Mova Z50 Ultra review: Almost perfect

At times it can feel like the robot vacuum marketplace is overflowing. There are plenty of brands, and little differentiators between the models they roll out every few months. So when Mova announced its foray into the Australian market I wasn’t holding my breath. As it turns out that was for the best, because the Mova Z50 Ultra knocked the wind right out of me.

Despite sporting many of the same features as other flagships like auto-emptying, mop cleaning, edge cleaning, and adaptive cleaning, the Z50 Ultra delivers better performance than any other robot vacuum I’ve tested. It is a little loud, and a little slow, but the results speak for themselves. Nothing is perfect, but the Z50 Ultra is damn close.

The most obvious boon for the Z50 Ultra is its mopping and vacuuming performance. Both scored upwards of a 98% clearance rate on all debris types, with even better edge performance in vacuuming mode. Whether it was tackling wet and sticky messes with the roller mop, or dry debris with the 19,000Pa suction power, the Z50 Ultra cleared it away without a fuss.

Most robot mops leave a bit of sticky residue on hard floors after our cleaning tests. It is a normal performance quirk, and nothing unmanageable for day-to-day cleaning. However the Mova managed to skirt this. It’s wide roller mop exerts enough downwards pressure to properly lift the entirety of the sticky maple syrup we use in testing off the floor. Only one other robovac has been able to do this so far, so needless to say I was impressed. The only mopping quandary I came across resulted from the mini edge mop. Rather than extending in and out as it approaches walls, like most other edge cleaning systems do, this one is primarily positioned a little bit away from the main body of the vacuum. As such it runs along any side it gets close to, and since it isn’t self cleaning like the main roller mop, it can redistribute what it has already mopped up. It was most obvious after testing the device against some tomato sauce only to find it scraped along my baseboard. It was nothing a wipe with a paper towel can’t fix, but it isn’t a common problem with this kind of tech.

On the vacuuming side however the edge clearance was near perfect. It scored a 99% clearance rate on both small and medium debris, with only a few sprinkles left right up against the wall. Performance in the middle of the floor was a little bit lower as it missed a sprinkling of dander here and there, but it still sits at the 98% mark. Intended to whip debris closer to the robot vacuum’s suction points we tend to see side arms push that dander away more often than not. Most robovacs will fling some of the testing debris away from the vacuum with these side brushes, and while the Z50 Ultra does still do this it is to a far lesser extent. It makes for a neater and more effective clean, and well the clearance rates make that pretty clear.

It is quite a bit louder than most other robot vacuums however, especially at the base station. With high suction enabled I could hear it buzzing around no matter where I was in the house, even my noise cancelling headphones struggled against the noise. During a regular clean it is quieter, but I don’t know if I would want it running around while I took a nap. At the base station the auto-empty is even worse. The first time I heard it I was legitimately shocked, and my dog freaked out and hid in the other room. You can toggle the frequency settings in the app so you don’t have to deal with the noise as often, but I’d proceed with caution. A few loud seconds is better than a full vacuum tracking dust around your space.

Robot vacuums are often let down by how independent they can be. An automated cleaner that can’t reliably make its way around your home won’t actually be of much help, so when we test them we look closely at the mapping and intelligence portion. Once again I was pleasantly surprised by the Mova Z50 Ultra. It mapped my home quickly and accurately, noting a bunch of potential obstacles the first time around. It even accurately identified my hallway, which has historically been the robovac’s achilles heel.

As the device actually cleans it just as adeptly avoids obstacles as it identifies them. In the time I’ve had the Z50 Ultra I have not needed to save a single item from its clutches. Despite the noted obstacle avoidance size only being 2.2cm, plenty of smaller household items have remained safe. Not a stray sock, not a charging cable, not even fabric scraps that have tumbled from my sewing stash. All the usual culprits were successfully ignored. It’s navigation is just as tuned in. Underneath the dining table can be a hellscape for robovacs - chair legs, tight spaces, and easily moved objects can confuse the sensors and the devices are prone to getting stuck under there. Not the Mova. I spent a solid five minutes watching it manouever through the tangle of chair legs, and successfully make it out to continue its clean.

It has been a while since a robot vacuum has proven to be this reliable. There is usually a quirk or two that demands your attention prior to the clean. For some I have to toss cables onto high surfaces, for others I need to move chairs to avoid it getting stuck, but the Z50 Ultra hasn’t needed any additional help.

Mova's Z50 Ultra robot vacuum is more than just good, it is near perfect. The device has the best clearance rate of any other vacuum we've tested, and intelligent mapping and navigation to match. While it does have issues, they are small and would be hardly noticeable in normal daily use. For most people, the Mova Z50 Ultra will be everything you need out of a robot vacuum.