You may have heard of Narwal before. They are considered to be amongst some of the best robot vacuums and, as of January 7, 2024, have announced the launch of three new devices to their portfolio of smart home cleaning solutions.
They chose a good time to share the news; it was during CES Unveiled at, you got it: CES 2024.
Narwal is one of the top five robotic cleaning manufacturers in the world with over $200 million in annual sales and serving over 1.5 million households. They launched the Narwal Freo at a similar time last year, and ever since then, we have only been following them to see what's next for the brand.
They've unveiled the Narwal Freo X Ultra and Narwal Freo X Plus, claiming them to be 'the smartest, most powerful, and quietest vacuum mops in the world', as well as the versatile upright Narwal S10 Pro at the Consumer Electronics Show. They're not yet available to buy, but you can read on to find out more about them.
Narwal Freo X Ultra
This is the brand's flagship product. The robot vacuum shares very similar specs to the Narwal Freo X Plus but comes with the added addition of a self-cleaning base station, two patented triangular mops, DirtSense Technology, and a leading 8200Pa suction power.
The all-in-one base station will remove 98% of mop build-up and warm to 40C/104F to dry the mops when clean. It'll also auto-dispense and hold debris for up to seven weeks.
Compared to the Freo X Plus, which doesn't have the triangular mops but a pad instead, the Freo X Ultra will spin and scrub the floor by applying a force to the ground with a spin speed rate of 180RPM. This will make it ideal for hairy homes with pets that we know only too well will scatter their muddy paws where we don't want them across hard flooring.
Then, there is what the brand refers to as the 'world's first' DirectSense technology. We've seen Shark introduce CleanSense IQ, which works similarly, but only on their Stratos range of cordless vacuum cleaners. It'll sense dirt in real time and won't stop cleaning until all the dirt is gone.
It comes at a cost, though. It'll be launched in March 2024 on Amazon and Narwal for a list price of $1,399. At the time of launch, it'll be $1,099. If you can do without the self-cleaning station, two scrubbing mops, and a slighter lesser spec, then you can save yourself up to $930 by opting for the Narwal X Plus.
Narwal X Plus
The specs of the Narwal X Plus and of the robovac that comes with the Freo X Ultra are marginally aligned to offer an unrivaled clean on carpets and hard flooring.
The removable mop pad offers streak-free mopping with a 6N mopping pressure and four water outlets while, if it's carpet that you're vacuum cleaning, the floating brush will ensure 0% hair-tangling. This is all in the design. The conical shape releases the suction pathway; the single-arm brush structure allows hair to be sucked in directly; and the 50-degree bristles synergize with the suction direction.
The key spec also includes the tri-laser obstacle avoidance. The forward and side sensors recognize mm-level hazards, which should mean no more bumping into furniture, running over kids' toys, or falling down the stairs.
They can both be controlled by voice with connectivity compatibility with Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Siri. You can also expect to achieve a runtime of 210 minutes.
We're in the process of reviewing the Narwal Freo, which was announced at the beginning of 2023, so it'll be interesting to see how these two new releases compare.
Narwal S10 Pro
Venturing beyond the robomop is the unveiling of the Narwal S10 Pro. This is a wet and dry vacuum cleaner. It could be a good alternative for you if you prefer to be fully in control of the floor cleaning and prefer to use an upright stick over a robot.
It has a handheld weight of 0.9kg, making it a super-lightweight option. It can also reach under low-lying furniture thanks to its ergonomic design while deploying 76AW suction efficiency with 17N mopping pressure.
As with the Narwal Freo X Ultra, it'll self-clean itself and remove 99.99% of bacteria. You can also expect to achieve a runtime of 50 minutes, which, although it isn't as long as most cordless vacuum cleaners (60 minutes), we do appreciate that the S10 Pro can vacuum and mop.
It'll launch a month later than the robomops in April 2024 with a recommended list price of $449 and be available to buy from Amazon.
