INTRODUCTION

    Free time is something we all struggle to have more of and for people such as I every little bit of automation helps. When it comes to changing my life for the best however nothing compares to robotic vacuum cleaners (still waiting for the flying one by Amazon) and as I've pointed out in the past using a broom or a mop has been a very rare occurrence for the past decade or so. Narwal is one of the latest manufacturers to enter this specific segment of the market and after reviewing their very good Freo model just over 2 years ago with me today I have their latest flagship model, the Freo Z Ultra.

    Narwal is known for using its cutting-edge technology to realize its objective of bringing flawless floors to users. It's one of the top 5 robotic cleaning manufacturers, with the brand achieving $200 million in sales within two years of introducing its first product and maintaining high double-digit annual growth ever since. Narwal has raised substantial funds from investors including Sequoia Capital, Hillhouse Capital, ByteDance (parent of TikTok), and Tencent, among others. With over 700 researchers and scientists from across the globe, Narwal has made numerous breakthroughs in multiple fields and won prestigious international awards, including the Edison Gold Award, which honors innovation, and Time Magazine's Best Inventions.

    Just like its predecessor the latest Freo Z Ultra Next-Gen AI Robot Vacuum & Mop by Narwal (currently available in white and silver and grey and silver colors) uses 360 degrees LiDAR navigation (4.0 version) which this time is also paired with dual RGB cameras (1600x1200p with 136 degrees ultra-wide angle) complete with 5 LED headlights and two AI chips which determine how the robot moves and cleans your house (complete with real time object avoidance, dirtsense mode and weather adaptive cleaning). The Freo Z Ultra is also equipped with a brushless motor that sports a suction power of 12000Pa, 360 degrees sensors (anti-fall/edge cleaning/light edge), dual height adjustable triangular shaped mopping pads (spin at 180RPM, deliver up to 12N/11.2Kg scrabbing pressure and retract - 12mm - when the robot is not in mop mode), 500ml dustbin, 2 side brushes, baseboard cleaner, floating detangling roller brush and a 5200mAh lithium-ion rechargeable battery pack which should keep the Freo Z Ultra going for up to 3 and 1/2 hours. The base station this time over is not only for charging, providing fresh water (with electrolysis - 5L clean water tank, 4.5L dirty water tank) and washing and drying the mopping pads when needed (drying heat of up to 75 degrees Celsius for complete sterilization), it also has a 2.5L dust bag which can last up to 120 days thanks to dirt compression. There's also a round LCD touch display on top of the base station from where you can control the main functions of the robot if using the smartphone app is not ideal for you (or if you don't have your smartphone near you). Once again, the Narwal app allows the end user to control modes, schedule cleaning, customize cleaning routines, manage accessories, generate cleaning reports, rename rooms, set no-go zones and much more. The latest flagship model by Narwal seems to be many steps over first Freo model so let's see just how good it really is.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Typically, at the front of the box we find a product picture, company logo and some of the main product features.

Two product pictures used to showcase many of the features are placed on the left side.

On the right side of the box, we find 6 product pictures used to showcase more of the features.

Narwal lists the bundle contents at the rear of the box.

Packing is pretty much excellent with the entire bundle placed between two thick pieces of foam.

Along with the Freo Z Ultra robot vacuum and its base station with its power cord inside the box you'll also find the two side brushes, baseboard cleaner, air filter, dustbin bag, plastic dustbin, floor cleaning solution, clear plastic base attachment, important safety instructions book and the user manual.

THE FREO Z ULTRA

The plastic housing of the Freo Z Ultra robot vacuum cleaner measures roughly 350mm in diameter and 110mm in height.

Typically, the LiDAR sensor is located on top of the enclosure right next to the on/off/pause/resume/return to base button.

At the front we find the dual RGB cameras (1600x1200p) and the 5 LED headlight.

The charging contacts are as expected at the rear of the housing.

Turning the Freo Z Ultra over we see the two rubberized side wheels, two triangular shaped mopping pads, floating detangling roller brush, two ports for the side brushes, 3 sensors and the baseboard slot.

The baseboard cleaner attaches at the base as seen above and at least in my case it worked well.

This time over the entire top comes off to reveal the dust bin.

The dust bin is made of 3 pieces, the entire housing, the replaceable dustbin, and the air filter.

Moving to the base station it's also made primarily of plastic and measures 462mm in height, 430.8mm in length and 388.3mm in width.

Just like with the base station of the Freo model you can remove and clean the internals of the docking base of the Freo Z Ultra as seen above.

Removing the fascia as seen above reveals the pre-mounted dustbin bag, the cleaning solution mount and current level viewer.

At the top we find the LCD display (again, not as eye catching as the one with the Freo model but it's far easier to use).

Again, the top opens to reveal two plastic tanks, a 5l one for clean water and a 4.5l one for dirty water.

Remember to attach the clear plastic as seen above to make it easier for the robot to exit and enter the base station.

Unlike some other robot vacuum models, the Freo Z Ultra is covered entirely by the base station, so it requires no extra room (nor does it get as dirty as others).

NARWAL APP

The Narwal app hasn't changed much since I reviewed the Freo model so from the main screen you can check the current map and select a cleaning mode from the lower end.

You can either leave everything on auto or manually adjust cleaning parameters.

Mop wash intervals is also something you can adjust.

Pressing on the base station drawing allows you to adjust some of its settings.

There's also a cruising mode available now which could come in handy when using the built-in video feed.

Again, you can edit your maps and switch between 2D and 3D.

Via the settings tab you can check for firmware updates, adjust the Freo mind cleaning settings, enable/disable several cleaning modes, adjust base station settings, manage your maps and accessories, change the voice language, enable AI obstacle avoidance with pictures and enable voice control integration with Amazon Alexa and Google Home.

Just like with most similar models you can control the Freo Z Ultra and watch video live from its two 1600x1200p RGB cameras.

When it comes to video quality it may not impress but it's better compared to everything else I've seen to date.

TEST RESULTS

Robot Vacuums may be home appliances but they are very advanced ones so I thought about running some tests like I do with most electronic devices. So here you can see the maximum cleaned area during all tests (single pass, start to finish), total battery life (in quiet - standard/balanced - strong/max and super strong/max+ modes) and noise levels (again in quiet - standard/balanced - strong/max – super strong/max+ suction modes).

CONCLUSION

    The Freo Z Ultra is by far the best robot vacuum I’ve used to date. It’s faster compared to most models, offers surprisingly better suction power, object avoidance is indeed improved (almost excellent), mops better/deeper (corners are still an issue however) and it lasts just as long if not longer (still I couldn’t come close to the reported battery life of 210 minutes). The base station also dries the mops faster and the 2.5l dirt bag is clearly something that will offer people even more free time. One thing you need to remember is that the Freo Z Ultra boosts suction power when it detects carpets and so if you have carpets at home don’t expect battery life to be nowhere near the same as in my tests. Also, when battery life drops to 11% the Freo Z Ultra starts its trip back to the base station, regardless of where it is at. It would be nice to see robot vacuum cleaners take their location (in relation to where the base station is at) into account by now but then again even if there were an extra 5% available things wouldn't change that much.

    Right now, the Freo Z Ultra Next-Gen AI Robot Vacuum & Mop by Narwal retails for USD1299.99 inside the USA (directly from us.narwal.com) and for just 699.99Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de – where delivery is available) and so it’s priced very well, at least on this side of the Atlantic. At the end of the day the latest Freo Z Ultra may not be perfect (will we ever get a perfect model, remains to be seen) but it’s the best robot vacuum to arrive in the lab to date and for that it gets the Platinum Award.

PROS

- Very Good Build Quality
- Cleaning Results
- Suction Power (Up To 12000Pa)
- Dual Retractable Mopping Pads (180 rotations per minute / 12N Pressure / 12mm)
- Dual HD AI RGB Cameras With 5 LED Headlight (1600x1200p)
- Base Station (2.5 Liter Dirt Bag / Up To 75 Degrees Mop Cleaning / Complete Robot Protection)
- LCD Touch Display
- Clean & Dirty Water Tanks (5L / 4.5L)
- Battery Life (5200mAh – Up To 210 Minutes)
- Water Electrolysis / Cleaning Solution
- Narwal Freo App
- Available In 2 Colors (White / Gray)
- Price (EU)

CONS

- Price (USA)
- Power Consumption (Hot Air Drying)