WIRED's review examines the Poolease X1, a budget robotic pool cleaner priced at around $110-$170, aimed at those unwilling to spend thousands on premium models. The reviewer, Christopher Null, awarded it a middling 5/10, finding it cheap and lightweight but let down by weak cleaning performance, particularly in larger pools, and a series of design flaws that undermine its low-cost appeal.

The 9-pound robot uses water jets rather than brushes or treads, sending it on a random zigzag path that only cleans pool floors, not walls, waterlines or steps, and it lacks any wireless or app features. Debris collects inside the split-open chassis rather than a dedicated basket, requiring users to unclip and hose it down after use, while the awkwardly placed charging port on the underside risks scratching the paintwork. Although Poolease claims coverage of 861 square feet, roughly a 30×30-foot pool, the reviewer found its actual cleaning ability underwhelming even in a smaller pool, and the device also requires some assembly out of the box.