Narwal Freo X Ultra

I tested the Freo X Ultra alongside the Roborock S8 MaxV and the Ecovacs X2. In pure mopping quality, Narwal wins convincingly. DirtSense is the real deal — I watched it slow down and make three extra passes over a dried coffee spill in my kitchen that the other robots just smeared. The hot-air drying for the mop pads is also excellent; after 3 months, zero mildew odor. The app is functional but rougher around the edges. Worth the tradeoff for the cleaning quality.

Five months in and my kitchen floors have never been cleaner without me doing anything. The DirtSense technology really does make a difference on my tile. I was skeptical it was marketing, but watching it re-clean sections is pretty convincing. The app on my Android phone has crashed on me about 4-5 times, which is annoying. Each time I just reopened it and everything was fine, but it's not as polished as the Roborock app. Still, for the mopping performance, I'd buy this again.

The robot itself and the cleaning performance are wonderful. My floors look genuinely clean, not just swept. The fresh mop pads after every session are a huge quality of life improvement. My main issue is purely practical: the base station is enormous. I live in a medium-sized condo and I had to rearrange a closet just to find a place for it near a power outlet. If you have a large home with space near your cleaning area, you won't care. For smaller spaces, measure twice before buying.