SMOK NOVO GT & NOVO GT BOX Review

Design & Build Quality

The NOVO GT and NOVO GT BOX each have a different design, but neither is a radical departure from what I’m used to seeing from other pod devices.

The NOVO GT is more or less what I expect a pod vape to look like. It’s taller than it is wide with a ‘stick’ design. The GT BOX is, as the name suggests, shaped like a box.

The NOVO GT is slimmer than the GT BOX, but only barely. It’s also quite a bit lighter at 83g vs 99.6g. If size and weight were the only deciding factor, the NOVO GT might win it for me. It’s taller, but the overall portability seems better.

Aside from the noticeable differences in shape, size, and weight, these two devices are similar. Both have a firing/power button, two adjustment buttons, an adjustable airflow slider, and a large display.

If you’re a fan of wearing your vapes around your neck, the NOVO GT BOX also has a lanyard anchor spot and includes a lanyard in the box. The NOVO GT does not.

The NOVO GT is available in seven colors, all with a matte metallic finish. The NOVO GT BOX is available in eight, all with a slightly iridescent finish. The GT BOX also has a sparkly back panel with a nice sheen, which I like.

I think the NOVO GT looks more professional, and the GT BOX looks more stylish. If you’re an older vaper, you might prefer the look of the NOVO GT. If you’re in your 20s, you might like the look of the GT BOX better. The UI on the displays also reflects these sentiments, as you’ll see in the features section of this review.

One design aspect that I found irritating on both devices is the bottom. The NOVO GT and NOVO GT BOX have a rounded bottom with a small flat section, just barely large enough to allow them to stand.

This small section makes it incredibly difficult to stand them up on anything but the flattest and most level of surfaces. In most cases, they just topple over at the lightest touch, so I’ve taken to just leaving them lying down.

Features

The NOVO GT and NOVO GT BOX have nearly identical features. Both feature adjustable wattage up to 30W, an adjustable airflow slider, and large screens. However, one key difference is that the NOVO GT features both draw and button-activated firing, while the NOVO GT BOX only supports draw-activated vaping.

The screen on the NOVO GT is called a “dual screen” by SMOK. And while they may be two separate screens, they function as one, so it doesn’t make any difference to the experience of using the device. In terms of functionality, it might as well be a single, long display.

The NOVO GT BOX has a large, 2-inch display. It’s a larger display than the NOVO GT, and because of this, there’s more room to spread out the UI, so it’s less crowded. Both devices display the wattage, coil resistance, voltage, battery life (as a percentage), a puff timer, and a puff counter, so basically all of the information you would want.

Both devices have three themes, but in my opinion, the ones on the NOVO GT BOX are better. Two of the three themes for the NOVO GT are too busy for my liking, while I like all three on the GT BOX. The theme can be changed by pressing the + adjustment and power buttons simultaneously.

Pressing the fire button three times will lock the NOVO GT and NOVO GT BOX. When locked, the NOVO GT BOX will not fire with auto-draw, which is silly. The NOVO GT will. 

You can also lock only the NOVO GT’s adjustment buttons by holding both buttons, which allows you to still use the button-activated firing but prevent accidental wattage changes.

Airflow Adjustment

Both devices feature an airflow adjustment slider. With the included pods, it can be set to achieve a RDL draw to a tight mouth to lung draw, but DL isn’t possible.

The airflow slider is stepless and can be set to anywhere you desire. It’s firm and stays in place where it is set, but it’s also easy enough to adjust when needed.

Pods

The NOVO GT and NOVO GT BOX come with two NOVO M Pods. These are mesh coil pods that come in  0.6Ω, 0.8Ω, and 1.0Ω resistances. The former two are included in the box.

These pods are transparent and top filled. The mouthpiece comes off the pods to reveal a fill port with a self-closing membrane. You simply insert your ejuice bottle nozzle into the red membrane and fill, then replace the mouthpiece when you’re done.

In addition to the three Novo M pods, the NOVO GT and NOVO GT BOX are compatible with all previous Novo pods. This includes the side-filled, original Novo and Novo 2 pods, as well as the top-filled Novo and Novo 2X pods. In all, four pod resistances are available, including a 1.4Ω pod.

The Novo M pods that come with the NOVO GT and NOVO GT BOX attach magnetically and the magnets are nice and strong. I didn’t have any issues with them accidentally coming detached from my devices, so they hold on pretty well.

The top third of the pods sits visible when inserted into the devices, but there’s not much to see. I still removed my pods to check my ejuice level, which could have been prevented if they didn’t sit so deep in the devices.

Battery Life & Charging

The NOVO GT and NOVO GT BOX have larger capacity batteries than you might expect for their size. The NOVO GT has a 1300mAh battery and the NOVO GT BOX has a much larger capacity 1700mAh battery.

With a max wattage output of 30W, and pods that function best at 14 & 18W included with the devices, battery life is perfect. I easily achieved three, sometimes four, days from a charge, depending on the pod and wattage I used. The NOVO GT BOX lasts significantly longer on a charge than the NOVO GT, but that was all but expected due to the much higher battery capacity.

The NOVO GT is listed as having a 0.8A charging speed, which isn’t great by modern standards. It takes over an hour and a half to charge, which is a lot of time spent around waiting, and could definitely be better. The NOVO GT BOX has a more respectable 1.2A charging speed, but it’s still slow to charge, taking over an hour. Neither device is ‘fast-charging‘ as SMOK’s website states, which is a shame.

Performance

I haven’t used a SMOK vape in a long time, so using these two devices was like trying out a brand for the first time. Luckily for SMOK, the NOVO GT and NOVO GT BOX vape just as well as other pod vapes on the market right now—maybe even better. What stuck out to me was the flavor and longevity of the pods.

According to SMOK, the 0.6Ω pod is best at 18W, but I used it at 18-20W with good results. Similarly, the 0.8Ω pod is supposedly best at 14W but performed just fine at 14-16W. The 0.6Ω pod can manage a restricted-direct-lung draw with the airflow open but can go down to a tight MTL draw with the airflow closed. The 0.8Ω pod can similarly be used for RDL and MTL by playing around with the airflow, but the flavor is better with the airflow set for MTL.

Unlike other devices, the NOVO GT and GT BOX do not have a ‘SMART’ mode that limits the wattage. This means you can set the wattage as high as the 30W max with each pod, potentially burning them out prematurely. To prolong pod life, stay within the recommended wattage range for each coil.

Both pods have lasted through over 15ml of ejuice without degrading at all. The performance feels the same, as does the flavor (which is pretty good). My fruit ejuices taste good with these pods, and my ice ejuices come through very well, too.

A major complaint with previous SMOK products has been leaking, but the NOVO GT and GT BOX pods are solid. I haven’t had any leaking from either pod, even after they’ve been left sitting overnight with the devices lying down. Whatever SMOK has done with these NOVO M pods, they’re pretty leak-resistant.

Verdict

With the NOVO GT and NOVO GT BOX, SMOK has shown that they’re still in the game and making good vaping devices. These devices can hold their own against the competition, and I wouldn’t hesitate to use them over other devices in my collection.

The NOVO M pods are outstanding all around. They have good flavor, good longevity, and most importantly, they don’t leak. I like the battery life from both of these devices, especially the GT BOX which can easily go for 4 days without a charge. What I don’t like is how long these devices take to charge.

So which is better, the NOVO GT or NOVO GT BOX? When it comes down to it, I would pick the GT BOX every day of the week. It has a larger battery, faster charging, and a nicer display and UI. I don’t like that the auto-draw functionality gets locked when you lock the device, but it’s easy enough to lock and unlock by pressing the fire button twice.

The NOVO GT and NOVO GT BOX are two solid pod vapes from SMOK and they easily get my recommendation.

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