Narwal Flow review: the best for those seeking personalized cleansing.

We're always looking for the perfect robot vacuum cleaner, the one that lets us forget about cleaning.

For this reason, we put the Narwal Flow to the test for a month, the latest robot that vacuums and washes floors completely autonomously, made by the Chinese brand Narwal and presented in Europe last September at the IFA in Berlin.

The Narwal Flow is positioned in the premium segment of the market, both in terms of performance and price, which - barring promotions or discounts linked to Black Friday - exceeds a thousand euros.

The suction is powerful and the cleaning is impeccable, but what really sets this model apart is the high level of cleaning customization and the ability to intelligently adapt to dirt, automatically deciding how many passes are needed to completely remove it.

Design and materials: low profile and revolutionary washing

Externally, the Narwal Flow does not differ much from the brand's previous models, such as the Narwal Freo X Ultra.

The base station features soft lines and slightly rounded corners, with an elegant design that easily integrates into modern furnishings. The access ramp is minimal, yet the robot enters and exits with ease : a smart solution for those who want to optimize every inch of space. As appreciated in previous models, the robot also fits almost entirely inside the charging base, maintaining the overall appearance of the appliance neat and discreet.

Lifting the top lid of the station, we find the usual set of double water tanks : one for clean water and the other for the dirty water collected during the wash. Be careful, however, as the color scheme can be misleading: the darker container is for clean water, while the clear one houses the waste water.

On the top edge of the base there is a single physical button, which allows you to start or pause cleaning without necessarily having to use the dedicated app.

The Narwal Flow's multifunction station automatically manages all maintenance operations: charging the robot's battery, emptying the dust into a 2.5-litre bag, loading and unloading the water, as well as washing and drying the cloth used to wash the floors, thanks to a system that combines air and hot water .

Compared to the previous Narwal Freo X Ultra, the front door that hides the dust bag is now anthracite in colour, an aesthetic choice that makes it more visible and gives the base a more sophisticated look.

The robot, however, features a slightly revised design. Unlike most competitors – and previous Narwal models – the LiDAR sensor is no longer located in the classic turret on the top, but is integrated into the rear section .

This solution gives the Flow a much lower profile, just 95 mm high, allowing it to easily fit under low furniture and hard-to-reach surfaces. It's important to note that this change hasn't compromised the quality of navigation, which remains precise and reliable in any situation .

The most significant difference between the Narwal Flow and previous models is the washing system, called FlowWash .

While previous generations of Narwal robots—like many competitors on the market—used two separate round mops, the Flow uses a single, elongated roller capable of rotating at high speed and applying up to 12 Newtons of pressure to the floor. This roller not only rotates and presses downward, but also extends laterally thanks to EdgeReach technology, allowing it to effectively clean along baseboards and in corners. Furthermore, the mop can lift up to 12 mm when it detects the presence of carpets, thus avoiding wetting them.

A less convincing point concerns the management of the detergent . Unlike the Narwal Freo X Ultra that we tested in the past , and other competing models in a similar range, the Flow does not have an automatic dosing system: it is therefore not possible to insert a bottle of detergent into the station so that the right amount is automatically dispensed.

Narwal includes a sample bottle of detergent in the package, but the user must manually add it, pouring one or two capfuls at a time into the clean water tank. If you use the robot daily, this process can become repetitive and impractical , as well as introducing the risk of inaccurate dosages, left to chance or—even worse—luck.

The package also includes some spare accessories , including a plastic dust container to be inserted into the robot, an additional filter and a disposable bag for collecting dirt inside the charging station.

Performance: suction and washing

Overall, the Narwal Flow's performance proved to be excellent.

The robot, equipped with a built-in front-facing camera, uses computer vision and artificial intelligence to navigate precisely around the home, combined with a rear LiDAR sensor.

While the robot may occasionally appear to hesitate—spinning around—as it works out its next path, in practice it has proven very effective at identifying dirtiest areas and focusing its cleaning there.

A particularly welcome feature is the built-in flashlight, which automatically activates in low-light conditions. This allows the robot to work effortlessly even in dim light or darkness. This is a significant advantage for those who routinely start cleaning when they're away, especially on winter afternoons, when rooms remain dark for hours.

The suction, rated at up to 22,000 Pa , has proven very effective on hard floors, especially low-pile carpets. The robot can also lift itself automatically to tackle fringed surfaces or small uneven surfaces, overcoming obstacles up to 40 mm high. The clicking sound of the lifting mechanism is a bit loud, but you quickly get used to it.

We also appreciated the good debris management even when using the lowest suction levels: the rotating side brushes intelligently modulate the speed, avoiding scattering dirt instead of collecting it.

The Narwal Flow's real strength, however, is its mopping performance. Thanks to its use of water heated to 45°C, the robot delivers excellent results on hard floors, even removing dried-on stains when set to the intensive mode with increased water usage. At the end of each session, the system washes the mop with hot water and dries it with hot air inside the base, keeping it always clean and ready for use.

It should be noted, however, that the Flow is quite demanding in terms of water consumption: during our tests, with a daily wash cycle, we had to empty the dirty water tank and refill the clean water tank approximately every 3 days.

Narwal App and Cleaning Personalization

The Narwal Freo Flow's mapping is quite fast. In an apartment of about 100 square meters, the robot takes about fifteen minutes to complete the first scan, generating an accurate and detailed representation of the spaces. The resulting map clearly shows the division of the rooms—bedroom, second bedroom, hallway, living room, and so on—with surprising accuracy for a single scan .

Once the mapping is complete, the user can choose whether to start cleaning the entire apartment or select specific rooms directly from the map. You can include just one, multiple, or change the selection with a simple tap.

This flexibility is accompanied by a notable level of customization : through the Narwal Freo app , it is possible to adjust the suction power, but also establish how often the robot should return to the base to wash the cloth - for example every 15, 20 or 30 m2 - thus adapting the robot's behavior to different household habits and types of flooring.

The level of control offered by the Narwal Freo app is above average, but those who prefer a fully automated approach can rely on the intelligent Freo mode, selectable within the app, in which AI manages every aspect of cleaning. This way, the robot analyzes the dirt level in real time and automatically adjusts the suction power, the dampness of the cloth—varying it based on the type of floor and the amount of debris—and the frequency of sweeping.

If it detects a particularly dirty area, Flow increases pressure and cleaning precision, returning to the base station whenever needed to wash the cloth, empty the dirty water, or recharge the battery. This mode is ideal for those who want a constantly clean home without having to manually intervene, letting artificial intelligence decide how, where, and how much to clean.

Among the Narwal Flow's smartest features is carpet cleaning priority : when activated, the robot keeps the cloth dry and starts its cleaning session with these areas, before moving on to the rest of the house. You can also select intensive cleaning for carpets and rugs, or activate edge mode, which extends the roller slightly beyond the robot's body to more effectively reach corners, walls, and hard-to-reach areas.

Of course, the Freo app allows the classic functions of top-of-the-range robots , such as the choice between vacuuming only, washing only, simultaneous vacuuming and washing, or washing after vacuuming.

The Narwal Flow's intelligent navigation can be adjusted according to the desired level of safety . Thanks to binocular vision, the robot recognizes humans and animals and steers clear of obstacles. In the Narwal Freo app, you can choose AI Smart mode, which maintains an optimal distance from walls and furniture to ensure precision and safety, or Safety mode, which increases the margin distance to minimize any risk of collision. Even in the latter mode, cleaning efficiency remains high, with only a few small areas left untouched to prioritize the protection of furniture and delicate objects.

Another very detailed and important section of the app is accessory management . Here you have a complete overview of the status of each component: the dust bag, the base station, the container liner, the filter, the tracked mop, and the anti-tangle roller brush. All of these elements are automatically monitored by artificial intelligence, which alerts the user when a part needs replacing or maintenance.

The app also allows you to monitor the status of the dust bag and adjust the drying intensity of the cloth, which takes place in the charging station using hot water and hot air. You can choose between different modes: a silent one, with a gentle airflow, ideal for nighttime use; a powerful one, faster and suitable for everyday use; or an intelligent one, which automatically decides which drying mode to use based on the "do not disturb" settings and the time.

From the settings in the app, you can also choose the robot's language and voice , a way to make interaction with the machine more pleasant and personalized. The Narwal Flow communicates simply but effectively: it announces when cleaning begins, when it returns to the base to wash the mop, or when it's finished. You can set it to Italian and choose between a female or male voice.

Battery and autonomy

According to the Chinese company, the Narwal Flow's 6,400 mAh battery provides up to 190 minutes of battery life on a single charge. During our tests in an apartment with two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and two bathrooms, the robot never needed to return to its base to recharge before completing its cleaning.

Charging isn't particularly fast , but considering that you're unlikely to need the robot to clean the entire house several times a day, this is a minor issue and is largely compensated for by the good overall operating life.

Conclusions

The Narwal Flow is, in all respects, a premium option in the world of robot vacuum cleaners. If you're looking for a model with a strong focus on cleaning quality , the Flow is a recommended choice. It's true: the app—although it offers a high level of customization—could be more intuitive, and the robot occasionally shows slight hesitations in navigation. However, its excellent performance when it comes to removing dirt from floors makes these issues negligible in everyday use. One significant shortcoming, however, remains: the lack of an automatic detergent dispensing system, a choice that partially contradicts the philosophy of total autonomy that these robots are supposed to embody.

What we liked

• The single roller cloth does an excellent job, in some cases better than the two rotating circular cloths that previous models offered and that most of the main competitors' models on the market still offer.
• Navigation, despite the absence of the turret, is effective even in environments with multiple obstacles or in the dark.
• The new design with rear LiDAR, therefore, allows the robot to clean under the lowest furniture.
• The app's extreme level of customization, for truly customized cleaning.

What we didn't like

• No automatic detergent dosing: detergent must be poured manually into the clean water drawer.
• High water consumption requiring frequent refills.
• Charging speed isn't the best.