Beatbot AquaSense X Review: The Pool Robot That Rinses Itself

The AquaSense X takes Beatbot's automation ambitions a stage further. It is a top-of-the-range pool robot that covers the whole basin, and it arrives with a substantial station whose job is to look after the robot once the work is finished.

With the AquaSense X, Beatbot is no longer only trying to automate pool cleaning. The manufacturer is also tackling the chore that follows every cycle: emptying and rinsing the robot itself. The new flagship is therefore paired with the AstroRinse station, which acts both as a charger and as an automatic basket-cleaning system.

The robot stays faithful to the formula already used on the AquaSense 2 Ultra. It handles the floor, the walls, the waterline and the surface, and adds coverage of submerged ledges. Navigation is based on a camera working alongside ultrasonic and infrared sensors. Beatbot also highlights AI debris recognition, intended in particular to concentrate cleaning on the areas that need it most.

The 5 l basket relies on 150-micron filtration, while suction flow is in the region of 26 m3/h. The 13,400 mAh battery is designed for large pools, with Beatbot quoting a maximum surface area of 360 m2.

The AquaSense X is a big unit. Its weight of more than 13 kg is noticeable when carrying it to the pool or lifting it back onto the station, although a wide integrated handle makes it easier to get a proper grip. Five physical controls sit on the top. They switch the robot on and give direct access to the Floor, Standard, Pro and Custom modes, so the common programmes can be launched without reaching for a smartphone.

The top cover opens onto the filtration basket. The underside of the robot is not solid, a consequence of its compatibility with the cleaning station. A second compartment houses the clarifier cartridge, whose use remains optional. At the front sit the camera, the various sensors and the side brushes used during surface cleaning, while two rollers span the width of the robot.

The real novelty, though, sits out of the water. The AstroRinse station is a good deal bulkier than a simple charging base, and installing it takes some preparation: it needs a power socket nearby, a water supply, a drain and decent Wi-Fi coverage. Beatbot supplies the hoses, fittings and accessories required, and an integrated spirit level with adjustable feet helps to set it up flat. In practice it needs a genuine place of its own beside the pool or in the plant room.

The AquaSense X uses the Beatbot app over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Initial configuration pairs the robot with its station before connecting the pair to the home network. The procedure is properly guided, and the app also recaps a few precautions before the robot first goes into the water.

The main screen separates the robot from the station. Four principal programmes are offered for the robot. Floor mode does what its name suggests. Standard adds the walls and the waterline, while Pro also finishes the job at the surface. Custom mode allows a finer programme to be composed by choosing the zones to treat and the number of passes. Further programmes live inside that custom mode: an Eco mode leaves the robot in the pool and triggers a floor clean every two days, a multi-zone mode caters for pools with several levels, and a fast AI mode uses the camera to look for debris first and head straight for the areas that need attention.

A map appears on the home screen after the first clean. It tracks the surface covered and gives a representation of the pool, but it is purely informative: the map cannot be edited, zones cannot be drawn by hand, and the robot cannot be sent to a specific spot.

The AI settings cover visual recognition, extra lighting in low light and Smart Park, which is meant to help the robot choose a shallow area to sit in. The app also controls the station, its self-cleaning mode and a child lock.

One omission stands out. The manual states that the robot's pressure sensor also measures water temperature, but that reading did not appear in the app in the reported observations, even though it was available on the AquaSense 2 Ultra. Wi-Fi still does not work underwater either: once submerged, the AquaSense X loses its connection and cannot be driven from the phone, regaining it when it returns to the surface. The virtual remote then becomes available, and it proved responsive enough to guide the robot to a chosen edge.

On the pool floor the AquaSense X navigates in a notably methodical way. It begins by recognising the outline before working in parallel bands. Passes follow each other cleanly and coverage of the test pool was very good, without any impression that the robot was going over the same place unnecessarily.

Behaviour stays consistent on the walls. The robot climbs to the waterline, comes back down, then shifts its path gradually, repositioning diagonally on the way up. That method covers the walls far less randomly than some rival machines manage.

Steps are the good surprise. The test pool has several levels and a large step that acts as a shallow ledge; the AquaSense X managed to climb onto it and then travel its full length. Obstacle recognition depends more on size. A large diving mask was identified and avoided, whereas small goggles used for the same exercise were not, most likely because they are too small to be told apart from debris.

Surface cleaning is equally organised. The robot crosses the pool and uses its side brushes, along with the water movement it generates, to draw floating items towards its intake. Once finished it returns to an edge by itself, or it can be guided more precisely from the app.

Good navigation naturally benefits floor cleaning. Leaves and most of the visible debris were picked up efficiently during its passes, and the methodical coverage limits missed patches, although a second pass may be needed for items shifted by the currents the robot creates.

The walls are covered properly too. The robot reaches the waterline without difficulty and follows it well, but more insistent brushing along that line would have been welcome. As is often the case with pool robots, the most ingrained marks still call for manual work.

The steps are a real advance. The largest platform in the test pool was covered and cleaned, while the smaller steps were only partly dealt with. It is still some way from the methodical grid used on the floor, but these areas are no longer simply ignored. Surface cleaning is convincing as well, with floating leaves drawn towards the intake and captured pass by pass.

Filtration tempers the picture. Beatbot fits only a 150-micron basket. It suits leaves, sand and everyday dirt, but nothing additional is offered for the finest dust. The Sora 70 now takes an optional 3-micron textile filter; there is no equivalent here as standard. The limitation may be linked to the way the automatic cleaning station works, but it remains a shame.

This is where the AquaSense X genuinely stands out. With a conventional robot, the end of a cycle usually means opening the lid, pulling out the basket and reaching for the hose. The AstroRinse station sets out to remove almost all of that routine.

Once the AquaSense X has been lifted out, it is simply placed on the station's contacts, and the self-cleaning process starts automatically if the function is enabled. The flap for floating debris opens and a rotating nozzle sprays water through the system to push dirt into the station's tank. After the 3 min operation the robot switches automatically to charging. The app also offers a quick cycle of about a minute for light soiling.

Neither cycle is discreet: water, pump and station mechanisms are all clearly audible. The result justifies the noise. After a cycle in which the robot had collected a good dozen leaves and plenty of small debris, a single leaf was left in its basket. The station holds roughly 22 l, which spaces out emptying, and the robot's basket can still be reached by hand from the top when needed. The system does not remove the need to keep an eye on its condition after a heavy clean, but it cuts daily handling considerably.

The AquaSense X carries a 13,400 mAh battery. Beatbot quotes up to 5 h of operation for floor cleaning and up to 10 h when the robot works only at the surface, while the manual gives a run time of about 4 h 30 min depending on conditions, with a similar recharge time. The reported result also showed comfortable endurance: after two hours of cleaning underwater followed by two hours at the surface, the robot had used only around 40% of its battery. Endurance should not be a problem in a family pool, even a large one.

The Beatbot Sora 70 is an alternative for anyone who wants floor, wall, ledge and surface cleaning, and it can take an optional ultra-fine 3-micron filter, but it goes without the automatic station. The Mova Rover X10 stands out for its supplied 3-micron filtration and its AquaSonar module, which keeps communication with the robot alive underwater. The AquaSense 2 Ultra retains most of the AquaSense X's versatility, provided you are happy to carry on rinsing the basket yourself.