Samsung Jet Bot AI+ robot vacuum review

The Samsung Jet Bot AI+ Robot Vacuum is a premium robot vacuum cleaner that offers the latest automated technology to clean your home. Not only does it vacuum carpeted and hard floors, it also intelligently avoids the tiniest of obstacles and empties itself at a charging station that doubles up as a dustbin. All of this can be automated or manually controlled from your phone, either via the app or voice assistants such as Google or Alexa. 

Having tested a few robot vacuums at the lower to middle end of the market, I was intrigued as to how a premium robot vacuum cleaner might differ in terms of operation, performance, and ease of use, not to mention style. So I couldn't wait to try out the Samsung Jet Bot AI+ Robot Vacuum on a busy home with a long-haired dog and cat (and three humans). 

Samsung’s Jet Bot AI+ features 3D sensors and object recognition, allowing it to map out rooms and avoid furniture and obstacles. It can also live stream video from the docking station while it's in operation, so if you’re away from home, you can check in to ensure everything is as it should be. 

But what did I make of the Samsung Jet Bot AI+ Robot when I invited it into my house for a thorough assessment? Read on to find out if it's good enough to make our best robot vacuums ranking.

If the Samsung Jet Bot AI+ Robot is too much of an investment for you, check out our best vacuum cleaner buying guide. With more affordable robot vacuums and cylinders, upright, handheld, and stick models, you’re sure to find a vacuum cleaner to suit you. 

Samsung Jet Bot AI+ Robot Vacuum: Price & availability

• $1,299.99 / £1,399 MSRP

While the Samsung Jet Bot AI+ Robot Vacuum isn’t the most expensive robot vacuum cleaner you can find, the eye-wateringly high price places it out of most people’s reach. However, its excellent performance, not to mention the array of functionality that comes with it, makes it worth the extra outlay if you can afford it.

Samsung Jet Bot AI+ Robot Vacuum: Setup & assembly

Setting up the Samsung Jet Bot AI+ Robot Vacuum is easy and straightforward. All you have to do is plug in the Cleaning Station, which doubles up as the charging port, and switch the vacuum on. 

However, it's worth noting that the robot needs a charge of around 3.5 hours before the first use. A bag is already installed in the Cleaning Station, with an extra bag provided. 

I liked that the charging port cable can be wound at the back of the Clean Station to reduce cable clutter and keep everything tidy.

Next, you’ll need to download the connected SmartThings app, find your JetBot, and add it as a connected device. If you haven’t got another Samsung smart appliance, you’ll need to create an account, but it’s all straightforward to do via the app. The app then guides you through the first cleaning and mapping of your room.

The app has plenty of options once you’ve got that all-important first mapping done. You can set no-go areas, arrange cleaning routines, create hotspots for specific areas, and change all your vacuum settings, including suction power, home monitoring, emptying the bin, and more. 

You can also view the cleaning reports in the app, which show you how your robot fared in the latest clean, its route, and any obstacles in its path. 

Samsung Jet Bot AI+ Robot Vacuum: Design

The Samsung Jet Bot AI+ is pretty stunning and probably one of the most stylish vacuums we’ve tested, robot or otherwise. It looks futuristic, in matte white with accents of silver, giving it a polished, expensive gleam. It’s not dissimilar to a Stormtrooper in appearance!

Around the rim of the robot lies its various sensors and home monitoring camera, including a little tower that rises from the vacuum during operation. This houses the LiDAR sensor, which tracks the vacuum’s location, allowing it to cover more floor space. 

Measuring around 12 inches in diameter and just almost five inches tall, it’s also one of the biggest robot vacuums on the market. Unfortunately, this makes it a little tricky to get under low furniture during cleaning.  

The Clean Station™ is similarly attractive and would fit into any contemporary home. This is where the robot docks to recharge and empty its contents into the dustbag in the bin. No dust or debris to empty yourself.

Lifting the lid on the Samsung Jet Bot AI+ Robot Vacuum, attached by a magnet, reveals the fine dust filter and the onboard dustbin, which has several more filters. 

On the underside of the unit is a roller brush, which you can easily remove for cleaning, and three wheels to help the robot glide seamlessly across the floor. 

Overall, the Samsung Jet Bot AI+ Robot Vacuum looks well-designed, sturdy, and jam-packed with technology, just as well, given its expensive price tag. 

Samsung Jet Bot AI+ Robot Vacuum: Features & accessories

The Samsung Jet Bot AI+ Robot Vacuum is full of great features - much more than any other robot vacuum we’ve tested at home. These include: 

• Jet AI Object Recognition: Object sensors identify anything on the floor and avoid it without you having to pick it up before vacuuming.  
• Clean Station: The robot empties itself into the clean station. You can decide if it does this while charging or only when the dustbag is full.  
• LiDAR sensor-precision mapping: This robot creates an accurate room map that can be edited via your smartphone app.  
• Options to identify no-go areas: Using the room maps, you can set out areas you’d prefer the robot not to vacuum. 
• Home monitoring via live stream camera: The robot features a small camera that records video and audio during operation and from the clean station if required. So you can check in on pets or your home’s security when you’re not there.  
• Optimized suction power: As it vacuums, the Samsung Jet Bot AI+ Robot identifies the surface and the amount of dust and automatically adjusts the suction power to suit.
• Washable dustbin: Every part of the unit’s onboard dustbin can be removed easily and washed.   

You can set cleaning schedules to determine when and how often you want the Samsung Jet Bot AI+ Robot to kick into action, while it can also work with your home’s voice control services, such as Alexa and Google Assistant. 

While I found the app easy to download and use, setting specific no-go areas took extra work and effort. I also found that manually controlling the robot from the app and directing it where to go took more work than I thought. It seemed to keep stopping and starting, so I gave up and let it do its own thing in the end. 

Samsung Jet Bot AI+ Robot Vacuum: Performance

I was impressed with the Samsung Jet Bot AI+ Robot Vacuum in my at-home testing. As well as using it for day-to-day cleaning, I also put it to the test by conducting a simple series of evaluations on suction power using flour, cookie crumbs, and oats. In these tests, the vacuum outperformed any other robot we’ve assessed, cleaning up the debris with just a few glides across the carpet or hard floor. 

I also noticed that it tackles pet hair very well. With a long-haired cat and a golden retriever in the house, I tend to pick up a lot of pet hair in my regular vacuuming, so it was reassuring to see this was being picked up by the Samsung Jet Bot AI+ Robot, too. 

However, the onboard dustbin is pretty tiny, so there were times when the robot had to return to the cleaning station to empty itself. You can set it to do this via the app whenever the bin is full or when the robot recharges. 

It did come unstuck on a couple of occasions, too, specifically on a thick seagrass rug, and it found itself caught on the edge of an open door once. But by and large, it tended to identify and dodge obstacles much better than other robot vacuums we’ve tested. From the user reviews, it seems it takes some time for the robot to map out obstacles clearly, so this problem would likely go away after a few more cruises around the living room.

It’s fairly quiet, clocking in at around 60 decibels during operation - however, when it empties itself into the Cleaning Station to prepare for a huge whoosh, it is not unlike an airplane taking off!

There are three modes for cleaning available in the connected app. It can clean the whole area first and then move on to the walls, reverse that with a wall clean and then the whole site, or you can opt for a zigzag clean that takes in the walls as it goes. 

I loved how the robot informed us of what it was about to do next, whether it was ‘clean in a zigzag’ motion or ‘go along the walls.’ It’s easy to understand and not at all annoying, not at first, anyway! But you can always make it mute or opt for musical alerts instead.

There are three suction levels: normal, smart, and max, and you can also let the robot keep going until the battery runs out, maximizing vacuum time.

The live stream from the robot itself is fantastic - crystal clear from your bot's point of view. So, if you want to check in on your home or pets while you’re out of the house, it’s easy to locate and turn on in the app.

Samsung Jet Bot AI+ Robot Vacuum: Care & maintenance

All the parts and filters of the Samsung Jet Bot AI+ Robot are washable, and it’s quick and painless to remove them for cleaning. Samsung also has video guides available on its website for doing this. 

Removing and replacing the dust bag in the Cleaning Station is easy, too. Replacement packs of 5 dust bags are available on the Samsung website for $39.99. 

You’ll need to clean the fine, dry dust filter in the Clean Station at least once a year.

According to a cleaning expert for Housetastic and cleaning business owner Karen Barrigan, cleaning the other filters in your robot vacuum cleaner at least once a month is essential. 

Barrigan also has an expert tip on when to replace the filters: “If the vacuum cleaner begins to smell musty and you get the impression that the dust is blown back into the space, then it may be time to replace the filters.” You can find replacement filters and brushes on the Samsung site.

As with all vacuum cleaners, it's crucial to ensure your washed filters are bone dry before putting them back into the vacuum. You should also keep them away from direct sunlight when drying. 

You also need to ensure that you place the unit in a position that has 20 inches of clear space on either side of it. This helps the Samsung Jet Bot AI+ Robot find its way back.

 All Samsung robot vacuum cleaners come with a 2-year warranty, giving you peace of mind about your purchase.

Samsung Jet Bot AI+ Robot Vacuum: User reviews

The Samsung Jet Bot AI+ Robot Vacuum is currently rated 4 stars out of 5 on Amazon, with over half of purchasers giving it the full 5 stars. 

Users praise features such as the self-cleaning function and the live stream camera. Many mention that it's great at avoiding small obstacles, such as toys. They also love using the app mapping tool, with one user saying, “It took this vacuum a few days to sort its path out, but once it did, this vac covers every square inch of cleanable space.” Although many acknowledge it is expensive, they say it’s worth the outlay. 

Negative reviews cite the unit being too tall to slide under sofas or TV stands, while some users find the battery runs out mid-clean. Others say it does a much better job on hardwood or tile floors than on thick, deep pile carpets.

Samsung Jet Bot AI+ Robot Vacuum: Expert opinion

“The Jet Bot AI+ vacuum is an amazing machine with self-emptying capabilities,” says cleaning expert Karen Barrigan. “This makes this model extremely convenient. It comes with a clean station that automatically empties the vacuum, reducing the maintenance needed. 

The app allows you to adjust the vacuum’s path, set up custom schedules, and receive cleaning reports. The added smart mode provides automatic suction adjustments.”

Barrigan recommends the Samsung Jet Bot AI+ Robot Vacuum for people with busy lifestyles.

Should you buy the Samsung Jet Bot AI+ Robot Vacuum?

If you have a large budget and want a vacuum cleaner that automates almost every step of the cleaning process, then the Samsung Jet Bot AI+ Robot will suit you. Its excellent performance, style, and impressive functionality are worth the price.  

• First reviewed: November 2022

How does the Samsung Jet Bot AI+ Robot Vacuum compare?

If you’re looking for a cheaper robot vacuum that can seamlessly slide under furniture and run for a more extended period, the Yeedi vac 2 pro is around a third of the price of the Samsung Jet Bot AI+ Robot. It runs for 240 minutes, has a similarly glossy design, and you can purchase a self-cleaning station separately to get the whole kit and caboodle. 

The Dyson V12 Detect Slim offers outstanding performance at just over half the cost of the Samsung Jet Bot AI+ Robot Vacuum, but it’s a stick vacuum cleaner. Featuring a host of accessories designed to help you get the perfect clean, from dusting and upholstery brushes to a hair screw tool that avoids tangles, you get the complete package of Dyson technology with this vacuum cleaner.

If you’ve got pets, you may want a dedicated vacuum to tackle the hair they leave behind. Bissell’s CleanView OnePass is much more affordable than the Jet Bot and does a good job of removing unwanted pet hair and debris.