Introduction
When I line up the Aiper Seagull SE and the Dolphin Proteus DX3, the differences are obvious fast. I bought both, tested them in my own pool, and I'll give you the honest version. Each robot has something going for it, but each has real limits too.
The Aiper Seagull SE is the newly redesigned model with a promised battery bump. The look is sharp, but the performance is where it falls down. Coverage was limited in my pool, floor only, and slopes stopped it in its tracks. There's no onboard navigation either, so its path is basically random. In my review the Seagull SE scored a disappointing 2.6 out of 10.
"The Seagull SE felt more like a pool toy than a robot I'd rely on."
The Dolphin Proteus DX3 is a different story. It's dependable and vacuums with real power. Built for inground pools up to 33ft, it cleans floors and walls, though it does have gaps. It won't touch the waterline, and there's no NanoFilters, so it struggles with cloudy water and larger debris. One more thing to know: a number of owners have flagged a steep restocking fee if you return it, which is worth keeping in mind.
I ran both under real conditions to see how they'd actually perform day to day. I dropped in everything from fine grit to big leaves to see how each one coped. The Dolphin Proteus DX3 came out ahead overall, but it carried a few concerns I want you to know about before you buy.
Across the testing I looked at coverage, filtration, and the features and warranty on each robot. The whole point is to give you enough to make a real decision, not a spec sheet. Below I'll walk you through how I test and what I'm actually grading on.
How We Test
I test the Aiper Seagull SE and the Dolphin Proteus DX3 the same way, so the comparison is fair. Both spent three months running in my pool while I watched battery life, ease of use, and how they held up over time. I wanted the everyday reality an average owner would actually deal with.
"You don't really know a robot until you've lived with it for a few months."
Coverage is the first thing I dig into. I watch how well each robot cleans the whole pool, floor, walls, and waterline. The Seagull SE struggled here because it couldn't handle my pool's slopes or walls, which left a lot undone. The Proteus DX3 looked much better, covering floors and walls, though it still skipped the waterline.
For filtration, I dropped a mix of debris into the pool, from leaves down to fine particles. The Seagull SE's flat filter disappointed me, letting the finer stuff slip right through. The Proteus DX3 did better but still has no NanoFilters, so it couldn't fully clear cloudy water. If you care about genuinely clear water, those gaps matter.
On features and warranty I looked at the practical stuff: programmable timers, handle design, and how much I'd trust the warranty. The Seagull SE's cordless design seemed handy until the constant recharging wore me down. The Proteus DX3 has a programmable timer, though its handle is clunky, and that restocking fee on returns is a real catch.
Testing turned up clear strengths and weaknesses on both. The Proteus DX3 came out ahead overall, especially on vacuum power, but its features and everyday experience still leave me wanting. The Seagull SE fell down in the areas that matter most, so it just can't give you a full clean.
My goal is to hand you enough to choose well. If you want more from a robot, I'd point you at the Dolphin Cayman or the Dolphin Quantum. Both give you more features and better long-term value.
Pick the right robot and you save yourself a lot of time and manual cleaning while keeping the pool ready to swim in. If you want to see the best options I've tested, my roundup of the best robotic pool cleaners for the year is a good next stop.
Coverage
In my pool, the Aiper Seagull SE and the Dolphin Proteus DX3 cover very different amounts of ground. The Seagull SE is really only made to clean the floor, so for a full clean, especially in an inground pool like mine that needs walls and waterline done, it comes up short.
The Dolphin Proteus DX3 covers a lot more ground, cleaning both floors and walls. That makes it far more useful in an inground pool. The one big catch is the waterline, which it won't clean, and that's a key spot for keeping a pool looking sharp.
The Dolphin Proteus DX3 scored an 8 out of 10 on coverage, while the Aiper Seagull SE managed only a 3. That spread says it plainly: the Proteus DX3 is the stronger cleaner by a wide margin.
The Seagull SE is also held back by having no onboard navigation. It wanders on random paths, misses spots, and leaves debris behind. The Proteus DX3's built-in navigation keeps it moving in a far more systematic, efficient way.
"The Proteus DX3 covers more of the pool, and it does it more dependably."
Brushes make a difference too. The Seagull SE uses static brushes that don't actually scrub, so stubborn debris and algae give it trouble. The Proteus DX3 has an active scrubbing brush with real cleaning power that lifts dirt and algae far better.
Both robots have their moments, but on coverage and overall cleaning the Dolphin Proteus DX3 is clearly the better tool in my testing. If you want a full clean, it's the one I'd reach for between these two.
My advice is to weigh coverage carefully before you buy. If you really want everything handled, including the waterline, look at the Dolphin Quantum or Dolphin Premier, both of which cover the full pool.
Filters
The filters on the Aiper Seagull SE and Dolphin Proteus DX3 work in very different ways, and it shows in the results. Both try to pull debris out of your pool, but they get there with different tech and very different success.
The Aiper Seagull SE uses a flat mesh filter, and it was one of my biggest gripes in testing. It just can't hold on to fine particles, and it lets smaller stuff slip through while also struggling to keep bigger debris like leaves and twigs.
The Dolphin Proteus DX3 goes with a standard fine filter basket, and it's a real step up from the Seagull SE's flat filter. It isn't perfect, but it grabs and holds a much wider range of debris, from fine particles right up to bigger leaves. That makes it the more practical pick for a proper clean.
When I dropped leaves, sand, and twigs into the pool, the Proteus DX3 clearly outdid the Seagull SE, pulling in more debris and leaving the water noticeably cleaner. Its one real weakness is the same as its coverage: no NanoFilters, which you'd want for catching the tiniest particles and keeping the water truly clear.
Without NanoFilters the Proteus DX3 can't grab every last bit of fine debris, but it's still well ahead of the Seagull SE's flat mesh. The filter basket holds more and simply filters better, which matters if you want the pool to stay clean.
"The Proteus DX3's filter basket runs circles around the Seagull SE's flat filter."
For day-to-day use the Proteus DX3 is the easy winner. Its filter basket is simpler to clean and handle, and it catches more of what ends up in a pool. It's not flawless without NanoFilters, but it's far more dependable than the Seagull SE, whose flat filter kept leaving debris behind.
Filtration makes or breaks a robot. The Seagull SE scored a disappointing 1.5 out of 5 and clearly trailed. The Proteus DX3 did better at 3 out of 5. There's room to grow, but the Proteus DX3's system is plainly the stronger of the two.
When you shop, think about not just what each robot can catch but how easy the filter is to maintain. Weekly cleaning should be quick and painless, and on that front the Dolphin Proteus DX3 is the friendlier one to live with.
If filtration is your top priority, it's worth looking at stronger models like the Dolphin Quantum or Dolphin Premier. Both give you multiple filter options, NanoFilters included, for a cleaner, clearer pool.
Feature Set
The Aiper Seagull SE and the Dolphin Proteus DX3 come with very different feature sets aimed at different kinds of owners. Comparing them side by side tells you a lot about how each fits into real pool care.
The Aiper Seagull SE leads with its cordless design, which sounds great until you live with the recharging like I did. It takes 2.5 hours to charge and runs for only 90 minutes, so it spent more time out of my pool than in it. It also has no programmable timer, meaning I had to start it by hand every single time I wanted a clean.
"Cordless sounds convenient, but the Seagull SE never actually felt that way."
The Dolphin Proteus DX3 has a programmable timer that lets you set it to run every day, every other day, or every three days. That's a real convenience, since it takes over the scheduling instead of leaving it to you each time. Its navigation is solid too, so it works the pool methodically.
On navigation and cleaning, the Proteus DX3 clearly outdoes the Seagull SE. It cleans both floor and walls on a systematic path, which makes for a much fuller clean. Neither one does the waterline well, though, and that's a spot that matters for keeping a pool healthy.
Warranty is a real weak point for the Seagull SE. It gives you one year against Dolphin's standard two, which makes me question how long it's meant to last. The Proteus DX3 offers a two-year warranty, but with a catch: a restocking fee that can run as high as 20% if you send it back.
"That restocking fee can wipe out the value of the Proteus DX3's longer warranty."
Both robots leave something on the table with filtration. The Seagull SE's flat filter is weak on both fine and large debris. The Proteus DX3's standard filter basket is better but still short of what NanoFilters give you. Neither has NanoFilters, so both struggle with the tiniest particles and the water clarity that comes with them.
On features, the Dolphin Proteus DX3 scores a 4 out of 10, mostly for that programmable timer and its stronger filtration next to the Seagull SE. The Seagull SE scores a 3, with nothing much to set it apart or back up its convenience pitch. The Proteus DX3's hidden restocking fee does take some shine off an otherwise decent set of features.
So the Dolphin Proteus DX3 gives you more features and a nicer experience, even with the restocking fee hanging over it. The Aiper Seagull SE, with its short runtime and thin feature list, trails well behind. If you want more features and less fuss, the Dolphin Quantum or Dolphin Premier are worth a look.
The takeaway is to look hard at features before you commit. Weigh the strengths against the weaknesses, keep usability front of mind, and you'll land on the right robot for your pool.
Conclusion
After running the Aiper Seagull SE and Dolphin Proteus DX3 side by side, each has its own headaches and high points. The Seagull SE went cordless to keep things simple, but it stumbled on thin coverage, weak filtration, and a short battery. At 2.6 out of 10, it just couldn't handle a full clean in an average pool.
The Dolphin Proteus DX3 did better, with a more dependable clean, floor and wall coverage, and a programmable timer. Its downsides are the missing waterline cleaning and that hidden restocking fee. At 6 out of 10, it's an above-average robot that still has room to grow.
"Head to head, the Dolphin Proteus DX3 wins, but neither one is a robot I'd call great."
Given the scores, neither the Aiper Seagull SE nor the Dolphin Proteus DX3 cracks the top tier. If you want better performance and more efficiency, I'd steer you toward the Dolphin Premier, Dolphin Sigma, or the Dolphin Quantum. They give you more features, a better clean, and an easier experience overall.
Pick from my best robotic pool cleaners list and you'll keep the pool clean without much effort on your end. Weigh performance, durability, and everyday usability, and you'll find the robot that actually fits your pool.
Making the right call means reading the details and the head-to-head comparisons. Do that and you'll land on a robot that goes past what you expected, gives you the best value, and keeps your pool clear.
Alternate Robots
If neither the Aiper Seagull SE nor the Dolphin Proteus DX3 is quite doing it for you, a few robots I've tested make a much stronger case. Each brings something different to the table depending on your pool and how hands-off you want to be.
My first pick over these two is the Dolphin Cayman. It's a mid-priced robot that packs features you'd normally pay a lot more for. You get wall climbing, a HyperBrush that actually scrubs, and a programmable weekly timer. Next to the Seagull SE's random floor-only runs and the Proteus DX3's missing waterline, the Cayman just does more and does it more automatically.
"For the money, the Cayman does more of the job for you than either robot here."
The Cayman also has the MaxBin, so it holds more debris and you empty it less often. It works in both inground and above-ground pools, and its cleaning power comfortably outdoes both the Aiper Seagull SE and the Dolphin Proteus DX3.
If you want to step up further, the Dolphin Quantum is the one I'd reach for. It has a large MaxBin and NanoFilters that grab a real range of debris, so the water stays clear. Its SmartNav 2.0 navigation covers the pool efficiently, which solves exactly the random-path problem that dragged the Seagull SE down.
And if you want the full-pool clean neither robot here delivers, the Dolphin Premier is worth the look. Multi-media filtration, waterline cleaning, dual scrubbing brushes, and a weekly timer make it about as hands-off as a robot gets.
Any of these three beats the Aiper Seagull SE and the Dolphin Proteus DX3 on the things that actually matter: coverage, filtration, and how little you have to babysit them. For more head-to-heads and my full picks, take a look at my roundup of the best pool robots of the year.