Quick Answer: The WYBOT F1 is WYBOT’s first solar-powered surface skimmer, priced at $299.98 (down from $399.99 list, a 25% cut per WYBOT’s own store). It uses a 33W solar panel to run either a 24-hour Smart Mode (10 minutes on, 10 minutes off) or an 8-hour continuous Standard Mode, and holds debris in a 7-liter basket with 180-micron filtration — larger than Aiper’s 5-liter Surfer S1 and roughly on par with premium skimmers costing three times as much. It skims the surface only; it does not clean the pool floor or walls.
WYBOT built its reputation on cordless robotic floor cleaners — the C-series and S-series covered elsewhere on this site — but until now had no answer to Betta, Beatbot, and Aiper in the surface-skimmer category. The F1 changes that, and its solar-only power design is a genuinely different approach from the battery-plus-solar hybrids its rivals use.
WYBOT F1 at a glance
| Spec | WYBOT F1 (2026) |
|---|---|
| Type | Solar-powered robotic surface skimmer |
| Cleans | Water surface only (leaves, pollen, bugs, debris) |
| Pool compatibility | Rectangular, round, kidney, infinity, and irregular-shaped pools |
| Basket capacity | 7 liters, 180-micron filtration |
| Power | 33W solar panel (no DC/wall charging option) |
| Runtime | Standard Mode: 8hr continuous. Smart Mode: 24hr (10min on / 10min off cycle) |
| Navigation | Dual edge-hugging tech, smart obstacle avoidance, anti-entanglement |
| Connectivity | WYBOT App — Bluetooth/WiFi, battery monitoring, OTA updates |
| Warranty | 1 year + 30-day money-back guarantee |
| Price | $299.98 sale / $399.99 list |
WYBOT F1
- 7-liter basket — the largest in this size class, ahead of Aiper's Surfer S1 by 2 liters.
- 33W solar panel with no DC-adapter fallback, unlike Aiper's dual solar-plus-DC charging.
- Smart Mode's 10-on/10-off cycle stretches all-day coverage without a bigger battery.
- WYBOT's first product outside its established robotic floor-cleaner lineup.
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By the numbers
- Basket capacity: 7 liters with 180-micron filtration, per WYBOT’s own spec sheet — 2 liters more than Aiper’s Surfer S1 and roughly matching what premium skimmers costing 3-4x more offer.
- Discount: 25% off, down from a $399.99 list price to $299.98, per WYBOT’s own product page.
- Runtime split: 8 hours continuous (Standard Mode) vs. 24 hours in Smart Mode’s intermittent 10-minute-on/10-minute-off cycle — a real tradeoff between coverage speed and all-day duration, not a single flat runtime figure like most competitors advertise.
- Solar panel: 33W, with no DC-adapter backup — a design choice that trades the “rainy day” convenience of Aiper’s dual-charging Surfer S1 for a simpler, cord-free unit.
What it does well
Biggest basket in its price tier. At 7 liters, the F1’s basket beats Aiper’s Surfer S1 (5L) and Surfer S2 (4L) outright, and gets close to what Beatbot’s much pricier iSkim Ultra offers — fewer trips to empty it during heavy leaf season.
Genuine runtime flexibility. The Smart Mode’s 10-minutes-on/10-minutes-off cycle is a real engineering tradeoff, not just marketing: it lets the 33W panel keep pace with battery drain over a full 24 hours, rather than draining the battery in one continuous burst the way Standard Mode’s 8-hour rating does.
Real, sourced discount. WYBOT’s own store lists the price cut directly ($399.99 to $299.98, 25% off) rather than the vaguer “was/now” framing some competing listings use.
App control with OTA updates. Bluetooth/WiFi connectivity brings the F1 in line with WYBOT’s robotic cleaners, letting owners monitor battery and switch modes remotely — a feature Betta’s simpler solar skimmers don’t offer.
Where it falls short
- No DC-adapter backup. Unlike Aiper’s Surfer S1, which charges from solar or a wall adapter, the F1 is solar-only per WYBOT’s own listing — a run of cloudy days with no manual charging option is a real limitation Aiper owners don’t face.
- Surface-only — not a floor cleaner. Like every skimmer on this site, it does nothing for settled debris or algae on the floor or walls. Pair it with one of WYBOT’s own robotic cleaners (C1, C2 Vision, S2 Solar) for full coverage.
- No independent lab test found yet. As WYBOT’s first skimmer, the F1 has no third-party review from outlets like The Pool Nerd or RoboticReviews at publish time, unlike Aiper’s Surfer line and Beatbot’s iSkim Ultra, both of which have independent test data cited elsewhere on this site. Treat WYBOT’s own runtime and basket figures as manufacturer-reported until an independent test surfaces.
- New to a crowded field. Betta, Beatbot, and Aiper all have a longer track record in surface skimming; the F1 is unproven relative to its basket-size and price advantages on paper.
WYBOT F1 vs the alternatives
| Model | Basket | Power | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| WYBOT F1 | 7L | Solar only | $299.98-$399.99 |
| Aiper Surfer S1 | 5L | Solar + DC adapter | $279.99-$339.98 |
| Betta SE Plus | Twin baskets | Solar + AC adapter | about $390-$500 |
| Beatbot iSkim Ultra | Larger | Dual solar panels | about $999-$1,499 |
The most useful comparison is against Aiper’s Surfer S1, the closest price match: the F1’s 7-liter basket beats the S1’s 5 liters, but the S1’s DC-adapter fallback covers the F1’s biggest weakness — a run of overcast days. See the full field in our best pool skimmer robot guide, and the rest of WYBOT’s lineup in our best WYBOT pool cleaner guide.
Who should buy the WYBOT F1
Buy it if you already run a WYBOT (or any brand) floor-cleaning robot and want a bigger-basket surface skimmer without paying Beatbot premium prices. The 7-liter capacity is a real advantage in leaf-heavy yards.
Skip it if you live somewhere with long stretches of cloudy weather — the lack of a DC-adapter backup means the Aiper Surfer S1 is the safer bet. Also skip it if you want one device for both surface and floor debris; no skimmer does that, so look at a full robotic cleaner like the WYBOT C1 instead.
The bottom line
The WYBOT F1 is a strong debut into a category WYBOT had no presence in until now — its 7-liter basket and $299.98 price undercut most of the surface-skimmer field on paper. The tradeoff is a solar-only design with no backup charging and zero independent lab data yet, so treat WYBOT’s own runtime figures as a starting point rather than a verified benchmark until a third-party test lands.