The original Samsung Bespoke Jet Cordless Stick Vacuum took home the prize as the "Most Display-Worthy Vacuum" as part of the first-ever Gear Patrol Home Awards earlier this year, and anyone who's ever seen one wouldn't be shocked by that news. The sleek appliance is practically a work of art and is arguably the only stick vacuum anyone might want to willingly have on display in their home. But now, that vacuum is old news, as Samsung has released an updated version equipped with the buzziest trend in tech at the moment: artificial intelligence.
The new Samsung Bespoke Jet AI Cordless Stick Vacuum has the same gorgeous look as its predecessor but has seen some considerable upgrades to its internals. Chief among those changes is the AI from the product's name that Samsung says is able to detect your floor surface and automatically change its setting to optimize not only its suction power but also its battery life and maneuverability. So is this AI-powered stunner of a vacuum really a game-changing appliance, or is this just an example of Samsung trying to get on board the ChatGPT hype train? I cleaned my home with the Samsung Bespoke Jet AI Cordless Stick Vacuum to find out.
Samsung Bespoke Jet AI Cordless Stick Vacuum: What We Think
Samsung has made some major improvements to what was already a great vacuum cleaner. The Bespoke Jet AI is 25 percent more powerful than its predecessor, and it's power that you can actually feel and that actually makes a difference in cleaning. The AI feature allows the vacuum to automatically change modes when it senses a new floor surface, giving you one less thing to think about while cleaning and the battery life has been boosted by a full 40 minutes, giving the vacuum an industry-leading 100-minute max runtime. All this while maintaining the original Bespoke Jet vacuum's helpful runtime countdown timer, easy maneuverability and, of course, its attractive looks.
But there are still flaws, of course. The much-ballyhooed AI feature does work, but its function is pretty basic and I found myself wishing it did more. The automatic cleaning station has been improved from its predecessor, but it still has trouble emptying the vacuum's dustbin when it's full of hair. And, at $999, this is a very expensive vacuum, costing $100 more than its already pricey predecessor.
It's still the best-looking vacuum there is
While Samsung messed around with the brains of the Samsung Bespoke Jet vacuum, the brand left its beauty mostly untouched. The design is a bit different, most notably in the larger handle to accommodate the more powerful new motor, but the overall silhouette and streamlined finish that made the original Bespoke Jet vacuum so popular remain intact. This is still the most attractive stick vacuum on the market, especially when accounting for how seamlessly its charging cradle/cleaning station blends into the vacuum itself. It looks good in my living room — or as good as a vacuum can look, anyway — and I don't feel the need to hide it away in my closet as I have with previous stick vacuums I've owned.
It's really powerful
The Bespoke Jet AI has received an entirely new motor — Samsung's HexaJet Motor — which makes it the most powerful vacuum Samsung has ever made. The vacuum is 25 percent more powerful than its predecessor, boasting 280W of suction power in its most powerful setting. There are five settings on the vacuum cleaner, easily toggled using the "+" and "-" on the handle. They are AI (more on that later), Min, Mid, Max and Jet. Jet is where that 280W of suction is unleashed, and it really does make for power you can actually feel. When I switch the mode to Jet and try vacuuming, the vacuum actually becomes difficult to maneuver because it's clinging so hard to the floor, making me feel like an unworthy Thor trying unsuccessfully to hoist Mjölnir.
You wouldn't want to use the Jet mode all the time. Not only is it harder to vacuum in this mode, but it drains the battery far faster than the other modes. But, you'll still be glad it's there when you need it. I have an Ikea couch that my cats are constantly lounging on, and I swear this couch's fabric was designed to trap and hold onto cat hair. I have tried cleaning it with stick vacuums from Dyson and Shark, along with furniture lint rollers, but nothing has ever gotten it clean before. Enter the Samsung Bespoke Jet AI. Using the device in handheld mode with the included Pet Tool attachment and switching on Jet mode, I was able to turn my cat couch from Persian to Sphynx in about 15 minutes.
It has some trouble with hair
Given my unfortunate cat situation (there are three felines in my home, along with a dog), I am constantly fighting a losing battle against pet hair. Not only does fur accumulate on my furniture, but it gathers on the floor and rolls like tumbleweeds around my apartment. So when I took the Samsung for a proper spin around my home, cleaning every room, the vast majority of debris that it sucked up was hair. And this is where I ran into a bit of an issue.
The dustbin on the Samsung Bespoke Jet AI is made of clear plastic, so you can see what you've sucked up as well as how full it is. During my initial cleaning session, I assumed — wrongfully, it turns out — that the vacuum would notify me when the dustbin was full and needed to be emptied. But the vacuum does not offer this feature, so once I noticed that the dustbin looked full (of hair), I brought the vacuum over to the cleaning station to be emptied. (The cleaning station arrives pre-set to empty the dustbin automatically when you dock the vacuum, though you can change this setting and do it manually at the push of a button if you wish.) The cleaning station made a lot of noise, but the mass of hair in the dustbin wouldn't budge. I tried a couple more times, but there was simply too much hair for the cleaning station to unlodge and I was forced to empty the dustbin out into the trash myself. During subsequent cleans, I always made sure to head to the cleaning station once the dustbin became halfway full, and each time the cleaning station automatically emptied it as intended in a satisfying tornado-like visual display.
Maneuverability is a breeze
Samsung doesn't really tout the Bespoke Jet AI's lightweight or maneuverability, but this stick vacuum is a joy to "drive." It feels light and well-balanced in the hand, and the standard included cleaning head has large wheels that glide easily across all surfaces. (While unrelated to its maneuverability, the cleaning head also features a very bright LED headlight that's excellent at spotting dirt and dust.) It's also flexible in an intuitive way. When coming to a piece of furniture that I need to clean under, the vacuum bends in a natural way that almost seems organic — there are no herky-jerky movements or awkward angles, it just works.
When in stick mode, the overall length can easily be adjusted to a comfortable size — I found the shortest setting a little too short — and in handheld mode, the vacuum is just as easy to use. Oftentimes, the handheld mode in two-in-one vacuum cleaners can feel like an afterthought, but that's not the case here: The Bespoke Jet AI is equally easy and effective to use in either mode.
Although it's smart, the AI is a bit gimmicky
The main selling point of the Bespoke Jet AI is its artificial intelligence. It's the first stick vacuum to receive AI verification from third-party independent safety science organization UL Solutions, which sounds like a pretty big deal. In practice, I found it to be just ok. When in AI mode (which is the default setting), the vacuum most definitely switches power levels when moving from my hardwood floor to the wool shag rug in my living room. The switch takes a second or two, but I can hear (and feel) the power level increase when moving onto the carpet, and decrease when I move off the carpet. It's nice to not have to manually switch back and forth (or to even have to think about it), but in less obvious situations, the technology isn't quite ready for primetime.
For example, when moving from my hardwood hallway to the tile floor in the bathroom, the vacuum had no change in power. These are two different surfaces, and the grout between the tiles would — I should think — warrant greater suction. But to the vacuum, they were both hard surfaces, so it couldn't distinguish between them. I also noticed an issue when vacuuming under furniture. The AI seemed to interpret the darkness under furniture as a different flooring material and would adjust its power to compensate. Finally, the AI is unable to recognize increased dirt levels, which is what I really wanted to see. If I'm humming along in Min mode and suddenly come upon a big, stubborn dirt pile, I would like the AI to recognize that and turn on the Jets (so to speak). But the technology isn't there quite yet ... maybe in the next iteration.
The countdown timer has changed how I vacuum for the better
This isn't exactly a new feature — it was present on the original Samsung Bespoke Jet vacuum. But it's still worth calling out because it's such a critical feature of this vacuum, and one that has changed how I vacuum for the better. On the vacuum's display, just under the current setting, you'll see a countdown timer. This timer constantly adjusts as your power levels adjust, with your time remaining increasing or decreasing depending on how much power you're using. With full juice, the vacuum will run for an industry-leading 100 minutes on the lowest setting — or about 15 minutes on the highest.
Having this knowledge has completely changed the way I vacuum, as I now feel empowered to plan my cleaning more efficiently. Instead of blindly vacuuming until my battery runs out, I can plan accordingly, adjusting my power levels as needed and never having to worry if I'll be able to finish vacuuming before having to recharge. It's a seriously great feature and one that should be standard on every stick vacuum.
Samsung Bespoke Jet AI Cordless Stick Vacuum: Alternatives
When you're talking premium cordless stick vacuums, you can't help but bring up Dyson. The tech-forward brand is a powerhouse in the space, and its models should make up the chief competition for Samsung's fancy new appliance. The Dyson V15 Detect ($750) will intelligently adjust suction based on floor type, which isn't technically using AI, but I feel like we're splitting hairs here since functionally they're very similar. It also has a laser that detects dust more efficiently than Samsung's LED light. However, its runtime maxes out at just 60 minutes, it's considerably less powerful, doesn't look as good and there's no automatic cleaning station.
Dyson's latest vacuum, which we're currently testing, is the Gen5 Detect ($950), which looks to be the stiffest competition for the Samsung. It has the same auto-adjust function and dust-detecting laser as the V15 Detect, but it also lacks the Samsung's good looks and cleaning dock. And while it's Dyson's most-powerful and longest-lasting cordless vacuum, it still lags behind the Bespoke Jet Ai with 250W of suction and a max runtime of 70 minutes. But it has some advantages that the Samsung lacks, like built-in HEPA filtration and in-depth stats on its cleaning performance available on its display. Samsung's chief Korean rival, LG, also makes a worthy competitor in the $999 CordZero All-in-One (read our review), which has slick looks and a similar cleaning station/charging dock — plus a built-in mop. But it is starting to get a bit long in the tooth.
