Is the Mevo Gen 2 the Future of FlightScope?

For the last few years the FlightScope Mevo Plus has continued to be my favorite overall launch monitor.

They’ve continued to roll out free updates that make the product better and better, and they’re doing it all with no subscription fees. 

The same cannot be said for the original FlightScope Mevo, however.

What was once the best launch monitor under $500, feels like it’s been largely forgotten.

And well, there’s a reason for that.

Meet the new FlightScope Mevo Gen 2.

To be honest, there’s not much of a comparison to make between this and the original Mevo. 

The more you dig into it, you realize this is much closer to a Mevo Plus than the original cheaper model.

But at $1199 ($1,139 with code BREAKINGEIGHTYPLUS) it ocupies a unique spot in the market. Is it worth saving hundreds of dollars over the Plus? How does it compare to the Rapsodo MLM2PRO which sits squarely at this price point?

And does it feel like the Mevo Gen 2 is truly going to be the future of FlightScope? 

We’re going to answer all of these questions and more in this FlightScope Mevo Gen 2 review.

Let’s do this.

First Impressions of the FlightScope Mevo Gen 2: This looks familiar

My first thought when seeing this new device was that the Mevo Plus got Tik-Tok’d.

The Gen 2 is a very similar size to the Mevo Plus, it’s just a vertical orientation instead of landscape.

The design aesthetic is very similar with a red FlightScope logo in the center, and grey trim around the sides. 

Despite being a similar size, the case on the Gen 2 is about twice the size as it is on the Mevo Plus. Inside, you’ll find the unit itself, a charging brick and USB-C cord, a quick start guide, and some silver stickers.

The larger case is to allow the charger to fit, but considering battery life is very strong at 6 hours, I think I’d have preferred the smaller case and to just leave my charger at home.

Even still, it’s a high-quality canvas and is pretty thin, so it will fit in most standard-sized golf bags when going out to the range.

I was very happy to finally see that USB-C charger. Up until now, all FlightScope products have used an older USB-Mini, which has become increasingly annoying in a USB-C-dominant world. Even the refreshed pro-level X3c had the old charging port.

How Easy is the FlightScope Mevo Gen 2 to Set up? Well, That Depends…

One of my major critiques of the Mevo Plus is that it can take a little bit of extra time to setup and align when compared to other products.

It’s not terrible, but it does take a little getting used to. 

For the most part, that experience is similar with the new Mevo Gen 2.

All current FlightScope products use the FS Golf App. This is a great thing. It’s a pro-level app, that gives you unparalleled control of your data and how you like to interact with it.

This is one of the major things that sets the Gen 2 apart from other similarly priced models. 

But because of that, there are some extra options and customizations involved as you’re getting going.

The Stand Design

The major thing you’ll need to do is make sure the unit is as close to 12 degrees tilt and 0 degrees roll as possible.

The app makes it easy to see in real time exactly where the unit stands in this regard.

The problem with dialing this in, comes down to the stand design.

It basically flicks out from a recessed position in the unit itself. It looks sleek and is great for storage, but if you’re trying to set up the unit on anything less than perfectly level ground, getting the Tilt and Roll to fall in line can be tricky.

The Mevo Plus gave you the ability to put the stand further in or out to help with this, but the Gen 2, you pretty much only have two options: open or closed.

This is a non-issue inside or on flat ground, but at Pumpkin Ridge, where neither of our ranges are the most launch monitor-friendly, it can be a bit trickier.

I’ve found putting it in the included case can help, but it still takes a little finagling to get it exactly right.

A Huge Connectivity Upgrade

Despite the cumbersome stand, FlightScope has recently rolled out a major update to the Mevo Plus, which carried over to the new Gen 2 in the form of network sharing.

Previously, if you were on an iPad that didn’t have cellular data, you couldn’t be connected to the internet and your Mevo Plus at the same time.

A new update has changed this. It’s made connectivity much easier and fixes one of my major complaints about the Mevo Plus.

The Gen 2 has this out of the box.

As it’s always been, you can directly connect to the WiFi signal it outputs and access the device that way.

Or now, if you need internet on your device as well, you can go through the sharing process which takes about 90 seconds and is very simple to do.

It’s not the absolute best/easiest connectivity experience I’ve had with a launch monitor (that probably goes to the SkyTrak+), but it’s a big upgrade and one I’m happy to see.

Setup Gets a Solid “B”

All that factored in, I give the Mevo Gen 2 a solid B when it comes to the setup process.

The stand can still make it a little cumbersome outside, but the extra connectivity flexibility and huge amount of customization the app provides makes for the best setup experience I’ve had with a FlightScope product yet.

Is it Basically Just a “Baby Mevo Plus?” In Many Ways, Yes.

I could honestly finish this review right now by simply saying one more thing:

The Mevo Gen 2 is essentially the exact same as a base-level Mevo Plus. Features, user-experience, accuracy, it all feels exactly the same for a retail price of $1100 less.

That statement totally holds true, with maybe a few caveats I’ll touch on, but if you want to know the essence of what the new Mevo Gen 2 is – that’s it.

This is much more “Plus” than “Mevo.”

That said, there are some differences and figuring out if you should buy the Mevo Plus, the Gen 2, or something else entirely may be tricky for a lot of people.

So first, let me touch on performance and user experience a bit, and then we’ll look at direct comparisons to those other products to help you figure out if you should buy it.

What’s It Like Using the Mevo Gen 2?

Seriously, when I’m using this, it feels absolutely no different than using a Mevo Plus.

It takes the same amount of space, 8 feet behind the ball and 8 feet in front of it, and it uses the exact same software.

Where things differ is in the fact that you’re not able to get the Pro Package or Impact Detection on the Gen 2 – so at least as it sits now, there’s no available club data – just ball data.

Given how similar this thing seems to a Mevo Plus, it wouldn’t surprise me if that’s rolled out down the line, but I have no idea if this unit is even capable of that.

But just like the Mevo Plus, you’re able to get a real-time shot tracer (that works surprisingly well), you’re able to set data margins, view your shots and data any way you could possibly want, and connect it to any number of third-party simulator options with no subscription fee.

The Mevo Gen 2 Outdoors

Once I got through the setup process, using the Mevo Gen 2 outdoors works really well.

Because it’s a Doppler device that is actually tracking the ball, you’re going to get more accurate numbers than you will with an optical unit outside.

The unit feels very accurate for all clubs from driver to wedges, but I haven’t done any real in-depth testing on accuracy yet.

I did have one minor connectivity issue in that every 5 or 6 shots, the Gen 2 would go from “Ready” to “Connected” in the app.

When it’s just “Connected,” it won’t register shots. 

All I had to do to fix it was tap that part of the screen, and it would go back to Ready, but it was still a minor annoyance.

The other issue I had wasn’t so much a function of the Mevo itself, but rather just conditions. I had my iPad and iPhone out during my first day testing. It was over 90 degrees and bright sunshine, and both of my mobile devices overheated, causing me to have to wait a few minutes to let them cool down.

This is the downside to not having a built-in screen, like in say, the Full Swing Kit.

However, it’s also where the FlightScope has a massive benefit in that it’s compatible with an Apple Watch.

Short of having an iPad on a stand, the Apple Watch is the best way to use a FlightScope device. You can customize how you want ot see the data on your wrist and get all your numbers after every shot. I’m not sure why more brands don’t do this, but it’s fantastic.

Using the Gen 2 Indoors

I also had a session using the Mevo Gen 2 indoors against a Trackman. I didn’t record all the data, but overall, I was pleased with how it held up against a product nearly 25x the cost.

Roughly 7 out of 10 shots were within 1-2 yards of the Trackman, with spin numbers less than 200 RPMs off.

The other 2-3 shots would be a little bit wilder in variance. Going up to 5-7 yards difference with the driver, and spin numbers that could be up to about 3,000 rpms different.

So the accuracy wasn’t dead on, but given the price difference, it fared better than I expected it to.

I ran into the same connectivity issue I mentioned above indoors as well, but my guess is this is a minor bug that can be fixed in an upcoming update – so not something I’m too concerned about.

Putting and Chipping

Testing putting and chipping indoors, I was overall really pleased.

I didn’t have any issues with it recognizing chips, which I’ve heard some people complain about with the Mevo Plus.

With putts, the only issues I had were really short putts that were like 3 feet or less. Occasionally, it had trouble recognizing those – but outside of that, putting felt pretty dead on.

Considering Doppler units tend to struggle with this vs. optical units, I was happy to see this.

Using the Mevo Gen 2 as a Simulator

I haven’t had a chance to test the Mevo Gen 2 simulator capabilities.

It does come with a free mobile license to e6, which includes 8 courses:

• Kiawah Ocean Course
• Torrey Pines South Course
• Kapalua Golf Club Plantation Course
• Valderrama Golf Club
• Sea Island Seaside Course
• Pelican Hill Golf Club
• Chateau Whistler Golf Club
• Latrobe Country Club

It’s not quite as good as the Mevo Plus package, which has 12 courses, including Pebble Beach and The Old Course, but it is still a nice inclusion to see.

I’ll update this review when I get a chance to test, but I’ve used e6 with a lot of different launch monitors, and I don’t expect the experience here to be any different.

One of the big benefits of the Mevo Gen 2 is how many other 3rd party simulator options it’s compatible with. GSPro, Golf Club 2019, Awesome Golf, the Stack System – the list goes on.

This provides a ton of technology regardless of which software you prefer.

No Subscription Fees are Huge

One thing I have to continue to applaud FlightScope for is their lack of a subscription for their primary products.

You get full access to the software and device without having to pay an annual subscription fee.

This is especially rare when it comes to 3rd party access. Most other launch monitor companies will charge a subscription that’s anywhere from $99 to $499 a year just for the ability to connect something like GSPro, which also has it’s own $250 fee.

Professional Experience at a Consumer Price

I think the biggest thing that stands out to me about this unit is you get the same software experience as as the $15,000 X3c in a product that you can get for $1,139.

All of the other consumer-level launch monitors have software that feels consumer-level.

Even though aspects of the FS Golf app do feel slightly dated, the ease of which you can customize your data, views, and overall experience is second to none.

So if you’re serious about using your launch monitor as a practice tool and getting into the numbers, I think this is absolutely the best device in this price range.

Mevo Plus vs. Mevo Gen 2: Which Should You Buy?

This is going to be the trickiest decision for many people interested in this.

Retail price of a base Mevo Plus is $2,299. 

But you’ll regularly see it on sale for $1,839. After our discount, it drops it down to $1,747. This is the price you should be looking for.

The new Mevo Gen 2 currently is selling for $1199, or $1,139 afer the discount.

So you can effectively save around $600 by going with the Gen 2. Pretty good deal, right?

Yes and no.

If you need club data, there currently isn’t an option for it on the Gen 2. As I mentioned earlier, I’d guess that it’ll be coming down the line, but we don’t know that. So you’re rolling the dice a bit.

I think for most golfers the cost savings is worth it and the Mevo Gen 2 is going to be the better bet. But if you know you want increased data, I still think the FlightScope Mevo Plus is an excellent value for what you get.

So Should You Buy It? 

Overall, I think this is a really exciting product from FlightScope. It retains everything I love about the Mevo Plus, but it does it for significantly less money. 

Right now you can use the code BREAKINGEIGHTYPLUS to get the Mevo Gen 2 for $1139, or 5% off its MSRP of $1199. 

If you’re looking for a versatile launch monitor that you can use both indoors and outdoors, have the space required for it (16 feet), and don’t want to pay for a subscription? Then I think there’s a serious case to make for buying this.

But if you want something that will only be for indoor use, don’t like the fact that setup takes a little bit longer to get correct than other devices, or need club path data – then there are other options that will likely be a better fit.

I think that last part is going to be the dealbreaker for a lot of people. Even the $699 Square provides some club data.

So the fact that this doesn’t have any, and doesn’t even give you an option to upgrade to have it, will likely give some people pause.

If I had to guess, I’d expect them to roll out the Pro Package and Impact Detection down the line. This unit feels too similar to the Mevo Plus for them not to. But without knowing anything for sure, it’s a bit of a gamble.

That said, even on its own, I’m very impressed with the new Mevo Gen 2 and I can’t wait to see how they expand on this platform from here.

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It's a base Mevo Plus for a fraction of the price.

9.2 Excellent

Despite having a few annoyances around the setup and the stand, the FlightScope Mevo Gen 2 is the most professional feeling launch monitor in the $1k price range. It represents an excellent value, and should only continue to get better as time goes on.

The Good

1. Very accurate for the price
2. No subscription fees
3. Professional level software
4. Lots of 3rd party simulator connectivity options

The Bad

1. Stand design can make setup tricky
2. No option for club data
3. App feels a little dated at times

• Presentation 9
• Performance 9
• Quality and Features 9
• Price 9
• Personal Affinity 10