Introduction
I bought both the Aiper Seagull SE and the Dolphin Nautilus CC with my own money and ran them in my pool for three months. I wanted to know how they held up against each other and against the newer robots I've tested. Both have a couple of things going for them, but honestly, the flaws are what stuck with me.
I started with the Aiper Seagull SE, the cordless entry-level robot everyone asks me about. The design is nice and it's easy to handle, but the actual cleaning let me down. It covers a small patch of floor, it won't climb walls, and it needs a recharge every single day. After a few weeks I stopped reaching for it because it just didn't earn its spot.
The Dolphin Nautilus CC used to be my go-to budget pick. Then Maytronics quietly stripped it down. There's no programmable timer anymore, and it still won't touch the waterline, which makes it a harder sell than it once was. It cleans decently, I'll give it that, but it's missing things I'd expect at this price.
Neither of these robots does the one thing you actually bought a robot for.
Both units gave me the same frustration in testing. With the Seagull SE it was the shallow, floor-only clean; with the Nautilus CC it was the stripped-back feature list. Put either one next to a modern robot and the gap is obvious.
If you want the full breakdown on either robot, my individual reviews go deeper on where each one falls apart. And if you'd rather skip the compromises entirely, take a look at the Dolphin Premier or the Dolphin Sigma instead. Both beat these two in nearly every way that matters.
How We Test
I run every robot in my own pool for three months before I write a word about it. Three months tells me what a two-week demo never will: how it handles real debris, whether it holds up, and whether I'd actually keep using it. I score each one on pool coverage, filtration, and the combination of features and warranty.
I put the Aiper Seagull SE through coverage first. It only ever cleaned the floor. The walls and waterline stayed dirty, which is a real problem in an inground pool where the gunk and algae collect up high.
It got worse on any kind of slope. Even a gentle incline stopped it cold, so my deep end never got a proper clean. There's no navigation system onboard either, so it just bumps around at random and misses whole sections of the floor.
The Dolphin Nautilus CC at least climbs walls, so on paper it covers more. But it still won't reach the waterline, and that's a real miss for a lot of owners. Over my three months it cleaned floors and walls consistently. It just couldn't finish the job up top.
On filtration, the Seagull SE's flat filter was a letdown. It couldn't grab fine particles and it didn't hold much large debris either, so I'd run it again and again without seeing my water get any clearer.
"A flat filter like the one in the Seagull SE just can't do a real clean."
The Nautilus CC uses a standard fine filter, the same kind you'll find across the Dolphin lineup. It's fine for everyday debris, but it doesn't have the NanoFilters you'd want for clearing cloudy water. During my testing that meant I was topping up chemicals and running the pump longer than I'd like.
On features and warranty, the Seagull SE has improved a little over older Aiper units. The charging time is shorter and the battery lasts a bit longer. It still spends more of its day on the charger than in the pool, which kind of defeats the point of automating anything. And with only a one-year warranty, it trails robots like the Dolphin Escape and Cayman, both of which come with two years.
The Nautilus CC's biggest problem is that missing programmable timer, a feature it used to have. Losing it makes the robot less convenient than something like the Dolphin Cayman. It does still carry the standard two-year Maytronics warranty, but that felt like the bare minimum next to what other robots offer.
So here's where I landed after three months: both the Aiper Seagull SE and the Dolphin Nautilus CC have real limits. If you want something that actually keeps up, I'd point you to the Dolphin Premier, Dolphin Sigma, or Dolphin Quantum. Better coverage, better filtration, better features, all around.
Coverage
Coverage is where the Aiper Seagull SE and the Dolphin Nautilus CC really split apart. The Seagull SE only cleans the pool floor, so if your walls or waterline collect debris, you're on your own up there. I gave it a 3 for coverage, and that feels generous.
Any incline or slope stops the Seagull SE, so it skipped big chunks of my pool wherever the depth changed. With no onboard navigation, it wanders around without a plan and cleans inefficiently.
"If your robot can't reach the walls, you're the one left scrubbing them."
The Dolphin Nautilus CC does noticeably better because it cleans both floors and walls, even though it still can't do the waterline. I scored it a 7 for coverage, well ahead of the Seagull SE. It handles pools up to 33 feet without trouble, and its tracks give it the grip to climb walls reliably.
Adding wall cleaning is a big step up from the Seagull SE. That said, no waterline cleaning is still a letdown if you want the whole pool handled for you.
Bottom line: neither robot is a star here, but the Nautilus CC is clearly the better cleaner. It handles walls, and the Seagull SE just can't cope with inclines or give you a proper clean.
If you want a robot that actually does the whole pool, look at the Dolphin Premier or Dolphin Quantum. Both handle the waterline and take on real debris, which is more than I can say for either robot here.
Filters
The filters are where the gap between the Aiper Seagull SE and the Dolphin Nautilus CC shows up most. The Seagull SE uses a flat filter that just doesn't grab fine particles or hold much debris. I usually had to run it more than once to get anywhere, and even then the results were spotty.
The Dolphin Nautilus CC runs a standard fine filter basket. It's the usual Dolphin setup, and it beat the Seagull SE's flat filter without much effort. It grabbed a wider range of debris in my pool, from fine grit up to bigger leaves, which makes it far more practical day to day.
"For everyday cleaning, the Nautilus CC's fine filter is just plain more useful."
Side by side, the Seagull SE's flat filter is clearly the weaker of the two. Neither robot offers NanoFilters, which would help a lot with a real clean, but that gap hurts the already-limited Seagull SE more than it hurts the Nautilus CC.
Living with them, I much preferred the grid basket on the Nautilus CC. It's simple to rinse and the filtration is balanced. The Seagull SE's flat filter was a chore more than once because I had to fully disassemble the robot just to clean it, and nobody wants that as part of a weekly routine.
On debris capture, the Seagull SE struggled with both fine particles and larger junk, so my pool never stayed consistently clean. The Nautilus CC's fine filter handled routine debris well, which meant fewer repeat runs and less reaching for chemicals.
"A flat filter like the Seagull SE's is the kind of shortcut you feel every week."
The scores tell the story. The Aiper Seagull SE lands at a 2 for filtration, while the Dolphin Nautilus CC earns a 7. The Nautilus CC wins this one easily. It's more reliable and a lot less hassle to maintain.
Feature Set
Looking at what the Aiper Seagull SE and Dolphin Nautilus CC actually bring to the table, each has a couple of bright spots and a lot of gaps. The Seagull SE has come up a little from older Aiper models, but it's still missing things I'd call essential.
The one improvement I'll credit the Seagull SE with is the shorter charging time, now down to 2.5 hours. Even so, it still spends more time charging than cleaning. Its 90-minute battery is better than before but doesn't close the gap. And the cordless design that sounds so appealing? In practice it just means weak cleaning power and a robot that's constantly off the job.
The Dolphin Nautilus CC is built more with efficiency in mind. It used to have a programmable timer that let you set it for daily, every other day, or every three days. Maytronics pulled that from recent units, and losing it drags the whole robot down.
Maytronics backs the Nautilus CC with a 2-year warranty, which is standard and shows they stand behind it. But without that timer, it just isn't as convenient as something like the Dolphin Cayman, which kept the feature.
On warranty, the Nautilus CC's 2 years is dependable but doesn't stand out next to a robot like the Dolphin Premier and its 3-year coverage. The Seagull SE only gives you 1 year, which honestly makes me wonder how long it's built to last.
"Cheap up front, the Seagull SE ends up costing you in every other way."
Neither robot has the advanced filtration you'll find higher up the lineup. The Nautilus CC's standard fine filter is fine but no match for what the Dolphin Quantum offers. The Seagull SE's flat filter is worse still, which is why I kept having to run it again and again.
So the feature sets on both of these leave me wanting. The Aiper Seagull SE scores a 3, mostly because of the daily recharging and the short warranty. The Dolphin Nautilus CC does a bit better at 5, but those recent cuts, especially losing the timer, took the shine off a robot I used to like more.
For something sturdier and easier to live with, I'd steer you toward the Dolphin Premier or the Dolphin Cayman. You get a fuller feature set and a better clean, which makes for a smarter buy.
Conclusion
After three months with both, the gap between the Aiper Seagull SE and the Dolphin Nautilus CC is hard to miss. The Seagull SE landed at an overall 2.6, held back by thin coverage, weak filtration, and a feature set that just doesn't deliver. The Nautilus CC scored 6.3. It climbs walls, which counts for a lot, but it's missing the programmable timer and any real filtration muscle.
Put them head to head and the Dolphin Nautilus CC wins, mostly on coverage and wall climbing. It's still dragged down by the missing timer and mediocre filters. The Seagull SE, meanwhile, feels more like a toy than a real pool cleaner, and I can't recommend it.
If you want something that actually pulls its weight, I'd look at the Dolphin Premier, Dolphin Sigma, or Dolphin Quantum. Full coverage, real filtration, better features. That's where your money goes further.
"Both of these leave you doing part of the job yourself. Spend a little more and stop doing that."
The honest read is that neither the Aiper Seagull SE nor the Dolphin Nautilus CC keeps up with today's robots. Between the weak cleaning, the filtration, and the thin features, you're better off putting the money toward something that keeps your pool clean without you finishing the work.
If you care about easy upkeep and a robot that just works, the Dolphin Cayman or Dolphin Escape will treat you a lot better. They make pool care simple and actually earn their price.
When you're choosing, aim for reliability, real features, and full coverage. The robots on my best pool robots list will keep your pool looking good all season and leave you happier a year down the road.
Alternate Robots
If you'd rather skip past the Aiper Seagull SE and Dolphin Nautilus CC, a few robots I've tested are worth a serious look. First up is the Dolphin Escape. It's built for above-ground and smaller inground pools, and it gives you solid coverage and a genuinely good clean. It has a strong scrubbing brush and Smart Nav 2.0, so it works the floor methodically instead of guessing.
The Dolphin Escape has a big filter basket that grabs both small and large debris, and you can add optional NanoFilters to sharpen its filtration further. Next to the Seagull SE and the Nautilus CC, the Escape runs more hands-off and needs me to step in far less often.
"The Escape just gets on with it, and that's exactly what I want from a robot."
Another one I'd flag is the Dolphin Cayman, a mid-priced robot that packs features you'd usually pay a lot more for. You get wall climbing, a HyperBrush for real scrubbing, and a programmable weekly timer. Together they make cleaning far more automatic and a lot less fuss.
The Cayman also has the MaxBin, which holds a lot more debris so you're emptying it less. It works in both inground and above-ground pools, and its cleaning power outdoes the Seagull SE and the Nautilus CC without much of a contest.
"For the money, the Cayman's timer and features put it in a class of its own."
If you want something cheaper that still performs, the Aquabot REVA is a strong pick. It gives you good coverage, including the waterline, thanks to a gyroscope and a planetary gear system. And instead of the flat filter you get in the Seagull SE, the REVA has a dual-layer filtration system that handles a real range of debris.
The REVA comes with an app so you can schedule cleanings, delay a start, or drive it manually for spot cleaning. That mix of price and real features makes it a much stronger buy than the Seagull SE or the Nautilus CC. It also includes a two-year warranty, which sweetens the deal.
So while the Aiper Seagull SE and Dolphin Nautilus CC each have a small appeal, robots like the Dolphin Escape, Dolphin Cayman, and Aquabot REVA clean better and do more. Any of them is a smarter place to put your money for a pool that actually stays clean.