Apollo Phantom Review: Most Innovative Electric Scooter of the Year

Apollo Phantom: Overview

In this Apollo Phantom review, discover how the most anticipated scooter of 2021 performs in our certified testing, and why its complete feature set makes it the first of its kind

By Trina McManus. With over a decade of writing experience, Trina is Assistant Writer at ESG. She crafts the scripts for videos and ESG Liveshow, writes the monthly eNewsletter, and is responsible for much of the content on the website.

Summary

If you know scooters, you know most are slight variations on the same designs, like the Titan/Unicool offshoots. The Phantom is the first electric scooter fully designed by Apollo’s in-house team based on feedback from thousands of riders. Evolving their development process, Apollo set out to create the best overall riding experience, and the Phantom is a serious machine with a superior feature package — the best we’ve ever seen — including an amazing supersized display, rock solid triple-secure folding mechanism, and amazing lighting package, to name a few.

The Phantom has so many signature features of a standout high performance scooter that we’re not exactly sure what to compare it to, as it’s almost in a class of its own. The display and folding mechanism are next level, the comfortable cockpit and lights make it great for commuting, day or night, and its road-biting performance keeps it fun. Not to mention, it looks really, really good, too. 

The 52V Phantom is available with or without hydraulic brakes. A 60V model and a 60V Ludicrous variant will be available for shipping late summer 2021, and Apollo sent us the 52V and 60V Ludicrous, both with Nutt hydraulic brakes, for certified testing. The 52V Phantom, which is the focus of this review, has a higher top speed than the well-respected Kaabo Mantis Pro and Inokim OXO, and has truly next-level ride quality. 

Other Scooters to Consider

• To keep it simple, check out our Editor’s pick of best electric scooters
• For an exotic scooter known for the best ride quality and phenomenal build quality, check out the Inokim OXO
• To check out the Phantom’s little brother, read our Apollo Ghost review
• For the fastest beast out there, check out the Kaabo Wolf King

** Based on our performance tests which may differ from the manufacturer’s claims.

Apollo Phantom (52V) Review

Results below are based on our independent testing and not data provided by the manufacturer. Read about our testing methodology or compare with other scooters on our electric scooter performance testing page.

Note: All analyses and performance results below are for the Apollo Phantom (52V) model. We will be testing the Phantom Ludicrous (60V) model and publishing its performance when the model is ready for market.

Top Speed

In our performance tests with a 165 lb rider and the scooter set in its highest performance mode, the Phantom has a certified top speed of 39.1 mph. 

Compare this with the performance of other scooters we’ve tested. 

Acceleration

The Phantom has great acceleration, and isn’t skipping with too-crazy torque off the startline. The Phantom went from zero to 15 mph in 2.5 s, and hits 35 mph in 13.1 s.  

Hill Climb

The Phantom (52V) climbed the 10% average grade, 200-ft incline in 9.2 s with an average speed of 14.8 mph with our 165-lb rider. It’ll take you up the hill, but won’t be flying at a fast pace. 

Range

With 28.4 mi of range, the Phantom can take you the distance when it comes to daily commuting.

Braking

When it comes to safe braking distances, anything under 12 ft is excellent. The Phantom (52V) with Nutt hydraulic brakes comes to a stop from 15 mph in 10.6 ft, so those supersized 160 mm discs are doing their job.

Ride Quality

We ride some of the best scooters in the world, and the Apollo Phantom is pulling rank, with a combination of premium ride quality features that is unmatched by any other scooter we’ve seen. It’s not one thing, it’s everything from the ultra ergonomic thumb throttle, to the long grippy deck and quad spring suspension.

Overall, the Phantom’s cockpit is built for riding comfortably with well-appointed components. The excellent rubber hand grips and button consoles look and feel high quality, and the wide handlebars angle back nicely toward you. The Nutt hydraulic brakes have a great feel, and provide excellent modulation with very little effort.

A well-designed thumb throttle beats a trigger throttle all day, in our opinion. The problem in the industry has been that thumb throttles have not been designed well, and the Phantom’s is the best we’ve ever seen on a dual motor scooter. It’s in an ergonomic position for your thumb to strike naturally without having to stretch. It allows you to easily modulate speed, similar to the response from good trigger throttles. It might not be the most photogenic, but it does the job, and does it well.

The enormous, gorgeous hex display is on point. It’s smart and attractive, and the perfect centerpiece for daily commuting, but could be a little brighter. It’s supersized compared to most displays, and has super intelligent functionality, providing on-screen indicators for everything a rider needs to know, even when your turn signals are on. 

Now let’s talk about what’s under your feet. The Phantom is the first scooter we’ve tested with quadruple spring suspension, and it straight up beats all other spring suspension styles out there. The Phantom’s design includes a rubber bump stop to prevent you from feeling it topping and bottoming out harshly, and it’s effective at reducing the trampoline effect you can get with bouncy spring suspension.

Speaking of suspension, let’s see if Ramier’s giving the Phantom the big dawg stamp of approval.

For the Big Dawgs

Highlights

	Sweet suspension
	Awesome grips
	Solid ride at fast speed
	Not for big dawgs over 300 lbs

We’re going to be upfront about this one, big dawgs will like the Phantom. It’s built to handle riders up to 300 lbs and has quad spring suspension while most other Pro level scooters have dual spring or something similar. 

As soon as you grab the grips and handlebars, you feel connected to the scooter. As a big dawg, Ramier wasn’t in love with the Apollo Pro, the Phantom’s predecessor, because it felt really bouncy. On the Phantom, he can go really fast and stay really stable, and he really, really likes it. The Phantom is absotively big dawg approved. 

Apollo Phantom Features

Portability

Is the Phantom super portable? No, not really, it’s a pretty average weight for a dual motor scooter at 77 lbs. The Phantom measures 49 in long by 27 in wide by 21 in tall when folded.

The handlebars are 27 in wide and do not fold, so that’s something to keep in mind when transporting or trying to walk the Phantom through a narrow space. The folding mechanism is very easy to engage and disengage.

The stem latches conveniently to the footrest, and the stem width is narrow enough to grip one-handed. The cutout on the footrest makes it a bit easier to lift into a trunk and there are obvious places to lock it if you need to leave it outside. Although we don’t generally trust keystart ignitions as a security measure (since eager thieves can lift or roll the scooter away if not locked down), the Phantom does need a key to power it on.  

Cockpit

The cockpit is where the Phantom takes innovation to another level. The handlebars are very wide at 27 in, and capped with rubberized hand grips that have a plushy, ergonomic feel. Although they feel great, they’re not screwed-in, so they can rotate while riding. 

The proprietary HEX display is centered over the handlebars, gorgeous and fully next gen, but could be a little brighter. All of the electronics along the handlebars are plug-and-play, including the hex display. The cables are left partially exposed in the cockpit, so you can more easily access them to replace components if needed.

The most innovative feature of the hex display is its ability to predict remaining mileage, which is based on your last few seconds of throttle usage, rather than using your historical average. We suggest observing how the number changes as you ride, and gaining insight from there.

On the left handlebar, there’s the rear brake lever, button console to control the lights (headlight and turn signals) and enable dual motor (sport) mode, and a bell. 

On the right handlebar, there’s the front brake lever, keystart ignition with thumb throttle attached, and three-way button console that allows you to power on the Phantom, switch riding modes, and toggle through features on your display. 

Phantom P-settings

As the Phantom has an all-new proprietary display, it also has its own P-settings. To access P-settings, power on the scooter and press the up/down directional buttons simultaneously for 3 seconds. Use the mode button to cycle through and lock in your settings, and the directional buttons to change the value. 

These settings are also in the user manual. 

Lights

While the Phantom has an overall comprehensive feature set, Apollo has included two standout features that put this scooter above nearly any other when it comes to safety: first, a built-in 1000 lumen headlight and second, real turn signals, all with on-screen indicators.

Although you wouldn’t buy a car without headlights, you might own a performance scooter without one, as effective lighting is often overlooked as a required feature of this level of scooter. If you ride at night, you know what it’s like. To have better visibility, you have to purchase, attach, charge, and keep track of separate lights on top of your other gear, which is just a lot.

The Phantom’s lighting package is pretty close to perfect, as the high-mounted headlight, front deck lights, and bright orange rear turn signals are easily visible in daytime and nighttime. They’re the most visible of any turn signals we’ve seen, and are set to shine at an upward angle visible by cars. 

The only downside to the lighting configuration is that the turn signals are only on the rear, meaning drivers facing you won’t know if you’re turning against them in traffic. In future models, we suggest switching the front deck lights to turn signals (and adding some under-deck or stem lighting for more visibility). 

Tires

The tires on the Apollo Phantom are, simply put, the best. They are large in both dimensions with a 10.0 in diameter and 3 in wide, and have the best profile for sporty riding, feeling nimble in the middle and stable when leaned over. 

Traction is very good at any lean angle. The recommended 50 psi feels overinflated on these tires, and contributes to the occasional skitter of the suspension over high frequency road defects. If you can give up a few miles of range per charge, we recommend running the tires at 45 psi for an all-around better ride.

Although Apollo calls the Phantom’s tires “hybrid” meaning they’re meant for both road and off-road riding, hybrid often means that the scooter comes with a pneumatic tire in front and a solid tire in back (usually on entry-level scooters to promote low maintenance care as most flats happen on the rear). The tires on the Phantom are pneumatic (inner tube) tires on a split rim, and we really, really like them.  

Air-filled tires are prone to punctures and flats. Follow our preventive guide to avoid them.  

Deck

The rubberized deck is gorgeous and should be easy to keep clean. It has deep grooves in the all-black pattern and measures 20.5 in long by 7.0 in wide. It has 5.8 in of ground clearance.

It is long enough to fit both feet, but you’ve also got a good sized, well-angled footrest for added standing room. A thoughtful part of the folding hook design is that it attaches to a recessed anchor point in the footrest rather than onto the deck, meaning you won’t be stepping on it like on some other scooters. 

Build Quality

Before the Phantom arrived at ESG Labs, it had already gone through three evolutions. Apollo experimented with tubeless tires, tested different motor styles, and fine tuned how the fenders, folding hook, and stem folding mechanism all come together. With that, the Phantom looks like a completely evolved machine.

Folding mechanism

Let’s start with the claw-style folding mechanism that we’ve dubbed the grenade stem. This thing is rock solid with zero wobble, as the mechanism and the stem, which is made of double-layer aluminum, are bolted and welded together, making it feel very robust. The folding mechanism feels familiar as it’s very similar to one of the world’s most popular scooters, the Ninebot Max, but with an added safety feature.

To set the scooter upright, unfold the stem and push the lever upwards, then rotate the collar to secure the lever in place, and push the safety pin through the stem. The stem is left feeling very, very solid. 

Although there isn’t a leash for the safety pin, it fits pretty securely so is not likely to go missing.

One of the most rider-focused features that Apollo has implemented with the Phantom is its repairability. Along with the plug-and-play components in the cockpit, Apollo was also targeting convenience with the pneumatic tires on split rims, as they provide the best balance of ride quality and ease of maintenance. 

Additionally, all Phantom scooters come packaged with a premium toolkit featuring tools, spare inner tubes and brake pads in a zippered pouch. And although not waterproof, the Phantom has an IP54 water resistance rating like all other Apollo scooters. A quick caveat about IP ratings: no retailer warranty that we know of covers any water-related damage, IP rating or not. 

While we appreciate that Apollo has beefed up the kickstand mount on the Phantom, the kickstand itself isn’t the same level of quality as the rest of the scooter, as it sticks out too much from the deck when folded, and causes the scooter to lean more than we’d like when parked. However, the bracket prevents the dual charging ports from scraping the ground in a fall. 

Apollo Phantom: Review Conclusions

The Phantom has thrown down the gauntlet as the new template for a next generation scooter, satisfying requests from riders (and ESG) in an industry that’s mostly been happy with copy/paste. It feels really comfortable and intuitive to ride. 

The Phantom is exceptional with amazing build quality, solid performance, and commuter-friendly features suitable for riders looking to jump on their scoots every day. You’ll feel comfortable driving with traffic when needed, taking bumps and corners on the quad spring suspension, and have less to carry with you riding at night (you won’t need all those extra lights!). 

If you can wait and want blazing, rubber-burning speed, the 60V Phantom Ludicrous is ridiculously fast on top of the complete feature set that you’re getting with the Phantom (no matter the power).

If the Apollo line doesn’t fit your needs, check out our ESG Editor’s pick of best electric scooters.

Apollo Phantom: Specifications From Manufacturer

Note: This may differ from our tested specifications.