WIRED has updated its annual guide to the best robotic pool cleaners for 2026, drawing on four years of professional testing and hundreds of trial runs. The piece charts how the market has shifted away from older pressure-side cleaners, which rely on pool pumps and trailing hoses, towards electronic and, increasingly, battery-powered robots that leave the water free of cords and obstacles.

The reviewer names the Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra as the best all-round choice, praising its floor, wall and waterline cleaning, six-hour battery, AI debris detection, surface-skimming and cable-free charging stand. Its drawbacks are a hefty 29-pound (13kg) chassis and a price of around $3,000 (listed at $2,199 in a 30% discount from $3,150), making it the most expensive battery model on the market; the cheaper Beatbot Sora 70 at $1,499 is offered as an alternative. The updated guide also adds several new models, including the Bublue Vortex V5 skimmer and various Beatbot AquaSense 2 variants, alongside categories for best battery life, best budget and best surface skimmer.