Apollo 2 vs Apollo 1: The Short Answer
Apollo 2 is the current Apptronik platform direction, and Apollo 1 is the earlier generation that consolidated the company's mobility and manipulation work.
Apptronik's own Apollo 2 page confirms bipedal and wheeled configurations, swappable batteries, and its Artemis and Fleet Connect software stack, but it does not publish a new numeric spec sheet. The published numbers are unchanged from 2023: 5 feet 8 inches, 160 pounds, a 55-pound payload, and four hours of runtime per battery pack.
That makes Apollo 2 a modularity and software upgrade layered onto the same physical envelope, not a new body. Apptronik positions Apollo 2 as a scaled-pilot and data-collection platform, and describes the coming Apollo 3 as its first true commercial product, which tells buyers where the company itself draws the line on maturity.
| Dimension | Apollo 1 | Apollo 2 | What it means for a buyer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Status | Earlier generation, legacy | Current platform direction, pilot stage | Apollo 1 consolidated Apptronik's early mobility and manipulation work; Apollo 2 is the live option |
| Mobility | Fixed configuration | Modular: bipedal or wheeled base, chosen per task | Buyers pick stability and throughput (wheeled) or human-space movement (bipedal) for the same platform |
| Battery | Earlier power system | Swappable battery packs enabling 7x22 operation, plus tethering and opportunity charging as supported modes | Less downtime waiting on a single pack to recharge across a shift |
| Published numeric specs | 5'8", 160 lbs, 55 lb payload, 4 hr per battery pack | Same numbers as Apollo 1: no new spec sheet published as of this review | Do not expect a bigger, stronger robot; the upgrade is elsewhere |
| Software | Earlier stack | Artemis and Fleet Connect software stack named explicitly | Fleet management and task orchestration are now a named product layer, not just hardware |
| Company's own framing | Consolidation platform | Scaled-pilot and data-collection platform, ahead of Apollo 3 as "first true commercial product" | Apptronik itself is telling buyers Apollo 2 is not the finished commercial article yet |
What Actually Changed Between Generations
The real story of Apollo 2 is operational flexibility, not a bigger robot. A modular base that swaps between bipedal and wheeled configurations lets the same platform serve two different jobs: walking through aisles built for people, or moving efficiently across a flat, high-throughput floor.
Swappable batteries paired with 7x22 operation is the other concrete change. A team can pull a depleted pack and drop in a charged one to keep Apollo moving through most of a week's shifts, rather than parking the robot to recharge on a fixed cycle. Tethering and opportunity charging round that out as additional supported modes on the current Apollo 2 page.
The unchanged part deserves equal weight. Apptronik has not published a new height, weight, or payload figure since 2023, which means the physical work envelope a buyer is evaluating today is the same one from two generations back. Anyone comparing Apollo against a payload-sensitive task should treat that number as still current, not as outdated.
Price And Deployment Status
Neither Apollo 1 nor Apollo 2 has a public price. Apptronik routes buyers to a commercial inquiry rather than a list price or quote calculator, consistent with how the company positions Apollo as an enterprise pilot platform rather than a catalog product.
Apollo 2 is described by Apptronik as a scaled-pilot and data-collection platform. That label matters for procurement: a scaled-pilot platform is built to prove workflows and gather training data across more deployments, not to be the final, hardened commercial unit. Apptronik's own roadmap points to Apollo 3 as the first product it calls truly commercial.
For the broader buyer picture, including how Apollo compares against Boston Dynamics Atlas and Agility Digit on deployment evidence, see the full Apptronik Apollo review.
Is The Apollo 2 Upgrade Worth Watching
For an operations buyer already piloting Apollo 1-era hardware, Apollo 2 is worth a fresh conversation with Apptronik specifically about swappable batteries and configuration choice, since those are the two changes with a direct effect on shift coverage and floor layout.
For a buyer who has not started a pilot, the unchanged payload and reach numbers mean the underlying fit test is the same one that applied to Apollo 1: does a 55-pound payload and a human-scale reach actually cover the task, regardless of which generation badge is on the robot.
Across the 24 robot makers The Bot Scout tracks for its ongoing humanoid-robotics research, Apollo 2's pattern is a common one at the pilot stage: the software and operational layer matures faster than the published hardware spec sheet, because the spec sheet is the expensive, slow-moving part to change. Weigh that split carefully when a vendor calls a release a new generation.
Run a small parallel test before committing fleet-wide: validate swap-battery uptime and the wheeled-vs-bipedal choice on your actual floor layout before assuming Apollo 2's operational gains translate one-to-one from Apptronik's own pilot data to your facility.
Bottom Line
Apollo 2 is a real operational upgrade over Apollo 1, built around modular bipedal-or-wheeled mobility, swappable batteries for near-continuous operation, and a named Artemis and Fleet Connect software stack. The published physical specs, 5'8", 160 lbs, 55 lb payload, four hours per battery pack, have not changed since 2023, so buyers should judge the upgrade on flexibility and uptime, not on a bigger or stronger robot. Apptronik itself frames Apollo 2 as a scaled-pilot platform ahead of Apollo 3, its stated first commercial product. See how Apollo stacks up against other enterprise humanoids in the humanoid robot comparison and the Boston Dynamics Atlas review.
Read the full Apptronik Apollo review for warehouse and manufacturing fit, or compare Apollo against Boston Dynamics Atlas and Agility Digit in the humanoid robot comparison.
FAQs
What is the difference between Apollo 1 and Apollo 2?
Apollo 2 adds a modular bipedal-or-wheeled mobility choice, swappable batteries for 7x22 operation plus tethering and opportunity charging, and a named Artemis and Fleet Connect software stack. The published numeric specs, 5'8", 160 lbs, 55 lb payload, and four hours per battery pack, are unchanged from Apollo 1's 2023 figures.
Is Apollo 2 stronger than Apollo 1?
Not on paper. Apptronik has not published a new payload, height, or weight figure since 2023, so the 55-pound payload that applied to Apollo 1 is the same number for Apollo 2. The upgrade is in operational flexibility and software, not raw strength.
Can you buy Apollo 2?
Not through a public price list. Apptronik routes buyers to a commercial inquiry, and the company itself describes Apollo 2 as a scaled-pilot and data-collection platform rather than its first true commercial product, a label it reserves for the coming Apollo 3.
What is Apollo's swappable battery system for?
It lets a team pull a depleted battery pack and insert a charged one to keep Apollo running through most of a week's shifts, which Apptronik calls 7x22 operation. Apollo 2 also supports tethering and opportunity charging as additional modes, options not named on the Apollo 1 generation.
What comes after Apollo 2?
Apptronik has stated that Apollo 3 is planned as its first true commercial product, positioning Apollo 2 as a scaled-pilot and data-collection step rather than the finished commercial platform.