OXVA XLIM 4 & XLIM Pro 4 Review: Burnt Hits Be Gone!

Design & Build Quality

If you have used any of the previous XLIM pod vapes, or indeed almost any other pod vape out there today, you will be instantly familiar with the tall and slim form factor of both the XLIM Pro 4 and the XLIM 4. This is a shape most pod vapers recognize and prefer, aside from those few outliers who go for the SQ’s or Nano’s, so it makes perfect sense to stick with what works. Particularly for devices considered flagships of the range.

Both come in at around 122mm tall, 27mm across and 15-17mm deep, with the Pro 4 being a few mm bigger all around than the XLIM 4. That difference in size also means a difference in weight, with the Pro 4 tipping the scales at 89g, compared to the 78g of the XLIM 4. While those are small figures, these are fairly small devices, and I was reassured at just how solid 80-ish grams can feel in your hand. I have nothing against vapes with plastic as the main construction material, but give me the choice of having the metal body (made from zinc alloy) that both of these devices feature, and I am opting for that every time.

The outward appearance of these vapes has been kept quite simple, particularly the XLIM 4. Both have a large button on the front face, the airflow slider on one side, and a USB port on the other. But where the Pro 4 has an LED light panel and a decently-sized, full-color 0.98-inch screen, the 4 has nothing more than an LED light ring around its button, which I’ll go into more detail about later. The simplicity of the design gives that device in particular a very sleek and classy look. Especially in the Silken Black Leather colorway I am using.

Both devices are available in a good range of colors and designs: 10 for the XLIM 4 and 10 for the Pro 4, with each device having a mix of shiny, matte, and leather-like finish options. I’m a sucker for the black carbon fiber look, which both devices offer, but every colorway available for these devices looks good to my eyes, even Flowing Rose Pink. All seem to be really nicely done, with nothing too garish or tacky-looking, but plenty of patterns and variety. The full color options are:

XLIM Pro 4

• Black Carbon
• Flowing Dark Blue 
• Flowing Moonlight 
• Flowing Midnight
• Stardust Purple
• Stardust Blue
• Flowing Ice Blue
• Flowing Rose Pink
• Cocoa Black Leather
• Glacier Grey Leather

XLIM 4

• Black Carbon
• Silken Black Leather
• Silken Brown Leather
• Silken Blue Leather
• Silken Champagne Leather
• Nacre White
• Nacre Pink
• Nacre Purple
• Aurora Petal Pink
• Aurora Petal Purple

Pods

Call me cynical (and you wouldn’t be the first), but I think that pod vape technology has reached a point where most are so similarly designed, with such similar features, that it is sometimes hard to tell one from another. That’s not to say that brands like OXVA are not innovating and trying to improve the pod vape experience, but how much can they really do to make a battery, a tiny screen, or an airflow slider different and unique? For me, the real innovation, the thing that makes or breaks a device and keeps it in my grasp daily or consigns it to my unloved device cupboard, is the pods.

Both the XLIM 4 and Pro 4 come with OXVA’s excellent XLIM 3ml (2ml if you’re in a TPD region) pods: two with the Pro and one with the 4. The resistance of the pods you get depends on the kit you buy (I got 0.6Ω/0.8Ω and 0.8Ω), but each is compatible with four resistances. These are 0.4Ω, 0.6Ω, 0.8Ω, and 1.2Ω. Pretty standard options, but a wide enough range to cover both RDL and MTL vaping. The most important thing to note about these pods is that they use UniTech 3.0, the very latest version of OXVA’s pod technology.

I first got to try UniTech 3.0 pods recently while reviewing the NeXLIM 2, and even compared to the 2.0 versions, they are exceptionally good. If you don’t know what UniTech is, it’s a system of pod features specifically designed to improve consistency, flavor, lifespan, and leak-resistance. The details are all a bit techy, involving low-level dual-mesh coils, multi-layer wicking, and a maze-shaped base chamber with 360-degree sealing, but the result is a pod that lasts, is consistent, produces superb flavors, and stays dry on the outside.

The Pro 4 pods also introduce ABT, or Anti-Burn Tech. This clever system monitors when the e-liquid level in the pod is very low, at which point you get an alert, and the device will stop firing until you refill. I was worried that this would mean I would never get a full pod-worth of use before needing to refill, effectively reducing the e-liquid capacity from the full 3ml. Thankfully, ABT only kicks in when the very last drop of juice is left, so if you lose anything off that 3ml capacity, it is an extremely minimal loss.

This combination of anti-burn tech and UniTech 3.0 features like 30-second priming helps these pods last really well. And not just last, but maintain performance longer. I have been vaping pretty heavily with both the ABT and ‘standard’ versions of these pods for over two weeks, and both are still going strong. Almost zero drop in flavor or vapor production, no dry hits, no spitback or popping, and absolutely zero leaking.

Features

OXVA is pretty good at only adding features to devices that are needed or add to the vaping experience, and not just adding bells and whistles for the sake of it. That is certainly the case with the XLIM 4 and Pro 4, which essentially have adjustable power, adjustable airflow, lighting customization, the usual safety features, and not much else. These are vapes, not entertainment devices, clocks, or fidget toys. And for me, that is a thing to be lauded.

The airflow slider on both devices is almost identical, with several individual holes you can cover or uncover at will, rather than one large hole. They are fairly small, as airflow sliders go, but the range is reasonably good, and they move with precision and resistance. The draw never gets ultra-tight, even in the closed position, but it’s tight enough for decent MTL with the right pod resistance.

Wattage on the Pro 4 can be adjusted in fine increments (within a range automatically determined by the pod being used) by triple-tapping the button and then cycling it up or down in the usual way. It also has two power modes: Normal and Eco. This can be changed from the settings menu, accessed with a double tap. The Pro 4 can also be switched between button-fire and draw-fire by tapping the button four times, an option missing from the draw-fire-only XLIM 4.

Power adjustment is handled slightly differently on the XLIM 4, due to there being no screen. Smart wattage sets the range based on the pod being used, but within that range, you can choose Low, Medium, or High power by tapping the button twice. The light ring, which also shows battery level by changing color, will pulse and then show the current power level. The ring quarter-filled means low power, half-filled means medium power, and filled denotes high power. It is simple but intuitive.

As mentioned, the Pro 4 has a display, a nice 0.98-inch HD, full-color screen that shows everything a vape screen should. This includes battery level, wattage, puff count, and resistance. The display is crisp, bright enough, and does the job it is supposed to do perfectly well. You can choose between a few themes, if that is important to you. If you are anything like me, you’ll cycle through them once, choose the one you like, and never change it again.

Battery Life & Charging

The XLIM 4 and Pro 4 both feature generous batteries, albeit at different capacities. The Pro 4 includes a huge 1800mAh cell, a significant upgrade from the 1500mAh in the previous Pro model, while the XLIM 4 offers a not-too-shabby 1600mAh of power. It’s worth noting that the 4 also has fewer power-draining features (such as a digital display), so the capacities kinda even out across the two devices.

During my tests, a full charge of the 1800mAh battery in the Pro 4 lasted between nearly three days and five days, depending on the settings I was using. Three days at 0.6Ω and 25W, with the airflow open for RDL vaping, isn’t exceptional, but very respectable. And that was in normal mode, not Eco, which could easily add another day or more to both of those figures. The XLIM 4 timings were slightly lower: two days at full power and around four and a half days at low power. Again, not amazing, but very respectable, particularly in devices that both produce flavor as good as vapes that output much more wattage.

The Pro 4 benefits from 3A Flash Charging, meaning a full charge can take as little as 40 minutes and a 25% top-up around 10 minutes, if you have the correct cable and plug set up. Again, the XLIM 4 can’t quite match that performance, mainly because the USB-C port is only 2A-rated on that device. It’s still fairly quick, however, coming in on average at 55 minutes from dead.

You can easily see how much power is remaining on the Pro 4’s screen, and it will even tell you how long until full when charging. The battery indicator on the XLIM 4 is the light ring around the button. Not quite as accurate a reading, but it works perfectly well and is something most pod vapers are used to. Green is between 100% and 66%, blue is 65% to 31%, and red 30% or below. I was able to get almost another full day of vaping when the light ring turned red on several occasions, depending on the power setting, so you don’t have to worry too much if you see red halfway through your day.

Performance

Both the XLIM 4 and Pro 4 are designed to offer both MTL and RDL vaping experiences, and with the correct setup, they do both really well. I would suggest that the Pro 4 offers a slightly better RDL experience than the XLIM 4, due to the extra precision available for adjusting wattage, but the difference is minimal.

The draw is relatively loose on both, even when the airflow is fully closed. This works great for RDL vaping, but is less suited to MTL. Pure MTL vapers will obviously want to go with the 1.2Ω pods for the tightest draw, but even the 0.8Ω can provide satisfaction if you don’t like it super tight. The UniTech 3.0 pods come into play here, because they have been designed to offer less draw resistance, so there is always the option to increase tightness by switching to older XLIM UniTech 2.0 pods (with which both devices are completely compatible).

As mentioned, the RDL draw is great, particularly with the 0.4Ω pods. I happened to have some of the low-resistance pods lying around, but the 0.6Ω pod that came with my kit provided a nearly-as-great RDL experience at max power and max airflow.

I tested both devices with a range of different e-liquids, both nic salts and freebase, at a variety of strengths. Both handled everything I threw at them brilliantly, consistently producing great flavors, dense vapor, and a satisfying throat hit. I found that they handled bright, bold flavors slightly better than more subtle ones, mainly due to the relatively low power, but every juice I tested them with tasted good.

UniTech 3.0 promises 30-second priming, and this promise seems legit, and is certainly something you notice when having to test multiple liquids across multiple pods, as I do. It might seem like a small thing, but I can’t tell you the number of pods I have ruined over the years because an airlock has prevented e-liquid from flowing to the wicking even after several minutes of priming time. This small QoL feature is just another example of OXVA doing clever things to keep pods in good condition and lasting longer.

The ABT tech works phenomenally and as advertised. When it kicks in, you might think that the device is malfunctioning, as it will refuse to fire. But this is the anti-burn tech working as intended. It will only activate when the pod is dry, preventing you from getting a nasty dry hit. ABT has saved me from burning my pod a few times, and it’s great that I don’t have to think about it; it just works.

Unfortunately, ABT only works (for now) with the XLIM Pro 4. It will not work with other devices, and this includes the XLIM 4. You can still use the ABT pods with other devices; you just won’t get the benefit of the ABT activating and preventing dry hits.

Verdict

OXVA cemented itself as my go-to brand pretty much from the first time I used a XLIM device several years ago, and as things stand, I really don’t see that changing any time soon. I am perfectly happy to call them out for missteps or things I feel they do wrong, but that isn’t the case with either the XLIM 4 or the Pro 4.

Both of these latest devices are excellent in almost every way. They are solidly built, and both look and feel premium. Both are simple to use, fuss-free, and clutter-free, particularly the XLIM 4 but also the Pro 4, and every feature feels well thought out and intentional. If you are coming from an older XLIM device, the changes might seem fairly small, but they really add up when looked at as a whole.

One of the biggest changes is the upgrade to UniTech 3.0 pods, which are truly excellent. They produce rich and consistent flavor, satisfyingly dense vapor, and seem to be as leak-resistant as any pod I have ever used. They also last really well, continuing to perform almost as if they were brand new after more than two weeks of constant use. The reduced draw resistance, combined with the relatively loose airflow, makes them better suited to RDL than MTL, in my opinion, but I don’t think the average MTL vaper will be disappointed.

The Anti-Burn Tech featured on the XLIM Pro 4 is also excellent. All you have to do is use an ABT pod, and you can say goodbye to dry hits. The main benefit is obviously going to be preventing accidental and nasty burnt draws, but the bigger picture is that it protects your pods. We all know that once a pod is burnt, it’s done for and needs to be replaced. So if you’re forgetful about checking and refilling your pod, this feature will save you money, too.

I would have no hesitation in recommending either of these two XLIM devices to family or friends, no matter if they were an existing XLIM user or looking for a completely new MTL/RDL pod vape. The vaping experience is equally great in both, with the XLIM 4 catering to those who yearn for extra simplicity, and the Pro 4 more suited to those who want dry-hit protection, as well as the extra adjustability and control a screen offers.