I absolutely love a smart vacuum and mop. I have dogs that shed. A lot. So when the Narwal Freo X Ultra came to my attention, I had to try it out. I was not disappointed, overall.

Like all smart vacuums that both vacuum and mop, the box this thing came in was huge, but it was basically ready to plug in and go. I didn’t have to place a magnetic plate on the top of the robot or move the brushes to the bottom like I have with other models I’ve tried, but it was more of a hassle to get it out of the box (due to its size) than it was to do the little things needed to get it up and running.

And of course, there’s an app to download and connect to, so you can control it from your phone. But even that process was pretty much as you’d expect. You scan a QR code, download the app, and create an account. The whole process took less than 15 minutes, from the time I cut the tape on the box to the time I started the vacuum for the first time.

Look, I’m not going to lie. With every vacuum I’ve owned in the past (even the DreameBot L20 Ultra), I’ve had to leave the house or lock myself away because of the noise. Robot vacuums just aren’t quiet. Or, well, they weren’t. Sometimes the Freo X Ultra is so quiet I’m not even sure it’s working. I go look for it to make sure it’s not stuck.