Categories: Techno

Narwal Freo X Ultra Review: Is the New Kid on the Robot Vacuum Market Worth It ?

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In 2023, we published an article on the rise of Chinese brands in the robot vacuum cleaner market. A few months later, a new player, Narwal, stepped up its internationalization by launching a slew of new models in France. Among them, the Freo X Ultra.

Don't be fooled by its selling price of 899 euros, this model is well positioned in the high-end segment, facing models that easily exceed 1,000 euros. This is one of the brand's strategic springs to establish itself on the French market, as others have done before it.

With its advanced vacuuming and washing functions, coupled with a smart docking station, the Freo X Ultra aims to offer a complete solution for floor care, adapted to the requirements of the most demanding users. Does it do it as well as the market references?? Answer after several weeks of testing.

The design of the Narwal Freo X Ultra stands out from the rest of the market. The brand opts for rounded lines, both for its robot and its station. This refined and modern silhouette allows it to blend harmoniously into any furniture.

The Freo X Ultra features a removable, magnetic lid. It provides access to the dust bin with a capacity of one litre as well as the QR code required to install the application when using it for the first time.

The upper part of the robot is dominated by the LiDAR tower, essential for navigation and mapping. This protrusion, which is unavoidable to ensure precise navigation, remains discreet and does not harm the overall aesthetics of the device. On the sides and at the front, Narwal has integrated additional sensors to refine obstacle detection and improve overall navigation.

The docking station largely follows the design of the rest of the range. White, shiny, all rounded, it retains clean lines and a minimalist aesthetic that fits perfectly with the robot. Original element: the station is equipped with a touch screen on its cover. It allows you to follow the progress of the cleaning process in real time, start or stop a task or activate/deactivate the protection mode for children.

If its elegance does not leave you indifferent, the Narwal Freo X Ultra justifies its high-end positioning in its cleaning performance. Cable to vacuum with an impressive power of 8200 Pa, it is among the most powerful robot vacuum cleaners on the market.

In use, this translates into exceptional results. On hard surfaces such as tiles, the Freo X Ultra vacuums up almost all the dust, crumbs, kibble and other debris left under the dining room table by a child who is not quite clean. On carpets, a surface often shunned by robot vacuum cleaners, the vacuum cleaner's performance is just as impressive.

The Freo X Ultra stands out from the competition by its ability to handle pet hair. Narwal claims that the Freo X Ultra is “the first robot vacuum cleaner with anti-tangle technology”, a promise that proved true in testing. Even after several hours of vacuuming in a house with a long-haired cat, not a single hair got tangled in the cylindrical brush.

The Freo X Ultra maintains this high level of performance for floor cleaning. The two side brushes that sweep the dust towards a large central brush are combined with two triangular rotating mops that rotate at 180 revolutions per minute.

Before each cleaning, the robot fills itself with clean water (available in one of the station's tanks) which has previously been mixed with a cleaning product directly inserted into the station like an ink cartridge. The station thus injects the right amount of cleaning product for an effective wash. A good way to save money.

During testing, the Freo X Ultra proved to be very effective, much more so than its main competitors. These results are explained by its tendency to moisten floors more significantly. Thus, it erases stubborn traces such as dried sauce stains, chocolate and other joys.

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It should be noted, however, that the AI cleaning mode, which is incredibly effective, tends to make the robot return to the station a little too often. The reason is that the dirty water tank needs to be emptied and the clean water tank filled more regularly.

Finally, the automatic carpet detection is convincing. As soon as the robot identifies a textile surface, it automatically raises its mops by 12 mm, thus avoiding wetting the carpets. What more could you ask for? ?

The Narwal Freo app, the main interface for controlling and programming the robot, has received a visual upgrade to accompany the launch of the Freo X Ultra. This redesign brings a more modern aesthetic and more intuitive navigation, improving the overall user experience.

The installation and initial setup process is quick and easy. The first mapping is just as quick. For an area of approximately 75 m2, it only took the robot about twenty minutes to produce an accurate map.

The app offers a whole host of customization options. Users can choose between four levels of suction power and three levels of water flow for washing, which allows you to tailor cleaning to the specific needs of each room or floor type. The ability to view the home map in 2D or 3D is also a welcome addition.

The scheduling features are comprehensive, allowing users to set detailed routines, including the order in which rooms should be cleaned. The app also tracks component wear and provides access to advanced settings like parental controls and specific settings for pet owners.

Still, the mapping and navigation still have some blemishes.In our testing, the robot struggled to properly detect certain obstacles, particularly table legs. In these situations, the Freo X Ultra tends to repeatedly insist on reaching these areas, which can be frustrating and inefficient. Similarly, thin cables are problematic and should be removed from the path before cleaning to avoid any risk of entanglement.

These small navigation flaws, although not prohibitive, show that Narwal still has room for improvement to match the navigation precision offered by some of its market-leading competitors.

In our tests, the Freo X Ultra ran for about two hours before it reach a battery level of 20%, threshold from which it automatically returns to its base to recharge. This duration is comfortable given the suction power of 8200 Pa.

However, for very large spaces or multi-story homes, this autonomy may prove insufficient for a complete cleaning on a single charge.

The recharge time is approximately three hours, about average for this category of devices. The robot resumes its cleaning cycle where it left off after a recharge in order to complete its task, a good point especially in large homes on several floors.

Note that this autonomy can vary considerably depending on the cleaning settings chosen. Using maximum suction power or intensive washing will naturally reduce the operating time. Users will therefore have to find a balance between performance and autonomy according to their specific needs.

Most of the maintenance of a robot is located in its docking station. Unlike most competitors, the Freo X Ultra does not have an automatic dust bin vacuum function. A real black mark for this type of device.

So you have to make do with the one-litre dust bin, which you will have to empty manually frequently to avoid clogging. Narwal also suggests using disposable one-litre dust bags, which can be placed in the robot. While this option may seem convenient, it increases the cost of use in the long term and raises environmental concerns.

While vacuum management is not its strong point, the station excels in cleaning and drying mops. After each cleaning session, or according to user-defined settings in the app, the station thoroughly rinses the mops before drying them with air hot to 40°C. This process is done silently and discreetly, the robot entering the station entirely to do its big wash.

For the rest, la anti-tangle technology,even after prolonged use in an environment with pets, allows the brush to remain clean. Cleaning the brushes is therefore less frequent.

To find out whether the different elements need to be changed or cleaned, you can also refer to the Narwal Freo application. It provides detailed information on the status of the robot's various components, such as the wear of the brushes, filters and mops.

The Narwal Freo X Ultra is positioned as a serious competitor to the benchmarks in the high-end robot vacuum cleaner market. From its elegant and discreet design to its very powerful suction, it offers remarkable cleaning performance (special mention to the anti-tangle technology for animal hair) for a much more affordable price.

Not everything is perfect, however. To be flawless, Narwal still needs to optimize its companion application, the precision of the mapping, the detection of obstacles and, above all, integrate a dust collection system into its station.

These small flaws remain acceptable on a daily basis considering its price of 899 euros. To go further, we will have to reach the level of excellence of the market leaders.

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Teilor Stone

Teilor Stone has been a reporter on the news desk since 2013. Before that she wrote about young adolescence and family dynamics for Styles and was the legal affairs correspondent for the Metro desk. Before joining Thesaxon , Teilor Stone worked as a staff writer at the Village Voice and a freelancer for Newsday, The Wall Street Journal, GQ and Mirabella. To get in touch, contact me through my teilor@nizhtimes.com 1-800-268-7116