The Samsung Jet Bot AI+ is a top-of-the-range robot vacuum which all the tech you could want, but can it handle the basics?
Launched in spring 2022, Samsung’s Jet Bot AI+ remains the brand’s top-end and most sophisticated robot vacuum cleaner to date. Forward-thinking features include LiDAR and 3D navigation, object recognition (and avoidance), and remote-control cameras.
But before we delve into more geeky goodness, would you just look at it. Working in the interiors industry can lead to design snobbery, but I had nothing to sneer about when unboxing the Samsung Jet Bot AI+. A sleek cross between a Stormtrooper and Monster Truck, but with Porsche-grade finesse, this was undoubtedly one of the most attractive looking robot vacuums I’ve tested.
Back to the tech. One of my favorite features of the Jet Bot AI+ was its object recognition skills. Even if it usually failed to accurately name them – 90% of the items were recorded on the app as socks/towels or cables, which was accurate 0% of the time! However, it did go around the dogs’ toys – which have frequently stopped other robot vacuums in their tracks. Those with younger children should find they don’t have to spend time picking up toys or abandoned clothing (socks, perhaps?) before releasing their robot.
I tested the Samsung Jet Bot AI+ on a variety of floor types – carpet, wood, porcelain, terracotta and laminate – on the ground floor of our fairly open-plan family home. The overall area is approximately 100 square meters, but a fair amount of that is covered by furniture the vacuum couldn’t get underneath. So, in reality, the Samsung Jet Bot AI+ only had about 70 square meters to cover.
Over the past year, the online customer reviews from Jet Bot AI+ owners have been rather Marmite-ish. Some claim to love it more than toast, rating it one of the best robot vacuums out there. Others want to put it in the sea – not literally – and switch back to their best cordless vacuum. Read on to find out which way I swayed…Samsung Jet Bot AI+ review: Price & Availability
List price: $999.99 / £989
Available in US & UK
There’s no doubting that the Samsung Jet Bot AI+ is an investment. If I were to draw comparisons on price in the motoring industry, this robot would be more Porsche 911 than Peugeot 307. It’s similar in spec, price and ability to iRobot’s Roomba s9+ self-emptying robot. I’ve now tested both and, if I had the salary of a Porsche owner (sadly, I don’t), I’d put my money on the iRobot.
If you’ve got money to burn, you can pick up the Samsung Jet Bot AI+ direct from Samsung, globally, as well as through major retailers such as Amazon, Argos, Currys, John Lewis and Home Depot.
Price: 2/5THE SPECS OF OUR SAMSUNG JET BOT AI+ ROBOT VACUUM REVIEW UNIT
Price: $999.99 / £989
Power: 21.6V Li-ion battery
Bin capacity (onboard): 0.2L
Bin capacity (Clean Station): 2.5L
Noise level: 74 dBA
Run time: 90 minutes
Dimensions: W305 x H136.5 x D320mm
Weight: 4.4kgSamsung Jet Bot AI+ Vacuum Review: Design
A thing of beauty
LED visual light bar
Too tall
Solidly built and impressively robust, this is the monster truck of robot vacuums, and its design is hard to fault – at least when it comes to looks. The Misty White livery will suit most interiors, and the bin/charging Clean Station is similarly streamlined and luxe. A light bar at the front of the robot pulses white when it’s on the move, and yellow when charging.
In Sound Effect mode, the Jet Bot plays a jolly jingle when it kicks off and returns to the charging base, providing an audible indicator that all is well. You can change the Sound Mode settings to Voice. In English, there’s a choice between Lisa or John, who sing out chipper ditties such as “it may be dusty outside, but it’s all clean in here” at the end of a clean, as well as less patronizing, more practical commentary. Both voices are annoying, and I quickly reverted back to the Sound Effect melodies (there’s also a Mute option for the seriously noise averse/grumpy).
There are precious few useful buttons on the machine itself – just stop, start and go home, plus a sliding switch at the side that turns the vacuum completely on and off. For full functionality, you’d better be app proficient. Said app is Samsung’s SmartThings home automation app, which I already use for our Frame TV and soundbar. Adding a new device was straightforward, and the Jet Bot app control section is excellently laid out for intuitive use.
While the overall looks of the Jet Bot AI+ are on fleek, its height (3.9in/136.5mm) is a major design flaw; it isn’t skinny, either. It’s essentially too tall to slide under plinths and too wide to get between chair legs, meaning that ditching your manual vacuum will not be an option. It did manage to wedge itself under a small side table in our living room, carrying it around on its back like a drunk snail until rescued!
Flip it upside down, and the first thing those who have experience with robot vacuums may spot is the lack of a swirling brush. These tend to protrude at one corner, directing stray debris into the central suction area. Instead, there’s just the usual roller brush, which is also worryingly devoid of actual bristles. Think plush velvet roller rather than round hairbrush-style; it certainly didn’t look like it would be capable of tackling all the pet and human hair found around our home.
