Apollo Air 2022 vs Segway F3 Pro - Which "Premium Commuter" Actually Earns Your Money?

Fast Answer for Busy Riders ⚡ (TL;DR)

The Segway F3 Pro takes the overall win: it rides a touch more confidently, packs stronger real-world performance, better safety tech, and delivers all of that at a noticeably lower price. It feels closer to a "grown-up vehicle" than a dressed-up rental scooter, especially once the streets get rough or wet.

The Apollo Air 2022 still makes sense if you prioritise a slightly lighter chassis, cleaner design, and really value Apollo's app customisation and customer-focused ecosystem. It's the nicer object; the Segway is the more rational purchase.

If you want the best mix of comfort, power, and value, lean towards the F3 Pro. If you're sensitive to design, prefer a simpler, more relaxed ride and like Apollo's support culture, the Air 2022 remains a valid (if not spectacular) choice.

Now, let's dig into how they actually feel on the road-because the spec sheets only tell half the story.

There's a strange little arms race going on in the "premium commuter" class. Everyone promises comfort, safety, and portability in one neat folding package, and very few scooters really nail all three. The Apollo Air 2022 and the Segway F3 Pro are both pitched as that mythical sweet spot: civilised city speed, decent range, suspension that won't turn your spine into a tuning fork, and a price that doesn't require selling a kidney.

I've put serious kilometres on both: cracked bike paths, wet cobbles, tram tracks, the usual urban obstacle course. On paper they live in the same universe; in practice they have quite different personalities. One is the smoothed-over, design-driven Canadian take on commuting; the other is Segway's slightly nerdy, over-engineered answer with more tech than you strictly need-but often end up appreciating.

If you're torn between them, you're not alone. Let's go through where each wins, where they stumble, and which one actually deserves that spot in your hallway.

Who Are These For, and Why Compare Them?

Both scooters live in that "serious commuter, not a toy" bracket. They're built for adults doing proper daily distances-think cross-town commutes, not a quick buzz to the corner shop. Top speeds sit in the sensible commuter band, range is enough for a day's errands, and both wear suspension badges proudly.

They compete because they promise the same dream: a single-motor, 10-inch-tyre, full-size scooter you can trust every weekday without entering full motorbike territory. The Apollo leans toward refinement and comfort-first simplicity; the Segway leans toward tech, traction and squeezing value out of every euro.

If your shortlist says "good ride, real brakes, real support, but not a monster," these two will be staring at each other on your browser tabs.

Design & Build Quality

Pick up the Apollo Air 2022 and the first impression is tidy minimalism: a one-piece frame, hidden cabling, and a clean, integrated display. It looks like something designed deliberately rather than assembled from a scooter parts catalogue. The matte finish, rubber deck and solid stem all whisper "premium" even if the underlying hardware is mid-range.

The Segway F3 Pro goes for a slightly more industrial, "serious equipment" vibe. The magnesium frame feels robust, welds are neat, and nothing rattles. It's a bit busier visually-more brackets, more visible joints-but it also feels like it could survive a long life of commuter abuse. The curved bars, integrated lock point and bright TFT dash make it feel more like a modern e-bike sibling than a cheap scooter.

In the hands, the Apollo feels marginally more sculpted and sleek; the Segway feels more purposeful. Apollo wins on aesthetic purity and that lovely single-casting frame; Segway hits back with a more sophisticated cockpit, better integration of safety features and a folding joint that inspires a bit more long-term confidence. Neither is badly built, but the F3 Pro feels like it was designed to live outdoors and be kicked around more.

Ride Comfort & Handling

The Apollo Air 2022 has one ace: its front suspension and big pneumatic tyres. Point it down broken city asphalt and it takes the sting out nicely. Paired with wide handlebars, it feels very stable and easygoing. You stand on a grippy rubber deck, weight slightly back, and it just plods along in a very relaxed way. After ten or fifteen kilometres, you still feel relatively fresh-unless your route is truly horrible.

The Segway F3 Pro, though, is the one that really feels built for bad roads. Dual suspension changes everything. The front hydraulic fork soaks up sharper hits, and the rear unit keeps the back wheel from kicking you in the ankles. Add in tubeless self-healing tyres, and you get a more "floating" sensation on cobbles and patchy tarmac. On surfaces where the Apollo starts to feel a bit busy and chattery, the Segway just keeps gliding.

In corners, the F3 Pro feels more planted and settled at its top end. The slightly longer wheelbase and rear-motor drive give it a reassuring "carved line" feeling through bends. The Apollo is stable, but if you push it near its maximum speed on rougher surfaces, you're a bit more aware of the front doing the heavy lifting while the rear just follows.

For pure comfort and composure, especially on mixed or rough routes, the Segway clearly has the edge. The Apollo is comfortable for what it is; the Segway feels like it's from the next generation of commuter scooters.

Performance

Neither of these is built to be a drag-strip hero, but power still matters when you meet a steep bridge or a short merging section with traffic eyeing you suspiciously.

The Apollo Air's motor sits in that familiar mid-commuter band. Off the line it's brisk rather than brutal, perfectly adequate for leaving rental scooters behind at the lights and keeping pace with city cyclists. Throttle response is gentle and linear: you rarely get surprised, and that's great if you're new to scooters or threading your way through pedestrians. Hills? It will handle typical urban inclines without complaint, but throw it at a very steep ramp with a heavier rider and it starts to breathe a bit harder.

The Segway F3 Pro, on the other hand, has noticeably more punch in reserve. You feel that extra peak torque the moment you pin the throttle; there's more urgency in the first few metres and less sag once you're already rolling. On hills the difference is obvious: while the Apollo settles into a "doing my best" plod, the F3 Pro keeps hauling with more determination. Heavier riders in particular will appreciate the extra shove.

Top-end speed is similar on paper, and in many markets both will be legally reined in anyway. The difference is how they feel when you're near that cap. The Apollo feels fine, but you're aware you're near its natural ceiling. The Segway feels like it still has a bit in hand, sitting more calmly and confidently at its limit.

Braking is another part of performance. The Apollo's combo of front drum and rear regen is low-maintenance and very civilised. Modulation is smooth and predictable, though outright bite isn't spectacular. It's absolutely adequate for commuter use, but emergency stops feel more "firm squeeze and hope" than "throw out an anchor."

The F3 Pro ups the game with a front disc plus regen. Lever feel is better, power builds more assertively and stopping distances feel shorter. Add traction control managing grip on dodgy surfaces, and it's simply the more reassuring setup when something stupid happens in front of you.

Battery & Range

The Apollo Air 2022 carries a reasonably chunky battery for its class. On gentle rides you can realistically do a decent cross-town round trip without sweating the gauge; ride hard in its fastest mode with hills involved and you'll eat into that cushion, but it's still respectable. Towards the last chunk of the pack you start to feel the familiar softening of acceleration and top speed, which is par for the course in this voltage range.

The Segway F3 Pro actually has a slightly smaller pack on paper, but thanks to its efficiency tricks and motor tuning, real-world range isn't dramatically different. Ride it in its livelier mode at normal city speeds and you're looking at that similar "safe all-day commuting" envelope, with a bit more possible if you dial things back. Again, push it in cold weather at full beans and you'll land nearer the realistic middle of the claimed figure, not the optimistic headline.

In practice, neither of these is a marathon machine, but both comfortably cover a typical workday: commute out, detour for errands, commute home. The Apollo has the edge on sheer capacity; the Segway claws a lot back with smart management and a slightly more efficient drive. For most riders, they're "roughly comparable, slightly in different ways."

Charging is a slow, overnight affair on both. You're not fast-charging either of them over lunch. Plug-in-at-work or plug-in-at-home schedules are the order of the day.

Portability & Practicality

Let's be honest: neither of these deserves the word "featherweight" in the marketing brochure.

The Apollo Air 2022 is lighter on the scale than the Segway, but not by a life-changing margin. Carrying it up a short flight of stairs or into a car boot is perfectly doable; carrying it several floors regularly is a mild workout. The non-folding handlebars mean it's quite wide when collapsed, which is fine for a hallway but annoying in crowded trains or tight storage spots. The folding latch is secure but a bit faffy: it lives low down, needs a proper bend-over to engage, and can be stiff when new.

The Segway F3 Pro is the slightly heavier friend who goes to the gym more. You really notice that extra heft if you have to lug it any distance, but the folding mechanism is faster and more pleasant to use. Fold, click, hook to the rear, done. The package is a bit more compact, and the weight balance when lifted by the stem is decent-still not fun on long staircases, but manageable for quick up-and-over situations. Under a desk or in a hallway corner, it behaves itself just fine.

Weather resistance is one of the more practical differences: the Apollo's rating is fine for drizzle and damp streets; the Segway's more robust sealing means it shrugs off proper downpours with more confidence. Either way, slick paint and wet cobbles are still slick paint and wet cobbles-ride accordingly.

Day-to-day, the Apollo is slightly kinder to your back when you have to lift it; the Segway is kinder when you have to fold, lock and park it three times a day. Neither is what I'd call a "toss it on your shoulder" machine.

Safety

Safety is where theory and practice can diverge quickly, and both scooters come at it from slightly different angles.

The Apollo takes the "simple and robust" approach: drum plus regen for braking, big pneumatic tyres for grip, and a reasonably high-mounted headlight with a reactive rear light. The basic ingredients are good. On dry tarmac, braking distances are fine and the chassis stays composed. At night, the stock headlight is just about enough for lit streets, but I wouldn't trust it alone on unlit paths. There's no fancy electronics beyond the app settings and the usual speed modes; the safety envelope here is largely mechanical.

The Segway goes deeper into the tech bag. The mixed disc/regen brake setup is stronger, the traction control quietly intervenes when you get greedy on wet surfaces, and the lighting package is a clear step up. The headlight throws more meaningful light in front of you, and the integrated indicators mean you can actually signal without flailing an arm around like a windmill. Add the higher water-resistance rating and robust frame and you end up feeling more secure when conditions turn grim.

Both roll on proper air tyres rather than hard plastic misery donuts, and both are stable at their intended speeds. But if you regularly ride in rain, on dodgy surfaces, or in traffic where signalling and visibility matter a lot, the F3 Pro simply feels like a more modern, safety-led design.

Community Feedback

Price & Value

Here's where things get a bit awkward for Apollo. The Air 2022 sits in the higher part of the commuter price band. You do get a solidly built scooter with decent power, good comfort and a strong brand standing behind it, but if you're strictly looking at what you get for every euro, it doesn't exactly scream bargain-especially not now that the F3 Pro exists.

The Segway undercuts it significantly while offering better suspension, stronger performance, more safety tech and a brand with vast manufacturing scale. Yes, the Apollo's frame and finish feel a bit more boutique; yes, Apollo's rider-first attitude and app tuning are genuinely nice. But when you line up price versus what's actually under your feet, the F3 Pro punches far above its tag.

Resale should also be considered. Both brands hold value reasonably well, with Segway's name recognition giving it a slight edge on the used market, especially for less tech-savvy buyers who just recognise the logo from rental fleets.

Service & Parts Availability

Apollo has built a reputation on being approachable. Their support channels are human, their documentation is pretty good, and they've made a visible effort to learn from earlier models. In Europe, coverage is improving but you're still sometimes dealing with regional partners and shipping delays for certain parts. It's decent, but not "every corner bike shop knows this scooter."

Segway, by comparison, is everywhere. Spares, third-party parts, tutorials, you name it. Many generic scooter shops are already used to servicing Ninebot hardware because of rental fleets, and the community knowledge base is practically a library at this point. Official support can feel a bit corporate and slow, but sheer availability and ecosystem depth usually win the day.

If you're the sort who wants easy access to replacement bits and a million YouTube repair guides, the F3 Pro sits in a more mature ecosystem. If you value more personal brand interaction and a feeling that your specific model was genuinely iterated based on rider feedback, Apollo still has charm.

Pros & Cons Summary

Parameters Comparison

Both offer a credible commuter package, but the Segway simply does more with what it has, especially given the much lower price point.

Final Verdict - Which Should You Choose?

If I strip away the marketing fluff, the Segway F3 Pro is the more sensible choice for most riders. It rides better on bad roads, stops more confidently, copes with rain more happily and offers stronger performance and features, all while asking significantly less from your bank account. It's not perfect, but it feels like a thoroughly modern commuter scooter that has been designed around actual daily use rather than brochure bragging rights.

The Apollo Air 2022 still has a place. If you care a lot about sleek design, love Apollo's app tuning, and want a slightly lighter, very stable, low-maintenance scooter for moderate distances on mostly decent surfaces, you'll likely be quite happy with it. It's a pleasant, comfortable scooter-it just doesn't justify its premium as convincingly now that the F3 Pro exists.

So: if you're standing in a shop and both are in front of you, my hand reaches for the Segway's bars first. Unless you're specifically buying with your eyes and your heart set on Apollo's ecosystem, the F3 Pro is the one that better respects your commute and your wallet.

Numbers Freaks Corner

These metrics strip away feelings and look only at ratios. Price per Wh and per km/h show how much hardware you get for each euro. Weight-related metrics show how much scooter you carry per unit of performance or range. Wh per km is an efficiency indicator. Power-to-speed and weight-to-power give a sense of drivetrain strength relative to its top speed and mass. Average charging speed shows how quickly the charger can refill the battery, on average.

Author's Category Battle

Overall Winner Declaration

In the Numbers Freaks Corner, the APOLLO Air 2022 scores 3 points against the SEGWAY F3 Pro's 7. In the Author's Category Battle, the APOLLO Air 2022 gets 15 ✅ versus 31 ✅ for SEGWAY F3 Pro (with a few ties sprinkled in).

Totals: APOLLO Air 2022 scores 18, SEGWAY F3 Pro scores 38.

Based on the scoring, the SEGWAY F3 Pro is our overall winner. For me as a rider, the Segway F3 Pro simply feels more sorted as a daily machine: it smooths out bad roads better, gives you more confidence in chaos, and does it all without emptying your wallet. The Apollo Air 2022 is a likeable, comfortable scooter with nice design touches, but it feels a half-step behind the curve now-more polished than exciting. If you value relaxed, cushy commuting above all and love Apollo's design language, you'll still get on well with the Air. But if you want the scooter that will quietly handle more abuse, more weather and more years for less money, the F3 Pro is the one that leaves me more impressed when I step off it at the end of the ride.

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.