Dolphin Premier vs Triton vs Nautilus vs Quantum

Did you know that 99% of the dirt from your pool is stuck on the walls and floor? This is the reason why engineers created deep-cleaning robotic pool cleaners. The traditional pool cleaning process involves only filtering the water, a process that is only 1% effective at cleaning the pool. Now, robot pool cleaners scrub and clean your pool’s walls and floor, ensuring a safe and clean swimming environment for your loved ones.

Dolphin produces some of the most advanced robots cleaning commercial- and residential-grade pools. In this article, we’re going to take a look at four of their most powerful residential pool-cleaning robots – the Dolphin Premier, the Triton, the Nautilus CC, and the Quantum robotic pool cleaner. They all come equipped with some of the most state-of-the-art technology for efficient and effective pool-cleaning. If you’re in the market for a high-quality pool cleaner, then you’ll want to check out our comparison between Dolphin’s four top-rated robots.

Differences Between the Dolphin Premier, Triton, Nautilus and Quantum

Dolphin	Premier	Triton PS	Nautilus CC	Quantum
Pool Size	| > 50 Ft	| > 50 Ft	| > 33 Ft	| > 50 Ft
Cleaning	3 Hours	2 Hours	2 Hours	2 Hours
Cable	60 Ft	60 Ft	50 Ft	60 Ft
Tangle-free	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Weight	22 lbs	16.5 lbs	13.8 lbs	16.5 lbs
Dim.	23 x 19 x 14 in	16 x 17 x 9 in	16 x 16 x 9 in	22 x 18 x 13 in
Filtration	• Multi-Layer	• Fine	• Fine	• Fine
		• Ultra Fine		• Ultra Fine
Filter	• Bag Cartridge	• XL Basket	• Basket	• XL Basket
	• Bottom-load	• Top-load	• Top-load	• Top-load
• Waterline	• Waterline		• Waterline
Brushes	2 Brushes	2 Brushes	1 Brush	2 Brushes
Full Bag Indicator	Yes	No	No	No
Automation Mode	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Release	Mar, 2016	Jan, 2017	Jan, 2017	Nov, 2019

Rubber Tracks and Propulsion

Since a lot of your pool’s grime is caked on its walls, robots need to be developed to be able to latch onto the walls to scrub vertically effectively. Robot pool cleaners mainly come with two different designs for traveling horizontally and vertically – wheels or tracks. Wheels have been proven to be rather ineffective since there’s a high possibility of slippage and toppling over.

Dolphin solved this problem by designing and implementing their HyperGrip Tracks onto all four of these robot models in combination with constant water propulsion to keep the unit upright. The tracks offer enough traction for the robots to creep up walls while they continuously shoot out jets of filtered water to ensure they don’t go astray. The most surprising thing is that although it’s a simple design, it works flawlessly.

Dolphin Premier Video

360° Swivel to Prevent Tangled Power Cords

Premier and Nautilus
Although robots have been programmed to prevent tangling power cords while submerged, a lot of their algorithms are faulty at best, leaving you constantly monitoring the cords to prevent tangling. The Premier and the Nautilus CC feature a proprietary swiveling mechanism which allows the cord to twist and turn underwater while eliminating the risk of tangling. Essentially, the cable can spin 360°, and it won’t damage the inner wiring.

Triton and Quantum
The Triton and the Quantum do not feature the 360° swiveling cord, so, unfortunately, you’re stuck having to babysit the robot to make sure they don’t hang themselves underwater. They are programmed to prevent tangling, but it’s not perfect.

Verdict: The swiveling cable is fantastic, and it leaves us wondering how the cord can constantly turn without tangling the internal wiring. Whatever it is, the Premier and Nautilus’ anti-tangling systems are the perfect solution to a common problem.

Multi-Media

Premier and Quantum
We’re not talking about blasting underwater music for your robot to boogie down to. Essentially, this multi-media feature allows you to attach certain filters or bags to your robot to pick up specific pollutants. A micro-filter can be used to pick up algae, and minuscule particles from your pool’s walls and floor; an oversized media bag can hold onto large amounts of leaves and twigs, and disposable bags can be used for large and small debris and everything in between.

Triton and Nautilus
As for the Triton and Nautilus CC, they feature regular disposable bags and filters to capture all sorts of pollutants. You don’t have a choice which media to install on your robot, but it doesn’t matter since the bags can hold onto anything and everything.

Verdict: The multi-media feature of the Dolphin Premier and Quantum is the perfect solution if you want to focus on a particular pollutant (microscopic or large, and even both simultaneously with the disposable bag). You don’t have to waste large bags for small, microscopic algae, nor do you have to ruin sensitive filters by snagging up large-sized debris.

Related Robotic Pool Cleaner Articles

Buying Guides
 • Best Robotic Pool Cleaners
 • Best Commercial Robotic Pool Cleaners
Info Articles
 • Pressure vs. Suction vs. Robotic Pool Cleaners
 • Wheels vs. Tracks: What to Choose?

Media Alert

Premier and Quantum
This is an LED indicator which tells the operator that the robot’s micro-filter or bag is full. You don’t have to constantly check the filter or contents of the bag to know whether it’s time to replace the media.

Triton and Nautilus
The Trion and Nautilus do not have this LED alert feature, so, unfortunately, you’ll still need to manually open the bag or filter every time to determine whether they still have some life in them or not.

Verdict: We like that the Premier and Quantum come with the indicator. It takes out most of the guesswork of replacing filters and disposable bags. Anyways, who wants to open the garbage bag every time to see whether it’s full or not?

Cleaning Cycle Duration

Premier and Quantum
The amount of time it takes to clean your pool shows how time-efficient and cost-efficient the robot is. The longer your robot is submerged and cleaning, the more money you’ll end up spending on electricity. The cleaning cycles of both the Premier and Quantum are 2.5 hours. After the robots scan your pool, it’ll do a full-sweep of your pool in 2.5 hours.

Triton and Nautilus
As for the Triton and Nautilus, after scanning your pool, their cleaning cycles will only take 2 hours. However, speed should be your second priority after thoroughness, and depending on the size of your pool, 120 minutes may or may not be sufficient to do a proper wall-to-wall scrubbing.

Verdict: All four of these robots can be classified as “time-efficient” since they can do a quick job of cleaning your pool, though the Triton and Nautilus’s cleaning cycles take 30 minutes less than those of the Premier and Quantum.

Related Dolphin Articles

Buying Guides
 • Best Dolphin Robotic Pool Cleaners

Single Reviews
Nautilus | Nautilus CC | Nautilus CC Plus | Nautilus CC Supreme | Sigma | Premier | E10 | Advantage Ultra | C3 Commercial | Quantum | Cayman | Triton PS Plus | Oasis Z5i | Proteus DX3 | Escape

Dolphin Premier vs. Triton vs. Nautilus vs. Quantum: Bottom Line

There are several overlapping specs between these four models, specifically between the Dolphin Premier & Quantum and the Dolphin Triton & Nautilus CC. Technology-wise, the Premier and Quantum are much more advanced than the other two, and this is what makes them so popular among pool owners. However, if you’re looking for something a little more light- to medium-duty, the Triton or the Nautilus could suit you better.

Between the Dolphin Premier and the Quantum, the Dolphin Premier robotic pool cleaner would have to be the better model, simply because it comes with the anti-tangle 360° swivel cord. As for the Dolphin Triton and the Nautilus CC Plus robotic pool cleaner, the same reason applies for the latter model.

At the end of the day, any residential pool could greatly benefit from any of these models.

Related Robotic Pool Cleaner Articles

 • How Does A Robotic Pool Cleaner Work?
 • How to Use a Robotic Pool Cleaner
 • What Features to Look For in a Robotic Pool Cleaner?
 • How to Maintain a Robotic Pool Cleaner?
 • Robotic Pool Cleaner Troubleshooting Tips
 • What is a Swivel Cord?
 • Pressure vs. Suction vs. Robotic Pool Cleaners


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Last Update: 2024-04-17 | Affiliate links/Images from Amazon Product Advertising API