INNOKIN Trine SE Review: Beginner Vape with a Removable Battery

Design & Build Quality

The Trine SE is nearly indistinguishable from its older brother, the Trine. Not much has changed in the way of the design, with the Trine SE maintaining the same shape, size, and general appearance as its predecessor.

At 111mm by 26mm by 15mm, the Trine SE is the same size as the Trine and still very compact. The tall, rectangle shape is pretty ‘standard’ as far as pod vapes go, and very practical for day-to-day use. 

One difference between the Trine and the Trine SE are the colors and finishes. The Trine SE is available in six colors: two print-style colors, two mirror finishes, and two matte finishes. The original Trine is only available in matte colors so the Trine SE offers a bit more variety in this department.

My particular favorite color is “Ice Blue”. It’s a gorgeous gradient of light blue to silver, with a frosty pattern that gives it an icy, frozen look. Honestly, all of the colors are rather nice but I would probably avoid the “Mirror” finishes because they scratch up pretty easily. The matte finishes have proven to be much more durable and scratch-resistant.

Instead of a screen like on the Trine, the Trine SE has a short and thin LED bar on the front of the device. There is also no button. This LED lights up either green, yellow, or red depending on the battery charge and that’s about all the information that you get from the Trine SE. This, of course, makes it a more beginner-friendly device than the Trine, which is nice if it’s your first pod vape.

On one side of the device there is an airflow adjustment slider which is the same as the one on the Trine. On the other side there is a Type-C USB charging port.

Finally, the bottom of the device is where we find the Trine SE’s most innovative feature; the removable battery. You simply squeeze the sides of the battery to release it and it slides right out of the device. When installed, the battery sits securely in the device. The release clips are also flush enough with the device that it’s unlikely to release the battery accidentally.

A removable battery on a pod vape is really convenient since you can just swap in a new battery when the battery dies. But this is only really possible if you get Innokin’s Power Hub, which allows you to charge two batteries at the same time. Otherwise, how would you keep the two batteries charged without waiting for them to charge in the device? That would defeat the purpose of having a removable battery, so the Power Hub is a must if you want to take advantage of the removable battery and all of the benefits that it can offer.

Features

The removable battery on the Trine SE is the same as the one that comes with the Trine. The batteries are swappable between the two devices and are the same specs; lithium-ion batteries with a 1000mAh capacity.

Aside from the battery, the Trine SE is a pretty simple, inexpensive, and easy-to-use pod vape. It’s less complicated than the Trine, which already wasn’t difficult to use in the first place, so it will be easy to operate, even for a complete beginner to vaping.

Using the Trine SE is as simple as filling the pod, inserting it into the device, and drawing on the mouthpiece. There are no buttons to push and the Trine SE automatically sets the wattage according to the pod that you use.

The only thing that you have to adjust yourself is the airflow. This is done using the airflow slider on the side of the device and it isn’t complicated to figure out. There’s no “correct” way to set the airflow – it’s all based on personal preference. If you like the airflow tighter, close down the airflow. If you like it looser, open it up.

Regardless of how you set the airflow, the Trine SE is a vape for mouth-to-lung vapers. The draw can get pretty loose with the airflow wide open and quite tight with the airflow restricted, so there’s a nice range that will appease most MTL vapers.

Pods

The Trine SE comes with the same two pods as you get with the Trine. These are a 0.6Ω and 0.8Ω pod. A 1.2Ω pod is also available to be purchased separately though if you prefer a higher resistance coil. All of these pods have a 2ml capacity which isn’t a lot by today’s standards, but for most vapers it will be enough room to hold enough ejuice for a day. 

The pods are color-coded to make telling them apart easy; Orange (0.6Ω), Blue (0.8Ω), and Green (1.2Ω).  Interestingly enough, the coils are built into the pods and are not removable, which isn’t quite in line with the eco-friendly removable battery. However, while removable coils would have lessened the waste from throwing out entire pods, this would have undoubtedly made the Trine SE a little less user-friendly, so perhaps that’s why Innokin decided against it.

The mouthpiece of the pods pop off to reveal the fill port. This port is covered by a self-closing silicone layer which helps keep ejuice in the pod and prevent leaking.

The pod attaches magnetically to the device and sits snugly and firmly, with almost no pod wiggle. About half of the pod remains visible when inserted, allowing you to gauge when it’s time to refill. If you can’t see your ejuice, it’s time to add some more.

Battery Life & Charging

The Trine SE comes with a 1000mAh removable battery and this is currently the only capacity that is available. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if Innokin releases larger batteries like 1500mAh or even 2000mAh that are able to be purchased separately. If so, that would add even more battery life to an already well-performing device.

Typical battery life is anywhere from 2.5 to 3 pods, depending on which resistance pod that you use. So depending on how heavily you vape, the Trine SE can last for days. For me, I was recharging every two days, but that’s still quite good for a 1000mAh battery.

The LED battery indicator on the front of the device is how you can keep track of the battery life. It lights up either green, yellow, or red, depending on the charge:

• Green: Over 30%
• Yellow: 10-30%
• Red: Under 10%

Charging speed is not bad, but could be better. The Trine SE only has 1A Type-C charging, so charging the battery in the device takes around an hour. Unfortunately, I don’t have the Power Hub to test out charging speed, nor could I find any information on if it offers better than 1A charging.

Performance

The ideal user for the Trine SE is someone new to vaping who likes a mouth-to-lung vape. Nicotine salt vapers will also get the most out of the Trine, although it can also be effectively used with freebase nicotine ejuices as well. I used both for my testing and both types of ejuices vaped well, but the tight draw and low power output felt better suited for nic salts.

Vaping with the 0.6Ω pod offers a really wide range of airflow adjustment. You can almost get a RDL draw with the airflow open but it’s not ideal. The better use for this pod is a loose MTL with the airflow open and a tighter MTL draw with the airflow closed. Medium-strength nicotine salt ejuices offer a nice throat hit that isn’t too powerful, along with good flavor and excellent vapor.

Freebase ejuices are best used with the 0.6Ω pod too. The wattage output is strong enough to give a good draw that is still satisfying to vape on and it doesn’t feel underwhelming or too weak.

Those who like a tighter, more “true” MTL vape will appreciate the 0.8Ω pod. The draw can be made quite tight by reducing the airflow down and the wattage output is suitable even for high-strength (35mg+) nicotine salt ejuices. This pod is a little less flavorful than the 0.6Ω pod, likely due to the lower wattage and more restricted airflow, but nonetheless it’s a great pod to vape with.

Neither pod leaked any ejuice while I used them. I also didn’t have any wicking issues, popping, or spit back. 

Verdict

Compared to the Trine, the Trine SE is really just the same device, but without a screen or buttons. This makes it better suited to new vapers, or for vapers looking for a solid and dependable back-up device.

Despite how simple and inexpensive it is (it can be found for as low as $9.99), the Trine SE is well-made and sports a quality design with great fit and finish. The pods sit snugly, the airflow slider is firm but handy, and the removable battery is secure but easily swapped.

Additionally, the performance exceeds expectations of what a “beginner” pod vape can do. The pods are trouble-free and allow for a great range of MTL vaping. These VCAP pods are also very flavorful, so they won’t disappoint in that regard either.

For MTL vapers who want an easy to use and reliably little device, along with the convenience of a removable battery, the Trine SE gets my recommendation. Just make sure to pick up a spare battery and the Innokin Power Hub in order to get the most out of this device.

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