Mova Z50 Ultra Review: The Best Robovac Nobody Knows About

Design and workmanship of the Mova Z50 Ultra

At first glance, the Mova Z50 Ultra looks like an ordinary robot vacuum cleaner. But appearances are deceptive. If you turn the robot around, you will see something that has never been seen before. Mova has installed a roll mop. In other words, a larger version of a mopping roller, which has been used by Ecovacs since the X8 Pro Omni we tested here.

In addition, Mova installs a mini mop on the right-hand side, which Roborock has installed in exactly the same way in the S8 MaxV Ultra we reviewed a while back. This is intended to help with corner cleaning. Otherwise, the height of the cleaning robot is striking. It measures 11.1 cm. This makes the Mova model significantly higher than comparable top models.

The base station looks like an elephant in the room. It measures 18,4 x 21.5 x 15.4 in (46.6 × 54.5 × 39 cm). But I like the look of the station. The water tanks and the dust bag are stuck in the dock like long towers. The fresh water tank holds 4.5 liters (1.2 gal). Mova has opted for a 4-liter (1 gal) capacity for the dirty water tank. The dust bag has a capacity of 4 liters (1 gal). The box also includes a cleaning agent solution. This is inserted behind the fresh water tank. I think it's a brilliant idea to integrate the cleaning solution unnoticed in the station.

It is operated via the Movahome app. You have to register in the app with your e-mail address and establish the Wi-Fi connection. You can then add the robot. The software will guide you step by step through the entire set-up process.

Movahome app in detail

Once the robot has made its way into the app, it's time for mapping. During mapping, the Z50 Ultra gives an impressive foretaste of what is to follow. The vacuum cleaner recognizes the test area flawlessly, separates rooms correctly, and does not even run into obstacles during mapping.

One thing is immediately noticeable during use: the app looks very similar to the Dreamehome app. Unsurprisingly, as Mova is the subsidiary brand of Dreame. Accordingly, the structure of the app is identical. Cleaning is controlled in the start menu. Users can choose between 4 suction levels (5 if only vacuuming) and 30 water flow rates. There are also customization options for navigation. Here you can specify how closely the robot should follow paths.

Settings for map management and maintenance functions can be found in the other settings. In this area, you can set how thoroughly the station should clean the robovac and how long each individual process should take. On the one hand, I think it's good that there are so many options to customize the robot according to your preferences. On the other hand, I fear that users coming into contact with a robot cleaner for the first time may be somewhat overwhelmed by the variety of functions.

Suction and mopping performance of the Mova Z50 Ultra

On paper, the Z50 Ultra looks like one of the best robot hoovers on the market. With 19,000 Pa suction power and an extendable side brush, it has all the prerequisites for a flawless cleaning result. In everyday use, the Mova robot proves just that.

The robot feels at home everywhere. Even on carpets, the Z50 Ultra impresses with its efficient suction power. It confirms this impression in corners and hard-to-reach areas. The mobile side brush helps here. The robot extends this intuitively.

The jewel in the robot's crown is undoubtedly the mopping function. Mova has taken the principle of the mopping roller from the Ecovacs Deebot X9 Pro Omni a step further. The roller is significantly larger, with similar contact pressure. The manufacturer was also inspired by Roborock.

A mini mop has been installed on the right-hand side (in the direction of travel), which looks exactly like that of the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra we tested. This is intended to improve corner cleaning during the mopping process. If you take all the components together, there is no robot vacuum that has this technology!

The mopping result is excellent. The robot mops with water heated to 36 degrees. Inside, there is a scraper that rotates along the mopping roller and pushes out dirt. Once cleaning is complete, the station takes care of the maintenance of the robot vacuum. The mopping equipment is cleaned with 75-degree hot water and then dried quietly. The dust is also vacuumed away.

In principle, the robot only has two disadvantages. The first drawback is that the Z50 Ultra only raises the mopping equipment by 7 mm. In practice, it can happen that high-pile carpets in particular are moistened. The second sticking point is the overall height of 11.1 cm. Compared to other top vacuum robots, it is significantly higher and therefore reaches under less furniture.

But the cleaning bot also has unique advantages. It is packed with AI functions. The manufacturer has integrated four AI systems to make cleaning more efficient. Among other things, this helps with navigation. In addition to LiDAR sensors, the robot has an RGB AI camera that detects dirt. Obstacle detection is flawless. In practice, the Mova robot recognizes obstacles at an early stage and does not bump into anything.