Narwal Freo X Ultra – robovac/mop has an exciting design (cleaning review)

The Narwal Freo X Ultra 2024 is a damned sexy-looking beast with svelte and curvy lines of its cleaning station. It is very well-made, sturdy and exudes quality. On looks alone, it is a winner.

But in reviewing all robovac/mops (and we believe we are pretty expert at this now), it is critical to understand what it is and is not capable of and whether you can live with any compromises.

It is even more critical because Narwal has done a superb job ensuring its numerous TikTok and YouTube influencers and bloggers stick to the ‘company script’. I have seen many of the same buzzwords and statements used by video and short-form reviewers without testing their veracity. After all, they have only a few minutes to superficially convey the message and surreptitiously keep the product. Never let the facts spoil a good story.

So, while you may see/hear/read that this is a premium product that competes with other premium brands/products like Dreame, Roborock, Eufy, etc.– it is not in that class. Let us cut through the marketing hype and explain.

We developed a guide (just updated)

 Five tips for choosing a robovac/mop.

We identified five generations of robovac/mops based on their features and capabilities.

• Gen 1 DumBots – no intelligence, bump and grind around the house.
• Gen 2 DimBots – Bumper and basic 2D LiDAR navigation.
• Gen 3 AverageBots – Like Gen 2 but with a more comprehensive app and a few more sensors
• Gen 4 BrainyBots – 3D LiDAR, better app and mapping, IR detection sensors, carpet detection. Limited ability to do one-pass, whole-of-home cleaning.
• Gen 5 SmartBots—They have every feature of Gen 4 plus a camera, AI obstacle detection, extra sensors, extendable/liftable mops and whiskers, AI cleaning, and the proven ability to do one-pass, whole-of-home vacuuming and mopping.
• Then there are base stations – read the guide for more.

The Narwal Freo X Ultra is Gen 4 has good vacuum and mopping capability (as expected). It has a decent app but no intelligent AI obstacle detection, can get easily stuck in places Gen 5 recognises, is not terrific at edge and corner cleaning, and prodigiously eats shoelaces, cables, pet poo, smaller and flatter objects, etc.

We will review it as a Gen 4, but you need to know that it does not compete with Gen 5 Dreame X40/L20/L10S, Ecovacs X2/X5, Eufy X10 Pro, and Robock S8 Pro/MaxV. Then, it does not cost as much either.

Best use: Single level, hard floors, no dead ends.

Australian Review: Narwal Freo X Ultra robovac/mop/cleaning station

Website	Product Page User Manual (not on AU site) US manual
RRP 22/8/24	$2299, but save $300 until 31 August.
From	Narwal, Bing Lee, Woolworths Marketplace, Big W, Amazon
Warranty	One year (30-day return and 45-day replacement)
Support	WeChat, SMS, Call, email
Company	Narwal Robotics Corp is a Chinese company located in Dongguan and managed by founder Junbin Zhang. It was a startup in 2016, and its first products were crowdfunded in 2019. Its investors include DJI, Tencent, and ByteDance (TikTok).
More	CyberShack tech cleaning news and reviews

New ratings in 2024

We use Fail (below expectations), Pass (meets expectations) and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. We occasionally give a Pass(able) rating that is not as good as it should be and a Pass ‘+’ rating to show it is good but does not quite make it to Exceed. You can click on most images for an enlargement.

We are also tightening up on grading. From now on, Pass, for example, means meeting expectations for the price bracket. We consider a Pass mark to be 70+/100 with extra points added for class-leading and excellence.

First Impressions – Love the looks

Narwal Freo X Ultra is a compelling buy on looks alone when faced with a lineup of more traditional robovac/mops and cleaning stations.

At CyberShack, we have learned that looks are skin-deep. We spend four weeks testing five different house types to reveal their strengths and weaknesses. We also analyse website claims and jargon and, if necessary, call out overly ambitious claims.

So, let me say that the website earns a Gold Logie for euphemisms, claiming ‘world firsts” and jargon. As is typical of startup Chinese websites, Narwal invents buzzwords and infers superpowers for this product.

The fact is that it is a pretty decent Gen 4 round robot with no special or outstanding features compared to its competitors. If readers understand its strengths and weaknesses, we have done our job. If you want more, excellent Gen 5 robots do everything. Of course, these cost more!

Size is 350 x 351.5 x 106 mm x 4.35kg. The base station is 370*415*435mm x 8.75kg and needs the obligatory 1.5m from and .5m side clearances.

The key difference to other Gen 4 robots is that the base station does not empty the dustbin. The Robot has a standard dust canister/filter for manual emptying and, as an alternative, a disposable plastic 1L bag. We question the environmental use of plastic bags when most cleaning stations use recyclable paper bags.

Sensors – Pass

It has all the expected Gen 4 sensors.

• LiDAR 360° with overhead detection sensor (for identifying under furniture)
• IR front sensor
• IR right side sensor
• 180° Bumper sensor
• IR Cliff sensors
• Ultrasonic carpet/hard floor sensor

If you have stairs, don’t select ‘no stairs’ during setup. This disables the cliff sensors and wham, bam, it will death dive. We only make that point as every other robot we have tested leaves cliff sensors on.

Setup and the App – Pass

Early adopters had issues establishing Wi-Fi N 2.4Ghz connections – we did not. But you need to pair both the robot and the base station.

The Narwal app looks classy but is less featured than other Gen4s. I suspect that is because Freo Mind makes the decisions for you.

Initial mapping is relatively quick, but it missed areas that were covered by WI-fI mesh. It does not appear mesh-aware, stubbornly sticking to the main router. I disabled Wi-Fi on the mesh router, and it then found the ‘west’ satellite and stuck to that after the main router was enabled. That causes issues as it would not swap to the router or ‘east’ satellite. Narwal should test for mesh awareness. Most Gen 4 now recognise mesh.

The app contains most standard features – scheduling, map manipulation and cleaning history.

You can select vacuum/mop (default), vacuum then mop, vacuum, mop or customise for each room.

Map edit – Pass

We found setting accurate no-go zones and barriers more difficult than with other apps. It also had an issue in room five: It did not identify a substantial island kitchen bench and we would have liked to split the room to give the kitchen area behind its zone (we can do this in other apps).

Similarly, it mapped a void over our internal stairwell, which we could not map out. We repeat the warning about not enabling stair mode in setup.

Dustbin – interesting – Pass

Where most Gen 4 cleaning stations empty the internal dustbin into a 3+L disposable paper bag, this does not. It has a standard 300+ml dust box and filter (empty/clean after every use) or a 1L disposable plastic bag and filter. Narwal claims the bag provides seven weeks of storage, but we found it necessary to empty it after every three to four uses.

The vacuum stream enters on one side, providing limited detritus compression.

During the mop drying process, the dustbin is also air dried at 40° to reduce odour potential.

To be clear, emptying the dustbin is a manual task. We question the ecological impact of plastic bags, but I am sure Narwal has invented some biodegradable material.

Mop water capacity/use – Pass

Narwal Freo X Ultra has a 4.5L clean water tank and a 4L wastewater tank. The internal tank capacity is not specified, and indeed, it does not have one. It relies on the mop pads being cleaned and wet and returning to the base station every 8/10/12m2 to repeat the process.

This is frustrating in several ways. After completing a 3 x 3m area, it returns to the base station, and the mop-washing process takes extra time.

It uses far more water and mop-cleaning solutions than comparable robots. After three cleans on a 50m2 hard floor area, it emptied the clean water tank, but the wastewater tank was only about 50% full; ergo, it uses more water on the mops as it does not have an internal tank. Using a Klien moisture metre on the hard floor, it recorded surface water at 26-29% (usually <10% for competitors).

This frequent return to base means you must move the base station to other floors if using multi-level mapping.

Mopping efficiency – Does it mop better? Pass+

It has dual triangular-shaped 180RPM mop pads. The theory is that triangle-shaped pads allow for closer edge cleaning (more later).

These have a downward force of 7 Newtons (7kg at 1M per second) on most surfaces and can increase this to 12 Newtons (12kg) on tiles. This is about average for Gen 4 robots. But in reality, a human hand/arm can exert 60-100 Newtons ‘elbow-grease’ when mopping, so it is a pretty irrelevant jargon measurement.

It can lift 12mm over carpet, meaning it is suitable for short-pile carpets but not feature rugs or rugs with tassels.

As it uses more water, the results are pretty impressive. It will remove most dried-on stains using Freo Mind, which detects the dirty areas and repeats the 180RPM (standard speed) mopping until they are removed. There is no water control, but the base station can measure humidity and adjust mop wetting levels.

But the tomato sauce test was a disaster. We used 100ml of tomato sauce as a test. It clogged the rotating brush and ended up in the vacuum pipe and dustbin. The mop pads were clogged, but it continued to vacuum/mop, spreading the sauce over the floor until it returned to the base station for cleaning.

This is an extreme test, and most Gen 4s fail. Most Gen 5s see it as an obstacle and avoid it. This is particularly relevant to avoiding pet poo and urine. Do not use this as a wet/dry vacuum/mop.

Cleaning solution

It recommends using Narwal Lemon and Basil cleaning solution – 930ml for $69.95. It contains

Water, C12-C14 Alcohols Ethoxylated (foaming agent), Trideceth-12 (cleaning agent), Ethyl Hexanol Ethoxylated Propoxylate (surfactant), Poly(methyl-1,2-ethanedyl (cleaning and antistatic), α-[2-(diethylmethylammonio)ethyl] (surfactant),-ω-hyrdroxychloride, Phenoxyethanol (antiseptic), Sodium citrate (weakly toxic antibacterial), citric acid (antimicrobial), Dimethicone (moisturiser), Phenoxyethanol (preservative), Ethylenediamine (wetting agent), Tetrakis (Ethoxlate—block-Propoxylate – wetting agent), Tetrol (oil/polish), and fragrance.

Our engineer panellist says do not swallow or inhale, and avoid skin contact, as some ingredients are hazardous. He also says it is a complex mix—more than he has seen in other robots. The base station automatically mixes it with water to clean the mop and then saturates it for floor cleaning.

The container has a proprietary connector, and unlike many Gen 4 and 5 robots, you cannot simply top up a reservoir.

Vacuum efficiency – Pass

Narwal Freo X Ultra claims 8200 Pascals, which is about 1000 air watts. This is about average for Gen 4, and Gen 5 now has over 10,000 Pascals.

But that is on Super Power mode. We estimate that Quiet is about 2000, Normal (default) 4000, and Strong 6000. Freo mode varies the suction accordingly, but based on decibels, it never uses more than Strong.

You can select 1, 2 and 3X vacuum cycles and standard or Meticulo mode (the latter overlaps the smaller brush path three times).

It also claims a Zero Hair Tangling Aerodynamic brush (more jargon). It has a slight conical shape with alternating silicon ribs and bristle brushes. The brush is 155mm (6”) wide (most Gen 4 are 17-20cm wide). The vacuum tube is offset to the smaller end of the brush and creates a Coriolis effect, which helps draw longer hair into the vacuum tube instead of wrapping it around the brush. To be clear, there are no combs or cutters like Dreame X40.

The upside is that the brush has very little long hair to remove, but as one panellist with pets found, it can clog the dustbin throat entry. There is no sensor to warn of a full dustbin, and she wondered why the robot was not doing a great job vacuuming.

• Hardwood vacuum: 98%, but the whiskers did flick larger detritus out of the way
• Low-pile carpet: 75%. This is low. It mainly missed ‘static fluff,’ and even a 2X clean did not improve this much. This is partly because the automatic vacuum suction Pascals were nowhere near maximum.
• High-pile carpet: 85%. The robot increased the vacuum suction, but it was ineffective against fluff.
• Pet/long hair/brush tangle: Negligible

Edge Clean/overhangs – Passable

The robot’s rotating brush is 15.5cm wide, so it needs to make at least two passes to clean a 35 mm-wide strip. When running along a wall, the vacuum rotating brush is at least 100mn from the edge.

The triangle mop pad protrudes 8mm from the round mop body. In edge mode (quote), “The robot will wiggle to clean the edges, but it takes longer”.

Given that there is also top-mounted LiDAR and a right-side IR wall detector, we found that the closest it could mop to an edge was 5mm, and frankly, not all that well. But there is another bug.

While it is 106mm high (average), it would not go under cupboard overhangs and furniture without at least 120mm clearance (that puts most beds and furniture out of contention). That is partly due to the distance sensor on the LiDAR turret, but when you add the right-side IR sensor, it cannot clean under cupboard overhangs. The whiskers protrude 40mm but tend to flick the detritus further away.

Newer Gen 5 robots now have extendable mopping pads and whiskers to do this.

Speed – Slow – Passable

Most Gen 4s cover about 1m2 per minute. With its smaller brush, that time at least doubles, and if you select 2X mode, it can quadruple. When Freo Mind (automatic mode) is enabled, it vacuumed/mopped a 90m2 area in 170 minutes. Without Freo Mind, it was about 114 minutes.

Similar Gen 4 and Gen 5 robots (using auto modes) complete the task in under 100 minutes.

Obstacle Avoidance and Errors – Pass

Narwal claims its Tri-Laser obstacle avoidance can recognise objects as low as 10mm and clean along (around) objects as close as 5mm.

Our standard tests include Lego bricks, children’s storybooks, socks, thongs (flip-flops), sports shoes with laces, and USB and power cables.

It prodigiously ate socks, shoelaces, USB and power cables and pushed Lego blocks, shoes and flat books around.  It tried to eat the thongs and got stuck. Any robot needs some house-prep, but in Narwal’s case, it needs to be more thorough than other Gen 4s we have tested.

It also got stuck in places where Gen 3 (and earlier) robots got stuck. One is a dead end between a side table that backs onto two lounge chairs, and it tried to mount the thin legs of a centre pedestal table.

We also noticed that it tended to bump into table and chair legs more than other Gen 4s.

Summary: This is not a robot that you can leave unattended.

Noise – Pass

It is reasonably quiet in silent and normal modes—perhaps slightly below other Gen 4 on default mode. Mop washing is somewhat noisier, and the drying noise depends on whether the settings are silent or strong.

• Silent 47dB
• Normal 49
• Strong 53
• Super 59
• Wash 52/62

Battery – Pass

Narwal claims 3.5 hours (210 minutes). Over four weeks, the best we achieved was 170 minutes with multiple trips back to the base station, where some charging occurred.

It has a 14.4V/5A/72W lithium-ion battery and the station delivers 30V/3A/60W. Recharge time was under 3 hours.

Narwal does not list a replacement battery.

Sill negotiation – Pass

It can negotiate 20mm sills, but not on the first try. It goes at the sill front-on, and the bumper moves it back. After a few head-on tries, it rotates slightly and tries again. When it finally gets traction on one wheel, it seems to lumber over. Most Gen 4 and 5 robots have fewer issues.

Interestingly, and not often seen on other robots, it has front and rear caster wheels. I suspect this accounts for slower sill negotiation.

Base station – Pass

Apart from being an Objet d’art, it is simply a charging and mop clean/dry station. Whether you accept that it does not empty the dustbin or look elsewhere is your call.

It connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth 5 and to the router via Wi-Fi. The touch screen offers Start/Stop (default cleaning as per app settings), Home, Freo Mind on/off, Child lock, and manual mop washing/drying.

It has clean 4.5L and wastewater 4.1L tanks but no sensors to show empty. A 903ml bottle of Lemon and Basil Detergent fits inside, and no sensor indicates if it is empty.

Mop washing uses cold water and an optical sensor to estimate the dirtiness of the return wastewater. It will clean the mops until the dirt levels are normal.

It then 40° warm air dries using either Silent, Strong, or Smart Drying (mixes silent and smart according to time of day). The warm air also dries the robot’s internal dustbin.

The base plate requires manual cleaning under water every 2-4 weeks.

Voice control – Pass

It has OK Google and Alexa. The very basic commands include:

• Start/pause/resume/stop vacuum/mop (default unless changed in the app)
• Room clean
• Charge (return to base)
• Location

Narwal claims it has Siri shortcuts, but the app does not show them.

Maintenance and spares – Expensive

The major maintenance tasks for the Freo X Ultra include:

Task	Description	Cost
Dustbin standard	Empty/wash the dustbin and filter after each use	$0
Dustbin filter	Washable after every use. Replace every three months.	$49.95 for 2
Dustbin plastic	It has a 1L capacity that will last 3-4 uses.	$29.99 for 3
Rotating Brush	Clean after every use. Long hair and pet hair are reduced. Replacement every six months.	$39.95
Brush cover	Clean after every use – ditto	$39.95
Mop Pads	Replace as needed or every three months	$39.95 per pair
Spinning Side Brush	Replace as needed or every three months	$39.95 per pair
Wheels	Remove tangles, replace as needed	$0
Dock Base Plate	Clean as needed	$0
Dock Water Tanks	Fill the clean tank and empty the dirty tank as needed. There is a replaceable filter sponge (unknown cost)	$0
Cleaning liquid		$69.95
Accessory kit	Six mop pads, six dustbags, two whiskers, one main brush, two filters, two cleaning  solution	$399

These are relatively expensive items. If you are concerned about the cost, generic items are sold by AliExpress and various Amazon and eBay merchants.

CyberShack’s view – I really wanted to like the Narwal Freo X Ultra

The Narwal Freo X Ultra is a fine Gen 4 robot vacuum and mop – it is just not outstanding in any way other than looks.

It couldn’t get under my cupboard overhangs, flicked crumbs out the vacuum path, was slow, and lacked AI obstacle avoidance, which meant more extensive house prep. I could not leave it alone to do one-pass, whole-home cleaning.

Then you come back to reality and realise this is not a Gen 5 robot that I cannot live without!

Let’s summarise our panellist’s findings

• Decent hard floor vacuum and mopping – on par with any other
• Average carpet vacuum – slightly below par, leaving detritus that others pick up
• Battery life/runtime is average for Gen 4.
• Cleaning time is overly long on Freo Mind settings.
• The app is comprehensive but not as logical and often harder to use than others.
• The manual is poor.
• The published specifications are poor – hard to compare with other robots.
• The cleaning station is for the mop clean/dry only (that is how it is smaller)
• Detritus remains in the robot for manual empty.
• 8300 Pascals is about 1000 Air Watts – there are more powerful robots.
• It has no AI or camera obstacle avoidance (as in Gen 5). It uses IR light to identify larger obstacles missing smaller, flat items like Lego bricks, books, and pet poo.
• It does not have extendable mop pads for better edge-and-corner-cleaning.
• It does not have extendable whiskers or mop pads for better edge/corner cleaning.
• It uses more water than comparable robots.

The bottom line from four panellists and me as the reviewer is that this is a decent Gen 4 robot but not capable of one-pass, whole-of-home vacuuming, or mopping.

Would they buy it?

Most panellists had tried the Dreame L10s Pro Ultra Heat – value premium robovac/mop (RRP $1999), a Gen 4.5 robot with AI camera obstacle avoidance and a full-function dock and felt it outperformed the Narwal.

Narwal Freo X Ultra ratings

Note that for 2024 onwards, the pass mark is 70/100 (it was creeping up over 80)

• Features: 80 – everything that a Gen 4 has except a dustbin empty
• Value: 70 – It is not competitive when compared to the Dreame L10S
• Performance: 75 – Average but adequate mopping and vacuum, mop lift on the carpet, better on hard floors.
• Ease of Use: 75 – The App is confusing and harder to use – Let Freo Mind manage settings.
• Design: 85 – As far as a round robot and cleaning station design goes, it is top drawer.

Narwal Freo X Ultra Summary table

Item		Explanation	Grade
Shape	Round	It has the same issues as all-around robots and has not effectively addressed edge and corner cleaning issues.	Pass
Lidar	3D	Rotating turret and vertical pressure sensor	Pass
Sensor	IR	IR forward and right-side sensors for basic larger obstacle avoidance	Pass
Camera	No		N/A
Maps	4	You must take the base station to each level.	Pass
Map edit	Yes	All the usual, including mop and no mop zones, but more difficult to set than others.	Pass
App	Narwal Freo	Google Play Store or Apple App Store It meets all typical needs. Modes include vacuum, mop, or both, suction, battery level, cleaning diary, area clean, navigation pattern, schedules, and real-time tracking.	Pass
Voice	Yes	Google, Alexa and Siri but very basic commands	Passable
Edge	Yes	It can leave up to 100mm	Pass
Carpet Efficiency		It depends on the carpet type – use a stronger suction setting and repeat clean patterns.	Pass
Carpet Lift	Yes	12mm	Pass
Sills	20mm	Some issues, but it eventually gets there	Pass

Narwal Freo X Ultra Continued

Other Sensors	All	Forward bumper sensor. The cliff detector stops it from going down the stairs (if enabled) Carpet detector	Pass
Suction	82000Pa	On Super setting. Freo Mind seems to avoid using full power	Pass+
Dustbin	300ml	Traditional: Adequate for about 100m2 Replaceable: 1L gives 3-4 users	Pass
Water internal	No	It returns to base every 8/10/12m2 for mop wash and rewetting	Pass
Battery life	210 minutes	170 minutes on Freo Mind	Pass
Battery	6400mAh	14.4V/5.2A/75W and 3-4-hour charge	Pass
Wi-Fi	2.4GHz	Same as most robot vacuums/mops.	Pass
Size		350 round x 106mm high x 4.35kg	Pass
Dock		370*415*435mm x 8.75kg plus about 5kg of water Recharge time is about 4 hours. 4.5L clean water 4L wastewater	Pass
Inbox		Robot Base station and power cord Floor cleaner Zero tangling brush 1L Disposable dust bags Dustbin filter 2 Mop pads 2 Side brushes 2 Filter sponges Cleaning hook	Pass

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