Mearth S vs Xiaomi M365 - Lightweight Legends or Overhyped Relics?

Fast Answer for Busy Riders ⚡ (TL;DR)

The Xiaomi M365 is the overall winner here: it simply feels more sorted as a daily commuter, with noticeably better real-world range, stronger community support, easier parts availability, and a track record that's hard to ignore. It's the safer bet if you want a no-drama scooter that "just works" and can be kept alive for years with cheap parts and YouTube tutorials.

The Mearth S, on the other hand, makes sense if your top priority is ultra-low weight and the flexibility of a hot-swappable battery, and you're willing to accept shorter range per pack and weaker support. It's for the rider who climbs stairs more than hills and likes the idea of carrying extra batteries instead of a charger.

If you care about proven reliability, community fixes, and long-term practicality, lean towards the Xiaomi. If you mainly want something featherlight and modular for short, flat hops, the Mearth S remains a valid, if more niche, choice.

Stick around for the full comparison - the devil, as always, is hiding in the small details and cracked pavements.

You can tell a lot about a scooter by what breaks first. With the Xiaomi M365, it's usually the rear mudguard or your patience when changing a tire. With the Mearth S, it's more often your faith in range estimates when you insist on full throttle. I've put serious commuter kilometres on both, day after day in real city traffic, in the kind of conditions brochure photos politely ignore.

On paper, the two look like close cousins: lightweight, no-suspension commuters with similar top speeds and very comparable dimensions. In practice, they solve the "last-mile" problem with slightly different personalities. One leans on a legendary ecosystem and long-term practicality, the other bets on being lighter and modular with swappable batteries.

If you're trying to decide which one deserves that precious hallway space and a share of your monthly budget, let's dig into how they really compare once the asphalt, potholes and Monday mornings get involved.

Who Are These For, and Why Compare Them?

Both the Mearth S and the Xiaomi M365 live in the lightweight, entry-level commuter category - the scooters you actually carry up stairs instead of leaving chained to a pole like a guilty secret. Their power and speed sit firmly in the "urban legal" bracket, aimed at bike lanes, city streets and campus shortcuts, not 50 km/h thrill rides.

Price-wise, they sit close enough that most buyers will be cross-shopping them. The Mearth S comes in a bit cheaper but asks you to buy into its removable battery ecosystem if you want serious range. The Xiaomi M365 costs a bit more upfront, but you're paying for a bigger fixed battery, a globally proven design and a parts market that borders on excessive.

They're competitors because they target the same rider: someone who wants a practical, carryable scooter that can replace short car or bus trips. The question is whether you prefer the Mearth approach - light and modular - or Xiaomi's "modern classic" with deeper roots and better long-term support.

Design & Build Quality

Put them side by side and the family resemblance is obvious: slim stems, tidy decks, clean cable routing. But the philosophy behind each is a bit different.

The Xiaomi M365 feels like a product that went through many rounds of industrial design review. The aluminium frame has that reassuring "single piece" vibe, the matte finish still looks contemporary, and the integrated bell-as-latch is the sort of neat little trick you only get when engineers and designers actually talk to each other. The battery in the deck keeps the centre of gravity low and contributes to a planted feel.

The Mearth S, meanwhile, feels more like an interesting variation on the template. The red wheels add some welcome personality and make it easy to spot in a crowd of grey commuters. The stem-mounted, removable battery gives the scooter a slightly top-heavy look but keeps the deck slim and visually clean. Cable management is decent, though not quite as invisible as on the Xiaomi.

In the hands, both frames feel solid enough for their category, but the Xiaomi's metalwork and overall finish are that bit more confidence-inspiring. The Mearth S doesn't feel cheap, just a touch more "small brand" - functional, but not quite as obsessively refined. If you're picky about fit and finish, the M365 edges ahead.

Ride Comfort & Handling

Neither of these scooters has traditional suspension, so your knees are the shock absorbers. Comfort, therefore, comes down to tyres, geometry and weight balance.

The Xiaomi M365 benefits from its low-slung battery. That low centre of gravity makes it feel composed and stable, especially when weaving between parked cars or sneaking through narrow bike lanes. The 8,5-inch pneumatic tyres do a respectable job of filtering out the usual city buzz, and on decent asphalt it glides along with a very "bicycle-like" feel. Hit cobblestones or broken pavement and it turns into a vibrating fitness machine for your legs, but that's the reality of any rigid scooter on nasty surfaces.

The Mearth S uses similar air-filled tyres (often a touch larger on newer series), and that helps a lot. On smooth paths its light weight makes it feel nimble and almost playful, flicking from side to side with minimal effort. On rougher ground, though, that same lightness works against it: it skips around a bit more, and you feel every imperfection more sharply through the bars. After a few kilometres on crumbling pavements, your wrists and knees are more aware of the Mearth than of the Xiaomi.

Deck comfort is comparable: both are long enough for a staggered stance and just wide enough that you don't feel cramped, though neither is a lounge chair. The Xiaomi's slightly heavier, more planted stance makes it the calmer, more forgiving ride; the Mearth S is agile and easy to throw around, but also easier to unsettled by bumps and wind.

Performance

These are both city commuters, not drag racers, but there are differences in how they get you up to speed and keep you there.

The Mearth S has the stronger headline motor on paper, with a higher nominal rating and a much more generous peak output. In practice, that translates into a noticeably snappier getaway from traffic lights. Give the red throttle a decisive push and it responds with a healthy little lunge that belies its skinny frame. On flat ground, it happily cruises at its capped speed and, if you unlock the higher mode on private property, it feels surprisingly lively for something so light.

The Xiaomi M365 is more conservative but smoother. The front hub motor won't rip your arms off, but it builds speed in a very controlled, linear way. In standard mode, it gets up to its top speed at a pace that feels natural in traffic - quick enough to be useful, slow enough that new riders don't scare themselves. Eco mode turns it into a very polite scooter for crowded areas or nervous beginners.

On hills, both remind you that you're on entry-level hardware. The Mearth S's stronger peak power gives it a small advantage on short urban climbs - it hangs onto speed a bit better before surrendering and begging for a few kicks. The M365 will also tackle typical city slopes, but heavier riders in particular will feel it bog down sooner. On anything properly steep, neither is happy; if you live in a city where streets are drawn with a ruler and then tilted like a ski slope, look elsewhere.

Braking performance is one of the more important differences. The Xiaomi's combination of rear disc and front regenerative braking, controlled by a single lever, feels reassuring. The electronic anti-lock behaviour on the front means you can squeeze quite hard without instantly washing out the wheel. The Mearth S's mechanical disc does a decent job and is a big step above scooters with only electronic braking, but it doesn't quite match the "two systems working together" feeling of the Xiaomi. Both will stop you safely from city speeds; the M365 just does it with a bit more finesse.

Battery & Range

This is where their design choices really diverge.

The Xiaomi M365 carries a significantly larger fixed battery in the deck. In real-world use - mixed throttle, some stops, a few inclines - you can expect a commute distance comfortably longer than what a single Mearth S battery will manage. For many riders, that means a full there-and-back day without thinking about the charger. Range anxiety only appears if you push speed constantly, ride in winter, or are on the heavier side.

The Mearth S's internal pack, by contrast, is on the small side by modern standards. If you ride briskly, you very quickly move from "this is fine" to watching the bars fall faster than you'd like. Treated gently on flat ground, it can cover a typical urban hop, but you don't have the same comfort margin as on the Xiaomi.

Where the Mearth S claws back points is its hot-swappable battery. Carry a spare pack in your backpack and suddenly your modest per-battery range becomes a non-issue. Instead of praying for a plug, you just click in fresh power and keep going. It also means you can leave the scooter in a shed or hallway and bring only the battery indoors to charge - genuinely handy if space is tight.

Charging time also differs in character: the Xiaomi takes longer to refill its larger pack, while the Mearth's smaller battery comes back to full in a noticeably shorter window. If you're commuting to an office and can plug in all day, the Xiaomi's slower refill is irrelevant. If you live on quick turnarounds and short stops, the Mearth's faster top-up and swappability may be more attractive.

Portability & Practicality

Both are light enough that carrying them isn't a gym session, and both are foldable in seconds. But the nuances matter if you're doing multiple station transfers a day.

Weight-wise, they sit in the same ballpark - you can carry either up a flight of stairs without revising your life choices. The Xiaomi feels slightly denser and more solid in the hand, while the Mearth S feels like it's been on a diet. If you're smaller framed or you're doing lots of up-and-down stairs every day, that slight difference plus the slim stem battery can make the Mearth feel a touch easier to handle, especially one-handed.

The Xiaomi's folding system, with the bell clipping into the rear mudguard latch, is elegantly simple and works well when adjusted correctly. The folded package is compact and balanced enough to carry in one hand by the stem, though you do need to keep an eye on the long-term play in the hinge. The Mearth S uses a more conventional latch at the base of the stem and hooks to the rear - also quick and easy, with a pleasantly decisive "click" when locked upright.

For storage, both slide under desks, into car boots and behind doors without drama. The Xiaomi wins on practical extras - app features like electronic locking and cruise control, and a kickstand that feels slightly more confidence-inspiring. The Mearth's big practicality ace remains the removable battery: for anyone who can't or doesn't want to bring a dirty scooter indoors to charge, that single feature is worth quite a lot.

Safety

Safety is more than just brakes, but let's start there, because it's what saves skin and paintwork.

The Xiaomi M365's combined braking system is one of its strongest points for this class: rear mechanical disc plus front regenerative braking, tuned to work together under a single lever. The result is very predictable deceleration and a sense that the scooter is using every possible tool to slow you down. The electronic anti-lock behaviour on the front reduces the chances of an instant skid on damp surfaces, as long as your tyres are properly inflated.

The Mearth S has a rear disc brake that's absolutely fine for its speeds and weight, and on dry tarmac it stops assertively enough. It just lacks that extra safety net of front regen, so it relies more on tyre grip and mechanical tuning alone. Still acceptable, just not as polished.

Lighting on both is, in classic scooter fashion, "good enough if you live in a city, not enough for midnight forest adventures." The Xiaomi's higher-mounted front light throws a better beam down the road; the Mearth's light is bright but more obviously tuned for being seen rather than confidently seeing every pothole in the dark. In both cases, if you ride a lot at night, clip-on additional lights are money well spent.

Tyre grip is similar because they both use pneumatic rubber, which is already a huge step up from solid tyres in wet or gritty conditions. Stability, though, feels better on the Xiaomi thanks to that low deck battery - it tracks straighter at speed and feels less skittish over small imperfections. The Mearth S, being lighter and with more mass up the stem, reacts more to rider input and crosswinds. It's not unsafe, but it keeps you a bit busier on rough surfaces.

Community Feedback

Price & Value

The Mearth S comes in cheaper, which at first glance makes it look like the bargain of the two. But you have to factor in how you actually ride. If you frequently brush up against its modest real-world range and end up buying a second battery, your total spend creeps up, and you're suddenly not so far from more capable single-battery scooters - or from what you'd pay for an M365 in many markets.

The Xiaomi M365 asks for a bit more money initially, but gives you a substantially larger battery and a very strong resale market. Used M365s are easy to sell because everyone knows what they're getting and can find parts cheaply. That keeps long-term cost of ownership low. You also save money in time and frustration because service information and fixes are everywhere; you're rarely paying a shop premium for things you can DIY.

Value-wise, the Mearth S offers its best proposition to people who desperately need the combination of very low weight and removable battery. For everyone else, the Xiaomi's fuller package and ecosystem make it feel like the more rational buy, even if neither is going to redefine what "value" means in 2025.

Service & Parts Availability

Here the difference is stark.

The Xiaomi M365 is one of the most widely used scooters ever made. That means third-party parts, clone parts, original parts - you can find almost anything for it online, often in multiple quality levels. Need a new controller, a replacement deck cover, a whole new stem? Someone stocks it, someone's made a video on how to fit it, and someone's improved on the original with a reinforced version. Even if local brand support is patchy, the global community more than makes up for it.

With the Mearth S, you're dealing with a smaller brand and a more regional presence. Official spares exist, but owners do report delays, unanswered messages, and difficulty getting specific components in a hurry. Some generic parts can be substituted - tubes, tyres, basic hardware - but things like controllers, displays or proprietary battery packs are much harder to source independently. If you're technically inclined and don't mind improvising, this is frustrating rather than fatal. If you want predictable support, it's a concern.

In short: the Xiaomi is easy to maintain almost anywhere, the Mearth S is more dependent on how good the brand's local distribution and support are where you live - and that's a gamble.

Pros & Cons Summary

Parameters Comparison

Final Verdict - Which Should You Choose?

Both scooters sit in that "good enough for daily use, not exciting enough to write poetry about" category - and that's not a bad place to be for commuters. Between the two, though, the Xiaomi M365 feels like the more complete and less stressful ownership experience.

Choose the Xiaomi M365 if you want a scooter that has already proven itself in the harshest possible environment - rental fleets and years of daily commuting. It offers better real-world range from a single charge, more reassuring braking, more stable handling, and an aftermarket scene so huge that almost any problem you encounter has been solved five different ways. If you hate surprises and like the idea of easily finding parts five years from now, this is your safer harbour.

Choose the Mearth S if your commute is short, mostly flat, and involves more stairs and doorways than kilometres, and if you genuinely value the idea of swapping batteries like camera packs. It's light, fairly lively, and convenient - as long as you accept its limited range per battery and are comfortable living with a smaller brand's more fragile support network.

If I had to live with just one as a daily city tool, I'd take the Xiaomi M365: not because it's thrilling, but because it quietly does the job, day after day, with fewer compromises and more backup when things eventually wear out.

Numbers Freaks Corner

These metrics, stripped of emotions, show efficiency and cost relationships. "Price per Wh" and "price per km" tell you how much you pay for stored energy and usable distance. "Weight per Wh" and "weight per km" reflect how much mass you're hauling around for that performance. "Wh per km" is energy efficiency; lower means the scooter sips, not gulps, electricity. Power-related ratios show how much muscle you get per unit of speed or per kilogram, while average charging speed hints at how fast you can refill the tank. None of this captures comfort or support - but it's catnip if you like numbers.

Author's Category Battle

Overall Winner Declaration

In the Numbers Freaks Corner, the MEARTH S scores 5 points against the XIAOMI M365's 6. In the Author's Category Battle, the MEARTH S gets 12 ✅ versus 30 ✅ for XIAOMI M365 (with a few ties sprinkled in).

Totals: MEARTH S scores 17, XIAOMI M365 scores 36.

Based on the scoring, the XIAOMI M365 is our overall winner. The Xiaomi M365 ends up feeling like the more rounded companion: it rides a bit calmer, stretches each charge further, and comes backed by an army of riders and spare parts that quietly remove a lot of long-term anxiety. The Mearth S has its charms - the lightweight frame and swappable battery make it a neat little city tool - but it always feels like you're working around its limitations rather than simply getting on and forgetting about them. If you want the scooter that will still feel like a sensible decision in two or three years, the Xiaomi is the one that better earns its parking space. The Mearth S is fun for the right rider and route, but the M365 is the one I'd trust as my everyday, no-fuss commuter.

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.