UC Native M2 review: Not perfect, yet a better water purifier than others

Last year, Urban Company, a provider of on-demand home services, expanded into the branded products domain with the launch of the Native range of water purifiers. Unlike typical RO water purifiers requiring quarterly servicing, Urban Company claimed its products feature special filters lasting two years. The company backs this claim with a two-year warranty on the Native RO water purifiers, covering servicing, filter replacement, and spare parts.

With important things covered in warranty, it comes down to the end experience to establish if the water purifiers from Urban Company are actually good. To do so, I picked the Native M2 for review. It is the top-end model in the range, priced at Rs 17,499, with Internet of Things (IoT) enabled for internet connectivity, companion app support, and data monitoring.

Urban Company Native M2: Where to buy

The Native M2 is available on the Urban Company app and Amazon India, both offering free installation. My unit was procured via the Urban Company app, allowing me to schedule installation at my convenience. However, there was an initial installation no-show, necessitating a rescheduled service and causing unnecessary delay.

Urban Company Native M2: Filtration system

The Native M2 comprises a main unit housing most filters and a pre-filter inside a candle-shaped bottle. While the specific filter types aren't externally visible, the companion app lists six filters – pre-filter, sediment filter, pre-carbon filter, RO membrane, alkaline and mineral cartridges with post carbon filter, and ultrafiltration (UF) membrane. These filters, Urban Company said, enables 10-stage water filtration system that removes 99.99 per cent impurities.

Urban Company Native M2: Highlights

The Native M2 boasts a distinctive design in premium black, featuring a centre-aligned water outlet with a guiding blue light for visibility in low light. A sturdy retractable tray at the bottom facilitates glass or bottle placement during filling. With an eight-litre built-in tank, ample water storage is provided.

The unit features touch controls for dispensing water in three modes: Glass, Water, and Freeflow. The controls are backlit and flanked by ring-shaped LED, which glows in the standby mode and blinks when the unit is in use. Since the device is IoT enabled, the LED doubles up as an indicator to show paring status.

Speaking of IoT, the Native M2 is internet enabled and supported by the Urban Company app. The app has a dedicated section for the Native water purifiers where you can see information related to TDS (Total Dissolved Solids), warranty information, filter health details, and water consumption history. It is through the app you can claim warranty and the process is straight forward – tap on claim warranty option, pick date and time to schedule engineer’s visit, and you are done.

Urban Company Native M2: What could have been better

The Native M2 is good, but not without flaws. Urban Company has covered the essentials rights, but not addressed the common issue of water wastage inherent in such purifiers. Otherwise also not everything about the Native M2 is perfect. For example, the machine makes lots of noise when in use. The noise from machine is particularly annoying in night hours. Pulling the plug is not the solution because the machine has motor-powered water outlet. Therefore, you cannot dispense water from the machine even if has it in the storage.

Verdict

The Urban Company Native M2 is a value proposition in the RO water purifier segment. Its two-year warranty assures savings and peace of mind. As Urban Company's inaugural branded product, the Native M2 meets expectations, albeit with room for improvement, especially concerning water wastage and noise issues.