Mova Z50 Ultra review: The robot vacuum that gets the job done – but with some baffling caveats

Note: This review was first published on 1 Jun 2025.

Robot vacuums that can handle both vacuuming and wet mopping have come a long way in the past couple of years. These days, it’s almost a given that any decent robot vacuum should be able to do both. The Mova Z50 Ultra, which we’re reviewing here, is one of the newest models from a growing wave of Chinese brands making their way into the Singapore market. Like the Dreame X50 Ultra I tested recently (read my review here), it comes with heated mopping, high-pressure scrubbing, auto-lifting mop heads, AI navigation, and a rather elaborate docking system. But while the two may seem similar on paper, there are a few key differences worth highlighting.

Let’s start with what actually matters: does the Z50 Ultra clean well in real life? After spending the past month using it almost daily, I’d say yes but with a few caveats. Mova claims 19,000Pa of suction power, and while I have no way to measure that number (short of getting some lab equipment in), the real-world results are what you’d expect from a flagship model. It handles day-to-day debris like dust, pet hair, and food crumbs without fuss, and unless you’re watching it closely, you probably won’t even notice it’s running. The Dream X50 Ultra, by comparison, has a 20,000Pa suction power but I honestly do not find the Z50 Ultra in any ways inferior when it comes to vacuum power. That said, like most robot vacuums, it’s not a miracle worker and corners and tight edges still need the occasional manual clean.

Where I was more impressed was the mopping. Most robot vacuums with mopping capabilities still feel like an afterthought – they drag two rotating pads across the floor that, in practice, act more like glorified wet wipes. Some models also tend to smear light stains rather than scrub them off. The Z50 Ultra takes a very different approach and somewhat similar to the Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni (read Zachary’s review here). Its heated roller mop – not rotating pads – sprays warm water at 36-degree Celsius, scrubs with even pressure across the floor, and then lifts dirt into a separate dirty water tank. The difference is immediately obvious as compared to my experience with the Dreame X50 Ultra. Sticky marks, dried saliva stains from my doggo (yes, dog lovers will understand), and coffee stains that would usually need a second pass were gone in one go. I didn’t need to watch it nervously or intervene with a manual mop after too – it just handled it with aplomb. This kind of result is closer to what I’d expect from a handheld wet vacuum than a robot. It’s not flawless though, as its minuscule side mop (which is ironically, a rotating mop) doesn't quite reach corners or angular edges that require the robot to pivot awkwardly to reach. But the level of floor cleanliness felt noticeably better than what I got from the Dreame’s rotating pad system.

The mop-lifting system also does its job well. I’ve got rugs around the living room and in the rooms, and it never once dragged the wet mop over them. It lifts the mop head just in time to transition over. The Dreame X50 Ultra also has this feature, but Mova’s implementation felt slightly more responsive during testing – it didn’t hesitate or pause when switching surfaces. What helps is the AI-assisted navigation, which uses both LIDAR and a front-facing camera to steer the robot around obstacles. It mapped my entire flat in under 15 minutes and let me name and divide rooms directly from the app. It also didn’t hesitate when navigating around dining chairs or awkwardly shaped furniture, and it rarely bumped into things or required help. Unlike some robots that zigzag inefficiently or get confused by cluttered layouts (I’m looking at you, Dyson 360 Vis Nav), the Z50 Ultra planned routes that felt deliberate and well-paced. It also did a better job than most at maintaining its orientation without stopping to reassess its surroundings every now and then, which made the whole cleaning process feel more fluid and less robotic. Oh, there’s also a FlexBrush side system that extends to reach into corners – although this is almost a given feature in all flagship robot vacuum models and isn’t unique to the Z50 Ultra.

As an all-in-one robot vacuum with a base station, there’s also not a lot of manual interventions required apart from ensuring the freshwater tank is topped up and the dirty one is emptied and cleaned. After each run, the Z50 Ultra robot returns to its dock, rinses and scrubs the mop with hot water at 75-degree Celsius, empties the dustbin, and dries it using warm air. I didn’t have to touch the mop pad even once during testing, and the dust bag only needed replacing after several weeks of regular use. I also found the self-washing process of the track mop quieter than the Dreame X50 Ultra. Battery lifespan is pretty decent too. A 6,400mAh battery powers up the robot and lasts for around 90 minutes, which is more than enough to cover the entirety of my 110m² 5-room flat for one and a half rounds (I’ve set the robot to mop only after it has finished vacuuming). 

The app is simple but effective. You get real-time tracking, no-go zone settings, room-by-room customisation, and even a live video feed if you want to check on its progress. Voice control also works out of the box, and Mova’s built-in assistant means you don’t have to link it to Alexa or Google if you don’t want to. I mostly stuck with app controls, and they worked reliably throughout. My only minor gripe is that the mapping UI could use a touch more polish – occasionally I had to redraw zones that didn’t save properly the first time.

So, the Mova Z50 Ultra is almost easy to recommend but there are a couple of caveats. First, while the base station is compact enough to tuck into a corner, it’s taller than it looks in photos. If you’re planning to place it somewhere visible, be prepared for it to stand out more than you’d like. Second, and more frustratingly, there’s no refillable tank for cleaning fluid. Unlike the Dreame X50 Ultra or Ecovacs X8 Pro Omni, which let you top up cleaning fluid as needed, Mova forces you to buy a new proprietary bottle every time. It’s inflexible, wasteful, and honestly a bit baffling. But with an SRP at S$1,299, it undercuts both Dreame and Ecovacs by a few hundred dollars, which shifts the value equation significantly. For what it offers, that’s a compelling proposition although the X8 Pro Omni's extendable roller mop seems to be able to clean edges more efficiently.

It’s a bit of a paradox, really. The Mova Z50 Ultra does so many things right that I want to love it, but then it throws in the odd head-scratchers like the cleaning fluid bottle that make me pause. Still, every time I watched it steamroll through my flat and leave the floors spotless without lifting a finger, I was reminded why robot vacuums exist in the first place. If you’re after a premium robot vacuum but wants to save a little, this one definitely earns its keep.

The Mova Z50 Ultra robot vacuum is available at Mova's e-store for $1,299. You can also find it at their LazMall Store and Shopee Mall.

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