Apollo Air 2022 vs Hiboy S2 SE - Is Paying Triple Really Worth It?

Fast Answer for Busy Riders ⚡ (TL;DR)

The Apollo Air 2022 is the overall better scooter: it rides more comfortably, feels more solid, brakes more confidently and has far more usable range for real commuting. It is the one you buy if you actually want to replace some car, bus or train journeys, not just decorate your hallway with e-mobility.

The Hiboy S2 SE, on the other hand, is a budget tool for short hops and tight wallets: fine for flat cities, campuses and 5-10 km days, as long as you accept a harsher ride, more basic feel and limited range. It makes sense if the price tag matters more than refinement, comfort or longevity.

If you care about how your scooter feels after the fiftieth ride, not just the first, keep reading - that's where these two really separate.

Electric scooters in this class are supposed to make daily life simpler, not add new problems. I spent time living with both the Apollo Air 2022 and the Hiboy S2 SE as actual transport - commuting, grocery runs, late-night rides on unpleasant tarmac - not just quick car-park test spins.

On paper, they sit at opposite ends of the "serious commuter" spectrum: the Apollo a premium single-motor machine priced like it knows it, the Hiboy a budget warrior trying to do "nearly the same thing" for a fraction of the money. One is aimed at people replacing part of their car or public transport use; the other is very clearly a price-driven compromise.

Think of the Apollo Air 2022 as a sensible daily shoe you can wear all week. The Hiboy S2 SE is more like a cheap trainer: fine if you only walk a few blocks. Both will get you moving - but how they do it, and how you feel after a month, is very different. Let's dig into that.

Who Are These For, and Why Compare Them?

Both scooters sit in the "commuter" category: single motor, moderate speed, mid-teens kilos, meant for city streets rather than forest trails. You'll see them on bike lanes and in lifts, not bombing down mountain tracks.

The Apollo Air 2022 is pitched as a premium commuter: you're paying for comfort, refinement, app features and a sense that the frame will outlive the battery. The Hiboy S2 SE is unapologetically budget: it wants to be your first scooter, or your cheap runabout, with the headline being the price rather than the ride.

They're competitors in the sense that many people look at them side by side: "Do I spend big once, or go cheap and see if I even like scooting?" If that's the question you're asking, this comparison is for you.

Design & Build Quality

In the hand, these two feel like they come from different worlds.

The Apollo's frame is a clean, single-piece aluminium casting with internal cable routing. No spaghetti of wires, no random brackets, very little visual noise. The finish is tidy and the whole thing feels like an actual vehicle, not an upgraded rental. The stem is thick and confidence-inspiring, the deck rubber is grippy and easy to clean, and tolerances are tight enough that nothing rattled during my test kilometres - even on neglected city asphalt.

The Hiboy S2 SE uses a steel frame, which gives it a certain toughness, but also a slightly agricultural feel. It's robust enough, and for the price you can't expect jewellery, but you do notice the more utilitarian construction. Welds and joints are functional rather than pretty, and while there isn't disastrous play in the stem, small creaks and buzzes appear sooner, especially around the folding area and fenders.

Design philosophy is clear: Apollo aims for premium minimalism, with an integrated display and clean lines that don't look out of place parked in an office lobby. Hiboy aims for "works and is cheap", with visible cabling and a more generic silhouette. The S2 SE does have some nice touches - wider deck, decent mudguards, sporty red accents - but it never quite shakes the budget aura.

If you care how the scooter looks and feels after a year of abuse, the Apollo simply feels more grown-up and more likely to age gracefully.

Ride Comfort & Handling

Ten minutes on each scooter over the same route tells you almost everything you need to know.

The Apollo Air 2022 has proper front suspension and large pneumatic tyres at both ends. You notice it the moment you leave smooth tarmac. Expansion joints, dodgy paving and manhole covers turn into gentle thumps instead of hand and knee punches. After a 5 km loop of broken bike lanes, I stepped off the Air feeling like I'd been standing, not fighting for my joints' survival.

Steering on the Apollo is calm and predictable thanks to wide handlebars and sorted geometry. It doesn't twitch at speed, and it feels composed when you lean into a corner or thread through traffic. The only trade-off: those wide bars and the solid stem make it less friendly for very tight indoor spaces.

The Hiboy S2 SE tries a different trick: solid front tyre, pneumatic rear. The idea is puncture-proof up front, comfort at the back. In practice, the rear does soften impacts under your feet, but your hands don't get the memo. A sharp edge or a rough section of concrete sends a clear jolt through the handlebars. After the same 5 km ugly loop, my legs were fine but my wrists and fingers felt more worked than they had any right to.

Handling-wise, the S2 SE is nimble and easy to pick up at low speed - great for weaving around parked cars or pedestrians - but feels lighter and less planted at its top pace. It's not sketchy if you respect its limits, yet it simply doesn't have the composed, "rail-like" feeling of the Apollo when you're cruising quickly.

For comfort and grown-up stability, the Apollo walks away with it; the Hiboy is "good enough" for shorter, smoother rides but not in the same league for daily rough-city use.

Performance

Neither scooter is a rocket, and that's fine - they're commuters - but they approach performance differently.

The Apollo's motor has noticeably more shove. Off the line, it doesn't try to yank the bars out of your hands, but you get brisk, confident acceleration that keeps you flowing with city traffic rather than feeling like a moving bollard. It holds speed better when you hit a gentle climb, and there's enough reserve that you don't constantly think about nursing the throttle.

On hills, the Apollo behaves like a patient but capable worker: it slows somewhat on steeper ramps, especially with heavier riders, but it rarely gives up. You might not be overtaking e-bikes uphill, but you're not walking alongside the scooter either.

The Hiboy's smaller motor is tuned kindly - the throttle response is smooth and forgiving, and new riders will appreciate that it doesn't lunge forward. But once you get used to it, you do feel its limits. Acceleration is respectable up to moderate speeds, after which it flattens out; it gets to its top speed and then just... stays there, feeling a bit out of breath.

Climbs are the S2 SE's weak point. Light riders on modest grades will manage. Add real-world weight and steeper streets, and you're in "help it with a kicking foot" territory. It's acceptable for bridges and little ramps; it's not a hill machine.

Braking is one of the few areas where they feel philosophically similar: both use a combination of drum and electronic regenerative braking, and both offer more than enough stopping power for their speed class. The Apollo's overall stability under hard braking feels more reassuring; the Hiboy stops well, but the harsher front end means you feel emergency stops more in your hands.

For regular city riding with a mix of flats and mild hills, the Apollo feels unstressed. The Hiboy feels okay - as long as you stay within its comfort zone.

Battery & Range

This is where spec sheets tempt people to start doing mental maths. Let me spare you: in practice, the Apollo has a substantially bigger battery, and you feel it.

On the Air 2022, riding at a realistic brisk commuting pace, I could comfortably stack a full day's errands and a two-way commute without nervously watching the last battery bar. Even pushing it in the fastest mode, a typical city day was well within its real-world range envelope. You can commute one way, detour for groceries, then go back without planning your life around sockets.

The Hiboy S2 SE is more "pick your mission and stick to it". Ride it gently on flat ground and it'll get you through a short commute and back. Ride it enthusiastically at full speed, throw in a few hills and headwinds, and that advertised range shrinks noticeably. When I rode it like most people actually do - sport mode, no particular attempt to save energy - the battery gauge started to feel like a countdown, not a comfort blanket.

Charging times are, ironically, slightly kinder on the cheaper Hiboy due to the smaller battery; it fits well with office or overnight charging. The Apollo takes longer to fill up, but given the larger tank, that's not surprising. The key point is how often you need to charge, and on that front, the Apollo is much more relaxed.

If you're planning daily trips that start to approach the Hiboy's real-world limit, you will develop range anxiety quickly. On the Apollo, the same distance just feels routine.

Portability & Practicality

On the scales, both scooters live in the mid-teens kg range. In the real world, they carry differently.

The Apollo Air 2022 is honest about one thing: despite its "Air" name, it's no feather. Carrying it up several flights of stairs is a workout, and the wide, non-folding handlebars make it a bit of a plank to manoeuvre in tight stairwells and crowded trains. The folding mechanism is rock-solid once engaged, but it's low on the stem and initially stiff, which isn't ideal when you're juggling bags and trying not to miss a train.

That said, the solidity you curse on the stairs is exactly what makes it feel planted on the road. As a "fold occasionally, ride mostly" scooter, it's fine. As a "fold every ten minutes" scooter, it starts to annoy.

The Hiboy S2 SE folds more easily and more elegantly for frequent multi-modal use. The latch is up high, quick to operate, and the folded package is shorter and easier to stash under a desk or bus seat. Weight-wise it's marginally lighter, but more importantly, the carry experience is friendlier: you can fold and hook it in a few seconds without bending down and swearing.

Neither is what I'd call truly lightweight. If your life involves five floors without a lift, neither is ideal, but the Hiboy is less awkward to wrangle in tight spaces. If your main use is riding, not carrying, the Apollo's practicality swings back in its favour through better comfort, safety and range.

Safety

Safety is more than just brakes - it's how a scooter behaves when things aren't perfect. Here, the Apollo consistently feels like the more forgiving partner.

On the Air 2022, the combination of proper front suspension, large pneumatic tyres, wide handlebars and a rigid stem means you can hit small potholes, wet patches and tram tracks with less drama. The chassis keeps its line, the tyres grip well, and the front drum plus smooth regen braking give you composed deceleration even if you're a bit ham-fisted on the levers. It's the scooter I'd rather be on when a car door opens suddenly.

The Hiboy S2 SE does deserve credit: dual braking (regen plus rear drum) is excellent to have at this price, and the lighting package - high-mounted headlight, tail light with brake function, side lights - is genuinely good. Cars see you. The larger wheels also help compared with older 8,5-inch designs.

But physics is physics: a solid front tyre with no suspension will always be more nervous over rough or slippery surfaces. Hit a wet, broken patch mid-corner on the Hiboy and you feel the front dance in your hands in a way the Apollo simply doesn't. At sensible speeds and with some caution, it's perfectly rideable; it just gives you less margin for error when the surface misbehaves.

If safety to you means "how much can the scooter cover for my occasional mistakes?", the Apollo is ahead. The Hiboy is safe enough, but it demands more care from the rider.

Community Feedback

Price & Value

Let's address the elephant in the wallet: the Apollo costs roughly three times as much as the Hiboy. That's not a rounding error; that's an extra-holiday level of difference.

Purely on initial outlay, the S2 SE is obviously "better value" - you get a capable, reasonably quick scooter, with app features and decent brakes, for not a lot of money. You could almost buy three of them for the price of one Apollo, which is a compelling argument if you view scooters as semi-disposable gadgets.

But scooters aren't phone cases. Once you factor in comfort, longevity, support and how pleasant the thing is to ride every single day, the picture shifts. The Apollo feels like something you could happily keep for years, ride far and often, resell for a decent chunk later and still trust mechanically. The Hiboy feels more like an introduction: a way to dip your toe into scooting, or a short-range tool you buy primarily because it's cheap.

If your budget ceiling is firmly in Hiboy territory, the S2 SE gives you a lot for very little. If you can stretch, the Apollo more than earns the extra in terms of how much better your daily experience will be.

Service & Parts Availability

Apollo has built a reputation around post-sale support. Parts, documentation, and a reasonably responsive support structure exist, particularly in North America and through partners in Europe. There's also a lively community of owners sharing fixes, workarounds and tweaks. If you bend a lever or need a controller, you're not starting from zero.

Hiboy, despite its budget branding, is better than many no-name imports. Spare parts are actually available, and they do, broadly speaking, honour warranties. But expectations should stay grounded: this is not a premium, hand-holding experience. Response times can vary, and outside major regions you'll often be relying on online retailers and forums rather than a dedicated, high-touch network.

In short: the Apollo feels like it comes with a support ecosystem. The Hiboy has enough support not to be a complete gamble, but you are still closer to the "Amazon scooter" experience than to a premium brand relationship.

Pros & Cons Summary

Parameters Comparison

Final Verdict - Which Should You Choose?

If you want a scooter that can realistically replace a chunk of your daily car or public transport use, the Apollo Air 2022 is the one that behaves like a proper vehicle. It's comfortable enough to ride day in, day out; stable enough to feel safe in less-than-perfect conditions; and has the range to do a commute plus extras without planning your day around charging. Yes, you pay dearly for that, and yes, it's heavier and not perfect, but as an everyday tool it feels substantially more complete.

The Hiboy S2 SE is much harder to criticise on price, and that's its main defence. For short, flat commutes, students, or someone who just wants a cheap way to cut out a bus connection, it does the job - as long as you accept the harsher ride, limited range, modest hill ability and more basic refinement. Think of it as a sensible "first taste" of e-scooters rather than a machine you'll still cherish after a few seasons.

My take: if your budget can stretch and you actually plan to ride regularly, the Apollo is worth the extra. If the money simply isn't there, the Hiboy S2 SE is a workable compromise - just go into it with your eyes open about what you're giving up.

Numbers Freaks Corner

These metrics look at pure maths: how much you pay per unit of energy or speed, how heavy each scooter is relative to its battery or motor, and how efficiently it turns watt-hours into kilometres. Lower is better for cost and weight-based ratios; higher is better for how forcefully a motor pushes (power per speed) and how quickly a battery charges. They don't measure comfort, build quality or joy - just the cold arithmetic behind them.

Author's Category Battle

Overall Winner Declaration

In the Numbers Freaks Corner, the APOLLO Air 2022 scores 7 points against the HIBOY S2 SE's 3. In the Author's Category Battle, the APOLLO Air 2022 gets 32 ✅ versus 7 ✅ for HIBOY S2 SE.

Totals: APOLLO Air 2022 scores 39, HIBOY S2 SE scores 10.

Based on the scoring, the APOLLO Air 2022 is our overall winner. Between these two, the Apollo Air 2022 simply feels more like a real, grown-up vehicle - the scooter you actually want to ride every day, not just the one you could afford on a whim. It's calmer, kinder to your body and more confidence-inspiring when the city throws its usual mix of bad surfaces and inattentive drivers at you. The Hiboy S2 SE earns its place as a budget gateway into scooting, but once you've experienced the Apollo's calmer, more refined ride, it's hard to go back. If you can stretch for it, the Air 2022 is the one that will keep you looking forward to your commute rather than merely tolerating it.

That's our verdict when we try to stay objective – but hey, riding is mostly about emotions anyway, so pick the one that will make you look forward to your commute every single day.