Mova LiDAX Ultra Lawn Mower review: Mostly hands-off lawn care

If you've got a medium to large-sized yard that needs mowing regularly, the Mova LiDAX Ultra robot lawn mower can make mowing an afterthought.

One of the most recurring tropes of futuristic homes in fiction is this idea of little robot guys that run around doing stuff for you. We've had robot vacuums, mops, and even litter boxes, but the outdoors felt like a domain that hadn't been tackled just yet.

When robotic lawn mowers first started becoming more affordable options, they weren't too great. I'm happy to say, if you've got the cash, the Mova LiDAX Ultra Lawn Mower is an excellent option.

You're spending more than you would for a push mower, less than a riding mower, but getting the ability to step away from the chore altogether. The feature set and ease of use really do make a robot mower a worthy purchase.

Of course, the mower needs to actually work, and work without needing human interference.

Mova LiDAX Ultra Lawn Mower review: Design and features

The Mova LiDAX Ultra design has similar cues to other robot mowers I've seen. It is primarily red and black with some LEDs and a giant stop button on top.

Underneath is a plate with four razor blades. This model has a plate that can raise to 3.9 inches, lower to 1.2 inches, and move left and right to get within 2 inches of edges too.

Mova says the motor is capable of tackling a 45-degree slope, which seems accurate. However, loamy soil that's easily dug into by the treaded wheels might have the robot sliding in some spaces.

There's a 360-degree LiDAR dome on top, a 1080p camera front and center, and charging plate contacts on either side of the front. The front wheels are simple swivels while the rear wheels are large and motorized.

It can easily turn on a dime as needed to create different mowing patterns. If you'd like crisscross, checkerboard, or different directional mowing, there are options for each.

The LiDAR is capable of recognizing over 300 distinct obstacles, animals, and people. The object avoidance is sensitive enough that it sometimes dodges some tall weeds because they're over a certain threshold, but you can turn that off.

It's a good-looking mower that catches the neighbors' eyes. You'll definitely be known as the house with the robot, so keep that in mind.

There are some protections against theft. You can set it up so there's an audible alarm and alert sent to your device if the robot is picked up or moved outside your home perimeter.

There's a hidden AirTag slot, but don't count on it for theft prevention. Remember, Android and iOS devices will alert users to an unidentified AirTag, thief or not, but it's not a bad thing to utilize if you're concerned about theft.

There's even an optional 4G connection. Mine shows a year of service is included, so I have no idea what pricing might be after that, but it's likely inexpensive if you want yet another tracking method outside of Wi-Fi.

Mova LiDAX Ultra Lawn Mower review: Setup

I'm quite happy to say that the Mova LiDAX Ultra is as close to plug and play as you can get with a robot lawn mower. Simply screw down the docking station and connect it to power, and you're ready to go.

The mower pulls into the dock where a brush knocks off any debris or pollen from the LiDAR dome. The metal contacts in the front touch contacts in the charging station for a simple charging interface that doesn't rely on ports or cables.

When you set up Mova LiDAX Ultra for the first time, you'll take control of it like a remote control car and walk it slowly around the perimeter of your yard. Split sections into different zones and label them as needed.

I ended up splitting my yard into four zones. One for the back, one for the front, one for the side, and one specifically for the sloped section of my front yard.

That was it: no laying a wire, no fighting against obstacles in the yard, no weird problems with signal strength. Just a map that I can point to and start a mowing job.

Using the Mova LiDAX Ultra Lawn Mower

I used to live in a home with a much more challenging yard. It fundamentally killed a robot mower that struggled to mow most of it across many hours, though that was mostly due to the very limited ability of that mower.

While I didn't get to test Mova's mower on that old yard, I'm confident it could have handled all but the biggest slope with ease. The new yard is fairly flat, but it has a slope on one side in the front that proved somewhat a challenge.

I kept an eye on the mower for the first job. It handled the flat areas with ease, but when it got to a large dip and the side hill, it struggled a bit.

The motor was more than capable of moving the mower up the slope or out of the dip, but it didn't always succeed due to digging up the yard. The wheels spin, the robot slides, and soil is kicked up as it spins slightly in place.

Luckily, it seems that it learned from this in these spots, because after saving the robot from these locations, I haven't had to do so again. I tell it to mow the front yard, back yard, and side yard sight unseen.

The slope in the front yard gets some special attention, because I'm not totally confident in its ability to handle it unassisted. However, it hasn't been stuck or dug up any new holes since that first mishap, so I believe I can trust it.

Segmenting off the hill was a great idea that helped with management. I can set a specific mowing direction to ensure it handles the slope longways so it is less likely to get stuck.

The app makes managing the mower easy. I set the trim height, mowing direction, and let it go.

There are other features like patrol mode that I didn't bother with. My home security cameras give me views of my home's exterior without issue, but I'm glad I can jump in and view the mower's camera if needed.

I like that the mower will go through a whole zone then do a final edge trim before returning to the base station. The 2000 model I tested is rated for a half acre in one charge.

I'm not quite sure if that's the case though, but it may be due to how my lawn is laid out. One charge can get the front yard and side yard done, but a full charge is required just for the back yard.

Honestly, though, it doesn't matter. The mower is self-sufficient and quiet. It can finish an area in less than an hour, the whole lawn done in about two hours, and that's fine.

I've been running it weekly and the grass looks great. It's truly set it and forget it lawn care.

You'll need to weed eat around fencing, the mower docking station, and other obstacles. Cleaning the mower with a water hose is necessary from time to time, and the razor blades do need changing every 100 hours of work or so.

Premium robot mowing

The Mova LiDAX Ultra robot lawn mower is an excellent tool that I highly recommend for those looking to eliminate a chore from their list. Mowing can be a hassle, and for some, an impossibility.

I think that robot mowers could become as ubiquitous as robot vacuums. It is a luxury good, but one that isn't out of reach when budgeted for properly.

Apple would do well to adopt robot mowers in Apple Home via Matter. It isn't an option today, and I'm sure this model won't adopt the standard retroactively, but still. At the least, the third-party app is good enough.

There have been robot mowers for a few years now, but I believe the Mova line represents a good balance of price and function. Pricing can only improve from here as parts and features become commoditized, but don't be afraid to jump in now if you're able to.

Mova LiDAX Ultra Lawn Mower review - Pros

• Hands-free lawn care with minimal setup
• Enough power to navigate small slopes and dips
• Simple installation and easy-to-navigate app
• LiDAR, cameras, and object recognition mean the robot is self-sufficient

Mova LiDAX Ultra Lawn Mower review - Cons

• Appliance territory pricing
• Might get stuck in some situations
• Rear wheel tread is necessary, but can dig up some soil at some angles

Rating: 4 out of 5

The Mova LiDAX Ultra delivered on being a great robot mower for a relatively flat yard with few obstacles. It doesn't need a wire, but some slopes and holes prove to be a challenge.

Most urban lawns and any large flat lawns are going to be perfect for the Mova LiDAX Ultra.

Where to buy the Mova LiDAX Ultra

There are two versions of the Mova LiDAX Ultra that differ only in how much space they can cover in a single battery charge. The Mova LiDAX Ultra 2000 is available for a discounted $1,399 on Amazon, down from $1,960.

The 1000 model is $1,299 on Amazon.