Scuba V3 Ultra
Aiper's biggest cordless pool robot: two cameras steer it towards dirt, and it skims the surface too. Both testers saw the debris-hunting work, but they split on skimming, and one unit was buggy.
The short version
The Scuba V3 Ultra sits at the top of Aiper's 2026 range, above the single-camera Scuba V3. It cleans the floor, walls and waterline, then floats up to skim leaves off the surface. A pair of cameras on the front let it spot debris and drive to it, and it charges on a dock rather than through a plug. Airbags keep it floating at the surface when it's done, so you don't have to fish it off the bottom.
The trade-off is bulk and polish. It weighs about 13kg dry, and the filter basket is fairly small for a robot this size. PCWorld's unit threw repeated error messages and had a lid that wouldn't shut, while The Gadgeteer's behaved much better. If you want a camera and can live without skimming, the plain Scuba V3 is lighter and simpler.
Our take: Consider it for a large in-ground pool where leaves land on the surface and gather on the floor, and where you'd use the camera mode to chase them. Expect some early software rough edges. If your pool mostly collects grit and sunken debris, the lighter Aiper Scuba V3 does that job. If you want a camera-led skimmer with more testing behind it, look at the Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra.
Where it sits in Aiper’s range
- Scuba V3One camera, no surface skimming, much lighter · $849.99
- Scuba S32026 mid-range model without a camera
- Scuba S1 ProOlder tracked robot PCWorld suggests instead
- Scuba V3 UltraThis model · $1,999.99
- Scuba X1 Pro MaxEarlier skimming flagship with a bigger basket, no camera · $1,699.99
What reviewers found
Two hands-on reviews, and they reach very different verdicts. The Gadgeteer calls it the smartest pool robot it has tested and liked the skimming, with caveats. PCWorld found the camera mode was the best part too, 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. They disagree most on skimming and reliability, which may come down to one unit or firmware.
PCWorld, hands-on, Jun 2026 · The Gadgeteer, hands-on, Aug 2026
The cameras really do chase debris
This is the one point both testers agree on. The Gadgeteer scattered debris on purpose and watched the robot steer towards piles, slow down as it reached them and make repeat passes, especially around the main drain. It sometimes missed a leaf first time, then came back. PCWorld called this camera mode the best feature on the robot and effective on both the floor and the surface, though it struggles with very small bits. The catch is that the camera mode isn't used by default, so choose 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 notice 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 surface leaves are your main problem, treat skimming as a bonus, not a guarantee.
Errors and a gaping lid
PCWorld got a "task terminated abnormally" or "task failed" message near the end of almost every full clean, and those failures froze parts of the app until it force-quit several times. Its lid over the debris basket also stayed a few millimetres open. Even so, it measured 98 percent coverage with test debris. The Gadgeteer reported no errors of this kind, and its robot handled the main drain without getting stuck. With one bad unit and one good one, it's hard to say which is typical.
Filter cleaning: easy or awful
The Gadgeteer liked that the basket sits in the lid, so you lift the top, dump it and rinse it without removing a second cover. It only wished it could 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 hard 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 the robot tricky to sit on it 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.
Covers the Scuba V3 Ultra only. The single-camera Scuba V3 is a different robot with its own reviews.
Prices
Where to buy the Scuba V3 Ultra in United States
| Retailer | Price | Delivery | Stock | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AiperCheapest Official store | $1,999.99 | — | In stock | Go to Aiper |
We’re still looking for more United States retailers for this model. Prices shown are read from each seller’s own page.
Prices read from each seller’s own page on 23 September 2026. Some links are affiliate links and are marked where they appear. Commission never changes the order or the recommendation.
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 missed ones, and its 3-micron insert catches fine dirt. On the surface it's 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: about 13kg dry, per the specifications, and PCWorld found it awkward to move 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, per the specifications. The Gadgeteer found this mixed: 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 above shallow areas, including the top step.
How do I clean the filter?
Lift the lid, remove the basket, empty it and rinse. 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.
Compare with
AquaSense 2 Ultra
Also camera-guided with surface skimming, and four hands-on tests rate its underwater cleaning highly.
It's very heavy to lift out, and its skimming splits opinion too.
Scuba V3
Aiper's single-camera model heads for dirt too, and testers found it good on floors, walls and fine grit.
It doesn't skim, and it only waits about 10 minutes at the surface before sinking.
Scuba X1 Pro Max
Aiper's earlier skimming flagship covers a lot of pool and picks up fine debris well, according to T3 and Heise.
It's big and heavy, and T3 found it less consistent with sunken leaves.
Sora 70
Another all-in-one that scrubs, then skims; testers found it easy to empty and long-running.
It's slow, and its skimming suits light floating debris best.
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 Scuba V3 Ultra?
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 Scuba V3 Ultra review: This $2,000 pool robot needs more time to cook · 2.5 / 5Hands-on
- The Gadgeteer: Aiper Scuba V3 Ultra review: the pool robot that actually sees what it needs to cleanHands-on
- Aiper: Scuba V3 Ultra product page (US)Manufacturer
- Aiper: Scuba V3 Ultra store page (US)Manufacturer