Robot vacuums and mops have come a long way in a relatively short time, but there are still some problems that face most of them. Two that have been particularly frustrating to me have been mops that simply do not get the job done, and hair getting wrapped around the vacuum brush. With the Narwal Freo X Ultra, both of those problems are completely solved, and now it also finally has Google Home integration.
The Narwal Freo X Ultra launched earlier this year with some big promises. The combination robot vacuum and mop has powerful suction, mops that not only have a special shape to improve cleaning but also lift up when they encounter carpet and can detect just how dirty a surface is, and both a design on the vacuum and the base station that are designed to keep the system autonomous for weeks on end.
I’m happy to say that I feel it’s lived up to each of those claims.
For the past few months the Narwal Freo X Ultra has been helping to keep my home clean, and it’s quickly become my favorite robot cleaner to date. This comes down to three key aspects.
Firstly, the mopping.
Narwal Freo X Ultra uses proper mopping pads, unlike a pad as is common on so many other options, that spin to clean the floor. These pads are pushed down on the floor with a bit of added pressure and use an onboard water tank to keep things clean.
Beyond just water, though, Freo X Ultra also includes a detergent to further improve the cleaning. This detergent lasts ages and helps get the floors noticeably cleaner. The mopping pads are also a unique shape which allows them to slightly jut out of the machine and reach closer to corners and walls. This doesn’t always work perfectly, but it does help keep those spots cleaner than I’ve experienced with other robot mops.
When it comes time to clean the mops themselves, the base station cleans them out surprisingly thoroughly with water and, when cleaning is done, dries them out to prevent mold. The base station works really well, though it clearly does go heavy on the water, seeing as it needs a refill every day or two. My favorite part of the station is that the bottom portion can be removed for easier cleaning, something that’s always been incredibly tedious with other systems I’ve tried.
The second aspect of Freo X Ultra that I’ve really enjoyed over the past few months is the volume, or lack thereof.
Whether it’s drying the mopping pads or regular vacuuming, this system is shockingly quiet. Normally, robot vacuums end up serving as a secondary alarm clock for my wife and I, but the Narwal actually manages to stay quiet enough to not wake us up in the morning. It’s even quiet enough to run during the day without feeling like the volume is getting in the way of our day. The only “loud” part is the water replacement in the base station, which inevitably lets out a noticeable hum while the pump is in action. But, compared to other systems, the lack of noise on the Narwal Freo X Ultra is simply amazing.
The base station also has a small touch panel for basic controls such as recall or starting a deep clean. This is definitely handy, though I wish the buttons were visible constantly, as they fade away if you’re not using them.
Finally, there’s the vacuum aspect itself.
As it stands today, you usually have to make a choice between a robot vacuum or a robot mop, or at least which one you prefer. Most systems that focus on mopping tend to forego automatic dustbin emptying for the sake of cleaning the mopping pads. That’s a good trade-off, and one that Freo X Ultra does too. Through some clever engineering, though, the dustbin on the vacuum itself manages to punch above its class on storage, holding easily twice what I’d expect. It does this by compressing the bin’s contents to make room for additional debris. It’s still a bit frustrating having to manually empty the bin, but it’s not that hard to make that a habit whenever you replace the clean water and dump the dirty water. Notably, getting to the dustbin is also easy through a magnetic cover.
Filling up that vacuum dustbin is also less annoying, thanks to the clever brush that Narwal uses. Anyone who lives in a home with someone who has long hair has surely experienced the frustration of cutting and unwrapping that hair from the brush in their vacuum cleaner, whether it’s robotic or not. Through another clever design, though, the Freo X Ultra simply doesn’t have this problem. Over months of use, we’ve not once had to clear built-up hair from the brush, nor has that hair ended up getting clogged up in the dustbin. It’s impressive, and effective enough to where my wife actually ended up genuinely excited about this particular system.
Those three key points are my favorite bits of the Freo X Ultra, but there are other good aspects too. The mapping and companion app are done well, and the route the robot selects through my home makes sense. The vacuum is also very strong, which is probably helpful in keeping the noise down when it’s not on full power.
And, now, I can also add Google Home support to the “pros” column on the Narwal Freo X Ultra.
Recently launched, this support allows for the Freo X Ultra to offer limited controls in the Google Home app (start/stop and docking) while you can also use a Google Assistant voice command to start cleaning. This includes saying something like, “Hey Google, ask Freo X Ultra to clean the kitchen” and having the robot go to the right location – this works with whatever you name the robot. That’s also assuming you name everything properly on the map in the Narwal app which, unlike many other robot cleaner apps, does allow you to fully customize the name of a room. It works well enough, mainly being held back by the ongoing degradation of Google Assistant. I’m just happy to have basic controls in the Home app, which is quicker to access than the Narwal app across my devices.
At $1,399, the Narwal Freo X Ultra is a pricey piece of kit (though easy to find big discounts on through Amazon), but it’s the best cleaning robot I’ve ever used by a long shot. If you can go without the base station and a few other perks, though, the Narwal Freo X Plus offers a lot of the same benefits, including the wonderful hair-free brush, for just $399 (or less).
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