Xiaomi 1S vs Xiaomi M365 - Has the Legend Been Beaten by Its Own Successor?

Fast Answer for Busy Riders ⚡ (TL;DR)

The Xiaomi 1S is the better overall choice today: it keeps the classic M365 formula but adds a proper display, slightly improved safety touches and a more polished everyday experience, usually for less money. For most commuters starting from scratch, the 1S simply makes more sense.

The Xiaomi M365 still appeals if you're hunting a good used deal, love tinkering, or specifically want the "classic" model with its huge modding community and proven track record. If you plan to tweak, hack and personalise your scooter, the M365 ecosystem is still king.

If you just want a light, simple commuter that you buy, ride and largely forget about, go 1S; if you enjoy a bit of screwdriver therapy and firmware flashing, the M365 remains oddly charming. Keep reading, because the differences are more about daily life than the spec sheet suggests.

They look almost identical, share the same basic frame, and on paper they're separated by what seems like a minor facelift. But if you've spent real time on both, as I have, you quickly realise the Xiaomi 1S and Xiaomi M365 feel like two generations of the same idea: one is the breakthrough original, the other the cleaned-up reissue.

Both are firmly in the "sensible city commuter" camp: light, reasonably priced, capped to bike-lane speeds and happy on tarmac but miserable on medieval cobblestones. The M365 is the scooter that started the modern micromobility craze; the 1S is Xiaomi quietly admitting what needed fixing the first time.

If you're torn between buying the legendary original or the "slightly-better-but-not-exactly-exciting" successor, this comparison will walk you through how they really differ once you've got a backpack on, a timetable to catch and three flights of stairs between you and your front door.

Who Are These For, and Why Compare Them?

Both scooters live in that middle ground between cheap toy and heavy performance machine. They're aimed at students, office workers and anyone doing short to medium city hops, often combined with public transport. Think: ten to twenty minutes of riding, some stairs, maybe a train, repeat twice a day.

The Xiaomi M365 was the template: light enough to carry, fast enough to keep up with bike lanes, simple enough not to terrify first-timers. The Xiaomi 1S is essentially Xiaomi's "v2.0" of that idea: same weight class, same general performance, but updated electronics and a few safety tweaks.

They compete because, if you want a light Xiaomi for city commuting and don't care about big power or suspension, these are the two obvious choices-especially now that the M365 mostly exists on the used and old-stock market while the 1S fills the same slot new.

Design & Build Quality

Park them side by side and you'd be forgiven for mixing them up. Both use the same minimalist aluminium frame with that familiar silhouette you've seen under rental logos worldwide. The M365 still looks surprisingly modern for its age; the 1S looks like the same scooter after a quiet refresh rather than a new model.

Where they differ most to the eye is the cockpit. The M365 has the old-school four battery LEDs and a single button: functional, but you're guessing your speed. The 1S adds a proper integrated display with speed, mode and clearer warnings. It's not a luxury dash, but it makes the scooter feel like a current product rather than a relic.

Build quality is similar: both feel more solid than random supermarket clones, but they're not premium tanks either. The infamous folding hinge and rear mudguard flex are shared traits, though the 1S' mudguard and lighting hardware are slightly beefed up. In the hands, the 1S feels like a later production run of the same chassis with a bit more attention paid to details; the M365 feels like the original design that's done its job for years and is starting to show its age conceptually.

Ride Comfort & Handling

Let's be clear: neither of these scooters is "comfortable" in the way a suspended commuter or big-wheel model can be. There is no suspension on either. Your "shocks" are two small pneumatic tyres and your knees.

On smooth asphalt and half-decent bike paths, both glide nicely. The low deck and modest weight give you predictable, almost bicycle-like handling. Threading between bollards, turning into side streets, avoiding door-opened vans-the chassis feels the same on both: nimble, stable enough at their capped speeds, and very familiar once you've done a few kilometres.

Hit broken pavement or coarse cobblestones and both immediately remind you what you paid (and what you didn't). After five kilometres of nasty city slabs, your feet and hands will be complaining on either model. The 1S doesn't magically fix this; it just arrives with slightly improved tyres and refinements learned from years of M365 abuse. If you're hoping one of them transforms bad roads into velvet, it won't happen-your knees are equally busy on both.

Performance

Under the deck, these two are basically twins: same rated motor power, the same modest peak output, and the same top speed in real-world use. Both feel reasonably brisk off the line for their class, especially considering how light they are. You won't be drag-racing traffic, but you also won't feel like an obstacle in the bike lane.

The M365's throttle response has that slightly raw, first-generation feel: still well-mannered, but you can tell the control logic was tuned before scooters became as mainstream as they are now. The 1S smooths that behaviour a bit, with riding modes that feel better differentiated-Eco/Pedestrian genuinely dials the scooter down without feeling broken, and Sport gives you the full, modest punch without sudden surges.

On hills, they're equally "fine... until they're not." Short urban inclines: both cope. Long or steep climbs, especially with heavier riders: both slow down, and you may find yourself contributing with your leg like it's 2017 again. If you live somewhere hilly, neither of these is the dream choice, but in flat to mildly undulating cities, their performance is adequate rather than exciting.

Braking is where you feel more progression. Both use the dual system-rear disc plus regenerative front-with E-ABS to stop the front locking. The M365 already set a good standard here. The 1S refines it a bit: the regen tuning and lever feel are just that bit more modern, and the upgraded rear light behaviour (stronger brake signalling) inspires a touch more confidence when you're stopping in traffic.

Battery & Range

Both scooters claim similar headline ranges, and in the real world they land in the same ballpark: fine for typical urban commutes, not for long countryside tours. Ride them briskly in their faster mode, with a normal adult onboard, and you land roughly in the high-teens to low-twenties in kilometres on either. Lighter riders who baby the throttle can push things further, but that's not how most people actually ride.

The M365 carries a slightly larger battery, but its age works against it: unless you're buying truly fresh stock, cells degrade, and used M365s often no longer deliver their original autonomy. The 1S, being the newer design, tends to perform closer to its factory promise simply because most units are younger.

Charging times are similar and on the leisurely side. These are "plug it in at home or the office and forget it for half a day" machines, not fast-charge commuters. Range anxiety is similar too: if your round trip is comfortably within the teens in kilometres, you're fine. If you're flirting with longer distances, you start planning coffee-and-charging stops on both models.

Portability & Practicality

This is where both scooters still embarrass a lot of newer, heavier models. They weigh about the same, and that weight is genuinely manageable. Carrying them up two or three flights of stairs is annoying but doable; carrying some of today's "entry level" twenty-something-kilo bricks is a gym session.

The folding system is essentially identical: flip the lever at the base of the stem, hook the bell to the rear mudguard, and the stem becomes a handle. The folded package is short and slim enough to slide under desks, into car boots, or onto a train luggage rack without dirty looks from fellow passengers.

In practice, the difference is less about hardware and more about age. The M365's hinge is notorious for developing play over time if not shimmed or adjusted; plenty of older units have a charming but slightly unnerving front-end rattle when you lift them. The 1S arrived after years of people complaining, so tolerances and reinforcement are marginally better. Neither is indestructible, but a fresh 1S tends to feel tighter out of the box and stays that way longer if you don't abuse it.

On the practicality front, both integrate nicely with Xiaomi's app: electronic motor locking, regen strength settings, cruise control toggling, firmware updates. In day-to-day use, the 1S edges ahead simply because its onboard display lets you glance at speed, mode and warnings without consulting your phone or guessing from four vague dots.

Safety

Core safety hardware is fundamentally the same: dual braking, air-filled tyres, lights and reflectors, conservative speed. Neither scooter is a death trap, but neither is a safety marvel either-you still need to ride with your brain switched on, especially with those relatively small wheels.

The M365's safety package was ahead of its time: E-ABS, a surprisingly usable headlight for urban speeds and a braking tail light. The 1S takes that base and nudges it into more modern territory: a brighter and better-shaped headlight beam, larger and more noticeable rear light with clearer brake signalling, and more extensive reflector placement on the chassis. None of this is revolutionary, but at night or in wet traffic it does add up to feeling just that bit more visible and composed.

Grip from the tyres is very similar-both run small pneumatic wheels that cling decently to wet tarmac yet remain vulnerable to potholes and tram tracks. Hit a deep hole at speed on either and you're relying on luck and reflexes. On the flip side, cornering and straight-line stability at their limited top speeds feel reassuringly predictable once you respect their limits.

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Price & Value

When new, the M365 sat in the "honestly pretty good for the money" bracket. The problem now is that the 1S effectively replaced it and undercuts it in many markets, offering the same basic experience with nicer details for less cash. Paying more for an older design with a worse dashboard is... not compelling, unless you're getting serious discounting.

On the used market, the picture flips. A well-priced used M365 can be excellent value, provided you accept the likelihood of a tired battery and a bit of hinge maintenance. The 1S, being newer, often commands higher used prices that make you wonder whether to just stretch to a fresh unit with warranty.

In pure new-for-new terms, the 1S is the better value: you get a more current design, better everyday usability and slightly improved safety at a lower list price. The M365's "value" these days mostly lives in bargain second-hand deals and in the modder scene.

Service & Parts Availability

Here, both are among the best-supported scooters in existence. You can buy almost every part for either model online: tyres, controllers, dashboards, stems, mudguards, you name it. Xiaomi's market saturation means third-party spares, 3D-printed fixes and YouTube tutorials are everywhere.

Formal warranty service is a bit more hit-and-miss and often depends on your retailer rather than Xiaomi directly. But the truth is, for both scooters, most issues get solved by the owner armed with a hex key and a how-to video. If you're in Europe, finding someone who has already fixed exactly your problem is almost guaranteed.

The only subtle difference is time: the M365 has been around longer and has a slightly deeper rabbit hole of mods and hacks, including exotic things like suspension retrofit kits and extended battery packs. The 1S benefits from most of that infrastructure too, but the true museum-grade tinkering culture still centres on the M365.

Pros & Cons Summary

Parameters Comparison

Final Verdict - Which Should You Choose?

Between these two, the Xiaomi 1S is the sensible choice for most people today. It takes the M365's fundamentals and fixes the most annoying everyday issues: you get a real display, better lighting, slightly refined electronics and generally the same portability and performance for less money. It's not exciting, but it is the more complete, nicer-to-live-with package.

The M365 still has its charm, but it increasingly feels like a product from a previous wave. If you find one cheap, don't mind a bit of spanner work and like the idea of modding it into whatever you fancy, it remains a solid little platform. As a new purchase at full price, though, it's difficult to justify over its own successor.

If you're a typical commuter who wants to buy once, ride daily and not think too hard about it, go for the Xiaomi 1S. If you're the kind of rider who already knows what firmware version you'll be flashing before you even own the scooter, a well-priced Xiaomi M365 can still be a fun, budget-friendly project.

Numbers Freaks Corner

These metrics show, purely mathematically, how much scooter you get for each Euro, kilogram and Watt. Price-per-Wh and price-per-km/h highlight which scooter stretches your money further; efficiency in Wh/km hints at how gently each uses its battery in real riding. Weight-related metrics show how much mass you haul around for the performance and range you get, while the charging speed figure simply reflects how quickly energy is pushed back into the battery. None of this captures comfort or fun, but it's a useful sanity check.

Author's Category Battle

Overall Winner Declaration

In the Numbers Freaks Corner, the XIAOMI 1S scores 8 points against the XIAOMI M365's 6. In the Author's Category Battle, the XIAOMI 1S gets 35 ✅ versus 13 ✅ for XIAOMI M365 (with a few ties sprinkled in).

Totals: XIAOMI 1S scores 43, XIAOMI M365 scores 19.

Based on the scoring, the XIAOMI 1S is our overall winner. For everyday commuting, the Xiaomi 1S simply feels like the more rounded, less annoying companion: it tells you what it's doing, lights your way better and quietly fixes the rough edges of the original formula. The Xiaomi M365 still has character and a devoted following, but it increasingly feels like something you buy because you enjoy tinkering, not because it's the most sensible commuter in 2025. If you want a scooter that behaves like a modern appliance instead of a lovable early-generation gadget, the 1S is the one that will keep your mornings calmer and your rides just that little bit more enjoyable.

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.