Beatbot AquaSense Ultra 2 Robot Pool Cleaner Review

I appreciated that I could pop the AquaSense Ultra into my pool, close the cover, and let it run overnight, leaving us with sparkling, pristine water the following day.

One thing to note about the BeatBot AquaSense is that it’s heavy, so if you don’t have a lot of upper body strength, you may find using it difficult.

About the BeatBot AquaSense Ultra 2

• Weight: 29.1 pounds
• Pool type: Above ground and in-ground
• Pool shape: All
• Pool size: Up to 3875 SF
• Continuous runtime: 10 hours

The BeatBot AquaSense Ultra 2 is a wireless robotic pool cleaner with a built-in AI camera, infrared sensors, and ultrasonic sensors that map your pool for a complete clean. Unlike a pool skimmer that just clears the surface of debris (see BeatBot’s own iSkim Ultra), the AquaSense Ultra 2 cleans the floor, sides, waterline, and surface of the pool. It also has a built-in water clarification system to ensure that the water of your swimming pool remains crystal clear.

How we tested

Despite the fact that we have a weekly pool service, an electric pool cover, and a strong filter system, our pool always ends up with a fine layer of dirt on the bottom and dust on the water’s surface. Add in the oil slick of sunscreen that inevitably comes off while swimming, and even the most well-maintained swimming pool can get pretty gross over seven days.

I tested the AquaSense Ultra 2 during my children’s spring break, when I knew the swimming pool would be getting a lot of use. Once everyone was finished swimming, I placed the AquaSense Ultra 2 in the pool, watched to make sure it was running correctly, and then closed the cover and left it to do its thing overnight.

What we like about Beatbot’s AquaSense Ultra 2

It’s easy to set up

As with the BeatBot iSkim Ultra, the AquaSense is a breeze to set up. I already had the app loaded on my phone, so all I had to do was connect the AquaSense Ultra to our Wi-Fi, and then it automatically populated in the app. It took less than five minutes before I was able to put it to use cleaning the pool.

It is an effective pool cleaner

I was skeptical about how well a robot pool cleaner would work. Color me surprised, because the AquaSense Ultra 2 is fantastic. It features a 5-in-1 cleaning system that tackles fine particles and surface stains on walls, pool bottoms, and water surfaces, and in my pool, it did all that and more with its front and side brushes.

After only a few hours, it also left behind sparkling water, thanks to its ClearWater Clarifying technology, which we also tested in Beatbot's iSkim Ultra pool skimmer.

The AquaSense Ultra 2 can clean so well because it utilizes a combination of a built-in AI camera for navigation (and can detect debris, leaves, and. other organic matter just shy of 5 feet distance), along with infrared and ultrasonic sensors, to map the size and shape of the pool, resulting in a more efficient and thorough cleaning process.

The pool cleaner robot talks to me

I was surprised by how much I like this feature. The AquaSense Ultra 2 talks, telling you when it’s connected, when the power is turned off or on, and when it’s charging.

It’s such a simple thing, but not having to squint into the app to see what’s happening, especially in the bright sun, is such a game-changer.

It rises to the surface of the water when finished cleaning

One of the features about the AquaSense Ultra 2 that I really appreciate is that it “parks” on the surface of the pool when it’s done cleaning or when the battery drops below 15%. The fully charged battery has a long runtime—10 hours for surface cleaning and 5 hours for the floor or walls and waterline cleaning—so you don’t have to worry about it running out of power before it finishes a full cycle. Plus, it recharges quickly, in about 4-and-a-half hours.

It also automatically drains all the water inside it to stay afloat, which keeps it from being overly heavy and sitting on the bottom when having to remove it from the pool. I didn’t even have to get wet to retrieve it.

What we don’t like about Beatbot’s AquaSense Ultra 2

It’s heavy, even without water inside

The AquaSense Ultra 2 weighs almost 30 pounds, making it difficult to carry from my pool, across the yard, and up the stairs of my deck. It does have a carrying handle, which helps, but I ended up throwing my back out after five days of hauling it around the yard (and I’m in good shape!).

While this BeatBot pool cleaner is great, I can see how the weight alone could be a deal breaker for someone who doesn’t have a lot of upper body strength or mobility issues.

It loses its Wi-Fi connection underwater

This is one seriously smart robot pool cleaner, with many bells and whistles that may not even be apparent to the user. However, the AquaSense Ultra 2 loses its Wi-Fi connection underwater. To be fair, I’m not sure that there’s any way for a robot to stay connected to the Wi-Fi from six feet underwater, but it was kind of annoying that when the AquaSense Ultra 2 was at the bottom of the pool I couldn’t change cleaning modes on the app, recall the robot, or stop the cleaning cycle.

It also can’t give real-time tracking of where it is cleaning, but since you can see it through the water, it’s not a massive issue.

The AquaSense Ultra 2 can’t climb steps

My biggest issue with the AquaSense Ultra 2 is that it didn’t clean my pool stairs or Baja shelf.

I found this surprising, considering it can roll up and down the sides of a pool. Unfortunately, it was never able to clean the accumulated dirt on the shallow tanning area at the top of the steps.

Its cost may be prohibitive

The AquaSense Ultra 2 is an investment, with a price tag of over $3,000. Owning a pool is not cheap, and this is another expense that you’ll have to ask yourself if you want to take on.

Personally, I am more likely to use my pool when it’s clean and clear, so while I don’t like the price of the AquaSense Ultra 2, it makes sense (no pun intended) for me, especially since I often have a lot of sunscreen-covered kids in our pool during warm weather, i.e. all the time since I live in Southern California.

Beatbot AquaSense Pro vs Ultra

We reviewed the Beatbot AquaSense Pro in 2024, and it boasted a laundry list of impressive specs that it followed through with. It was able to analyze and map the pool, allowing it to navigate the waters and obstacles easily, and clean up debris well with its powerful suction. Unfortunately, it struggled with corners, steps, and other non-standard elements.

Like the Pro, the Ultra also found stairs and ledges difficult to navigate, but those were its only sticking point. It efficiently and thoroughly removed dirt and debris from all surfaces of the pool, and it wasn’t as finicky as other pool robots we tested.

Both carry wildly expensive price tags compared to their competitors, with the Ultra being about $800 more costly than the Pro.

Warranty

The BeatBot AquaSense Ultra 2 has a three-year, full machine replacement warranty.

What Owners Are Saying About the BeatBot AquaSense Ultra 2

The BeatBot AquaSense Ultra 2 is a new robot pool cleaner, but there are other models in Beatbot’s Aquasense line, including the Beatbot Aquasense Pro. Most users like the BeatBot AquaSense pool cleaning robots in general, but some complain about the skimming capabilities of older models.

• Reddit /Pools: Over at Reddit’s Pool thread, the top comments all agree that the AquaSense robots do a good job cleaning the bottom and sides of the pool.
• TroubleFreePool.com: Offers overall favorable first impressions of the AquaSense Ultra 2, though the cost is an issue for some.

Should you buy the BeatBot AquaSense Ultra 2

Yes

Unless you enjoy sweeping and skimming your swimming pool daily (I do not), the BeatBot AquaSense Ultra 2 (available at Amazon) is a major time saver for pool owners. I love that I can literally “set it and forget it,” and then count on its final result to be a crystal-clear pool.

If you have a pool that gets lots of use or that often ends up full of a significant amount of debris, the AquaSense Ultra 2 will make swimming a much more pleasant experience for pool owners.

Plus, it’s so much more convenient than a traditional—and ugly and cumbersome!—pool vacuum. Yes, it’s an investment, but since it’s a tool you’ll use every day during pool season, you’ll likely find that you quickly get your money’s worth.