The Narwal Freo Z Ultra does an impressive job of maintenance cleaning and mopping, as well as keeping itself fastidiously clean along the way.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Very smart obstacle detection | Can still get trapped (though it’s rare) |
| Good mopping and mop cleaning | Uses more water than many competing robot mops |
| Fully self emptying for water and dirt | Only supports 2.4Ghz Wi-Fi connections |
Score: 4/5
In this review
Design
Installation
Performance
Conclusion
Right now, I’m running AlexReviewsTech without Google Ads at all.
Why? Most people complain about them a lot, and I can see why — they can often be intrusive or irrelevant, and they get between you and the content you’d like to enjoy in the first place.
The problem is… that limits the income for the site, which makes it harder to run (servers cost money) and harder to justify (I like to eat food… sometimes!)
That’s why I’m instead seeking reader assistance to keep AlexReviewsTech viable, primarily via Ko-Fi donations.
Don’t want to make a Ko-Fi donation? There are other ways you can support AlexReviewsTech — read about them here!
Design
The Narwal Freo Z Ultra follows up from the Narwal Freo X Ultra I reviewed not that long ago, with a fairly similar style.
Also read:
Narwal Freo X Ultra Review
The base Narwal Freo Z Ultra robot itself has a similar round shape to the Freo X, similar dual rotating brushes and a roughly similar size. Likewise, externally the base station has the same semi-rounded shape that I rather liked with the Freo X.
Many robot vacuum base stations tend towards more of a “death star” look with hard edges, but Narwal’s softer approach feels like it’ll work within most home décor in a more complimentary style. The base station and robot sell in either a white or black finish, with Narwal sending me a white unit to assess. My strong preference here, if it matters to you, is black, because it shows the dust less – and a robot vacuum cleaner is going to come across a lot of dust if you’re using it right.
The Narwal Freo Z Ultra’s base station covers all the basics of cleaning, with compartments for dust collection, and dual water (clean and dirty) containers, as well as a separate area for Narwal’s floor cleaning solution. There’s a bottle of that solution included in the box, but it’s entirely possible to run without it.
One cute little inclusion is a baseboard cleaner module that you can opt to install on the robot itself. It’s nothing more or less than a little fuzzy extrusion that sits on the side of the robot. The idea is that it’ll gently brush the side boards of anything the robot moves around and near, picking up dust, fluff and spider webs as it goes. An interesting idea, and you do get 3 replaceable cleaner rags in the box to keep the idea going, though you do have to clean those yourself over time.
Installation
Physical installation of the Narwal Freo Z Ultra does involve dealing with a rather large and heavy box, but then this is a rather large unit overall, and it may be advisable to have a friend to hand to help with unpacking the box – or even just bringing it indoors if it’s delivered to you.
Installation is then app-led through the Narwal App, though I did encounter a few issues getting the Narwal Freo Z Ultra recognised. One challenge here is that the Narwal Freo Z Ultra only supports 2.4Ghz Wi-Fi, not 5Ghz, which isn’t great for a product at this price point, though it’s surprisingly common for robot vacuums, sadly.
I also encountered some issues getting the iOS version of the app to recognise the pairing QR code on the Narwal Freo Z Ultra, though that may have been teething issues as I did have access to it well before its public launch. Switching to Android fixed that issue for setup, though I later had more issues with the Narwal app randomly disconnecting on Android than I did on iOS.
Once the Narwal Freo Z Ultra was set up, it could get to mapping out my home. It needs to do this even if you do have existing maps in the Narwal Freo app (as I did) but thankfully this is quite a rapid process, as it’s not cleaning as it goes, just using its dual RGB cameras to get a lay of the land in terms of hard and carpeted surfaces, and any obstacles that might be in the way.
Performance
At a specifications level, the Narwal Freo Z Ultra claims 12,000PA of suction through its vacuum head, guided by dual RGB cameras that allow it to map and detect obstacles. Like many competing models, you can opt to use it in a remote control robot way, though this does feel like more of a silly gimmick than something you’ll use on a regular basis.
Like the Freo X, the Narwal Freo Z Ultra optimally wants to use its own AI-led routines for vacuuming and mopping, with choices to just mop, vacuum or combine a mix of either vacuuming and mopping or vacuuming then mopping. With cameras as good as the Narwal Freo Z Ultra’s and the use of AI for object detection – Narwal claims it can detect more than 120 different kinds of obstacles – there are some questions to be raised around general privacy.
If you do want the map to include real images of obstacles, you do have to agree to letting those obstacle photos be uploaded to Narwal’s cloud servers. The claim here is that they’re encrypted and deleted once no longer needed, though it’s not enabled by default and isn’t mandatory. I value my privacy, so I tested with it disabled entirely.
Does all of this mean that the Narwal Freo Z Ultra is smart enough to never get trapped?
Not quite. I have hit a couple of instances where it’s managed to get itself stuck during my testing period, though they have been rare. The app alerts you if there is an issue like this, and it was notable that a small table that it initially struggled to navigate was a problem precisely once; future runs past the same obstacle saw the Narwal Freo Z Ultra nicely navigate around and through it without problem.
It also handled trickier obstacles that I deliberately left in its path intelligently, cleaning around deliberately dropped cables and not (at least during my test runs) trying to eat sneaker shoelaces. Good stuff, though the best approach here remains actually picking up those kinds of items, because avoiding tangling with them means you will end up with small areas of floor that aren’t cleaned as a result.
You do still get standard choices like cleaning an entire map, identified rooms or zoned based cleaning based on your needs. One interesting quirk here having tested the Narwal Freo X Ultra in the same location is that while the mapped area is 100% identical, the Freo Z Ultra broke up my floorspace into more “rooms”, identifying my open plan kitchen as a distinct space where the Freo X saw it only as part of a larger room.
My own test environment includes hard floors and both low and high pile carpets, and the Narwal Freo Z Ultra has generally done a very good job of cleaning them over the review period. As with most robot vacuum cleaners, they’re best handled as “maintenance” cleaners, running each day to keep debris pickup at manageable levels, rather than maybe as a once-a-week affair.
The Narwal Freo Z Ultra is also very fastidious about cleaning up after itself, with a hot washing system for the mop heads that it intelligently applies if it detects that the mop heads are getting grubby. That’s good at a hygiene level, though it does affect the overall cleaning time if you’re doing a dual mop/vacuum run. Over my test area, it tended to take between 10-30 minutes more to complete a large task than some competing vacuums, largely because it wanted to return to clean the mop heads a lot more frequently.
The other impact this has is that the Narwal Freo Z Ultra is one thirsty little robot.
Typically with robot vacuum cleaner/mops I’ll get through around a week’s worth of fresh water before I need to refill. Narwal’s Freo X Ultra tended more towards 3-4 days, and the Freo Z Ultra is similar, tending more towards needing refilling (and emptying of the waste water reservoir) pretty much every 3 days. That figure could vary a little depending on the size of your cleaning area and water usage preferences, but the point here is that it’s definitely using more water than competing models. The upside there is that this is clearly because it’s very obsessed with keeping the mop heads clean all the time.
The Narwal Freo Z Ultra does support voice commands through Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa or Apple’s Siri, though as with the Freo X they’re hidden away a few menu levels deep in the Freo App.
Narwal Freo Z Ultra: Alex’s Verdict
This review did get a little delayed while I waited for pricing confirmation – and to an extent I still don’t have it – and that’s a pity, because the actual Narwal Freo Z Ultra is amongst the very best combination robot vacuum cleaners/mops I’ve tested to date.
There’s absolutely no doubt these are luxury buy items, and even at the early bird $2,099 pricing that’s a lot to pay for maintenance cleaning. Still, clearly there’s a market here for those who want that convenience, and if you do, the Narwal Freo Z Ultra comes recommended.
Disclaimer: This review was based on a unit sent to me by Narwal for the purposes of review
Narwal Freo Z Ultra: Pricing and availability
The early bird pricing for the Narwal Freo Z Ultra sits at $2,099 through to the 20th of October 2024, after which according to Narwal, it will cost $2,499.
Was this review useful to you? Support independent media by dropping a dollar or two in the tip jar below!
TAURI 5 in 1 for iPhone 16 Pro Max Case 6.9" with 2-Pack Screen Protector and Camera Lens Protector, Compatible with MagSafe, Military-Grade Protection, [Anti-Yellowing] Magnetic Phone Cover -Clear
$20.99 (as of September 27, 2024 15:58 GMT +10:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Stylus Pen for iPad (2024-2018) with Fast Charge & Palm Rejection,FOJOJO Active Pencil for Apple iPad Pro 11/13 M4,iPad Air 11/13 M2,iPad Pro 11/12.9",iPad 10/9/8/7/6th,iPad Air 5/4/3rd,iPad Mini 6/5
$28.99 (as of September 27, 2024 15:58 GMT +10:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Ferilinso Full Coverage 3 Pack Screen Protector for iPhone 16 Pro [Phone Case fit], 3 Tempered Glass Camera Lens Protector Accessories for Apple
$14.99 (as of September 27, 2024 15:58 GMT +10:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
TAURI 2 Pack Hard Case Designed for Apple Watch Series 10 46mm, [360° Shockproof] with 9H Tempered Glass Screen Protector, [Scratch-Resistant] Cover - Black
$16.99 (as of September 27, 2024 15:58 GMT +10:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Duracell Speciality CR2032 Coin Batteries (Pack of 4)
$12.00 (as of September 27, 2024 15:58 GMT +10:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
AlexReviewsTech is (for the moment) running ad-free.
This is done via the generosity of folks like you who cover the difference between having on-site ads (with their intrusivenes, flashy images, interstitials, all that bad stuff) by making a one-off or regular sponsorship donation. Something’s got to keep the server spinning up.
So if you’ve found what you’ve read valuable, and you’d like AlexReviewsTech to stay ad-free, please consider making a one-off (or recurring) donation.
If everyone gave just a little, the ads would never need to return — and I would be able to bring you even more ethically-produced tech journalism.
I’d like that, and I think you would too.