Samsung Jetbot AI + test: a robot vacuum cleaner packed with technologies

All it needs is the tracks to become a perfect little indoor tank. With its maxi size, the JetBot AI + denotes the format of its competitors. Its frame makes it 32 cm wide and the device still weighs 4.4 kg. But it is its height that can be problematic. Measuring 13.6 cm high, the JetBot AI + may have a hard time vacuuming under some furniture. Only the Rowenta Smart Force Cyclonic, a real tank of our comparative, plays in the same court with its height of 14 cm.

Apparently, Samsung has bet on materials and coatings that appear to be of quality. Evidenced by the magnetic cover of the JetBot AI +, for example, which covers the engine, brush and manifold. It is on this cover that the only two commands – sensitive – of the device are located (to stop / start it and to ask it to return to its base).

LEDs line the bumper and light up in white when the vacuum cleaner is running and change color depending on the battery level: in green if it is fully charged, in red if it lacks energy. And to recharge the batteries, the JetBot AI + comes with its rather discreet suction station.

But its spearhead lies in its many on-board technologies, visible at first glance. Various sensors are positioned on the front of the machine. In the center: a camera with a 3D sensor theoretically offers better identification of objects, but also allows you to monitor your home in your absence. On top of the robot hides a last sensor: the laser rangefinder, which comes out of the cover during its operation. If this multitude of technologies is impressive, the JetBot is not the first to be equipped with it. the Roomba s9 +, for example, has the same navigation tools.

Connectivity and application

Samsung has not opted for a new application and keeps SmartThings, its application that allows you to connect and control the manufacturer’s compatible household appliances.

Then comes the time to pair your JetBot AI +. Nothing’s easier. Just locate the robot vacuum cleaner via the app, approach it and register it. All the programming and use of the robot, or almost, goes through this application.
We thus find different options. It is first possible to start / stop the machine and to manage the suction mode, that is to say the trajectory of the robot vacuum cleaner. The “planning” functionality is also available and allows you to organize recurring cleaning sessions, at a fixed day and time. Also, the suction power can be adjusted according to three intensities: normal, max or in automatic mode (called “intelligent” by Samsung).
Next to these options, SmartThings displays other information. In particular, it is possible to consult the percentage of the charge, to order the robot to empty its collector or to ask it to vacuum until its battery is exhausted.

Above all, this application is essential, because it saves the maps created by the robot. Indeed, when the machine operates in a new environment, it analyzes and maps it. Once this step is completed, the user can choose the areas to vacuum. The JetBot AI + can operate in a specific room, around the selected furniture, in a targeted area or, Conversely, avoid a predefined area. Thanks to on-board technologies, the robot is indeed able to recognize a table, for example, and to suck around it. He also knows how to locate himself in space well enough to avoid an area virtually drawn by the user; the interface looks a lot like that of the Roomba s9 +.

But while the application is essential, it is far from optimal. At first, it is not very intuitive. Especially when creating targeted areas, the drawn area disappears very quickly before validation. It must then be repeated several times before it can finally be recorded. Also, the application is not always very well translated into French; which greatly complicates the understanding of certain options.

The “home monitoring” feature, which can already be found on theEcovacs Deebot Ozmo T8 AIVI, also deserves to be improved. Thanks to the front camera, the user can see what is happening at home during the cleaning session. But not only. He can also take control of the robot thanks to a virtual joystick to take a tour of the owner or monitor his pet, for example. Equipped with a motion detector, the robot vacuum cleaner is even able to warn us in case of suspicious movement. For full use, it is possible to install the SmartThings Video app to record and save videos. While this home monitoring can be practical in some cases, be careful with its use: a lot of latency remains and slows down video transmission.

The JetBot AI + collector is located under the robot’s magnetic cover. Very complete, it is composed of a five-layer filtration system (metal grid filter, multicyclonic structure, sponge filter, microfilter and fine dust filter).

Thanks to it, Samsung promises us to capture 99.99% of micro-dust, including allergens and 0.5 micron particles. But such a sophisticated collector quickly loses in ergonomics (small size, two openings, multitude of parts) and necessarily requires a minimum of maintenance; especially since it gets dirty very quickly. The multicyclonic filter, supposed to reduce the maintenance of the vacuum cleaner, does not fully play its role. It allows 10% of the dust sucked into the foam filter to pass, which requires cleaning, or even a regular change of this filter.

And faced with so many elements present in the robot’s tank, there is little room for a collector of the correct size. The JetBot AI + then inherits a dust container of only 0.2 l: the smallest of our comparative at present, and far from the 0.7 l of theElectrolux Pure i9.2. A disappointing point, especially on a particularly thick robot.

To overcome this weakness, the vacuum cleaner is delivered with its CleanStation, which allows it to empty the dust as soon as necessary; and this in a 2.5 l bag, which the manufacturer suggests changing every two to three months.

In the end, the robot vacuum cleaner multiplies the back and forth trips to its suction station; which can be a problem when he aspires upstairs and his base is installed on the ground floor, for example. And even if the vacuum cleaner remains near its station, it will waste a considerable amount of time emptying its bin several times during the cleaning session. Note that it is possible to change the drain settings via the app. Choice of: automatically empty the collector when it is full or each time the robot recharges the batteries.

Often a chore with robot vacuums, the maintenance of the brushes of the JetBot AI + is particularly facilitated by Samsung. These measure 16 cm in length and occupy the entire width of the device. These soft rollers inevitably remind us of the famous Fluffy brushes that equip Dyson stick vacuums. No nylon bristles therefore under the Korean robot vacuum cleaner; a choice which greatly limits the tangle of bristles and hair around the double brush, unlike that of the Neato Robotics Botvac D6 Connected.

On the other hand, we would have appreciated that the SmartThings application directly gives us data on the maintenance of this brush. Instead, download the HomeCare Wizard extension from the app. User guides are offered for maintaining the device, as well as the levels of wear of the filters and the dust bag installed in the cleaning station. On this point, the application ofEcovacs Deebot T9 + was much more comprehensive.