Segway’s Navimow subsidiary has been working on making innovative and affordable mowers for a few years now. Its latest model, the Navimow i105, aims to provide a reliable and easy-to-use robotic mowing experience at an affordable price.

This model features RTK positioning, seconded by a camera for improved navigation and obstacle avoidance. It also comes with an intuitive app and a bunch of customization options. With so much to offer, is it worth buying a more expensive robot? Let’s find out in this comprehensive review.

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Compact and unusual design

The Navimow i105 has a compact form factor, measuring 545×385×285mm, making it significantly shorter than competing models. Its lower body features matte black plastics, while the upper parts combine grey and shiny black, complemented by large orange and black wheels.

Unlike most mowers, it has no top panel. Instead, it features a large dial to select the mowing height and a small STOP button for emergencies. A circular LED strip surrounds the dial, changing color depending on the mower’s status.

A small seven-segment display and three buttons allow you to control the robot without using the app. Unlike competing models, it feels a bit cheap and useless to control the robot. At the front, which I initially thought was the back, there’s a camera for obstacle detection and improved navigation.

The dock is basic, including only a baseplate with no protection or storage. The mower comes with a small antenna, that connects directly to the dock without its own power supply. It ships with a rod, allowing placement anywhere in the grass. It isn’t the most attractive, but remains relatively discreet. Unfortunately, there’s no option to conceal the cable in the pole, leaving it visible and hanging.

An optional extension kit with a wall mount and a top cover is available, transforming the dock into a garage.

The overall build quality is decent, with materials that feel solid and well-finished. However, the use of shiny black may not be the best idea, as it tends to get scratched easily.

Long but guided setup

To set up the Navimow i105, you place the station and antenna randomly in your yard. You then use the app to remotely walk the robot along the edges of your lawn. This process helps the app identify the best GPS signal to suggest optimal locations for the station and antenna. Typically, it recommends placing the antenna in spots without trees blocking the signal, usually at the lawn’s edges.

If you don’t place the antenna in the recommended areas, the process can’t continue, potentially forcing placement in less desirable locations. However, the dock can still be placed outside the lawn, provided it’s connected to the lawn with a virtual path.

You then need to create zones by controlling the robot around each area. For lawns with walkways or separations, you must create separate zones and channels, as the robot will not mow across different zones otherwise. Indeed, its built-in camera recognizes the lawn boundaries and prevents the robot from trespassing them. If needed, you can de-activate that feature, though.

The setup process also allows you to define no-go zones, boundaries, and off-limit islands. You can also edit zones easily, without having to delete and recreate them, unlike most robots. Instead, you simply send the robot to a point and control it to adjust as needed.

The entire setup process is guided, thanks to an intuitive tutorial. However, you need to make sure you’ve chosen the right model, as the Navimow i105 can only handle maps up to 600 square meters.

Intuitive app, but limited options

The app’s interface is easy to use but offers fewer options compared to other mowers. You can customize light and sound effects and adjust obstacle avoidance settings. It also allows for night-time mowing and weather sensitivity adjustments, including pause durations.

Connectivity options include Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. An optional 4G module is available for purchase and installation. Unfortunately, the mower isn’t compatible with Alexa or Google Assistant, so you can’t use smart speakers to start a mowing cycle remotely.

The control panel on the robot is almost useless. The seven-segment display is hard to read, so it’s better to use the app on your smartphone.

Average mowing performance

The Navimow i105 features an 18 cm disk with three blades and with mowing heights ranging from 20 to 60 mm in 10 mm intervals, providing a rare level of fine adjustment. Sadly, you can only adjust the height manually using the dial. This means it has to be the same for all the zones, unless you manually change it between cycles.

The overall results are satisfactory, but the disk isn’t wide enough to cover large areas efficiently. It’s also not ideal for edges, leaving substantial areas unmowed. This limitation often requires additional manual trimming to maintain a neat appearance around the lawn’s borders.

Its wheels allow it to handle slopes up to 30%, which is fine, but not as good as some other models that can tackle 45% ones.

One advantage is the ability to adjust the mowing direction for each zone. This feature helps in tailoring the mowing pattern to different parts of the lawn. However, the Navimow i105 doesn’t automatically vary the mowing direction, which could have been beneficial for the lawn’s health by preventing grass from bending in the same direction.

Additionally, the mower struggles with corners, often leaving these areas inadequately mowed. This could result in the need for manual touch-ups to ensure a uniformly cut lawn.

Decent navigation and excellent obstacle avoidance

Positioning on the Navimow i105 is reliable and fast. The robot doesn’t need to wait to establish a GPS fix before mowing, ensuring efficiency and time-saving. During my tests, it never got lost, regardless of the time of day. Its camera-assisted positioning is excellent, allowing the robot to continue mowing even in areas where it loses signal. This feature also helps it understand lawn boundaries and avoid crossing them.

The Navimow i105 effectively avoids potential flowerbeds that have grown onto the lawn. It prevents accidental cutting of flowers by recognizing and avoiding them.

However, its navigation path is quite unusual. The robot doesn’t always follow parallel lines, leaving small unmowed strips. It also struggles with corners, often leaving large areas untouched.

Overall obstacle detection is very good. The mower avoids obstacles but comes close enough to minimize unmowed areas. If an obstacle is removed, it updates its map and returns to mow that zone. The camera even features a built-in LED light to sense obstacles when it’s dark, ensuring optimal functionality. This adaptive feature ensures that the lawn remains evenly cut even after changes in the landscape. Unfortunately, the obstacle height to ignore isn’t customizable, unlike some competing models.

Quiet mowing, but short battery life

The Navimow i105 impresses with its quiet operation, producing just 58 dB of noise, making it one of the quieter options on the market. This means you can set it to mow during weekends and even at night without bothering neighbors or your household. However, keep in mind it’s best to avoid mowing at night, both to avoid animals, but also because the camera’s visibility is reduced.

However, this tranquility comes with a trade-off: a relatively short battery life. The mower’s battery lasts up to 60 minutes, which might not be sufficient for larger lawns. Thankfully, the mower can return to the dock to recharge and resume where it left off, provided you wait for about 90 minutes between each break.

Seamless maintenance and care

Maintaining the Navimow i105 is straightforward and hassle-free. A simple hose down and wipe are usually enough to keep it clean. With its IP66 certification, the mower is well-protected against dust and water, ensuring durability and ease of care.

It’s important to think of manually cleaning the camera once in a while, though. The robot and dock can’t clean it automatically, meaning it won’t mow if the view is obstructed.

Is the Navimow i105E the right lawnmower for you?

The Navimow i105 is an affordable mower packed with features. It boasts excellent obstacle avoidance, reliable navigation, and can handle multiple zones with customizable mowing directions.

However, its navigation can be a bit quirky, and the mowing results often require manual trimming, falling short compared to competitors.

For simple lawns, the Navimow i105 offers great value for money. If you’re okay with slightly lower mowing precision, it’s a solid choice. Otherwise, consider more expensive models like the Ecovacs Goat GX-600 or Dreame A1 for better performance.

Pros	Cons
Affordable	No compatibility with voice assistants
Good obstacle avoidance	Non-functional control panel
Reliable positioning	Slightly deceptive mowing results