First look at Narwal's new robot vacuum: The Freo Z10 Ultra is millennial gray and makes game-time decisions

ORDER AND SAVE ON SEPT. 12: Narwal announced the Freo Z10 Ultra robot vacuum and mop combo on Sept. 4. It will be available to purchase at early bird pricing of $899 starting Sept. 12, but will eventually retail for $1,299 after Sept. 28.

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Credit: Narwal

Narwal Freo Z10 Ultra

$899 at Narwal
$1,299 Save $400

 

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A gray self-emptying robot vacuum is huge news for anyone who's trying to match stainless steel appliances. But the new Narwal robot vacuum and mop combo is advertising more than living space cohesion. Officially announced on Sept. 4 (less than a month after Dreame unveiled several new robot vacuums), the Narwal Freo Z10 Ultra will be available to buy for $899 on Sept. 12. That price will bump up to its true MSRP of $1,299 after Sept. 28. My test unit arrived the night before the announcement — here are my first thoughts to spark your consideration until then.

The self-empty dock can hold four months' worth of debris — the largest capacity I've ever seen in a robot vac. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

Aside from one cheap Shark robot vacuum I tested last year, I rarely come across robot vacuums that aren't white or black — Narwal was smart to bet on millennial gray. The rotundness of the dock is mostly due to massive water tanks for extended self-maintenance, but that probably takes this model out of the running for the best robot vacuums for small spaces (and because it'd take herculean effort to drag up a walk-up). The touchscreen on the lid is a nice touch for those who don't want to use an app all the time.

The Z10 Ultra seems to focus heavily on adaptive cleaning, a theme I first appreciated about the last Narwal robot vacuum I tested: the CleanTok darling Freo X Ultra. One of my favorite tips to make a robot vacuum work better is to send it for two cleaning passes instead of one. This might seem obvious, but many apps require too much toggling to find that setting. However, the Narwal Freo Z10 Ultra shouldn't even require that. Its whole thing is game-time decisions, calling on dual RGB sensors and dual AI chips to read the room in real time and approach messes and obstacles accordingly. For instance, if a liquid spill is detected, the Freo Z10 Ultra will allegedly alter its mopping and water flow strategy.

I'm particularly intrigued by the triangular spinning mopping pads here. They extend out from under the vacuum like several other mopping robot vacuums out there, but will this wonky shape actually mop corners better than, say, the Roborock Saros 10R?

Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

The Freo Z10 Ultra's 18,000 Pa of suction power isn't groundbreaking, but it is in line with the other best robot vacuums of the $1,000+ price range. The Roborock Saros 10 and Saros 10R that I always recommend hit 22,000 Pa and 20,000 Pa, respectively, and both retail for $300 more than the Freo Z10 Ultra. It also beats the regular Freo Z10's 15,000 Pa and destroys the Freo X Ultra's 8,200 Pa. To me, a vacuum doesn't need the absolute best stats on paper to be a worthwhile purchase. Consistent attention to detail is just as crucial to the automated experience, and the Freo Z10 Ultra could be a pretty value-packed vacuum cleaner for picky people like me.