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We first spotted the Narwal Freo X Ultra at CES earlier this year and finally got our hands on one to review. The Freo X Ultra has some standout features, particularly in its mopping capabilities, but also a few shortcomings that are worth noting. Today, we'll take a closer look at its performance, who should buy it, and if its mopping performance earned it a spot in our coveted Top 20 Best Robot Vacuums list. (Spoiler alert – it did!) https://youtu.be/p5y7LdxfQIA?si1H6EDKwxn54unWCI View on YouTube Mopping Performance Right off the bat, it’s clear that the Narwal Freo X Ultra was designed with mopping in mind. It uses two spinning mop pads that are somewhat oddly shaped, which is all part of Narwal's patented system to prevent missed spots while mopping. Narwal states that these pads exert 12 Newtons of downward pressure, double that of many competitors. A closer look at the triangular mopping pads. © Vacuum Wars We put the Freo X Ultra through various mopping stain evaluations, including our new standardized stain evaluations, where it got a 113 out of 176—which is higher than average. Narwal Freo X Ultra robot vacuum mop combo's mopping score. ©Vacuum Wars See also: How Vacuum Wars Tests Robot Vacuum Mop Combos Mopping Features Some of the mopping features include its auto mop wash station, which automatically washes and dries its mop pads and replenishes the water tank with clean water and detergent. It also has a self-cleaning feature and a removable tray for periodic deep cleanings. Narwal Freo X Ultra auto mop wash station. © Vacuum Wars Additional useful mopping features that come with the Freo X Ultra include: A sensor that can monitor how dirty the mop pads are and initiate more washings if needed. Its mop pads lift up 12 mm automatically (which is higher than average) when it senses carpets so it can vacuum carpets and mop hard floors in the same run—an important feature to have. Narwal Freo X Ultra' mopping features score. ©Vacuum Wars When we total its mopping features with its stain evaluation scores, the Narwal Freo X Ultra landed squarely in third place on our Top 10 Best Robot Mops. Keep in mind that this list only takes into account mopping-related data, unlike our overall Top 20 Best Robot Vacuums list, which scores all features. Battery Life The Narwal Freo X Ultra impressed us with its long-lasting battery life. Narwal claims it can run for up to 208 minutes on low power, which is much higher than average. And in our real-world battery efficiency evaluations, it got a top-two score at almost two minutes per percentage point, which averages out to about 1,438 ft² per charge—a top-three score, though your mileage may vary. Amazing battery efficiency. ©Vacuum Wars Power Scores Its raw power was also a pro. The Freo X Ultra had higher-than-average suction in our evaluations. It also had an average amount of airflow and an average score in our crevice pickup assessment. Narwal Freo X Ultra robot vacuum power scores © Vacuum Wars Its surface debris pickup was also good. We evaluated it on both hard floors and carpets with large and fine debris and found that it was very good at sweeping up all the types and sizes we threw at it. The Freo X Ultra even did well with pet and human hair. Narwal Freo X Ultra Robot Vacuum in some of our debris pickup evaluations. © Vacuum Wars The Narwal Freo X Ultra is an impressive choice for those who prioritize mopping performance. Its powerful mopping capabilities, advanced mop station, and solid battery life make it a standout for homes with primarily hard floors.Vacuum Wars Cons of the Narwal Freo X Ultra Our Narwal Freo X Ultra review wouldn't be complete if we didn't discuss the potential drawbacks. Here are some considerations. Obstacle Avoidance One possible drawback is the obstacle avoidance system. Freo X Ultra in obstacle avoidance evaluations. ©Vacuum Wars Narwal calls theirs the "TR Laser System," which is mounted on the front of the robot, and it performed poorly in our evaluations. It scored just 5 out of 12 points in our standard obstacle assessment and 3 out of 12 in our torture assessment. It ranks among the worst for avoiding objects on the floor. Narwal Freo X Ultra is just below average in obstacle avoidance. ©Vacuum Wars Robot Vacuum Navigation Another con was its navigation. While it did make a good map of our floor plan and was generally smart with its path selection, it was slow. It took longer than normal to complete its job, especially when mopping. It also showed some evidence of Narwal being a newer company that's still working out some of the bugs. For instance, it constantly got stuck on a table base in our evaluations, which we attribute to an algorithm issue. It should have been programmed to give up trying to cross that base. The Freo X Ultra has some navigation issues. ©Vacuum Wars One way to quantify this is by taking into account their app scores on Apple and Google Play. This is something that we've started adding to the algorithm for our top 20 rankings. The Narwal Freo app has one of the lowest scores we've seen, at least for its iOS app. Carpet Deep Cleaning The Narwal Freo X Ultra struggled in our carpet deep cleaning evaluations. When vacuuming sand from carpets, it delivered a below-average performance. This is compounded by its lack of a carpet boost mode, a feature that would have allowed it to increase suction power on carpets to better leverage its long battery life. Missing Key Features from the Station Finally, a big con for us was its lack of an auto-empty dust bin. Most flagship robot vacuums these days (See our Top 20 Robot Vacuums) have the ability to automatically empty their dustbin into a bag or bagless bin, but the Narwal's model doesn't have this. Only its mop-washing features are part of its base station. It does have an innovative system called "self-contained dust processing," which is supposed to compress the contents of the dustbin into a disposable plastic bin. It also comes with a regular old-style dustbin for manually emptying the contents if you choose. The plastic dustbin of the Narwal Freo X Ultra. ©Vacuum Wars Another thing that hurt this robot vacuum's rankings was the lack of hot water mop pad washing, which is a popular feature found in many competing models' automated stations. Narwal Freo X Ultra Review: Final Thoughts The Narwal Freo X Ultra is an impressive choice for those who prioritize mopping performance. Its powerful mopping capabilities, advanced mop station, and solid battery life make it a standout for homes with primarily hard floors. However, its limitations—such as the absence of an auto-empty dustbin, less effective obstacle avoidance, and limited carpet cleaning performance—mean it's not the best fit for those seeking an all-in-one cleaning solution. It just made the cut for our Top 20 Robot Vacuums list, landing in 18th place out of over 100 models evaluated, which is still a commendable achievement. For users who can look past its shortcomings and mainly need a top-tier mopping robot, the Narwal Freo X Ultra could be a great fit. We're looking forward to what Narwal brings to the table in the future, as they have the potential to become a major player in this market. Narwal Freo X See it at Amazon

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