Hands on: I've given the new Samsung Bespoke Jet AI a trial run for its money, and I liked it

This is a flash hands-on review, to give you the chance to see what the Samsung Bespoke Jet AI is all about as soon as possible. Stay tuned, as we'll be expanding and updating this article with more info soon.

Earlier this week I attended the unofficial launch of the Samsung Bespoke Jet AI vacuum in London. It was unveiled alongside other Samsung Bespoke appliances including fridge freezers, washing machines and ovens. The Jet AI stood out because it's not just another a cordless vacuum cleaner – it has some very impressive tech on board to boot.

Samsung has already claimed a spot in our best cordless vacuum cleaner guide for the Samsung Bespoke Jet stick vacuum cleaner, and looking at the Jet AI I couldn't tell the two cleaners apart. It was only when I got to use the new Jet AI, and chat with the Samsung team, that I realized it could be a genuinely market-leading vacuum.

Launch date

While you can't by the Samsung Bespoke Jet AI yet, you can register your interest with Samsung in the UK and Europe, and you'll receive a discount code to use if you then buy it. Samsung also told me that the Jet AI will be available in the US, although it wasn't shared with me exactly when this will be. I also expect it to be released in Australia, although again this has yet to be confirmed.

Samsung also hasn't confirmed a list price for the Samsung Bespoke Jet AI, but based on the launch price of its predecessor, I expect this to be somewhere in the region of $1,035 / £629 / AU$1,299.

Performance

I had the opportunity to make a bit of a mess to clean up with the new Samsung Bespoke Jet AI at the launch event, with both a rug and hard flooring in the space in which the stick vacuum was being displayed.

I scattered colorful sprinkles – or hundreds-and-thousands as we call them here in the UK – on the rug, and the pick-up was excellent on the first pass. I enjoy cutting a swathe through dirt and dust on a floor, and doing so through the multicolored carpet of sprinkles was even more fun.

I noted that the floor head has a series of bright LEDs for cleaning those darker recesses of the home. I also checked underneath the floor head for evidence of any hair wrap and I didn't see any stray strands, although I'll be testing that more thoroughly for my full review.

As the Samsung Bespoke Jet AI transitioned across the rug to the hard floor I heard a distinct change in the power, which Samsung says is where the AI comes in. Although there are a few power settings to switch between on the control panel, the floor head will automatically detect the change in the floor type, and the kind of debris it's encountering. It isn't the first vacuum cleaner to do this, however – the Shark Stratos Cordless does this very well, as does the Dyson V15 Detect. 

For me, what sets this high spec tech apart from the other big-named vacuum cleaners is the ability for the vacuum cleaner to connect to Samsung's SmartThings app. It has built-in Wi-Fi, so it can send notifications to your phone to let you know things like when the dustbin needs emptying, or the filter needs a clean.

I couldn't fully test the battery runtime or charge time, but Samsung told me the Jet AI comes with two batteries as standard, one with a runtime of up to 100 minutes, the other up to 60 minutes. A full recharge of the larger battery should take around 3.5 hours. 

Then there's the Clean Station, which charges the battery when you dock the cleaner to empty the bin, so the theory is that it'll should be really hard to run out of juice.

Design

The Samsung Bespoke Jet AI looks very similar to its predecessor, the Bespoke Jet. It's a stick vacuum cleaner with an illuminated control panel, various attachments and the Clean Station.

A subtle difference between the two is that the Bespoke Jet AI has a retractable wand so, if like me, you're tall it can be extended to a more comfortable height.

Whilst the dust bin can only hold 0.7-litres of debris, it can be emptied quickly using the Clean Station – this can hold a further couple of litres of debris, and it's bagged, so when you need to empty it all the dirt and dust will stay in the bag.

The stick vacuum cleaner is also very light. I could feel this when I was using it, but for the record it weighs 2.8kg, and it's lighter again if you're using the motorized pet tool, rather than the wand with the floor head attached.

Early verdict

I like what I've seen of the Samsung Bespoke Jet AI. The two standout points for me are the battery life and the suction power. The two batteries offer the longest runtime I'm aware of in any current vacuum cleaner, while charging is also fast.

The suction power is 280 AW (airwatts), which is higher than the Dyson Detect V15 at 230 AW; it's not as high as the Shark Stratos cordless at 309 AW, but it's certainly sufficient to tackle even the toughest everyday cleaning jobs.

Time will tell just how good this latest Samsung vacuum cleaner is – my only concern is whether it can fully justify its high price.