Narwal Z10 Ultra Review: Amazing Mopping Performance!

Design and set-up of the Narwal Z10 Ultra

The Narwal Z10 Ultra is available in two colors – grey and white. We were given the grey-colored model for the review. The Z10 Ultra looks very similar to earlier devices from the manufacturer. The robot vacuum cleaner has two side brushes and an equal number of rotating mops. The shape of the mop pads is special as Narwal continues to use a triangular mop design. In addition, the right-hand mop can extend outwards.

Surprisingly, there is no extendable side brush on this appliance. With a height of 10.4 cm, it remains a thorn in my side. Many manufacturers managed to design robot vacuum cleaners that are significantly smaller to reach more difficult places One example is the Roborock Saros 10 (read review), which measures less than 8 cm high.

In my opinion, the docking station is a real eye-catcher. It measures 43.1 × 46.2 × 38.8 cm and looks futuristic from all angles. The fact that Narwal always comes up with something special for its docking stations is nothing new. As a reminder, the manufacturer's first robot vacuum cleaner, the Freo (read review), already featured a touchscreen in the lid! This is also on board the Z10 Ultra. You can use it to send the appliance off to clean, pause, or interrupt its cleaning process. Finally, the AI mode known as "Freo mode" can be used, but more on this later.

The following functions are part of the docking station's range of functions:

• Suction function
• 80-degree hot water mop wash
• 55-degree hot air drying
• Automatic detergent supply

Narwal includes a 1-liter detergent solution that you use in the docking station. Other manufacturers now integrate an additional water tank from where you can add the detergent. However, do bear in mind the solution is only added when rinsing the mop pads and not before the mopping process.

You can use the Narwhal Freo app to control the appliance. You will need a WLAN and Bluetooth connection for the setup process. In our review, the robot vacuum cleaner was immediately listed and ready to go in less than five minutes. The Z10 Ultra does a solid job during the first mapping session. I like how the robot vacuum cleaner recognizes objects and displays them on the scanned map in an instant. This allows you to protect certain furniture from the appliance if you don't trust its obstacle detection.

Narwhal Freo app in detail

The Narwal Freo app has an appealingly designed user interface. All cleaning settings are accessible from the main menu. You can choose between four suction levels and three mopping levels. You can also adjust its navigation sensitivity, such as how rigid the robot vacuum cleaner should stick to its paths.

In the other settings, there are numerous detailed options for customizing the appliance according to your wishes. For instance, how many square meters should be cleaned before the mops are rinsed? Should the right-hand mop be extended? How thoroughly should the docking station perform cleaning? These are just a few examples of how you can configure the Narwal Z10 Ultra to suit your requirements.

The integration of AI in robot vacuum cleaners is nothing new. This helps the robot to analyze the degree of dirt or soiling in your home to adjust the suction and mopping performance accordingly. In the Z10 Ultra, it goes by the name of "Freo Mind". In this mode, the robot vacuum cleaner adjusts the cleaning levels to the degree of dirtiness in your home. The ingenious thing about it is how you can specify just how often the appliance should mop again after the actual cleaning round.

This is how well the Narwhal Z10 Ultra vacuums and mops

Narwal can keep up with Roborock and its peers in this department. The suction power is amazing. All types of dirt were removed by the hard-working home cleaning assistant. I would particularly like to emphasize its efficiency in vacuuming up fine particles such as sand in our experience. Even here, the performance does not falter and remains top-notch. A similar, convincing performance emerges when it comes to carpets.

The "Tangle-Free System" has been integrated into the main brush of the robot vacuum cleaner. In other words, you won't find any tangled hair in the main brush after cleaning. If you're looking for a robot vacuum cleaner and mop that can deal with pet or human hair, the Narwal Z10 Ultra could be the end of your search.

The fact that Narwal placed particular emphasis on the mopping function is nothing new. The mopping equipment is triangular in design and not round. According to the manufacturer, this small difference was intended to ensure the appliance does not leave any gaps when cleaning, especially in corners.

The manufacturer already proved this with the Freo and Freo X Ultra (read review) where the triangular design showcased its advantage. The Z10 Ultra confirmed this and showed a great performance in the review. The robot vacuum cleaner made short work of all stains thrown at it. If the dirt proves to be more stubborn, it cleans it after the second or third round. By the end of the day, you won't come home to a sticky floor.

I found it impressive the mopping performance was top-notch, even in corners. The right-hand mop, which intuitively extended itself in corners and hard-to-reach areas, is certainly of great help. To protect carpets from the mopping equipment, the robot vacuum cleaner raises them by 12 mm for additional clearance. As a comparison, competitors such as Ecovacs are currently in the 10.5 mm range. In fact, we didn't even discover any damp carpet stains after our review.

During the review, the appliance made a few mistakes when navigating. Although Narwal integrated LiDAR navigation and two cameras, it failed to recognize some obstacles on our test course. Nevertheless, I liked how the obstacles were displayed on the map. You can mark these as no-go zones to help the Z10 Ultra navigate better.

After the Z10 Ultra ran on the highest levels for 30 minutes, it has a remaining battery value of 70 percent. This is an excellent figure compared to Roborock (Best Of list) and Dreame vacuum robots (comparison). The feature-rich dock is responsible for maintenance. This is where the dust container is emptied, the mops are cleaned with hot water, and finally dried with hot air.

You can specify just how thoroughly you want it to do and at what intensity the docking station functions should be carried out in the Narwal Freo app. Hot air drying worked reliably in our experience, with the mops being completely dry after a two-hour drying phase.