A whale of a clean

Robot vacuums have come a long way since the early days when all they did was vacuum, and even then it was a barely passable job. These days, however, robot vacuums have become so smart they can clean almost as well as you can when you put in 100% of your effort. They can certainly do it more efficiently. Enter the Narwal Freo X Ultra, the latest robot vacuum I’ve had the pleasure of testing, and, most certainly the smartest. The Freo X Ultra is jam-packed with features that deliver an almost entirely hands-off clean. Mind you, at a very steep price.

The only times I ever interacted with it were to start the cleaning sessions in the app, and to fill up the water container. Which you’ll need to do from time to time. I haven’t been using it long enough to go through one of the included dust bags. So I have yet to need to take it out and replace it. The point is, I’ve barely had to do anything with the vacuum other than hit the start button. And I haven’t had to clean my floor myself in weeks. With its laundry list of features and the promises from Narwal of its cleaning prowess, I had high hopes going into this review. And I can proudly say I was not let down.

Let’s dive into this review further to see how the Freo X Ultra stacks up and if it’s worth your hard-earned money. Because you’ll need to spend quite a bit to bring one of these home.

Narwal Freo X Ultra Review: Hardware & Design

In laying eyes upon the Freo X Ultra for the first time, the only thing going through my mind was how big it was. As a robot vacuum, it’s about the size you might expect. It’s a big round disc of a robot. Not necessarily much bigger than other vacuums I’ve used. But certainly not smaller. And that’s fine, really. It leaves more room for the components that give this thing all of the useful functions it offers. What really caught my eye was how big the base station is.

It’s massive. And when I say massive, I mean massive. It takes up a large chunk of space on the floor. In contrast to the Switchbot K10+ mini robot vacuum I tested last month, the entire thing is probably at least double the size. Which means it may or may not be the best option for small apartments. Certainly not those that don’t have hard floors that need a mopping system. Although, that’s really true of any robot vacuum.

The point is that this is a big unit. So you’ll want to be sure you have a bit of space for it on the floor. Even if you have to move some things around, as long as you have somewhere you can tuck it away, you’re good. I do feel though that it simply won’t be workable for everyone. This will depend on what your furniture setup looks like. Some places have very little extra space and you simply may not have room near an outlet to set up the base station. And if there were any drawbacks to the vacuum aside from the price, it would have to be this. Size aside, the design of the Freo X Ultra is intelligent and thoughtful.

Carry handles on the base station are a nice touch

I’ll briefly use the Yeedi Cube as an example here because Narwal’s design decisions are on this level. Back when I reviewed the Yeedi Cube there was one thing I absolutely loved about it. The handle on top of the vacuum served as a carry handle to move it from room to room and between floors. The Freo X Ultra doesn’t have a carry handle on the vacuum. But it does have carry handles on the side of the base station. And I’d wager that honestly, that’s a little more important.

We’ve already established that the base station is a big unit. Narwal knows this. So it designed handles into the side of the base station you can grab to make moving the base station much easier. Now, you aren’t going to be moving this thing a lot. But if you ever do need to move it, such as during the initial setup, this is going to simplify the process. This is the only vacuum I’ve seen with this kind of design, and I think was a very smart move on Narwal’s part.

The base station gets even heavier if you have the water tank in there completely full. And if for any reason you need to move it after you fill it up, it’s honestly more work to pull the tank out, then move the base station, and then put it back in. It’s more efficient to just pick up the base station and move it without removing anything other than the vacuum itself.

The self-contained dust bags are genius, hidden under a slick magnetic lid

In addition to the handles on the side of the base station, there’s a tiny lid on the top of the vacuum that can be pulled off to reveal a few things. Such as the QR code for the initial setup and the dust bag compartment. This lid is connected with magnets so it’s super simple to pull off when you need to. But strong enough to keep it secure at all other times. Plus, magnets are just slick whenever they’re implemented into any product design.

Narwal’s most genius design choice though might be the special dust compression bags with HEPA filters. These slot right into the vacuum under the magnetic lid and they compress dust, dirt, hair, and anything else the vacuum picks up for up to 7 weeks. When it needs to be replaced you simply pull out the now full bag and toss it out, then put in a new one. It’s a process that takes just a few seconds. Most importantly, the HEPA filter and enclosed bag means no dust getting out and no dusty odors.

This does have a drawback. The dust bags are disposable, so you will eventually have to buy new ones. Assuming each one lasts you the full 7 weeks, you can expect to have to buy new ones every six months, as the vacuum comes with three in the box. Narwal sells these in three-packs for $20 each. So after the first year with the Freo X Ultra, you’re looking at $40 a year for the dust bags. Admittedly, this is a very minor drawback. Because it saves you the time of emptying a plastic dust bin, which the vacuum does come with as well. $40 a year also isn’t that expensive. It is extra money though, and the vacuum isn’t cheap.

Still, the bags are a genius design. And they definitely simplify the cleaning process. So I think they’re worth it.

Narwal Freo X Ultra Review: Build Quality

Build quality might not be the first thing you think about with a robot vacuum, or most products for that matter, but maybe it should be. You want the stuff you buy to be made well, or as well as it can be, and thankfully, Narwal has built a quality product with the Freo X Ultra. I say thankfully because it’s a robot vacuum and mop combo that costs $1,400 at full retail price. And there’s no world where paying that much for this type of product should result in anything less than a well-made product.

I can confidently say that the Freo X Ultra has great build quality. It’s a very solid-feeling robot vacuum and none of the parts feel or look cheap. Even something as simple as the two water containers in the base station are designed well and don’t feel like they could just up and randomly break after normal use. They’re made of thick plastic with durable hinges and lids. Even the latch that helps keep them locked while in the base station feels nice and sturdy.

When it comes to the vacuum itself, it’s clear that Narwal set out to ensure the Freo X Ultra offered top-notch build quality. The wheels, the no-tangle brush, essentially everything feels like it belongs to a product that commands a premium price tag. In short, I have no worries that in six months something on this vacuum is going to go faulty, stop working, or physically break. At least not unless there’s a human element to it. Such as me picking up the vacuum and moving it and accidentally dropping it for example.

Narwal Freo X Ultra Review: Cleaning

If you’re buying a robot vacuum and mop combo, more than anything else, you want to know how it cleans. Because there’s no reason to buy one of these if it doesn’t clean well.

I typically don’t think much of devices that try to do too many different things. It just makes me think of them as a jack of all trades but a master of none. That isn’t something I was immediately thinking about the Freo X Ultra. But I was certainly curious if it would do well with both vacuuming and mopping. In my past experiences, it’s been either one or the other when it comes to a good clean, or both were decent but nothing to write home about. With the Freo X Ultra, it’s much different.

Mopping

I’m going to start with the mopping because it definitely feels more unique. Any of the robot vacuums I have personally used over the years that come with a mop all implement it pretty much the same way. They oscillate back and forth to gently scrub stains on the floor. Some may have had a variation on how that works. But in the end, they still oscillate back and forth. With the Freo X Ultra, it’s different. The mop on the Freo X Ultra uses two almost triangular-shaped mop heads that spin to scrub as the vacuum moves around. But it gets a lot more in-depth than that.

The mop heads also spin while the vacuum adds a downward force to the pads to help with lifting stubborn stains off the floor. To make things even better, the Freo X Ultra has what Narwal calls DirtSense technology. This basically identifies how dirty the floors are and the Freo X Ultra will continue mopping until the floors are spotless. For exceptionally dirty floors, it’s possible that you may have to refill the water in the clean water tank before competition. For example, my first time using the Freo X Ultra for mopping resulted in this kind of situation.

It wasn’t until this time that I realized we hadn’t mopped in a while. The clean water tank was emptied out towards the end of the mop session and it wasn’t even finished yet. At first, I thought this was just how it was going to be every time I mopped. Maybe it was the size of the apartment. Maybe it was how much hardwood flooring there was. Or how much water I had set the Freo X Ultra to use on the mop heads. Turns out, it was none of those things. There was just a lot of dirt and grime that needed to be cleaned up.

Mopping weather adjustments

What’s really interesting is that the Freo X Ultra will also adjust how much water is used on the mop heads based on the weather. For example, it uses less water in the mop heads when it’s rainy or cloudy. This is to prevent standing water on the floors. On the flip side of things, when it’s sunny and warm the water is likely to evaporate more quickly. So the base station applies more water to the mop heads to account for this. I haven’t really noticed much of a difference myself. But I think that’s because it’s been mostly cloudy here every day for weeks. It is that time of year and all.

Nevertheless, I thought it was cool that this was developed into the mopping system. Because I could totally see this being a situation you run into.

Mopping with AI DirtSense Technology

This is honestly the best part about this vacuum. Now I’ve already mentioned the DirtSense, but here’s a little more about how it works. There’s a sensor inside the robot that scans for the dirt level in the water. If it detects any dirt or if it determines the floor isn’t clean enough, it’ll go out for another pass and clean the floors until it no longer detects any dirt in the water. It’ll also periodically go back to the base station to empty this dirty water into the wastewater tank. So if it needs to clean the floors again, it can accurately sense the level of dirt in the next batch of water.

This is a genius idea. Because you’ll never have to wonder how good of a job the Freo X Ultra is doing. It will go back out for more mopping until the water comes back clean. Not too unlike how you are supposed to stop rinsing rice before cooking. You stop rinsing once the water runs clear. In my experience, this works incredibly well. The first time I used it, the clean water tank was emptied out almost completely. And the picture above is what the wastewater tank looked like afterward. If you’re doing the mopping more often, you won’t have to refill the clean water tank after every session.

And you’ll more easily be able to tell when the DirtSense is doing its job. This is one of the main reasons why I think this is such a good vacuum. Because I know when the floors have been mopped properly based on this alone.

Vacuuming

Now for the vacuuming. The other half of this machine’s intended purpose. I will say right off the bat, that this has done a better job vacuuming than any robot vacuum I’ve tested to date. One particularly pesky problem in this apartment is the pet hair. It’s everywhere. But thanks to the Freo X Ultra I’d say about 99% of what’s on the floor gets sucked up. That’s alongside any dust or dirt particles, food crumbs, and the like. I am not a fan of dog hair being everywhere around the house. Especially all over the floors as it ends up on my socks and then it gets in my shoes, on my carpet, and… well you get the picture. It feels a little like sand. You always find more.

Thankfully, the Freo X Ultra has done a very good job at cleaning up almost all of the pet hair on the floors around the apartment. The only area where it doesn’t quite get it all is the rug that’s on the kitchen floors. For whatever reason, nothing can completely clean the pet hair off this rug.

Most of it goes away with the upright vacuum we have. A little bit less with the Freo X Ultra. Ideally, it would be spotless. But I’ve come to terms with the fact that this is just how it’s going to be with this rug. It does get most of it. And certainly more than any other robot vacuum has. So that’s a huge plus. And more importantly, it gets everything else. So in the long run, the floors are still essentially spotless save for this one area. Now the Freo X Ultra does have plenty of suction power at 8,200 Pa. And I want to be clear that it’s more than powerful enough to get just about everything.

I think on other rug types, the Freo X Ultra would have zero issues sucking up all the hair it finds. Overall, it does a stellar job at vacuuming.

It really does have a zero-tangle brush

I think this is one of the best revelations about this vacuum. Narwal wasn’t kidding when they said the Freo X Ultra came with a zero-tangle brush. When I say every other robot vacuum I’ve ever used had some hair tangled around it, I mean it. You always end up having to use the included tool they give you to cut the hairs tangled around the brush. Which is not a fun job. This is not something you have to do with the Freo X Ultra.

The reason this works according to Narwal is two-fold. The conical shape of the brush paired with the bristles that sit at a 50-degree angle. This helps release the hairs as they get sucked up. So they go all the way to the dust bag or dust bin where they’re supposed to. I’m just so surprised at how well it works. And I’m thankful that I no longer have to deal with cleaning the brush off. That being said, I want to be clear. We have one dog in this house. A small pug. So I can’t say how well this would work with other types of dog hair that might be longer. I can however imagine it works just as well.

If you have a pet you love but you hate detangling its hair from the vacuum brush, this is the robot vacuum you want.

Narwal Freo X Ultra Review: The Base Station

The base station is just as important to the whole experience as anything else. While it is huge, it’s a great base station because it helps automate essentially everything. The only things you end up having to do are empty the wastewater tank and refill the clean water tank. And of course, replace the cleaning detergent from time to time. But the base station takes care of literally everything else. It automatically washes the mop heads after a cleaning session. It automatically dries them too.

Plus, the app allows you to set how strong you want the drying to be. You can choose to have it go full strength and dry the mop heads more quickly. However, this process is louder, so you can choose to have the drying be quieter while the process takes longer overall.

The base station also automatically sucks up any wastewater into the wastewater bin. While deploying water and detergent to the mop heads. And, my favorite part, is that it compresses anything the vacuum sucks up if you’re using the dust bag. And it can do this for up to seven weeks. So you’re not replacing the bag for almost two months.

When the dust bag does need to be replaced, you simply slide it out of the vacuum and toss it. Then put in a new one. I also briefly talked about this before but the base station has handles on it which makes it easy to move. Another nice little feature is the touch panel on top of the lid. You can use this for a few things. There are dedicated buttons for washing the mop heads as well as compressing the dust bag. There’s also a button for turning on/off the Freo Mind feature and a button for starting a cleaning session.

Naturally, you don’t want this being messed with. So if you have kids, there’s a nifty Child Lock function you can enable. I never used this touch panel myself. But it’s nice that it’s there if this is how you want to interact with the vacuum.

Narwal Freo X Ultra Review: Software

The software experience is, I feel like, always hit or miss. There’s never really an in-between. The app that lets you control the vacuum is either good or bad. In the case of the Freo X Ultra, it’s good. Not only is it well-designed visually, everything is pretty easy to use and easy to find. I will say that I had to poke around the app a bit to get to know the layout of where all the features were. But this really only took me like 5 minutes. By all accounts, not very long.

My only gripe with the app is that it took a ridiculous amount of time to get the vacuum set up. With the Freo X Ultra, I tried for multiple hours on the evening I first tried to set it up to get it all up and running. To no avail. I ended up giving it another try the following evening and everything was fine. You can also set up the vacuum using the QR code that sits under the vacuum’s lid (not the base station lid). I would have done this, but my review unit did not seem to come with a sticker that had this QR code on it. So I had to use the app.

Once I got things set up though, it was smooth sailing. First, the vacuum has to map your space. It feels like it’s the most accurate representation of my apartment setup that I’ve seen from any robot vacuum. Every room is also nicely color-coded.

If you want, there’s a way to display the floor plan and plenty of options for editing as well. In the map editor, this is where you can set up room names, merge rooms, and designate no-go zones if you don’t want the vacuum to clean somewhere. I for instance have it blocked off from two of the three bedrooms. But it has free roam over the rest of the place. And unlike some of the other vacuums I’ve used, the Freo X Ultra actually avoids these no-go zones every single time. It’s also possible to look at your tasks and set up schedules, as well as overlook the history of past cleaning sessions.

Cleaning modes

The app makes everything pretty straightforward when it comes to cleaning modes. You have Vacuum and Mop or Vacuum then Mop options. I mostly just used the vacuum and mop mode so everything gets done simultaneously. This is more efficient. However, you’re likely to get a better clean with the mopping if you set it to just mop only. This setting will mop until the floor is “flawless” Narwal says. And it does seem to do a better job but it does take longer.

That being said, it still does a great job when it does both at once. There’s also a custom option that lets you set different parameters for that specific time cleaning. Such as taking out any rooms you don’t need to clean for that one session or removing the mopping from one room for example.

Freo Mind

This is the majority of what makes this robot vacuum so smart. Now the nice thing is that this can be toggled on or off. So you don’t always have to have it enabled. And there is a reason to turn it off because it uses more battery power. However, you’re likely going to want to leave it on. It provides a better clean and in the end, that’s what you want. When enabled, which should be by default, the Freo X Ultra will vacuum and mop at the same time. But it also twists and swings at the same time.

This combination of movements helps to ensure a more thorough clean in corners and along baseboards. Freo Mind mode also helps remember the dirty parts of the floor around the home. Freo Mind will use the DirtSense tech to keep those dirtier parts in mind whenever you start a cleaning session. And it’ll focus more on those parts of the floor. Basically, you turn it on and let the intelligence of the vacuum handle everything. In my experience, it definitely provides a better, more noticeable clean compared to when it’s off.

I only tried having the vacuum clean once or twice without it, and it just seemed to be less clean than when I had this option enabled. I also think it’s worth noting that I do have a smaller apartment. So the battery never really runs out completely before the cleaning session is over. If you have a larger home, you may notice that the vacuum needs to go back and charge, then go back out to finish the cleaning session. Honestly, I think it’s worth keeping this on at all times.

Should you buy the Narlwal Freo X Ultra?

It’s an expensive robot vacuum and if I’m being honest, it’s not going to be right for everyone. However, if you want the best clean you can get, you should heavily consider spending the extra money. This has left my floors cleaner than they’ve ever been short of when I just moved into this apartment a few years ago. I think while expensive, the Narwal Freo X Ultra is worth the money. Hands down, this is the best cleaning experience I’ve had. And I think it’ll be hard for anyone to top what Narwal is currently offering.

On top of all this, using the Freo X Ultra is almost entirely automated. Most people don’t love cleaning. So if that happens to be you, you’ll love the Freo X Ultra.

Buy the Freo X Ultra if:

• You want an exceptionally clean floor
• You want a vacuum and mop combo
• You’re willing to spend more money

Don’t buy the Freo X Ultra if:

• You have a fully carpeted apartment or home
• You don’t want to spend a ton of money