Affordable Robot Pool Cleaner with a 2-in-1 Trick

Most affordable robotic pool cleaners do not clean the surface of the water. This is why it’s very common for people to have two robots: one skimmer for the surface and another for the rest of the pool. If you wanted a single robot that could do both, the most popular options came from Beatbot, but those were the top-tier models, which are quite expensive. That’s why I was particularly interested in Beatbot Sora 70 ($1499 on Beatbot) when I saw it at CES 2026.

This robot provides a complete solution in one unit, while being priced at a more reasonable $1,499. This is a far cry from other complete solutions like the Beatbot AquaSense 2 Pro and 2 Ultra models, which cost $2,299 and $3,150, respectively. Does it really rise to the occasion, or will it succumb to its impressive bigger brothers?

After months of waiting, I finally got the Beatbot Sora 70 delivered to my doorstep and I got a chance to test it out.

After testing the AquaSense 2 Ultra, I had high expectations for Beatbot’s latest, perhaps unreasonably high. Admittedly, the AquaSense 2 Ultra is one of the company’s most expensive robotic pool cleaners. It was solidly built, heavy and extremely capable. I had to remind myself that the Beatbot Sora 70 is less than half the price and I shouldn’t get too carried away.

With that in mind, there is definitely a difference in build quality and design. It’s also small and light: 17.1 x 16.9 x 11.2 inches and 22.9 pounds. This is by no means a poorly constructed robotic pool cleaner. The robot feels solid, and it’s actually a very well-designed, colorful unit. It’s more fun to say it that way. All I’m saying is that there’s definitely a difference in build quality between this and BeatBot’s higher-end models. However, if a little cheaper plastic helps reduce the price by more than half, I’m all for it.

However, setting it up was just as simple. I took everything out of the box and plugged it in using a very convenient proprietary port. It looks like a car socket plug, but wider. You simply stick it in to plug in and pull it out to unplug.

After that, I simply followed the app’s instructions and everything was set up within five minutes. Now I just had to wait for it to charge. I left it plugged in overnight, but watched as the robot reached 100% in a little less than three hours. As mentioned, the robot came with a small charge in the box. It will take about 4.5 hours to charge it from zero to 100%.

How well does the Beatbot Sora 70 clean pools?

The next morning, I woke up early, put on my swimming trunks and got ready to start testing this bad boy.

The first thing that came to mind was that this thing has no buttons. Its only type of manual control is a switch you can use to switch between Pro mode and preset mode, which you can customize in the app. This is great for when you don’t want to take out your phone.

But how do you turn it on? Well, when I unplugged it it was already on, but you can also use this switch. Simply move it in any direction, and the device will turn on. It’s a little confusing, and there’s a bit of a learning process, but once you learn how it works it’s very easy to use.

I used the app to check out the options. These include Pro Mode (cleans everything), Floor Mode, Surface Mode, Standard Mode (cleans floors, walls and waterline) and Eco Mode. The latter optimizes battery life and focuses specifically on cleaning floors every 48 hours.

It was not a particularly large pool. I mean, the robot is designed to clean large pools over 3,000 square feet, and it should last 5-7 hours per charge. Typically, residential pools are between 400 and 600 square feet. The average size of even large pools should be around 1,000 square feet. What I used was nothing special, so I set the robot in Pro mode for thorough cleaning.

I saw it clearing everything. From the waterline to the walls and floors. Then, it went to the surface and started floating on the pool. Cleaning took place after about two hours. The robot’s battery life lasts for five hours when cleaning floors or seven hours when cleaning surfaces. This means it can clean the average home pool almost twice as often on a single full charge.

When it was done, it came to the edge of the pool on its own and stood there for me to easily get out. It did a pretty good job in terms of cleaning. Granted, the pool was pretty clean to begin with, but I added some dirt and debris to it before I started. By the end of the cleaning session it was all gone.

The 6,800 GPH (gallons per hour) pressure seems to do a good job of lifting everything. It’s also nice that it has a large filter, which I didn’t even fill halfway. It is 6L and has two filtration options. You can use the 150-μm for general, everyday cleaning. If you really want to fight smaller particles, you can switch to a 3-micron filter for crystal-clear water without any residue. It can literally filter out microscopic particles.

One thing I really liked that I haven’t seen before in other robot pool cleaners. Typical skimmers and robot pool cleaners only passively clean surfaces. It can be said that they do not get any external help. These machines will pick up whatever they can in their path. Beatbot Sora 70 has what they call “Jetpulses”. It uses a few small jets that shoot water in a converging manner that pulls the debris inward in a V shape, so that they get trapped in the system.

Just take a look at the image above. You will see how the jets are pushing water inward in a wave pattern. It works great!

Overall, it seems like robot pool apps have become simpler, and the BeatBot app is no exception. After setup, you really only get a few options. You can choose a mode, initiate the remote control function, or ask the robot to park.

One thing to keep in mind is that you must select your settings before putting the Beatbot Sora 70 in water. This is because, like all other robotic pool cleaners, the Sora 70 will disconnect when submerged in water. Once underwater, you can’t really do anything until it decides to come to the surface.

Beatbot Sora 70 Review Verdict: Should You Buy It?

It’s hard to beat the Beatbot Sora 70 because it has very few direct competitors when you take into account features and price. Robot pool cleaners generally do not function as surface skimmers. To get the full automated cleaning experience you usually have to use a robot and a skimmer. The Beatbot AquaSense 2 Pro, Ultra, and X can do it all, but they’re all much more expensive. There’s also the Aiper scuba X1 Pro Max, but it’s still more expensive at $1,799.99. And if you can get the Sora 70 at a discount – it’s 20% off and down to $1,199 at the time of writing – it really blows everything else out of the water.

If you really want a robot that can clean pool floors, walls, waterline, and surface, and want to spend as little as possible, there’s still no one to beat the BeatBot Sora 70. Besides being affordable, it is also a high-end robot that does a great job of cleaning larger residential pools.

Using this robot was a pleasure. And despite being small and light, it didn’t take away from the experience. Honestly, it made it a lot more comfortable. I was able to carry it more easily and pull it out of the pool. It still cleaned very efficiently, and the hands-on approach is really cool. It was also extremely simple to operate, which made me realize that having more fancy buttons isn’t really necessary.

As always, Beatbot is setting the standard, but this time it’s changing the script. While the brand is known for its top-tier, expensive robotic pool cleaners, in this case, it’s offering quality at a lower price, which is as refreshing as swimming on a hot summer day.