Newgy Robo-Pong Review & Comparison
Expert: Kevin James, Last Updated: 24/01/2021
Did you know, Newgy was the first company to develop table tennis robots. What's even more astonishing is that they have been involved in research, development, and manufacturing of table tennis robots since 1975.
That's 44 years of experience!
No wonder, Newgy robots are so well-built, user-friendly and offer top-notch playability.
But, are the robots priced reasonably for the value they offer? We have a mixed opinion on this! While the top-end models like 3050XL and 2055, justify the price tag others don't.
In this post, we'll walk you through the features of all the models and help you pick the right one.
So, which model should you choose?
Well, it depends on what your requirements are and, most importantly, the budget.
Let's start by checking out all the robots in the lineup. Newgy currently sells four models, namely:
- ROBO-PONG 3050XL -
$1999$1699 (Latest model) - ROBO-PONG 2055 - $999
- ROBO-PONG 2040+ - $799
- ROBO-PONG 1040+ - $499
Note: Robo-pong 540, 2040, and 2050 models are discontinued and replaced with 2040+ and 2055, respectively.
Newgy Robo-Pong Lineup Overview
1040+
$499
1-wheel robot without recycling system and limited features.
Rating: Avoid
Go for: JT-A Robot
2055
$999
Programmable, 64 preloaded drills with digital controller and catch net.
Rating: Value Pick
Recommended!
3050XL
$1999
Programmable, all spin types, unlimited storage and wireless app-based control.
Rating: Pro Pick
Recommended!
Newgy Robo-Pong Lineup
In the next section, we’ll go through the features of each of the robots in the Robo-Pong lineup and share our detailed feedback.
Robo Pong 1040+ (Avoid)
The Robo-pong 1040+ is an entry-level robot, offering basic features like speed, ball frequency, and oscillation (placement) control. Being a 1-wheel robot, it can only produce one spin at a time. And to produce either backspin or sidespin, you need to manually adjust the robot head.
Newgy supplies the robot with an analog control box to control ball parameters, a tray that can store up to 200 table tennis balls and a five-meter power cable. And yes, it does not come with a recycling net, but you can get a cheap one for about $50 on Amazon.
There is no option for custom programming, and neither does the robot come pre-loaded with any drills or randomization control.
But, then what can the robot do: Throw balls with one-spin type with a fixed speed and at a fixed set of locations sequentially.
Priced at $499, I feel the robot does not offer enough value to justify the price tag. Alternatively, the JT-A table tennis robot, which costs about $380, offers better value and comes with a better set of features.
Summary: Not worth the price! Better to choose the higher model or go for an alternative robot like JT-A Robot (~$380).
Robo-Pong 2040+ (Avoid)
The 2040+ is similar to 1040+ in the functionality aspect, except it comes with a recycling net system. Like its predecessor, it is not programmable and offers a limited set of features.
Summary: I wouldn't recommend the 2040+ model either. The JT-A robot priced at $380 provides a better overall value and functionality in comparison.
Robo-Pong 2055+
Value Pick - Best for intermediate usage:
The Robo-Pong 2055 is the new and improved version of the very popular 2050+. The robot comes with a whole new electronics, control firmware, and software to program the drills.
The successor to the 2040+, this model is fitted with stronger motors for better ball throw and comes with a digital controller to adjust the ball speed, spin, frequency, and placement. By default, it comes with 64 pre-loaded drills of varying degrees of difficulty. Additionally, you can program custom drills using the software provided. And with the ball randomization feature, the robot can throw random balls at you with an unlimited number of variations.
The robot lets you practice all types of spin – top, back, and sidespin. However, the limitation is that you can only practice one spin at a time, and you need to manually adjust the head to produce different spins.
Summary: I feel the Robo-Pong 2055 offers an excellent set of professional features, and the pricing is spot-on!
Robo-Pong 3050XL
Pro Pick: Suited for beginners to advanced level training
The Robo-Pong 3050XL is the top-of-the-line robot offering best-in-class features and performance. Suitable for all types of players from beginner to competitive and anyone in between.
The new robot emulates human-like game playing experience and offers more natural ball throw trajectory. The robot is wirelessly controllable using any smartphone. Just install the newgy app, connect the robot and voila, your smartphone turns into a full-fledged controller.
You can control all ball parameters like speed, spin, placement, and design your custom sequence of drills using the app.
An excellent video by Samson Dubina, demonstrating all the pre-loaded drills on the 3050XL.
The two-wheel head can produce all types of spin – topspin, backspin, sidespin, and even the no spin. The head rotates on the vertical axis, thus also producing sidespin without manual adjustment.
By default, the robot comes with 100 pre-programmed drills of varying level difficulty. The unique feature of the robot is the indicator light which lets you know in advance the type of spin (top or back) the next ball is going to come with.
Summary: The new Robo-pong 3050 is well worth the price of $1699, considering the competitive features and ease of use.
If budget isn't a constraint, you can definitely go for this robot. The performance and features offered are top-level and currently the best in the market.
Finally, Which Model Should You Choose?
So, coming to the most critical question - Which model should you choose?
I will try to be very objective here:
- 1040 and 2040+ should be avoided as they don't offer enough value for the price quoted. Go for Huipang JT-A instead.
- 2055 is an excellent intermediate level robot offering a fine balance of price and performance. It is an all-rounder, offering a robust set of features and at a reasonable price.
- If you have a budget and are looking for the best professional table tennis robot, then the Robo-Pong 3050XL is a no-brainer.
Where to Buy?
The Newgy robots are available worldwide across all major e-commerce sites. You can order the robot from the official Newgy website, Megaspin, or Amazon.
Tip: Confused which robot to buy? Check our table tennis robot buyer's guide.
I’ve now read quite a number of reviews suggesting that people who purchased the NEWGY ROBO-PONG 3050XL were having such difficult calibration problems (related to difficulties syncing the robot with iOS that the product is unusable for them. Check the on-line reviews written by actual people (rather than those paid to order the product and write good reviews-not suggesting you are doing that but some reviewers of some products reviewed on Amazon are clearly doing that-eep products from China). What is your experience with the sort of issues people are complaining about?
I have 1040 bought during 2019 and satisfied with the performance. Now would like to upgrade it to 2055. Do you have exchange offers
You can try selling 1040 on Craiglist or Tabletennisdaily forum. But as far as I know, Newgy does not offer any exchange offers. Currently, Newgy is running a $230 discount on 2055 model, taking the effective price to $769. So probably a good time to pick one now.
I hope this could help.
I brought a Newgy 3050 XL in Sept 2019.
I’m in Australia, the robot was a problem from the start with calibration issues and pre-programmed routines that don’t work.
Service balls going into the net and other long balls going off the table. I logged a case with Newgy USA and got redirected to Newgy China as they apparently have to deal with cases from Asia. I asked for Newgy USA to deal with the case but that was ignored.
They asked me to send videos which I did.
They suggested reload the Newgy app on the ipad, try another ipad, try another calibration, none of these helped.
I’d also tried different balls, confirmed the table was pretty level using a spirit level.
I asked Newgy USA to escalate my case a couple of times they just ignored that request at no stage did they ever try to help.
In the end Newgy China stopped responding also. At one stage they were using COVID as an excuse for not responding.
I eventually talked to the Australian supplier who actually sent me his demo robot, I confirmed that the same routines had the problem on his demo robot so I sent it back to him. I also noticed his robot head was stiffer to move than mine, I’m not sure if that was significant.
I’ve created a couple of custom routines to use instead of the pre-programmed routines that don’t work.
My custom routines work better than the pre-programmed routines.
The custom routines are a bit clunky to create but better than the faulty pre-programmed ones.
Some of the pre-programmed routines have a stupid amount of spin that you won’t see in real life club play.
The time gap between balls in some routines is too short and can’t be changed.
I’ve spent a large amount of time trying to get my robot to work properly but have basically accepted that’s not going to be the case.
Before buying the robot I saw many negatives reviews that mainly referred to bluetooth issues with IOS. I was assured that these had been fixed so I went ahead with the purchase.
In short I couldn’t recommend the Newgy 3050 XL, my robot has been deeply flawed. Support is non-existent from Newgy.
The only person who helped was the local distributor in Australia by allowing me to test his robot.
At the end of the day though I still have the issues I had from day 1.
Note also there have been a number of application updates since I got the robot but none have helped.