Segway miniPRO makes hoverboards great again [Review]

There’s no way to look cool rollin’ on Ninebot’s Segway miniPRO, but it’s built like a tank, boasts great battery life, and it’s so gosh darn fun to ride, you just won’t care.

Another plus? Non-exploding batteries. What Segway has here is the new Cadillac of hoverboards.

Anyone can drive Segway miniPRO

Now, you might be intimidated to hop on a hoverboard. I kind of was. But, while my knees were a-knockin’ at first, it only took me five or 10 minutes to start getting my grounding on the Segway miniPRO. To my surprise, within an hour, my wobbly legs had steeled, and I felt like I had become one with the machine. I even taught a random street stranger to ride it, and she was in her 50s.

Once you’ve got the knack, it’s incredible how precisely you can control the miniPRO. With the steering mechanism standing between your calves and a little leaning, you can creep forward inch by inch, or lean into it and rocket down the road.

In fact, I’d routinely walk roll my dog along my neighborhood streets, creeping slowly off the road while my pooch did her sniffing. Performing these kind of micro-maneuvers, even on grass, felt almost as natural as walking.

Top speed on this chariot is 10 miles per hour, which is a lot faster than it sounds. The Segway miniPRO’s pneumatic tires do a good job minimizing small bumps, rocks and twigs, but rolling over potholes is harrowing, and cruising over uneven terrain at a jogging pace is not for the faint of heart. I do wish there was a way to unlock a faster speed, though. A 15 mph option would be perfect for experienced riders.

Battery life for days

The miniPRO’s range is excellent. Segway says to expect about 15 miles per charge, and that’s about right if you don’t introduce hills. As you’d imagine, steep inclines or hilly terrain zap the battery and can make your available range unpredictable. In my ‘hood, which has a decent amount of hills, I found I had to charge the miniPRO about once every three uses, or about every 12 miles. You can probably charge once a week or two if you ride less than a mile per day.

Speaking of hills, miniPRO got me up some steep ones! I have one of those classic sledding hills in my neighborhood. It’s about two blocks long, and the miniPRO crept me right up that beast, albeit slowly. Though I summited triumphantly, I did notice a one- or two-mile loss in range. Regardless, color me impressed — that’s one of those “I’ll walk my bike up” hills.

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But here’s a weird thing about inclines: If you attempt to go too fast, the miniPRO will beep at you. And if you think to open the Ninebot app, it will present you with an error indicating you’re drawing too much power. It’s a totally strange way to handle situations where the power draw is too high. Cryptic R2-D2-style beeping doesn’t help you know what’s wrong. The miniPRO should handle that so you can’t possibly overexert the battery.

As I mentioned, the Segway miniPRO comes with its own iOS app, and it’s actually pretty useful. Once paired, the app displays a variety of metrics, like available range, current speed, battery temperature, distance since last charge, etc. You can also use the app to change the miniPRO’s LED backlight color and blinking patterns — cause who doesn’t want to bling out their taillights?

The miniPRO can also be driven remotely from the app. Why? Well, chasing your dog or kids is a good start. Or you can use it to impress your date. Or create a diversion. The options are limitless.

Segway miniPRO is a viable commuting machine

Now, you might be wondering if you could commute with the miniPRO, and I think that answer is a resolute yes. It can be driven in wet weather, offers great range, and, unlike other hoverboards, its batteries won’t blow up or catch fire. The only thing is, it’s awkward to carry and it’s pretty heavy, so it’d be somewhat unruly to take on a bus or subway. But you could make it work.

You might be wondering about rain. Well, with an IP54 rating, miniPRO should be protected from splashes and damp roads, but Segway recommends you don’t ride while it’s raining, and you should also definitely not drive on snow or through puddles.

Commuting capabilities aside, Ninebot’s Segway miniPRO is a ton of fun, and it’s easily one of the best gadgets I’ve reviewed this year. Is it a toy? Yes. Does it serve practical purposes? Yes. Should you get one? No! JK … Segway has a winner on its hands, and if you have the coin, get one.

Buy from: Amazon

Cult of Mac received a demo unit for this review. Read Cult of Mac’s reviews policy.