Hey there — Ryan from ActuallyUsed here. And today we’re putting two of the most hyped robotic pool cleaners side by side: the Dolphin Sigma and the Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra.
Both of these are the flagship models from their brands. You’ve got the Dolphin Sigma that costs around $1,500, and then there’s the Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra, which jumps all the way up to $3,500. Yeah… over twice the price.
So the big question is: Which one should you buy?
I had the same question. So, I ran both side-by-side in my neighbor’s pool—huge shoutout to him for letting me turn his backyard into a testing lab.
Same pool, same conditions, no special treatment. I wanted this to be as fair as possible.
I’ll cover everything from suction power to filtration with real data. I have a really cool piece of equipment called a hydro manometer which measures suction power in water. We’ll also close evaluate vacuuming, scrubbing and climbing.
That’s what we do here at ActuallyUsed — I’m not just sitting behind a screen repeating what the box says. I test the products out, record real data, and talk about the ones that were impressive.
So, if you’re thinking about spending the cash—or just curious what a $3,500 pool robot even does—stick around.
Price & Value
Let’s be honest - dropping $3,500 on a pool cleaner isn’t a small decision. That’s the price of a used car.
At that price point, you expect it to do everything for you and automate your pool cleaning routine. But after spending time with the Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra, it didn’t deliver what you would expect for $3,500. This thing is essentially the world’s most expensive robotic cleaner.
Now compare that to the Dolphin Sigma, which is around $1,500. It’s a premium commercial-grade robotic pool cleaner, but the price tag seems far more reasonable.
And the lower price tag doesn’t mean that you’re compromising on performance. In my testing, I actually preferred it. It’s built on the same commercial platform as the Dolphin Wave series – which costs over $2,000.
So, who takes the win for value? That goes to the Dolphin Sigma. It delivers high-end performance without the high-end price tag.
Suction Power
Let’s be real—the most important job a pool robot has is vacuuming debris in your pool. If it can’t do that, nothing else matters. You can throw in all the features you want, but if the suction’s weak, you’re still staring at leaves sitting at the bottom your pool.
The Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra claims a 6,500 gallons-per-hour flow rate. On paper, that sounds great. But we’ve all seen big numbers in marketing before, and they don’t always translate to the real-world. So I wanted to test it for myself.
I hooked up a hydro manometer—it’s basically an expensive device that measures suction power— to each robot’s suction port while they were running. That gave me an actual measurement of what was going on beneath the surface.
With a fresh battery, the Beatbot pulled about 1.6 PSI.
The Dolphin Sigma? It hit closer to 2.2 PSI.
That’s about 38% [VERIFY NUMBERS HERE] more suction from the Sigma, and you can feel the difference.
It also has wider brushes and dual intake ports, which means it grabs more dirt, leaves, and fine debris on each pass. The Beatbot, with its single long inlet, sometimes just slid over leaves without picking them up—which, for something that costs $3,500, is a little frustrating.
Verdict: The Dolphin Sigma takes this round. Better suction, more consistent pickup, and just does the job like it’s supposed to.
Automation: True Set-and-Forget Automation vs Daily Recharging
One of the big selling points of the Beatbot is its cordless design. Sounds great in theory, right? If you’re imagining a Roomba for your pool that quietly docks itself and recharges on its own, you might want to hold that thought.
Here’s how it works: after each cleaning cycle—which takes about four hours—you have to pull the Beatbot out of the water, line it up on its charging station, and let it sit there for five hours to recharge.
That means if you want it to clean daily, you’re going to be hands-on with this thing every single day, twice a day. Once to take it out to charge, and once to throw it back in the pool. Miss the short window when it floats to the surface at 15% battery, and you’ll be digging around the deep end with a hook to get it out. So much for automation.
It’s kind of wild that for this price, you still have to babysit the charging process just to keep it running on a regular schedule.
Now compare that to the Dolphin Sigma. It’s the complete opposite. You plug it in, drop it in the pool, and set the weekly timer in the app. That’s it. It stays in the water, powers up at the exact time you choose, and does its thing without you having to think about it.
Because it’s wired to a power supply, it doesn’t quit halfway through a cycle. You don’t have to worry about recharging, timing, or pulling it in and out every day. All it asks is that you empty the filters once a week. That’s what true automation should feel like.
To put it into perspective, with the Dolphin Sigma, you’re heading outside once a week to empty the filters. That’s it.
Now compare that to the Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra. If you want the same number of cleaning cycles in a week, you’re going outside 14 times—once to pull it out, once to charge it—every single day. That’s a massive difference.
One feels like a tool that works for you. The other feels like a chore you paid $3,500 for.
Verdict: The Dolphin Sigma wins in automation. It just makes pool care easier, since it turns on daily and cleans for you – no recharging, no pulling it in and out of the pool daily, just automated pool cleanings.
Pool Coverage: Floors, Walls, and Waterline
Any high-end pool robot should clean the floor, walls, and waterline without struggling. And to their credit, both of these do exactly that.
The Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra uses a mix of sensors, cameras, and something Beatbot calls HybridSense AI to map out your pool.
The Dolphin Sigma takes a different route—it uses SmartNav 3.0, an upgraded navigation system, along with a dual stabilizer setup to help it stay locked in as it scrubs up the walls.
But here’s the thing: despite the different tech under the hood, I didn’t see much of a difference when it came to how they performed. Both robots handled the pools with ease and covered the full pool, top to bottom.
Verdict: This one’s a tie. Both do an excellent job cleaning the floor, walls, and waterline without missing a beat.
Filtration: Holding On to What You’ve Collected
Suction is high priority, no question—but filtration. That’s just as important. Weak filtration just means the dirt and debris ends up right back in your pool.
The Sigma uses two top-loading filter cartridges that pop out easily and rinse off in seconds. You get both standard filters and NanoFilters in the box, which gives you options depending on what your pool needs.
The Beatbot, on the other hand, comes with a dual-layer filtration basket. They call it “ultra-fine,” but I wouldn’t go that far. It’s more like a mesh filter.
When you hold the two up side-by-side, it’s pretty clear. You can actually see through the Beatbot’s filter, while the Sigma’s NanoFilter has a dense, pleated design that looks a lot more like an actual full sized pool cartridge filter. And that difference really shows up in performance.
The Sigma captured more dirt, leaves, and fine debris than the Beatbot. The NanoFilter just works better—it traps more and lets less slip through.
For a cleaner that costs over twice as much, you’d expect the Beatbot’s filter to be a step up. But in this case, it feels more like a step down.
Verdict: Another win for the Dolphin Sigma. The NanoFilters are far superior to Beatbot’s filter basket.
Smart Features & App Control
Beatbot leans hard on its “AI-driven” app, promising things like manual control. Which is great – until you realize it only works when it is in the surface skimming mode. Once it’s submerged, the wireless signal cuts out. So, in practice, most of those features feel more like a marketing gimmick than something you’d actually use.
The Dolphin Sigma, on the other hand, is always connected. It connects via Wi-Fi, so you can control it from anywhere. You can pause or resume a cleaning cycle, change settings, and use manual steering to drive and navigate it to exactly where you want while it is underwater.
It also includes a Weekly Scheduler right in the app, letting you choose specific days and times for automatic cleanings. Set it once and forget it. No daily recharging required.
The biggest difference between the two? The Sigma’s app works while the robot is in the water. Allowing you to use it whenever. Forgot to turn on the robot and you’re not home? You can just open the app from anywhere and start it.
Compared to the Sigma, the Beatbot’s app is underwhelming. After using the Sigma, you realize just how much the Beatbot is missing.
Verdict: The Dolphin Sigma is the clear winner here.
The Cord Dilemma: Is Cordless Really Better?
It’s easy to assume cordless means better. Your headphones are cordless, your Roomba’s cordless—maybe even your stick vacuum. So why wouldn’t that be the case for a pool cleaner?
But here’s the thing: battery-powered robots have to juggle performance and runtime. The more powerful the clean, the faster the battery drains. And once that battery dips, suction can take a hit. Then at the end of the day, you’re hauling the robot out, drying it off, and setting it on a charger—every single time.
Now contrast that with a corded cleaner like the Dolphin Sigma. It stays plugged in, which means consistent power and consistent suction from start to finish. Yes, you’ve got a floating cable with swivel, but once it’s set up, it’s honestly less work in the long run. No recharging. No reminders. Just set the schedule and rinse the filters every so often.
The takeaway? “Cordless” sounds nice—but when it comes to pool robots, it’s not the upgrade it pretends to be. It ends up being more of a hassle than it is worth.
Final Verdict: Which One Should Be in Your Pool?
- Alright, let’s sum this up. Here’s how everything shook out:
- Price & Value: The Dolphin Sigma comes in at nearly half the price of the Beatbot—and still outperforms it.
Suction Power: In our testing, the Sigma had noticeably stronger suction.
Automation: Sigma runs on its own every day without needing to be recharged. Beatbot? Not so much.
Pool Coverage: Both did a great job cleaning the floor, walls, and waterline—this one’s a tie.
Filtration: Sigma’s NanoFilters trap more debris and fine particles than Beatbot’s so-called “Ultrafine” filter.
App Control: Sigma’s app works underwater. Beatbot’s loses connection when submerged.
| Feature | Winner |
|---|---|
| Price & Value | Dolphin Sigma |
| Suction Power | Dolphin Sigma |
| Automation | Dolphin Sigma |
| Pool Coverage | Tie |
| Filtration | Dolphin Sigma |
| App Control | Dolphin Sigma |
Overall, Winner: Dolphin Sigma
If you’re after a commercial-grade pool cleaner with serious filtration power, the Dolphin Sigma is the clear winner. It’s reliable, simple to operate, and honestly just makes more sense. With a much lower price tag and better performance where it counts, recommending the Sigma over the Beatbot isn’t a tough call. In fact, it’s not even close.
Who’s the Dolphin Sigma Right For?
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You want something that just works—no dragging it out of the pool every day to recharge.
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You need strong suction that can handle leaves, sand, and all the fine stuff that settles on the bottom.
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You’d like to control your cleaner with an app that stays connected and actually works underwater.
If that sounds like you, the Dolphin Sigma’s a smart pick.
I’m all for innovation in the pool robot space. The Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra definitely looks the part—it’s sleek, futuristic, and backed by some impressive-sounding marketing. But when it came time to actually clean the pool, it just didn’t offer enough to justify the steep price tag.
The Dolphin Sigmais the opposite. It’s a commercial-grade cleaner that is dependable, powerful, and doesn’t need constant attention. You plug it in, set the schedule, and let it do its thing. Its app stays connected while it’s underwater, the suction is stronger, and the filtration is next level.
At the end of the day, a pool robot should make your life easier If you’re constantly pulling it out to charge, you’re not saving time with automation—you are adding one more daily chore.
The best pool cleaner is the one you forget is even there. You set it, it runs and cleans, , …you don’t have to think twice.
The Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra might be aiming for the future, but it stumbles on the fundamentals. The Dolphin Sigma, on the other hand, focuses on what actually matters—automating the job and making pool ownership easy. I’m Ryan from ActuallyUsed—thanks for watching, and I’ll see you in the next review!
