Smoant Charon Mini Review — A Small & Powerful 225W Box Mod

Smoant are a company best known for their powerful, high-quality vaping box mods. Their Cyclon, Battlestar Mini, Ranker, and original Charon are known as some of the best box mods on the market, and Smoant never seems to disappoint.

Now, Smoant has released the successor to last years ultra popular Charon: the Charon Mini. Featuring a beautiful design, a large high-quality 2.0” screen, and the ability to fire at up to 225W, this dual 18650 box mod is small — but it packs a punch!

I’ve been busy testing and using the Charon Mini, and in this in-depth review I’m going to go over everything you need to know about this box mod.

Should you pick one up? Keep reading to find out!

This device was sent to us free of charge for the purpose of this review. This does not in any way affect our opinion or ratings of the device.

Smoant Charon Mini Review — A Small 225W Box Mod

What’s In the Box

The Charon mini comes in a small, compact box. Interestingly, the depiction of the Charon Mini on the box is to scale, and is the actual size of the mod itself. Open up the box and you’ll find:

• 1 x Smoant Charon Mini 225W Box Mod
• 1 x Micro-USB Cable
• 1 x Warranty Card
• 1 x User Manual

Specifications

• Size: 89mm by 45mm by 29mm
• Smoant ANT225 Chipset
• Power & Temperature Control Modes
• 1-225W Output Range
• TC Mode from 200-600°F
• 2.0” Full-Color Display
• Numerous Battery Safety Protections
• Powered by Dual 18650 Batteries

Design & Build Quality

The Smoant Charon Mini is called the mini for a reason — it really is quite small. At 89mm by 45mm by 29mm, the Charon Mini is on the tinier end of box mods, but has enough depth to make it comfortable to hold in your hands.

The Charon Mini has a rectangular shape with rounded edges, and comes in four different colors: black, red, gold, and rainbow. But no matter which color you choose, the Charon Mini will come with a rainbow colored battery cover. While this may be a deal-breaker for some people, I thought that it added a bit of flair to the device. And if you get the rainbow color like I did, it’s a perfect match and looks gorgeous.

The first thing that caught my eye on the Charon Mini is its large, glass front panel. Seeing as we live in a day and age where everything new has a large screen, it gives the device a very high-tech and modern look.

Now, while the display on the device doesn’t span the entire glass front, it is still rather large at 2.0 inches. Not only this, but the display is also super high-quality with a 300dpi resolution, and I have to say that I am quite impressed. The screen is extremely crisp, and is definitely the best looking screen currently available on a box mod.

The Charon Mini has three buttons: one large fire button located on the side of the device, and two small adjustment buttons located on the front of the device, just below the screen.

The fire button is large, rectangular, and textured and works with a satisfying click. It takes a bit of pressure to push the button, and so light presses are unlikely to accidentally fire the mod. I love the sensitivity of the button and find the size and texture to be perfect.

The adjustment buttons are small and smooth, and also click satisfactorily when used. And although the adjustment buttons are attached in the middle, I’ve had no problems with using them.

The 510 connector on the Charon Mini is centered, and this is something that I wish more companies would do. It really makes the device look a lot better with a tank on top of it. One thing to note is that there are two very tiny openings where the front of the device meets the connector. This worries me, because any leaked juice can easily find its way in. While I haven’t had any problems, I can see how this could cause issues in the future.

The Charon Mini is powered by dual 18650 batteries, and the battery bay is accessed by pulling off the back cover. While I had heard reports of the battery cover being shaky or wobbly, i’ve had no problems with my unit. My battery cover stays firm with the magnets, so I suppose that Smoant fixed this small issue. There are also ample venting holes at the bottom of the device, which is always a good thing.

Overall, the device is extremely well built, and the centered 510 and large HD display are just a bonus.  

Key Features

The Charon Mini is a dual 18650 battery box mod, and is powered by Smoant’s new Ant225 chipset. The Ant chipset is known to be both powerful & reliable, and the new Ant225 is said to fire in 0.015 seconds. To turn the device on or off, click the fire button five times fast.

The Charon Mini is quite feature packed, and can be used in either Power mode or Temperature Control mode. In Power mode, the Charon Mini will fire from 1-225W. In TC mode, it will do your expected 200-600°F and supports Ni200, Titanium, and Stainless Steel.

By default, the Charon Mini will display a wheel with wattages. Whenever you fire your atomizer, a little blue needle will indicate your wattage similar to the gauge on a speedometer. Your set wattage will be in large numbers on the front and center of the display. You also have your coil resistance, voltage, battery life “bar” indicator in the bottom left, and the time.

To access the menu, click the fire button three times fast. You’re presented with four options: VW mode (Power mode), TC mode, Settings, and Wallpaper. You can navigate the menu with the adjustment buttons, and use the fire button to select. Hold the fire button to go back.

If you select VW mode, you’re given four options: Min, Normal, Max, and VW Curve. This allows you to set the ramp up time and how “hard” the mod will hit. The VW Curve is also interesting, but I personally did not find a need to use it.

In Settings, you have a variety of adjustment options. You can change the brightness, set the time, change the type of UI display (more on this in a minute), choose to show the clock or your wallpaper as a screensaver, set the screen timeout time, and perform a factory reset.

The Charon Mini has two types of UI displays: one is the default UI with the wheel and wattages, the second is more simple. The second type of UI has your selected wattage in large numbers front and center. Your resistance is displayed in the bottom left corner, and your voltage in the bottom right. Your individual battery life is indicated by two separate battery icons in the top corners,  and the time is on top. I personally preferred the second, more simple UI, but you may feel differently.

You can lock the adjustment of the Charon Mini by holding the two adjustment buttons down together for a few seconds. To unlock, it’s the same thing. Keep in mind that this won’t stop the Charon Mini from firing, and for that you’ll have to turn it off. The device turns on or off extremely quickly though, so it’s not too much of an inconvenience.

Performance

So, how does it perform? I’m pleased to say that the Charon Mini lives up to the high reputation of its predecessors. Although it’s a small device, it packs quite a bit of power. For starters, the ramp up times on this thing are insane. The moment you hit the fire button, you get instant power and instant vapor. I liked using the Charon Mini on Normal VW Mode, and found that it delivered the best vaping experience.

The Charon Mini works without a fuss, and has proven to be an extremely reliable device. It fires when I want it to fire, and it adjusts modes and settings without a hitch. I really like the placement of the fire button, and I found it extremely comfortable to use.

The battery efficiency on the Charon Mini is superb, and I’ve found that my batteries will last me quite a bit longer than when using some other box mods. This is great if you vape a lot and have a busy lifestyle, as it can be easy to forget to charge if you’re using a power hungry mod.

Overall, the Ant225 chipset seems to be quite efficient, and is definitely a welcomed improvement.

Final Verdict

What’s the final verdict in our Smoant Charon Mini Review? This device is a small, but powerful box mod that will reliably fire at up to 225W. It also has a ton of customization options, and a beautiful 2.0” screen. The Ant225 chipset performs great, and fires near instantly.

Overall, the Charon Mini is a top-notch box mod. Specifically, anyone looking for a more discrete dual 18650 mod will be more than happy, as the device is great on battery life and comfortable to hold as well.

The centered 510 connector is great aesthetically, and the shape and design of the mod itself is beautiful. To be honest, there isn’t much negative to say, and the Charon Mini is a superb device. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a new box mod.

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