Alfawise M1 – a cheaper alternative to Xiaomi M365?

Alfawise M1 is an interesting e-scooter, it looks like Xiaomi M365, but there is a significant difference. While M365 is using air tube tires, which can puncture or deflate, Alfawise M1 is using vacuum tires (front) and honeycomb tires (back). Further it is cheaper than Xiaomi M365! Many reasons to take a closer look:

Alfawise M1 vs Xiaomi M365 Scooter – Specs

Box Contents

The box content of Alfawise M1  is comparable to Xiaomi M365. It comes almost fully assembled you only have to attach the handle bar, screw and wrench are included. For Xiaomi M365 there is an “EU Version” available which includes spare tires, the international version comes without extra tires. As advertised you won’t need spare tires for Alfawise M1 due to the tire design, more on that later.

Design & Parts

Frame

The weight of Alfawise M1 is 12.5 kg, which is almost the same as Xiaomi M365 (12.7 kg). The battery on both of them is stored under the footstep which I prefer as it offers a better driving experience. That’s due to the lower center of gravity compared to Ninebot ES2 where the battery sits in the handle bar (see Ninebot ES2 vs Xiaomi M365 review). Below the footstep there’s a foldout stand to sturdy park your scooter.
Both e-scooter fold within seconds, the mechanism sits between steering bar and footstep. The crossbar connects to the cover of the back wheel to easily carry your scooter which feels well balanced. Alfawise M1 and Xiaomi M365 are made of aviation-grade aluminum and have IP54 rating, that’s means they are protected against splash water. Load factor for both of them is stated with 100 kg.

Motor & Battery

The front wheel of Alfawise M1 holds a 350W motor which is a plus of 100 W compared to Xiaomi M365 (250W). Max. speed is stated with 25km/h which is comparable same as 15% gradient stated for both of them. Both e-scooter offer two riding modes: Standard Mode and Energy Saving mode where the max. speed is limited.

The built in battery of Xiaomi M365 offers a capacity of 280 Wh. Alfawise M1 offers a larger capacity battery with 350 Wh. Both scooter state a max. range of 30km and about 6hrs charging time. The 30km stated range of M365 turned out to be about 25km in real life. I assume the larger battery of Alfawise M1 gets you closer to 30km, but I couldn’t test it so far. As mentioned the battery sits below the footstep of the scooter.

LEDs & Display

Compared to Xiaomi M365 the Alfawise M1 holds a display which shows the scooter’s speed. After testing Ninebot ES2 the display seemed to be very convenient and I was missing this item on my Xiaomi M365. The display of Alfawise M1 shows current speed, the selected mode and battery status. Xiaomi M365 has 4 LEDs instead of a display that indicates battery status. If the lowest one is green instead of white it means you are in eco mode.
Alfawise M1 and Xiaomi M365 have integrated LED headlight and rear light, that also works as brake light. Even though the folding lock mechanism of Alfawise M1 looks very similar to Xiaomi M365 it doesn’t have a bell attached. A bell is a legal requirement in many countries, but you can easily attach one.

Tires & Brakes

In this category you can find the main difference between booth e-scooter. The front tire of Alfawise M1 is a vacuum tire with the same quality as car tires that should be 40% more puncture resistant than pneumatic tires. (The new Ninebot Max offers a comparable technology).  The rear tire is a (hidden) honeycomb tire that is sturdy and also solves the problem of getting flat tires. Still it provides good shock absorption compared to solid rubber tires (as found on Ninebot ES series).
Xiaomi M365 is fitted with tube air tires instead. They offer advantages and disadvantages. While they provide excellent shock absorption they of course can deflate or puncture.
Alfawise M1 and Xiaomi M365 tires are all 8.5″ in size.

Both e-scooter offer two separated brake systems: Integrated in the front wheel there is an eABS, regenerative anti-lock braking system. When you release the accelerator lever, the front wheel slowly brakes and the generated energy flows back into battery. The back wheel holds a 120mm disk brake which is activated with the brake handle on the steering bar.

Alfawise M1 in a nutshell

Alfawise M1 compared to Xiaomi M365:

Stronger Motor

Larger Capacity Battery

Reduced risk of getting a flat tire

LCD Display

Price

Review – My two cents

On the paper the Alfawise M1 seems to outperform Xiaomi M365 in every aspect. It has a larger battery and stronger motor, although the max. speed and max. range stated is the same (25 km/h / 30km). But I have to state that in my test I couldn’t reach 30km on my Xiaomi M365. Alfawise M1 offers a display that shows current speed which is very convenient. And then there’s the tire factor. Even tough Xiaomi M365 is very reliable and very comfortable to ride, there’s the issue with punctured and flat tires. And this problem seems to be tackled by Alfawise M1 very well. It’s interesting that they use two different types. A tubeless tired on the front that seems to have less risk of puncture but still provides good shock absorption. And a honeycomb tire on the back that has no issues with punctures but might be just a bit worse in terms of shock absorption. But on the back-wheel that doesn’t seem to be that needed. And to top it off Alphawise M1 is way cheaper than Xiaomi M365.

It seems Alfawise M1 is an interesting alternative to Xiaomi M365. I hope I can test it soon to provide you with real life experience if it stands up to the specs on paper. I complied this article as I wanted to get an overview of Alfawise M1 to see if it is worth testing. It definitely is, so I thought I share the infos with you if you want to make a decision. I’ll add my real life experience as soon as possible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlIKk9Qiba0

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