Samsung JetBot AI+ review

The Samsung JetBot AI+ robot vacuum not only cleans your floors but also lets you keep an eye on the household pets through Samsung’s SmartThings mobile app. This intelligent and gentle cleaner is packed with features like livestream home monitoring, object recognition, multiple cleaning pattern options, and a self-emptying base. While the JetBot AI+ costs a fair bit more than the best budget robot vacuums we've tested, it’s one of the most impressive and advanced robot vacuums on paper. But, does its technological prowess extend to its cleaning abilities enough to put atop our list of the best robot vacuums? Find out in our Samsung JetBot AI+ robot vacuum review.

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Samsung JetBot AI+ review: Price and availability

The Samsung JetBot AI+ is the new flagship robot vacuum in Samsung’s JetBot series. It includes a camera for remote home monitoring along with object recognition, a self-empyting base and five layers of dust filtration. It sells for $1,299 but is often on sale and is currently available for $828 on Amazon. If you can do without object recognition, home monitoring and dust filtering, the Samsung JetBot+ with Clean Station is available for a more reasonable $599 at Amazon. Alternatively, the JetBot is available without the self-empyting Clean Station for $281 from Amazon.

Samsung JetBot AI+ review: Design

The Samsung JetBot AI+ is easily one of the most attractive robot vacuums I’ve seen glide across my floor; it’s also one of the biggest. Clad in matte white with brushed silver accents, the Samsung JetBot AI+ measures 12 inches wide by 12.63 inches long and 4.75 inches high (without the base). It is the tallest robot vacuum I’ve tested — only the iLife Shinebot W400 robot mop comes close at 4.6 inches high. Despite its height, the JetBot AI+ just fit under my kitchen baseboards until it reached my dishwasher, which is a fraction of an inch lower. Other robot vacuums easily fit under the dishwasher and baseboards.

The Samsung JetBot AI+ truly looks like it’s come from the world of tomorrow. The fuzzy roller brush is concealed under the straight front edge of the bot. But, instead of giving the bot a D shape like Neato’s robot vacuums, Samsung opted for a design which looks like a classic vacuum head has been fitted on the front of this robot, with three cosmetic wheels forming a triangle on either side. When I asked a Samsung representative if the triangular shape served a purpose, I was assured it was just for looks. To me, the JetBot AI+ resembles the “feet'' of a much taller robot. Think Rosey the robot from the Jetsons, but only from the ankles down.

Other robot vacuum manufacturers conceal their sensors and lasers, but Samsung brings them front and center. The brushed silver band surrounding the JetBot AI+ is dotted on all sides with various sensors. We particularly like the LiDAR sensor turret on the Samsung JetBot AI+ — it slowly raises up once you send the vacuum on a mission. 

It’s a premium feature which protects the sensor from accidents when not in use. The lid on the bot feels sturdy and attaches via a magnet. Under the lid you’ll find a separate fine dust filter in addition to the multiple filters within the on-board dustbin.

Like Rosey the robot, the Samsung JetBot AI+ is chatty. It politely thanked me for cleaning the dustbin by saying “Thank you for helping me with that.” It politely complained aloud and via a push alert when I picked up the bot, saying “ Please help me to stand up straight.” It occasionally praised itself after finishing a job, too: “Just looking around to see how clean it is.”

The self-emptying Clean Station that comes with the Samsung JetBot AI+ is also large at nearly 21 inches tall. It’s narrower than the original iRobot Clean Base that accompanies the Roomba s9+, i7+ and i3+ models, but its matte white and grey design give it a classier, less utilitarian look. As I’ve come to expect with self-emptying bases, it’s like having an occasional airport engine in the house. 

Suffice to say, it is loud when it’s in use. Thankfully, it emptied the dustbin in less than 30 seconds. However, the JetBot AI+ comes with a very small, 200 ml dustbin, so you can expect to hear the Clean Base roar to life often. The Clean Base uses disposable dust bags which the company says will last two to three months each. Additional bags are sold in packs of five from Samsung for $39.99.

Speaking of the dustbin on the Samsung JetBot AI+, I was impressed with how well it trapped and collected small dust particles. The vacuum has five layers of HEPA filtration, which Samsung says will trap 99.99% of micro dust. Within the dustbin itself there’s a removable filter, a metal mesh filter, and eight cones that are meant for trapping dust — it’s very reminiscent of the cone system used by Dyson in their traditional vacuums.

Samsung JetBot AI+: Vacuuming performance

With an overall average score of 89.51, the Samsung JetBot AI+ isn’t the best robot vacuum I’ve tested, but its lab performance is on par with two other obstacle-detecting vacuums: the iRobot Roomba j7+ (91.81) and the Roborock S6 MaxV (90.56). Across both hardwood and carpet, the JetBot AI+ earned an excellent 99.63 average cereal pick up rate, a near perfect score. It was less impressive on kitty litter, collecting an average of 90.4%, nearly four points less than the Roomba j7+ and two points less than the S6 MaxV. Its worst performance was on dog hair, where it collected an average of 78.5%, a full 20 points less than the current high score held by the Roomba s9+.

One note: The review unit of the JetBot AI+ I received made a persistent buzzing sound when it was off the dock. It was just loud enough to be annoying, but I couldn’t hear it when the vacuum was cleaning. A Samsung representative said it was most likely a fan issue that could be remedied by a call to customer service.

The Samsung JetBot AI+ capably picked up 100% of the cereal in our 5-foot by 5-foot hardwood test area. Though it crushed several Cheerios in the process, I was impressed how well it cleaned up the cereal debris. Demonstrating its prowess with small particles, it cleaned up 97.4% of kitty litter, three points more than the Roomba j7+ and one point better than the Roborock S6 MaxV. 

The hair of a furry golden retriever on a hardwood floor proved to almost be too much for the Samsung JetBot AI+. The vacuum collected 71% of the hair, much less than the Roomba j7+’s 92.5% pickup rate and seven points less than the Roborock S6 MaxV. Only the Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo T8 picked up less — a dismal 57.5%.

On carpet, the Samsung JetBot AI+ held its own, picking up nearly all of the cereal strewn across the floor. It illustrated just how small the onboard dustbin is during this test,registering as full after collecting just 17.93 grams of Cheerios. After emptying it, the bot happily finished the job.

Though the JetBot AI+ excelled at cleaning up kitty litter on bare floors, it didn’t do as well on carpet, cleaning up just 83.4% of the litter — five points less than the Roborock S6 MaxV. This is a low score amongst competing vacuums.

However, the JetBot AI+ handled dog hair on carpet better than it did on hardwood, cleaning up 86% of the fur. That’s just two points below the Roborock S4 Max and 13.5 points better than the Roomba j7+. I was also impressed by the thoughtful design of the brush roll. The fuzzy roller brush on the JetBot AI+ is akin to a lint brush with recessed rubber fins. Though it’s one solid piece, it looks like two separate rolls because it’s pinched in the middle. Because of this, any hair that got wrapped around the roller was pushed to the center, making it easy to remove after vacuuming. 

Samsung JetBot AI+ review: Setup, app and mapping

The Samsung JetBot AI+ is controlled by Samsung’s SmartThings app, which is able to connect and control a variety of the company’s devices as well as some smart devices made by other manufacturers. Connecting the vacuum to the app was straightforward with in-app prompts to walk you through the process. One note: If you already own another Samsung smart device, you’ll want to dig up your account info before setting up the JetBot AI+.

Once connected, the SmartThings app allows you to add the Samsung JetBot AI+ to a room and add it as a favorite. The app opens to your selected favorites, so it’s the fastest way to access the vacuum.

You can’t say the Samsung JetBot AI+ doesn't provide enough cleaning options. First, you’re presented with a map of your home and options to clean specific rooms, around furniture, or specific spots. Scroll down to find more settings, including cleaning mode, suction power, cleaning repetitions, the latest cleaning report, home monitoring, bin emptying, map management, and scheduling.

Mode is one of the most unique options included on the Samsung JetBot AI+ as it gives you the option of three different cleaning patterns: Clean the entire area first and finish with the walls; clean the walls and edges first before cleaning the entire area; or move in a zigzag pattern and quickly clean the entire area. These options are coupled with three suction options — max, smart, and normal — and a choice to let the vacuum continue cleaning until its battery runs out so it can capture every last speck of dust. It’s refreshing to have that much control over a robot vacuum, especially all in one place.

The cleaning report is where you get a sense of the AI in the JetBot AI+. Like many other robot vacuums, it shows the path the bot travelled while cleaning, but the JetBot AI+ uses object recognition to identify what it encountered while cleaning. While this isn’t a unique feature — the Roborock S6 MaxV and iRobot Roomba j7 both photograph obstacles in their way — Samsung also attempts to label the obstacles. Unfortunately, it wasn’t very accurate. It identified the iRobot Braava jet m6 robot mop as “cup/plate” and a stray dog toy as “socks/towel.”

Despite a few misnomers, the Samsung JetBot AI+ still did a very thorough yet gentle job cleaning around obstacles in its path. Unlike the iRobot Roomba j7, it carefully approaches objects and obstacles; it doesn’t forcefully barrel into them. In fact, sometimes it was too sensitive. The one setting not included on the main screen is the option to change the size of obstacles to avoid. You can choose between small, medium, and large. 

While running the initial dog hair lab test on hardwood, obstacle avoidance was set to small. The JetBot AI+ was so sensitive that it ended up going around an entire section of dog hair, determining it to be something large enough to be avoided.

Mapping via the SmartThings app was quick and easy. After one run, the Samsung JetBot AI+ created an accurate map of my first floor. I was able to easily edit the map to create distinct spaces and no-go zones. The JetBot AI+ identifies furniture and appliances it encounters on its journey, which are editable within the app. It was kind of accurate. It identified a refrigerator, a kitchen table, a built-in bookcase, and a cushy living room chair as a sofa — close enough — but also decided I had three TVs in my living room.

It’s a minor annoyance, but to check on the status of the various filters on the JetBot AI+ or the Clean Station dust bag, you’ll have to enable the HomeCare Wizard within the “Life” section of the SmartThings app. It’s an unnecessary extra step for checking the vacuum’s health status that some users may miss.

Samsung JetBot AI+ review: Home monitoring

Here’s where the Samsung JetBot AI+ gets fun. I was able to watch a clear, steady livestream of the vacuum cleaning my house in real time. What’s cool is that the livestream is available on demand when the vacuum isn’t running, too. Using the map created by the JetBot AI+, you can send it to check out what’s happening in a particular room when you’re not home. It’s great for seeing if the dog is chilling on the couch while you’re out to dinner. A representative from Samsung told me that they plan to incorporate more functionality for pet owners in the future using SmartThings and IFTTT, such as syncing with Wi-Fi pet feeders or playing relaxing music. It’s possible your cat won’t need you at all in Samsung’s vision of the future.

I was impressed with the video quality on the JetBot AI+. Other robot vacuums like the Roborock S6 MaxV and the iRobot Roomba j7+ take fleeting photos that look like they were taken by an old iPhone, but viewing live video of my home from this robot vacuum was remarkably clear.

Allaying security concerns, the Samsung JetBot AI+ makes an announcement when home monitoring is turned on. It also announces when it’s turning off and if you’re not actively viewing the camera within the app, it will turn off after several seconds too. Video is not automatically saved. For that, you have to add the SmartThingsVideo service in the “Life” section of the SmartThings app and choose a subscription. The Basic plan is free and lets you record 10 second clips that will be stored in the cloud for 24 hours. The Premium plan allows for video clips up to 60 seconds long that will remain in cloud storage for 30 days, with the option of saving 100 clips permanently. That subscription plan will set you back $7.99 a month or $79.99 a year.

Want to check out what your cat does while you’re asleep or at work? The SmartThings app allows for scheduled home monitoring. Select the areas you want to monitor and the JetBot AI+ will go to that area and take a look around as often as once an hour. It will send a notification and save a video in the SmartThingsVideo service when it detects motion. While this is unlikely to replace a home security camera, it is a nice feature for checking out areas your home security camera doesn’t see.

Samsung JetBot AI+ review: Verdict

With obstacle detection, home monitoring, and alternative cleaning patterns, there’s an abundance of well-executed features on the Samsung JetBot AI+. It’s gentle as it cleans around furniture, mapping is quick and easy, plus it’s good-looking. But, all that technology doesn’t come cheap. 

Priced at $1,299, the Samsung JetBot AI+ delivers on its promises, but it should be a little better at actual vacuuming. If you aren’t interested in the home monitoring and don’t care if your vacuum cleans along the walls first or last, the $849 iRobot Roomba j7+ is a slightly better cleaner overall and is more friendly to your bank account. But, if you’re planning on running the vacuum daily, want to check in on Fido when you’re not home, and have lots of breakables on unstable tables, the Samsung JetBot AI+ is an excellent choice.