It’s been a good 5-6 years since I had tested a Segway scooter, mostly because their legality in Melbourne was limited to certain areas, but now that they’re allowed on the roads everywhere, I was eager to check out that latest which timed perfectly with the Segway F3 Pro release.
Whilst the overall design, core features and ride-ability were similar to what I last experienced, I was shocked with how advanced a lot of the features were, and just how far it had come over the last few years.
The biggest difference to me was the new 2.4-inch smart TFT display which is not only significantly bigger than the last Segway scooter that I’d used but a lot more brighter and vibrant making it a lot easier to see when riding.
Obviously, you’re able to use the screen to display your speed, but you can now use it to show directions and display call notifications (when synced with the app), easily show how much battery/range is left or how long left to charge the device. These are all crucial bits of information and you can easily jump on the scooter and get riding with all of the information that you need at your fingertips.
Similarly, the new multibutton control is super easy to handle with a button to change between riding modes, your left and right indicators as well as a super easy to access button to turn your lights on and off.
Speaking of those lights, that’s something that I was really impressed with. You’ve got an automatic 6w headlight that turns off and on based on the lighting conditions and is 3x brighter than the last gen, as well as a general light that stays on at all times. You also have very bright break lights on the back, and you’ve got front and back turning indicators as well which is super useful given these are now being ridden on roads.
Something I’ve always loved about the Segway scooters is how comfortable they are to ride and the F3 Pro is no exception. It’s a little bit smaller and lighter than the new G3 Max coming in at under 20kg which makes it perfect for city commuting, but it’s still extremely comfortable to ride with great suspension.
The 10-inch self-sealing tyres feel great on the road, the front and rear breaks allow you to decide how much breaking power you need depending on the situation, and not once even when taking sharper turns or going a little bit faster did I feel unsteady whilst riding, which is really important when riding a vehicle like this.
As far as range and speed goes, you can get up to 70km of range using the eco mode which allows you to go 15 km/h (more than enough for most people) or 50km at 25 km/h with the sports mode at 25 km/h. There’s also an extra battery that extends this out to about double, but I didn’t get to test it for this review. With 1,200 watts of max power, there’s enough power to get you up any hill that you’ll encounter around the city and enough speed that you’ll feel comfortable.
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The last thing I wanted to call out, which has always been great with Segway scooters but has been improved here is the app support. This syncs to your scooter to ensure that it can’t be moved when your phone isn’t nearby, and there’s also Apple Find My support to keep an eye on your scooter at all times, and thankfully Segway now include an easily lockable section on the front of the scooter too.
The app is just a great way to see how much charge you’ve got, plug in navigation and keep your phone synced, and you can also use it as a dashboard with the required accessories. Never once, even when I hadn’t driven it for weeks did I had an issue with pairing, and it was as simple as getting on and driving with my phone nearby.
All-in-all, now that the world is back in full swing, and these are fully legal in most of Australia, there’s never been a better time to get a scooter if you live near the CBD, or just want to have some fun on the road, and the new Segway range is a great one to look at, with the F3 Pro sitting in the sweet spot for most people.
