OXVA XLIM PRO 2 DNA Review: No More Burnt Hits, Ever

Design & Build Quality

The XLIM PRO 2 DNA is the same shape, weight, and size as the non-DNA XLIM PRO 2, so it’ll be a familiar sight to some. It’s 114.5mm tall, 25mm wide, and 15mm deep, which is a nice size for a pod vape. I like the tall and slim design, and I’m sure others will agree. The 67g weight is nice as well; it’s not heavy, but there’s enough weight to make it feel solid.

One major area of change from the XLIM PRO 2 to the XLIM PRO 2 DNA is the color options and materials used. While the XLIM PRO 2 offered two carbon fiber designs that looked like imitation carbon fiber, the XLIM PRO 2 DNA brings the real deal.

There are two real (chopped) carbon fiber designs, both of which feature glow-in-the-dark flakes embedded in the design. I’ve been using one of these carbon fiber devices for my testing, and I can’t get over how cool it looks, especially in the dark. 

If carbon fiber isn’t your thing, there are also zinc alloy options available, which look just as premium as the carbon designs. It appears that OXVA has decided against leather panels, as none are available at this time.

Aside from the colors, there are only a few small tell-tale factors that signal that this is a DNA device and not just another XLIM PRO 2. These include dual buttons on the side of the device and an “EVOLV DNA INSIDE” logo on the back. Otherwise, it looks just like the XLIM PRO 2.

There’s a gorgeous 0.56-inch HD full-color display on the front, an airflow control slider on the side, and a 2A Type-C charging port on the bottom.

The airflow control slider is the same as the one on the XLIM PRO 2, and it feels great. It has enough resistance to be easy to adjust, yet it stays where it’s set. There’s a nice range of adjustment, allowing for some restricted direct lung vaping with the 0.6Ω pod, or some MTL action with the 0.8Ω pod. More on this later.

Overall, the XLIM PRO 2 DNA definitely brings premium materials and build quality that justifies the $50 USD price tag. Would I pay $50 for this device just based on the real carbon fiber, though? Probably not. But let’s check out what else this device offers, starting with the pods.

Pods

Pods are the single most important part of a pod vape. After all, if the pods don’t work well, then it doesn’t matter how innovative, cool, or high-quality the device is. With this in mind, OXVA has improved on their already great XLIM Top Fill cartridges and released new Stainless Steel cartridges designed specifically to work with the DNA chipset in the XLIM PRO 2 DNA.

Unlike Kanthal, which can’t be used with temperature control, these stainless steel cartridges allow the DNA chipset in the XLIM PRO 2 DNA to effectively detect and control the temperature of the coil in order to prevent burning. Very cool!

There are currently three stainless steel cartridges available, with a fourth slated to be released soon:

XLIM Top Fill Stainless Steel Cartridges

• 0.6Ω (included with the XLIM PRO 2 DNA)
• 0.8Ω (included with the XLIM PRO 2 DNA)
• 1.2Ω
• 0.4Ω (coming soon)

It’s worth noting that although OXVA’s website says that these stainless steel cartridges are only for use with anti-burn devices like the XLIM PRO 2 DNA, they will work in older devices that are compatible with XLIM cartridges, like the XLIM PRO 2.

However, the resistance doesn’t read correctly (the 0.8Ω cartridge reads as 0.4Ω on the XLIM PRO 2), and you won’t be getting any of the anti-burn benefits, so there’s not really a point in doing this. If you want to use these cartridges, you’ll have to get the XLIM PRO 2 DNA.

Aside from having a stainless steel coil, these cartridges are otherwise very similar to the XLIM Top Fill cartridges used by the XLIM PRO 2. The fill port sits above the battery when the pod is inserted, allowing it to be filled without removing it from the device.

Features

The XLIM PRO 2 DNA brings all the features that were present on the XLIM PRO 2, but with added depth and benefits from the DNA chipset. It also features a new UI designed specifically for this device.

I’ll start with the 0.56-inch screen. It’s a reasonably sized display, but the font is tiny, which might make it difficult for some people to read. Still, the clarity is excellent, and the screen is undoubtedly HD. It’s also full-color, which is a nice feature.

The screen displays the coil resistance, a battery percentage indicator, wattage, lock status, and a puff counter. Below this is a horizontal LED bar, which can be set to four different modes: classic (RGB), pulse, scroll, or no LED (turned off).

The DNA chipset is amazing for several reasons. For one, it prevents dry hits by detecting the temperature of the coil. If the coil starts getting too hot, this signals that the wick is dry or that the pod is empty, and the screen will display “Fill Pod” and cut power.

This feature has been working near-flawlessly for me and has been pretty accurate during my testing. Some rapid, long draws have triggered the Fill Pod message when the pod was still full, but this issue only occurred when using a 70VG e-liquid. Otherwise, it has been extremely accurate.

Another feature of the DNA chipset is puff replay mode. You can take a draw and then press the heart button once to save the puff. A green heart will appear on the screen, just beside the puff counter, letting you know that the puff is saved. From here, every time you take a puff, it will go up to the same temperature, allowing you to “replay” the perfect draw. Turning off the replay is as simple as pressing the heart button twice.

The XLIM PRO 2 can be activated either with the button or by drawing on the pod. Button firing can be turned on or off by pressing the Blank button four times.

A little bonus of the DNA chip is that the EVOLV Escribe software can be used to customize the UI of the XLIM PRO 2 DNA. This isn’t for the less technically inclined though, and I would steer clear of trying any customizations unless you’re at least somewhat techy.

OXVA XLIM PRO 2 DNA Button Combinations

There are two buttons on the side of the device, a heart button and a blank button, both of which are used to operate the device. It’s a bit confusing and honestly takes some time to learn, but OXVA includes a handy user guide in the box that lists all the button combinations:

• Power on/off – Hold Heart + Blank button for two seconds.
• View operation menu – Hold Heart button for two seconds.
• Change light color – Press Blank button twice.
• Change wattage – Press Blank button three times.
• Lock or unlock button firing – Press Blank button four times.
• Change language – Press Blank button six times.
• Reset puff count – Press Blank button seven times.
• Set replay – Press Heart button once.
• Cancel replay – Press Heart button twice.

Battery Life & Charging

The battery in the XLIM PRO 2 DNA remains unchanged from the XLIM PRO 2, coming in at a 1300mAh capacity. For a pod vape that goes up to 30W and which doesn’t have any ultra-low resistance coils, I found the battery life to be more than adequate to get good usage time out of the device.

With mixed use of the 0.8Ω and 0.6Ω pods, I’ve been averaging about two and a half pods of use per charge. For me, this was anywhere from a day to two days of use, depending on how much I vaped. If you don’t vape a lot, two days between charges is easily achievable.

The Type-C 2A charging takes the battery back up to full in no time, so I was never without the device for long. It only takes 35 minutes for a full charge, which is not too long of a wait at all. While charging, the screen displays the charge percentage in large font, making it easy to track the charging progress.

Performance

The XLIM PRO 2 already offered good performance from its mesh XLIM Top Fill Pods, so how does the XLIM PRO 2 DNA and its stainless steel mesh pods compare?

When it comes to the flavor, it’s great as ever. The consistency is definitely improved by the temperature control of the DNA chipset, helping to keep the draws at just the right level of warmth for optimal flavor, and preventing the coil from getting hot enough to burn the cotton.

The dry-hit prevention definitely works. The “Fill pod” message and power cutting out have saved me from vaping on a dry pod more than a few times. It has also rarely come up when the pod is not empty. I’ve had the device cut power when the pod was full, but only after many long draws while using thicker e-liquid, which is understandable.

Both pods are excellent for their respective purposes. The 0.8Ω pod is for the MTL vapers out there. It’s great for a loose MTL draw down to a tighter MTL draw, and it can be adjusted and fine-tuned quite well with the airflow control slider. 

The 0.6Ω pod produces some surprising clouds when paired with a freebase ejuice and wide-open airflow. This pod can be used for some good RDL action, and it excels at this vaping style. 

I’ve put plenty of e-juice through both of these pods, somewhere in the neighbourhood of 25ml with each pod. I’ve almost finished a 30ml bottle with the 0.8Ω pod, and I’m near the halfway mark on a 60ml bottle with the 0.6Ω pod. They’re both still going strong, with no signs of burnt flavor or leaking. They’re also still wicking well, which I’m sure is aided by the temperature control of the DNA chip.

Verdict

With the XLIM PRO 2 selling for around $30 right now, the XLIM PRO 2 DNA at $50 might sound expensive. But after my testing, I think that it’s well worth the extra twenty dollars. The DNA chipset preventing burning is huge, not only for your taste buds, but also for your wallet. 

The extra $20 you’ll spend on the XLIM PRO 2 DNA will be quickly offset by being able to use the same pod for an extended period compared to other non-DNA devices.

Besides the benefits of the DNA chip, these pods are just plain good. They deliver great consistency and flavor, which are two of the main qualities I’m looking for in a device I’ll be using daily.

OXVA XLIM pods have been among the best pods available for some time now, and with the XLIM PRO 2 DNA and new stainless steel cartridges, this remains true. If you’re looking to upgrade from another XLIM device or even another pod vape altogether, this will be $50 well spent.