When this cleaner released, I hoped for it to be an improvement upon the Aiper Seagull 600 and Aiper Seagull 1000. It's new sleek design with carbon fiber trim looked super promissing, but I was highly disappointed in its performance, battery life, and short warranty.
First, the Aiper Seagull SE is only for flat floors with no slope at all. While I have tested previous Aipers in my pool that could handle the very slight slope in my pool with relatively no issues, the Aiper Seagull SE was unable to get over the tiny slope in the deep end of my pool and proceeded to get stuck there every 5 minutes while I watched it. While it is advertised as flat floors only, this is a notable issue I ran into and thought most other swimming pool owners would too. So to be fair, we tested the Aiper Seagull SE in a completely flat pool.
Lackluster Performance
Having tested the Aiper Seagull 600 and Aiper Seagull 1000, it seems the motor may have regressed. The flow rate seems slower and less powerful in comparison to the old model. I couldn't find the exact specs on the gallons per hour or flow rate on the Aiper Seagull SE, but it didn't see to be any improvement. It does clean an additional 325 square feet compared to the Seagull 600, thanks to its longer battery life.
The Aiper navigated aimlessly through the test pool and missed some leaves in my pool. The intake on the Aiper is too small for larger leaves and twigs, which is disappointing, but it did pickup a good chunk. The leaves do have to be pretty small though, as the intake is tiny. When compared to other above ground cleaners, such as a Dolphin Escape or Dolphin Cayman, it really leaves you wanting more. The power just simply isn't up to par.
Filtration
The filter is just a standard mesh filter. It isn't anything special, but the debris gets captured and put at the base of the cleaner. Aiper stepped up its game on the clips to open the unit, as the previous Aiper Seagull 600 clips were nearly impossible to open. It is easy to clean once it captures some debris in your pool, as you just spray out the filter and bottom of the unit once you take it apart.
While it will pick up some of the debris in your pool, it won't actively filter your water like robotic pool cleaners with an ultra-fine filter. This may be fine for most above ground pool owners, but defeats the purpose of a robotic pool cleaner if it isn't automatic. If you have the budget, I do recommend taking a look at the Dolphin Escape Review. It's a fantastic above ground cleaner that will also help clean the walls partially as well. You can even upgrade and add an ultra-fine filter basket.
Battery Life
The Aiper Seagull SE improved its battery life to up to 90 minutes, but it takes 150 minutes (2.5 hours) to charge. It is a hassle to consistenly remove the Aiper and charge it, as you have to fish it out with the hook included in the box. You will spend more time charging than cleaning. So if you're in a rush to clean the pool or don't want to babysit the Aiper, the battery can be a letdown.
The lack of a cord is one of the largest selling points, but as an automatic pool cleaner since I found myself having to babysit it twice a day - minimum. Unlike other corded cleaners, you have to charge it between every clean. This becomes a pain, as you can't run it more than once or twice a day. It truly takes the automatic out of automatic pool cleaner.
Ease of use and warranty
Overall, the Aiper Seagull SE is really easy to use. It is simple to plug in, charge, and clean. The cordless can be a positive and negative. You won't deal with any pesky tangling cords, but you have to deal with charging the unit every day.
The warranty is only a year. Which may be fine, but compared to other brands, is pretty short. Usually for above ground cleaners, you still see a 2 year warranty. So when comparing to Dolphin models, it is a huge disadvantage for the Aiper.
Overall Thoughts
Overall, it is a robotic pool cleaner on lite mode. It doesn't come with a brush, tracks, or anything that really helps it clean, but is rather more of a tiny vacuum than a true cleaner. Whether you have an above ground or in-ground pool, it is hard for me to recommend this robotic pool cleaner, as it doesn't perform. While it is cheaper, the money is almost better used on a true robotic pool cleaner that is built to last. You can view all our reviews on above ground robotic pool cleaners and compare them here!