An accompanying Xiaomi Home app takes care of the scooter, looking after firmware updates and controlling some of the functionality. It’s not as comprehensive as rivals such as Segway Ninebot and Bird, but it handles the basics well. However, it’s also not very clear what app is required. A QR code for something similar would help matters, Xiaomi.

The high brightness of the new 2W headlight effectively improves the safety of riding at night. The light irradiation angle has a new design that keeps the light below the line of sight to avoid headlight dazzle. The sophisticated cruise control and kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) recovers a moving vehicle's kinetic energy under braking for a longer duration. The cruise control system helps maintain a steady speed set by the driver to relieve drivers from constant pressure and tension. It’s not really a powerful electric scooter, but the Xiaomi brand makes up for a trustworthy name that you surely won’t be disappointed in. It lets patrons and consumers opt for a quality e-scooter and a great price from a trusted brand, overall making the Xiaomi 1S a great option to weigh in when looking for an electric scooter for the daily commute. Hailing from the 2020 lineup of Xiaomi, this entry-level scooter that’s cheap and accessible goes head-to-head with Xiaomi’s earlier releases as the two offerings go tooth and nail to compete on price and performance.That being said, both e-scooters have their strengths and weaknesses. The Pure Air can be ridden on wet roads and in rain, and it can accommodate a maximum rider weight of 120kg. By comparison, the Xiaomi 1S is only IP54-rated, which means that riding in rain or puddles will void your two-year warranty and it can only accommodate 100kg, so it’s not suitable for heavier riders.

Pedestrian mode is indicated by a walking man icon and it tops out at 3mph; ideal for when you’re walking with your e-scooter because the throttle doesn’t activate in this mode. Drive mode is denoted by a blue “d” icon and has a top speed of 12.5mph. The fastest is Sport mode, denoted by a blue “s” icon, with a maximum speed of 15.5mph. But as far as aesthetics go, the Xiaomi 1S electric scooter is not a far cry from its predecessors despite being a 2020 release. I guess Xiaomi believes that you don’t fix what isn’t broken, but you improve on the things people are complaining about from the previous iterations. The same can be said for its weight and riding speed, only having minor upgrades and additions to consider it as the current and updated model. The Xiaomi 1S scooter is sleek, elegant, and portable with a safe minimalist design. The strong and lightweight aircraft-grade aluminium body only takes 3 seconds to fold and go weighing 12.5 kg. The batteries will drain faster in colder climates and as soon as you throw a few hills into the mix, the remaining range soon slips away, but we’d say it could still handle a ten-mile commute if ridden carefully.The puncture resistance and robustness have been comprehensively improved and the performance of the explosion-proof tires has also been greatly optimized. The durability of the 8.5" tires has been increased by up to 3 times. Not only does it make for a smooth ride on flat roads, it is also very comfortable to ride on non-paved roads like gravel, dirt roads, and grass. The 1S battery has the same capacity and power as the M365 battery, and the scooter retains the same top-speed of 25 km/h (15.5 mph) and range of 30 km (18 miles). The range is pretty accurate (at least to begin with) but the speed tends to hover around 14 mph. Xiaomi also claim the battery on the 1S has been improved so that it takes less time to charge (5 hours) and has a longer overall lifespan (partly by limiting its charge so that it reads 100% charged when it is, in fact, only at 93% of its real capacity. This is a great scooter for those thinking of replacing public transport or even a bicycle with something smaller, more convenient and easier to stash in a flat or office. It offers a great mix of performance, durability and comfort at a price that won’t break the bank.

The Xiaomi Pro 2 scooter has a powerful 600W electric motor for top-end performance, a maximum speed of 25 km/h and three speed modes to easily adjust your speed to your environment, power when required, safety when need. The 1S and Essential scooters have an almost as powerful 500W motor and each can take you a long-way, 30 to 45 km depending on the model selected. Personally, I prefer the comfortable rubber grips on the Xiaomi 1S handlebar compared to the squishy rubber grips on the Pure Air, which feel cheap. However, the Pure Air counters this with 10in pneumatic tyres that offer a slightly more comfortable ride across different surface types compared to the Xiaomi 1S’s 8.5in ones. The Xiaomi Mi 1S sits right in the middle of the current range, costing less than the slightly larger and more powerful Pro 2 but only costing only slightly more than the basic and much slower Xiaomi Essential model. The Xiaomi 1S E-Scooter comes with a 250W motor powered by a 7650mAh/275Wh Li-ion battery, which powers through almost all general road surfaces that you’d expect an electric scooter to zoom through. Convert kinetic energy into electrical energy for longer battery life. The kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) has been fully upgraded, and the energy conversion efficiency has been further improved. It can recover the kinetic energy of each braking and non-powered coasting, and convert it into usable electrical energy to further improve the cruising range. The efficiency of energy recovery can be adjusted through the Mi Home App to meet your individual riding needs.The Xiaomi tyres are 8.5 inches in diameter and pneumatic. The idea is that air-filled tyres make the ride smoother. However, there is no suspension so it is really a trade-off between the two options. Xiaomi claim that their new range ( Essential, 1S and Pro 2) have "next generation tyres", making them three times as robust (less likely to puncture) as the M365 tyres. I cannot vouch for the robustness (I never had a puncture on my M365) but I have ridden M365s in Mexico City, where road repairs fall fairly low down on the "to-do" list, and found that, as long as major potholes are avoided, and a comfortable riding stance taken, most road surfaces can be comfortably traversed. Unsurprisingly, cobble stones present a problem.

The Xiaomi 1S electric scooter is far from being the perfect scooter, but the best thing about it is that you get what you pay for, along with a little more.The scooter's battery is located in the base and the frame itself is built from aluminium. It feels strong and the folding mechanism means it can be folded or unfolded in a few seconds (Xiaomi claims three seconds). This sturdiness and low cost (as you are not paying for carbon fibre) does mean it is reasonably heavy at 12.5 kg; but this is as light as mid-range scooters come and heaviness is fairly subjective: I am by no means strong and can carry this scooter up and down stairs without too much effort. One difference from its predecessor, apart from yellow reflectors on the EU/UK model, is that the external wires are neater in the 1S. They still have not figured out how to feed the wire to the handlebar internally (through the folding joint) but they have at least tried. Unlike the Pure air 2, the Mi 1S isn’t completely waterproof and it’s not advised to use it in the rain, but the large pneumatic tyres ensure it can handle a much greater array of lumpy road surfaces. The smaller, solid wheels found on some rivals lead to a twitchy and slightly worrisome ride at speed, but these 8.5-inch numbers do a great job of improving stability. Before taking your Xiaomi 1S for its first ride, you should first update its firmware. To do this, simply install the free Xiaomi Home app (available for both Android and iOS), turn on your phone’s Bluetooth, create a Xiaomi account or login to your existing one, and follow the onscreen instructions. As soon as you pair the app with your e-scooter, you’ll see a Bluetooth icon on your scooter display, and the app will automatically update its firmware.