As much as I love tinkering in the garage and mowing, trimming, or edging the lawn, not everyone enjoys the process or has the time. And as a new dad with a toddler running around the house, my time is limited. After using the latest Segway Navimow X430 robot lawn mower, I’m convinced this is the future.

I’ve had a few hiccups, but overall it’s an expensive gadget that’s completely changed my nights, weekends, and lawn care routine for the better.

8/10

Brand

Segway Navimow X4

Cutting Width

17-inch

Dimensions

33.5″D x 24″W x 13.8″H

Charging Time

90 minutes (224W)

The Segway Navimow X430 is a capable robot lawn mower built to keep your grass looking great. Able to mow an area up to 1 acre, 4WD for 84% slopes, and zero-turn technology for damage-free mowing. There’s no need for an external antenna or boundary wires, and it supports EFLS tri-frequency Network RTK combined with 360° Vision for easy obstacle-avoidance mowing. 

Pros & Cons

• Fairly easy to set up
• Mapping is simple (automatic or remote control)
• Extremely quiet
• Easily avoids obstacles and handles hills
• Stylish and aggressive appearance

• Expensive compared to regular mowers
• You might still need the antenna
• Occasionally misses spots

Price & Availability

Two options, depending on the size of your yard

The new Segway Navimow X4 series comes in two main models: the X430, which can handle 1 acre of land for $2,499, or the longer-running X450, which tackles 1.5 acres of grass for $2,999. That’s a lot more cutting than comparable models, which is part of the allure. You can find it on the Navimow website, Amazon, and many third-party retailers.

Specifications

Getting started took longer than expected

Unboxing, setting up, finding the right dock placement, and updates

Unveiled earlier this year, the latest Navimow X4 series has all the bells and whistles. RTK satellite support, 360-degree cameras, AI-assisted obstacle avoidance, a wide 17-inch cutting width, and Segway’s unique “xero-turn” AWD system that won’t chew up your grass while it’s navigating. Better yet, each wheel has chunky all-terrain tires and hub motors, giving it enough power to handle steep hills that people or other robot mowers struggle with. This thing has it all, which is why it’s a pretty penny.

Like robot vacuums, robot lawn mowers have come a long way. You no longer need boundary wires, buried cables, or an oddly placed antenna. Set everything up, charge it, let it automatically map your yard, and enjoy relaxing in your air-conditioned home while it does all the work.

In practice, things are a little more nuanced than that, and you’ll have to do some initial work, find a good spot, then babysit a little at first.

The Navimow comes beautifully packaged, feels extremely well-made, and everything is clearly labeled. The more I use it, the more I understand why some people call it the Tesla of robot lawn mowers. The instructions were a bit unclear on what I did or didn’t need in the box, and it does come with a satellite you can wire and mount, but a big selling point is the “no satellite or boundary wires” needed.

Credit: Cory Gunther / How-To Geek

See, the Navimow uses RTK satellite positioning and 360-degree camera vision for navigation, but the charging dock (and mower) absolutely need a clear view of the sky, at least to some degree, to access the satellite system, Wi-Fi, and 4G. The app suggests putting the charging station with its built-in antenna in the middle of your yard. It can’t be against the house, too close to a fence, or near a tree. As a result, you’ll still have to bury the power wire or run an antenna if you can’t find a good location.

I moved the entire dock three times until I found a corner that worked without mounting the optional (and included) RTK satellite antenna. The app has a satellite signal analyzer, which is helpful. If you can’t get a good connection, it won’t mow, so that’s a big deal.

Don’t expect to unbox it, throw the dock on the ground, plug it in, and start mapping your yard in 15 minutes. It’ll take a bit longer to think things through, permanently mount the charging dock in an ideal location, and potentially wire in and mount the optional antenna to your roof. It comes with a ground stake for that antenna, but that’s one more thing to wire and place in your yard, which isn’t ideal.

Then, it downloaded about 7 different updates, which was a bit frustrating, if not understandable. I can appreciate healthy software support. It has downloaded and installed at least 10 different updates in the last few weeks.

Credit: Cory Gunther / How-To Geek

But once this class-leading mower is set up, updated, and dialed in, you’ll be like me, cooking dinner, enjoying life, or binging some Netflix while it mows perfect patterns 2–3 times a week.

Mapping, mowing, and more

Easier than expected after some initial adjustments

Fancy features and setup aside, how well does the Navimow X430 actually map and mow my grass? Well, pretty darn good. I have a pretty simple yard, split into three sections, and before the mower can start working, it needs to map out those areas. I was expecting it to be time-consuming and frustrating. It was just the opposite.

In under 10 minutes, the Navimow in auto-mapping mode drove around my backyard perimeter, scanned for objects, and was ready to go. The precise mapping system handled everything, then I hit mow and watched it silently mow the entire yard in around 20 minutes. Whoa!

My side and front yard are a bit more difficult, with an AC unit, sprinkler boxes, trees, flower beds, and a gate separating the front from the back. For those areas, I added a multi-zone pathway and chose manual mapping and on-screen controls like a video game, driving the Navimow X430 like an RC truck. It’s fun, easy to use, and the xero turn made it a breeze to navigate around obstacles.

When editing the map, you can make finely-tuned adjustments to the lines, set a no-go zone where the robot won’t go, or let the system recognize and avoid a tree on its own. I do wish the no-go zones and obstacle editing were a bit easier, but that’s nitpicking. I want to tap a zone, draw no-go areas with my finger, and call it a day. Instead, you have to manually drive the mower over those areas and fiddle with the app. It could and should be easier.

The multi-zone system lets you easily have the mower work in other areas that aren’t connected, and it’ll always take the same safe route to zone 2. My front yard was too far away, so it’s an unconnected 3rd zone that I have to manually drive (or carry) the mower to, then hit start. But that’s a lot easier than manually mowing and sweating in the heat.

EdgeSense and clean lines (after two passes)

I will say that the finished mowed yard looks different from a regular lawn mower, and sometimes it doesn’t look as smooth or perfect. Almost choppy and with unclear lines. I’ve found that a quick second pass delivers the results I’m after, with a finished look and clean lines. It also alternates mowing patterns every time, which is great, or you can choose a specific pattern in the app if you’d like.

Mapping only gets so close to edges, fences, and trees, so you’ll still need to trim the corners and edge your yard manually for a clean look. But hey, I’m fine with trimming and edging for 15 minutes, then letting the Navimow do everything else while I’m inside cooking dinner. And that’s precisely what I’ve been doing.

There is an “EdgeSense” mode you can enable to get within 2 inches of a wall or fence, as shown above, and it works great. That said, I did notice that the EdgeSense lets the X430 get a little too close to the cement on my backyard patio, which is raised about 4 inches above the grass. It should know that’s an obstacle and avoid it, but it drove over the top, and the blades scuffed up my epoxy coating. That’s not cool.

At times, you do need to babysit the Navimow a little, and there’s a huge red STOP button on top for emergencies, but once I figured out a few quirks, it’s been smooth sailing.

In Texas, it’s humid in the morning with dew on the grass, then way too hot in the afternoon to fight the heat and mow. Add in life’s daily tasks, taking care of a 16-month-old, cooking dinner, work, and everything else, and time becomes essential. Being able to edge in the morning, then set schedules or tap a button whenever I feel like letting the robot do the work is an absolute game-changer.

Thanks to the Segway Navimow X430, I’m no longer planning my nights and weekends around optimal mowing times or missing precious nighttime routines with my daughter. I’m living my life while one tap (or set schedule) in the Navimow app does all the work. Speaking of time, the app keeps track of every mow and how long it takes. Currently, it says the Navimow X4 has saved me about 11 hours of mowing.

A few other thoughts and things to know

App features, mowing at night, and a stylish design

Credit: Cory Gunther / How-To Geek

In closing, I wanted to ramble about a few other things, like how awesome the Navimow X430 looks. It’s so beefy and aggressive, and I love it. It’s a conversation starter, too, and I’ve met a few new neighbors who walk by and ask about it.

The Navimow is incredibly quiet and could mow at night—it even has lights to do just that. However, the few times I’ve mowed after dark, I’ve noticed it missed a spot or two, then returned to say 100% complete.

You can enable night mowing in the app, adjust all sounds and volume, switch between imperial and metric readouts, or enable a child-safety lock so children can’t walk up to the mower and hit the start button.

There’s an anti-theft system with geo-fence alarms and built-in location tracking to help prevent someone from walking off with your machine. If they do, you’ll be able to track it.

Other app features or settings include a global cut height of .75 to 4 inches, mow speed (including an even quieter night mow mode), choose to enable or disable mowing in specific weather like rain, snow, frost, or certain temperatures, and there’s even a “traction control system” you can enable.

Traction control lets the mower tackle wet or muddy terrain with improved stability and traction, reducing the risk of getting stuck or tearing up your lawn. It was a wet month of May where I live, and my backyard stayed wet for weeks in some spots. Traction control handled it all, and I was still able to let it mow at inopportune times without damaging the grass.

I also love the “Proximity Unlock” feature that lets the mower detect my phone over Bluetooth. Once I get close enough, the screen turns on, child lock is disabled, anti-theft alerts turn off, and I can tap start without ever opening the app. It’s pretty ingenious. All this is to say that Segway thought of just about everything.

The Navimow works with Alexa or Google Assistant, too. I can tell Google to turn on my living room TV to ESPN, then start mowing the backyard, all while my hands are full.

Should you buy the Navimow X430 Robotic Mower?

It’s expensive, but you’ll love it

So, should you buy something like the Navimow X4 series? At $2,499, I realize this is an expensive purchase, but some lawn mowers can easily cost $1,000 and still require tons of physical labor. If you have a yard that’s not wildly technical, has lots of hills and rugged terrain, or have tried other mowers that aren’t up to the task, consider the X430. It’s built to do what other mowers can’t, it’s extremely helpful, and a giant time-saver.

The mower is fairly easy to install, runs fast and quietly, and always does a great job cutting my lawn. I don’t have to worry about it running over a ball or hitting my dog, and I don’t have to mow myself out in the heat. Honestly, I think a robot mower makes more sense than a robot vacuum, and I absolutely love this thing. I can confidently recommend it.

If you’re willing to spend the cash, you can sit back and relax inside while your X430 takes care of most of the yard work.

8/10

Brand

Segway Navimow X4

Cutting Width

17-inch

Dimensions

33.5″D x 24″W x 13.8″H

Charging Time

90 minutes (224W)

The Segway Navimow X430 is a capable robot lawn mower built to keep your grass looking great. Able to mow an area up to 1 acre, 4WD for 84% slopes, and zero-turn technology for damage-free mowing. There’s no need for an external antenna or boundary wires, and it supports EFLS tri-frequency Network RTK combined with 360° Vision for easy obstacle-avoidance mowing.