Apollo Phantom 20 vs INMOTION RS JET - Two "Hyper Scooters" Walk Into a City... Which One Should You Actually Ride?

Fast Answer for Busy Riders ⚡ (TL;DR)

If you want the more modern-feeling, harder-pulling scooter with better brakes, more range and a sweeter price tag, the INMOTION RS JET edges out the Apollo Phantom 20 overall. Its 72V punch, hydraulic stoppers and big battery make it the more compelling daily weapon, provided you can live with its awkward folding and hefty weight.

The Apollo Phantom 20 still suits riders who value high water protection, excellent regen braking control and a very polished cockpit, and who are happy with "strong but not insane" performance on a slightly more old-school 52V platform. It's the safer pick for those riding a lot in the wet or who love the idea of that dedicated regen throttle.

Both are serious, heavy machines that replace a car more than they replace a bicycle; neither is a casual commuter toy. Read on if you want to understand how they really feel on the road and which compromises matter for your kind of riding.

Stick with me for a few minutes, and you'll know exactly which of these two you'd actually enjoy owning-rather than just staring at on a spec sheet.

There's a moment in every scooter rider's life when the rental fleet and the 25 km/h commuter just stop being fun. You start eyeing the "hyper scooter" class-big batteries, twin motors, speeds that make bike lanes feel like a bad idea-and wonder which one will give you thrills without becoming a full-time hobby in maintenance and regret.

The Apollo Phantom 20 and the INMOTION RS JET live right in that moment. On paper, both promise serious speed, big-boy suspension and enough range to cross a city and back. In practice, they take very different routes to get there: the Phantom 20 is a refined, 52V, comfort-centric bruiser with some clever proprietary bits, while the RS JET is a leaner 72V torque junkie wearing a sci-fi costume.

If the Phantom 20 is the overbuilt grand tourer trying to be sensible, the RS JET is the slightly wild cousin who still shows up to work on time. Let's dig into which one deserves your money-and which one might deserve a polite "no, thanks".

Who Are These For, and Why Compare Them?

Both scooters live in that uncomfortable "this costs as much as a used car" bracket where expectations are high and excuses are thin. You're spending well north of a basic commuter, but you're not quite at the four-grand monsters with motorcycle suspension and existential guilt.

They're aimed at riders who already know what 25-35 km/h feels like and found it... underwhelming. Think suburban or outer-city commuters doing medium to long distances, people who ride enough that comfort actually matters, and performance-curious folks who still want something vaguely practical.

Why compare them? Because from a buyer's perspective they're natural rivals: both dual-motor, both with big 11-inch tyres and serious suspension, both chasing "hyper scooter" swagger at a relatively restrained price. One comes from a Canadian brand with a reputation for community engagement and water protection; the other from a Chinese engineering house that cut its teeth building very fast, very serious electric unicycles.

Design & Build Quality

In your hands, the Apollo Phantom 20 feels like a single, chunky block of metal that's been carved into a scooter. The stem is fat, the deck is wide, the finish is a muted grey that whispers "grown-up toy" rather than shouting for attention. Apollo's proprietary touches-like the Hex display and built-in Quad Lock phone mount-give it an OEM, almost automotive vibe. Cables are reasonably tidy, and nothing looks cheap or afterthought-ish, even if the overall silhouette isn't exactly revolutionary now.

The INMOTION RS JET, by contrast, looks like it escaped a CGI rendering. Angular swingarms, Transformer-style adjustable geometry and black-with-yellow accents make it far more visually aggressive. It shares a lot of its chassis DNA with the bigger RS, which you notice the first time you lean on it-the frame feels massively overbuilt for the price bracket. Cable management is clean, and that big colour touchscreen in the middle of the bars instantly makes most other scooters feel dated.

In terms of perceived build quality, both are solid, but they express it differently. The Phantom feels thick and conventional-heavy welds, big chunks of aluminium, familiar clamp-and-pin folding. The RS JET feels like it was over-engineered for a higher class of scooter, then saddled with a slightly compromised folding setup. Neither screams "fragile", but the Jet does have that "this could take more power than it has" aura, while the Phantom quietly suggests "I'll just keep doing this for years if you let me".

Ride Comfort & Handling

On bad tarmac, the Phantom 20 is very much in its element. That quad-spring suspension, with two springs at each end, soaks up potholes, manhole covers and general municipal neglect with a sort of floaty, slightly boat-like composure. Pair that with wide 11-inch tubeless tyres and a big, long deck, and you get a platform that's remarkably forgiving. You can ride it lazily: knees not perfectly bent, weight not perfectly balanced, and it still keeps you out of trouble.

The RS JET approaches comfort differently. Its adjustable hydraulic suspension feels more controlled and less bouncy when set up right. Out of the box, it tends to be firmer; soften it and it will iron out rough city streets without drama, but always with a firmer, "sportier" feel than the Phantom. The adjustable ride height allows you to drop the deck for more stability and sharper handling on smooth roads, or raise it for more clearance if your city planners hate you.

Handling-wise, the Phantom is stable and predictable. The wide bars and long wheelbase encourage gentle inputs; it's happy carving wide arcs, less keen on tight, playful slaloms. Push it hard into corners and it holds a line, but you're aware of the mass beneath you. The RS JET feels more agile for the weight: slightly lighter overall, with a lower centre of gravity when you set it up that way, and a frame that invites more committed lean angles. It still isn't a playful little urban flicker, but it's the one you'll enjoy carving on empty Sunday-morning boulevards.

Performance

From a standstill, both scooters will leave traffic like it's parked, but the way they do it is very different. The Phantom 20's dual motors on a 52V system provide brisk, linear shove. Engage the aggressive mode and it pulls hard enough to demand a proper stance, yet the throttle mapping via the MACH 2 controller keeps things reasonably civilised. It's quick enough that new riders moving up a class will get their adrenaline fix, but seasoned speed junkies will find it "strong, not savage".

The RS JET is... less polite. That 72V system gives the motors a harsher kind of urgency. Even though the nominal motor rating doesn't sound wild on paper, the peak output and higher voltage mean the first twist of throttle feels like someone kicked the deck from behind. The rush from urban speeds into "you should really be wearing motorcycle gear" territory is noticeably more intense than on the Phantom. It's not unmanageable-Inmotion's sine-wave controllers keep the ramp smooth-but you need respect in your right thumb.

Top-speed cruising tells a similar story. The Phantom is happy humming along with city traffic at what most countries would consider illegal on a cycle path, and it feels remarkably composed doing it. The RS JET, however, has more headroom: it stretches further into high-speed territory and feels more eager to live there. On long, open roads the Jet simply gives you more speed in reserve-particularly noticeable once the battery dips, where 72V architecture keeps the power from sagging as quickly.

On hills, both are firmly in the "no problem" camp. The Phantom digs in and climbs with steady confidence; the RS JET just storms up like the gradient forgot to tell it it's a hill. If you live somewhere genuinely steep, the Jet's extra torque and voltage make it the more reassuring partner.

Braking is one of the clearest separators. The Phantom's mechanical discs are decent, but the real star is that dedicated regen brake throttle on the left. Once you adapt, you can do most of your speed control with that lever alone, easing into corners and down hills with almost car-like one-pedal driving. It's clever, and very addictive. The RS JET sticks to the classic formula: full hydraulic discs with big rotors. There's no trick regen lever, but the pure stopping power and one-finger modulation are superior when you absolutely need to scrub speed now. In an emergency, the Jet's brakes feel more confidence-inspiring; in daily flow, the Phantom's regen system feels nicer and more refined.

Battery & Range

On paper, the Phantom 20's battery capacity is smaller, and it shows in the real world. Ride it like a sane person-mix of modes, some fun bursts, a bit of stop-start traffic-and you'll get a decent cross-city loop out of it. Push hard in its sportiest setting and you'll see the percentage tick down faster than you'd like. You can do proper commutes and weekend runs, but it's not a scooter you buy for mega-touring days unless you ride with restraint, which rather misses the point.

The RS JET's bigger, higher-voltage pack changes the feel of ownership. You can ride more aggressively, more of the time, without that "should I slow down to save battery?" voice nagging you quite as early. Real-world, ridden-hard range sits comfortably above the Phantom's equivalent, and if you dial it back the Jet will stretch to distances that feel slightly absurd for an e-scooter. It won't erase range anxiety entirely-nothing will if you treat the throttle like an on/off switch-but it definitely argues with it more convincingly.

Charging is not glamorous on either. The Phantom's pack takes a long, gentle overnight with the standard charger; the RS JET is similar, though its dual-charging support makes it easier to live with if you're willing to buy a second brick. Realistically, both are "charge while you sleep" machines; the Jet just gives you more kilometres for each nocturnal refill.

Portability & Practicality

Let's be blunt: neither of these belongs on a train at rush hour. They are both heavy enough that carrying them up several flights of stairs will have you questioning your life choices.

The Phantom 20 is the heavier of the two, and you feel every extra kilo when you try to load it into a car or wrestle it through a doorway. The folding mechanism itself is solid and reassuring, with a chunky clamp and safety pin. Once folded, the bars hook onto the rear footrest so you can at least lift it as a single, if very unhappy, unit. As a "fold to store in the hallway or car boot" scooter it's manageable; as a "fold three times a day to mix with public transport" scooter, absolutely not.

The RS JET, while still very much in the heavyweight division, is noticeably less of a deadlift. The big flaw is the lack of a latch between stem and deck when folded. This makes carrying it an awkward dance: one hand here, one there, try not to let the stem swing into your shins. Owners quickly learn the dark art of straps and improvised hooks. It's marginally more portable in pure mass, but practically more annoying if you need to move it often off the wheels.

In terms of everyday practicality, both like ground-floor living, garages and lifts. The Phantom fights back with high water resistance and genuinely useful fenders, making it easier to treat as a true "leave the car at home" tool year-round. The RS JET counters with a much better display, strong lighting and good signalling, plus decent app-based locking, making day-to-day usage feel a bit more modern and integrated.

Safety

From a safety perspective, both scooters tick the must-have boxes: good lights, wide tyres, serious brakes and real-world high-speed stability.

The Phantom 20 leans hard on stability: thick stem, long deck, generous wheelbase and fat 11-inch rubber combine with that quad suspension to keep wobbles at bay. The IP66 water protection is also not just marketing fluff-it makes a big difference to whether you'll actually use the scooter in "typical" European weather instead of staring at it in the hallway whenever the sky looks grumpy. The lighting system is thoughtful, with a high-mounted headlamp that actually shows you the road and 360-degree presence lighting that makes you look less like a stealth ninja to car drivers.

The RS JET's safety story is built around braking and geometry. Full hydraulic discs give it the upper hand when something unexpected happens-a car door opens, a dog appears, a pedestrian decides red lights are optional. The adjustable ride height lets you drop the deck for maximum high-speed stability, which substantially reduces the risk of speed wobbles. Its lighting is comprehensive and bright, though the headlight sits lower, pointing more at the road texture than into the distance, which is great for spotting potholes but slightly less ideal for being seen over car bonnets.

On wet or filthy roads, the Phantom's water rating and fenders earn their keep. The RS JET will survive rain just fine with its IPX6 protection, but the Phantom simply inspires a bit more "yeah, this'll be OK" confidence if you commute year-round through actual weather rather than Instagram sunshine.

Community Feedback

Price & Value

Neither scooter is what you'd call cheap, but they sit on different rungs of the same ladder. The Phantom 20 asks for a noticeable premium over the RS JET while offering less outright performance and a smaller battery. What you're paying for with Apollo is partly the brand ecosystem: Western-facing support, lots of content, a strong water rating and some genuinely nice proprietary features.

The RS JET feels more aggressively priced. You're getting a 72V platform with a bigger pack, hydraulic brakes and that very fancy display for less money than many 60V competitors-never mind the Phantom. From a pure Euro-per-performance-and-range standpoint, the Jet has the clear advantage. The trade-off is living with a folding design that's more annoying than it should be and a slightly less buttoned-down service network in some regions.

If your budget is tight and you're shopping with a calculator in hand, the RS JET is the one that will keep reappearing at the top of your shortlist. The Phantom becomes interesting if you value its specific strengths-water resistance, regen control, Apollo's support-enough to justify spending more for less brute force.

Service & Parts Availability

Apollo has invested a lot in being visible and accessible to Western riders. That means tutorials, parts stores, and support channels that speak your language-literally and figuratively. In Europe, you'll find a growing number of dealers familiar with Apollo's range, and sourcing common wear parts for the Phantom is generally straightforward. It isn't as ubiquitous as the big Korean brands yet, but it's on the right trajectory.

Inmotion comes from a different angle: a Chinese engineering brand with serious pedigree in electric unicycles and a fast-expanding scooter network. The RS platform has already gathered enough popularity that parts, from controllers to swingarms, are becoming easier to find, but it can still be patchy depending on your country and dealer. When you do land with a good Inmotion distributor, support is usually competent, just slightly less "hand-holdy" than Apollo's content-heavy approach.

For DIY-inclined riders, both are fine. For someone who wants the most spoon-fed, guided ownership experience, Apollo has a slight edge in how polished and visible its ecosystem feels, even if Inmotion is quietly catching up.

Pros & Cons Summary

Parameters Comparison

Final Verdict - Which Should You Choose?

If you strip away marketing fluff and fanboy noise, the INMOTION RS JET simply delivers more for less. It's faster, torquier, goes further on a charge and stops harder, all while undercutting the Phantom 20 on price. The cockpit feels a generation newer, the suspension is more sophisticated, and the whole package has that slightly illicit "how is this this cheap?" energy. For most riders graduating into the hyper-scooter class, the RS JET is the more convincing, future-proof choice-provided you can live with its folding quirk and don't need submariner-grade water sealing.

The Apollo Phantom 20 isn't a bad scooter, but in this particular head-to-head it feels a bit like yesterday's idea of "hyper". It rides comfortably, its regen throttle is genuinely excellent, and the water protection and brand ecosystem are strong draws. If you ride a lot in foul weather, obsess over controlled regen braking, and value Apollo's support culture more than raw numbers, you can still justify choosing it. But for the majority of riders who simply want the more capable, more entertaining machine for their money, the RS JET walks away with this one.

Numbers Freaks Corner

These metrics look purely at maths, not feelings. Price-per-Wh and price-per-km/h show how much "battery" and "top-speed capability" you get for each Euro. Weight-based metrics tell you how efficiently each scooter turns mass into range and performance, while Wh/km indicates energy efficiency on the road. Power-to-speed and weight-to-power show how hard each scooter can push relative to its top speed and heft. Finally, average charging speed is just a way of expressing how quickly the charger fills the battery, regardless of capacity.

Author's Category Battle

Overall Winner Declaration

In the Numbers Freaks Corner, the APOLLO Phantom 20 scores 1 point against the INMOTION RS JET's 9. In the Author's Category Battle, the APOLLO Phantom 20 gets 19 ✅ versus 26 ✅ for INMOTION RS JET (with a few ties sprinkled in).

Totals: APOLLO Phantom 20 scores 20, INMOTION RS JET scores 35.

Based on the scoring, the INMOTION RS JET is our overall winner. As a rider, the RS JET just feels like the fuller experience: it pulls harder, runs longer and surrounds you with tech that makes every ride feel a bit special, not just fast. The Phantom 20 is comfortable and competent, but next to the Jet it comes across more as a solid "safe bet" than something that stirs the blood. If you want a scooter that makes your commute feel like a small adventure every time you thumb the throttle, the RS JET is the one that'll keep you reaching for the helmet. The Phantom will look after you dutifully, but the Jet is the one that will tempt you to take the long way home-again and again.

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.