it off the bottom.
Both testers saw the camera mode chase debris. PCWorld called it the robot's best feature, and The Gadgeteer watched it steer to piles and go back for missed leaves, though you have to pick that mode in the app before each run. They split on skimming. The Gadgeteer rated it strong but noisy, while PCWorld saw it collect less than half its floating test leaves in three hours. PCWorld's unit also threw task failure errors on almost every full clean and had a lid that wouldn't shut, which The Gadgeteer never saw, so nobody knows which is typical. It weighs about 13kg, and PCWorld found the fine mesh sleeve miserable to clean. PCWorld thinks the Scuba S1 Pro cleans nearly as well for much less.
Before you buy
The questions people ask about this one
Does it handle leaves as well as fine dirt?
Underwater, mostly. The Gadgeteer saw it target leaf piles and come back for ones it missed, and its 3-micron insert catches fine dirt. The surface is less certain: PCWorld found skimming picked up less than half its test leaves in three hours, while The Gadgeteer rated skimming strong but noisy.
Is it cordless, and how long does a charge last?
Yes. It charges on a dock in about four and a half hours, per the specifications. Aiper claims up to 480 minutes when only skimming. Underwater runs are shorter: The Gadgeteer got 159 minutes in automatic mode and PCWorld just under three and a half hours cleaning everything.
How do I get it out of the water?
It floats up on built-in airbags and stays at the surface even with a flat battery, according to The Gadgeteer, which also found it drains before you lift it. It's still heavy, at about 13kg dry, per the specifications, and PCWorld found it awkward to get in and out of the pool.
Can it cope with steps and a shallow ledge?
Aiper says it cleans shallow areas from 20cm deep, with sensors to stop it falling off the edge, per the specifications. The Gadgeteer found this hit and miss: cloudy water, or a ledge with a step below it, confused the edge detection. When skimming, PCWorld found the robot too tall to reach the water over shallow areas, including the top step.
How do I clean the filter?
Lift the lid, take out the basket, empty it and rinse it. The Gadgeteer found that quick. PCWorld found the fine mesh sleeve inside very hard to remove, clean and refit when wet, and found debris trapped under the basket inside the robot.
Does it need an app?
For its best mode, yes. You choose the camera-led patrol mode and schedules in the app before the robot goes in, because it loses contact underwater, according to The Gadgeteer. PCWorld found the app glitchy with this robot, freezing after failed runs, and its automatic scheduling mode suggested odd plans.
Alternatives
Other robotic pool cleaners to compare.
AquaSense 2 Ultra
Why consider it: Also camera-guided with surface skimming, and four hands-on tests rate its underwater cleaning highly.
The compromise: It's very heavy to lift out, and its skimming splits opinion too.
Scuba V3
Why consider it: Aiper's single-camera model heads for dirt too, and testers found it good on floors, walls and fine grit.
The compromise: It doesn't skim, and it only waits about 10 minutes at the surface before sinking.
Scuba X1 Pro Max
Why consider it: Aiper's earlier skimming flagship covers a lot of pool and picks up fine debris well, according to T3 and Heise.
The compromise: It's big and heavy, and T3 found it less consistent with sunken leaves.
Sora 70
Why consider it: Another all-in-one that scrubs, then skims; testers found it easy to empty and long-running.
The compromise: It's slow, and its skimming suits light floating debris best.
Specs
Full specifications
Each specification names its source. Manufacturer claims are not independent test results; unconfirmed figures are labelled.
Owner reviews
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Sources
Where this page’s findings come from
Editorial reviews
Sources
- Aiper: Scuba V3 Ultra product page (US) ↗Manufacturer
- Aiper: Scuba V3 Ultra store page (US) ↗Manufacturer
Videos
- Search YouTube for Aiper Scuba V3 Ultra ↗Search results may include company demonstrations or similar models. Check the source and model name; a demonstration is not an independent performance test.