When you think of robotic vacuum cleaners, most people think of brands like Roborock or Ecovacs. However, the Narwal Freo, which was presented in the autumn of last year, is a completely new player in the field. The manufacturer, which originates from the USA, thereby offers, at least on paper, a practical all-inclusive set that combines a vacuuming robot with a washing station. Here, the two rotating mops on the underside of the smart household helper are rinsed at regular intervals. This way, the two mop pads do not spread old dirt on the floor, but are always wetted with fresh water. We already know this from the flagships of other market participants. We want to take a closer look at whether the young underdog with the somewhat different design can hold its own against the renowned competition in the Narwal Freo test.
Technical data
| Dimensions | 35.1 x 35.0 x 10.6 cm (suction robot), 37.0 x 41.5 x 43.5 cm (base station) |
| Weight | 4.35 kg |
| Suction power | 3,000 pascals |
| Volume dust container | 480 ml |
| Battery capacity | 5,200 mAh |
| Navigation and sensors | LiDAR, carpet detection, camber sensors |
| App control | Yes |
| Price | € 679.00 * |
Scope of delivery
The scope of delivery has no big surprises in store. Thus, when you unpack it, you first see the robot vacuum cleaner itself with the associated side brushes as well as the usual paperwork.
Then in the lower part of the package is the suction station. This houses a handy cleaning tool as well as the matching power cord. Unfortunately, I did not find a cleaning tool. This is now actually standard for vacuum robots.
Narwal Freo review: classic design with minor changes
- Rounded corners are reminiscent of Yeedi
- Precious white
- High gloss look looks prone to micro scratches
A look at the market of vacuum robots has become a bit boring in recent months. For example, it’s rare to find bold design highlights like an Ecovacs Deebot X1 OMNI (test). Instead, it is sometimes difficult to assign the devices to the corresponding manufacturer without a matching brand logo. At first glance, this also applies to the Narwal Freo. However, the young company from the USA has given its vacuum cleaning robot its own design language.
Unlike many other manufacturers, Narwal relies on strongly rounded corners. This makes it somewhat reminiscent of Yeedi’s devices. On the top of the device is the LiDAR sensor, which sits in a small turret. In addition, there is a button that you can use to start the robot vacuum. The dust container is hidden under the maintenance flap.
On the front, under the market-standard bumper, sit additional sensors that serve, for example, object detection. If you turn the Freo over, you can see the two rotating mops. The two side brushes don’t have three, as usual, but two brush-like bristle sections. The view of the main brush is not as pleasing. Here, Narwal relies on a mixture of rubber and synthetic hair bristles.
Experience has shown that the latter are more of a disadvantage for pet owners, as hair can get tangled. A solid rubber solution, as offered by current flagships like the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra (test), is much better. In addition to the two wheels, the Freo also has a small, third wheel. This promises a high maneuverability of the smart household helper.
Narwal Freo test: great workmanship in robot and base station
- Base station with touch display
- Dirty and fresh water tank under the flap of the base
- Workmanship quality throughout at a high level
Otherwise, this model convinces me with its great workmanship. This applies to both the base station and the robot itself. Only the high-gloss finish could have some problems over time. Micro scratches could occur if you clean the Freo as well as the station too often.
The base features the familiar design of other models. Thus, the flap on the top can also be opened here to access the fresh and dirty water tank. The built-in display looks stylish and modern. Here you can start a cleaning tour of the robot vacuum by touch operation, for example.
Narwal Freo review: app control
Of course, the Narwal Freo also offers app support. So it’s possible for you to control the smart household helper remotely. During my test phase, the app was only available in Chinese and English. In the meantime, Narwal has added a new language pack, which now also offers German. Since I am halfway proficient in English, I was able to test the app extensively at the time of testing. However, this is not only due to my knowledge of foreign languages, but also due to the good overview that the app offers.
Thus, the application comes in a modern design and is very easy to use. At its heart is the floor plan of your own four walls, which the smart household helper creates. Similar to Roborock, Freo automatically assigns different rooms to the map after its maiden voyage. If this does not correspond to reality, you can also adjust the room layout afterwards. Thanks to the division into different sections, you can then give each room the cleaning it needs. This means that the kitchen and bathroom with tiled floors, for example, need a wetter cleaning than the living room and bedroom.
A look at the map also makes it clear where the Freo has detected carpet. This is where the handy carpet detection comes in handy. The fall and carpet sensors on the underside are responsible for this. If the vacuum robot hits a corresponding floor, it raises the mops and increases the suction power, so to speak. Otherwise, the app offers everything that we know from the competition. For example, cleaning modes can be regulated, no-go areas and virtual walls can be created. On top of that, you can create a practical cleaning schedule.
Narwal Freo Test: Navigation
To be honest, I didn’t really expect much from Narwal Freo. As it turns out, this is where the device fully plays its wild card as an underdog. So I was really surprised when the newcomer drove its first lanes in my living room after mapping was done. Once the robot has thoroughly scanned all corners of your living space with the help of the built-in LiDAR sensor during its maiden voyage, it drives from A to B in a targeted manner. The smart household helper operates according to a somewhat different principle than many competing models. First, it cleans the edges of the area to be cleaned. After that, it takes care of the area inside.
This navigation concept finally works out completely – At least if you don’t have too much carpet. The squeegee only takes care of this at the very end, which sometimes ruins the concept a bit. Apart from that, however, I am really positively surprised by the navigation capabilities. Besides the LiDAR sensors, the rest of the technology also does a good job. In particular, the object detection sensors ensured that the robot vacuum did not leave any damage behind in the test. It does not keep too much or too little distance to furniture and other furnishings. This ensures that it leaves a minimal edge of uncleaned area.
On top of that, the sensors on the bottom worked great. In the test, the smart household helper reliably detected my stairs and thus independently avoided falling from the same. The robot also always reliably detected carpeted floors. All in all, the Narwal Freo really surprised me positively. The sensors are only a bit weak when it comes to smaller objects. However, this is a problem that even flagships currently still have to a certain extent. Accordingly, you should rather pick up the small Lego bricks from the offspring before you send the Freo on a cleaning tour.
Narwal Freo test: cleaning performance
The Narwal Freo offers you different cleaning options. You can vacuum and mop with the smart household helper. You can not only regulate whether it uses one of the two cleaning options or both at the same time. You can also regulate that it first vacuums the floor and then mops it. Let’s take a look at how the results look in detail.
Suction power
In my apartment, there are primarily hard floors. In addition to vinyl floors, the Narwal Freo was still confronted with tile floors. And here the smart household helper scores with a very good result. As the owner of two cats and a dog, it was mainly animal hair that the Freo had to deal with. This was not a real challenge for it. The only annoying thing here is the design of the main brush. After a few cleaning tours, the first hairs stuck firmly to the brush. You then occasionally had to detach them by hand.
The combination of good navigation and high suction power ensures that the vacuum robot reliably clears almost every corner of dust. The performance was also very good on my small carpets. This is where the lifting function of the two mops pays off. After all, it prevents the device from unnecessarily moistening the carpet. While performance was good on my short pile carpet, the vacuum struggled quite a bit with my long pile carpet. This is where some competitors came out ahead. So if you have a lot of hard floors, you’ll be happy here. For carpeted floors, you should perhaps rather focus on another model. This is at least the case for friends of long-floor carpets.
Mopping performance
Given the two rotating mops on the bottom, I was very curious about the mopping performance. After all, by now devices like the Dreame L10s Ultra (test) have proven that this concept can be much more effective than traditional mopping surfaces. The Narwal Freo also convinced me in this respect. For example, the smart household helper exerts a certain amount of pressure on its two round wiping pads to further increase friction and eliminate even stubborn dirt.
So that he does not spread the dirt all over the apartment, he visits the washing station at regular intervals. Here, the two pads are rinsed extensively. Subsequently, the machine sucks off the dirty water produced in the process. Last but not least, the rinsing tray is filled with fresh water and the pads are re-wetted. The results after wiping are really very good. Even looking closely, I can hardly notice any differences to the flagships from Dreame and Ecovacs.
But of course, you can’t expect too much here. For example, if you have a dried jam stain on the floor, you will only be able to get rid of it after several tours of the squeegee. Here, you can’t avoid cleaning with a cloth or a classic mop. But you shouldn’t expect that from such a robot. Rather, the aim here is to keep the living area at a consistently good cleaning level.
Narwal Freo test: a real chameleon
What struck me after a few days of using the Narwal Freo is the high level of user comfort. And I don’t just mean the uncomplicated operation via app or on the device itself. On top of that, the robot vacuum blends into your living area almost unnoticed.
This is partly due to the classy white design, which ensures that the device virtually blends in with a white wall. So here you don’t have to worry that the coziness in your home suffers. Furthermore, the smart household helper works pleasantly quietly. Even if you are in the same room, the robot is not unpleasantly loud at any time.
Conclusion
I do not know if a robot vacuum cleaner in the test has ever surprised me as positively as the Narwal Freo. This is not because this model outperforms the competition. Rather, the manufacturer has been unknown to me so far, which is why I admittedly did not have too many expectations. In the end, I am really thrilled with the Freo. The newcomer not only scores with a chic design and a high build quality. On top of that, the navigation technology is good and the app scores with an overview and easy handling. The suction performance is also on a high level. Only the cleaning of carpets should not be expected to be miraculous. Here, however, at least the feature that the robot can lift its mops and thus prevent unintentional wetting of your carpet pays off.
The wipe function, on the other hand, gives no cause for complaint at all. Everything is just right here. Even though the Freo is a rather unknown model, Narwal offers its smart household helper at a sporty price of just under 900 euros. At this price, you can also easily get a Dreame L10s Ultra, which is even better in its overall package. Despite the small points of criticism, Narwal succeeds in entering the market with the Freo. In view of the ambitious performance, we are already looking forward to the young manufacturer’s other devices. By the way, those who decide quickly can save a lot. Thus, Narwal offers its Freo between June 15, 2023 and July 31, 2023 for 849 Euros on Amazon.
Narwal Freo
Design & workmanship
Hardware
Cleaning performance
Value for money
87/100
The Narwal Freo surprises with a good performance in the test. However, there are alternatives that are even better for the price.
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