VAPORESSO XROS 4 NANO Review: Crossing the Limits

Design & Build Quality

The XROS 4 Nano has a short, square form factor measuring 55mm by 56mm and just 20mm wide. If you’re new to vaping, it’s useful to know that the term nano is almost always used to describe devices of this shape. I don’t personally think they feel smaller than the more common non-nano tall and slim pod devices, but it’s good to have a choice of different shapes to suit your individual preference.

The body is constructed from glossy zinc alloy and slightly matte plastic front and back panels. The metal gives it a solid feel, while the plastic helps keep the weight down to a reasonable 90g.

There are eight designs for you to choose from, ranging from the understated Graphite Grey and Titanium Silver to the more bold and eye-catching Camouflage, Word-pop Yellow, and Twilight Purple. Aside from a few of the color options, the most striking design feature is the large black circle on the front that contains the TFT display. The active display isn’t round, but the circle gives that impression and makes for a fairly unique style.

You’ll also find a lanyard attachment point next to the pod socket, an airflow slider on one edge, and the activation button and USB-C port on the other. A lanyard is supplied with the device and, while it isn’t something I would use as I found having a 90g vape hanging around my neck intensely annoying, the attachment point feels strong. It’s also recessed into the body, so you will hardly notice it if you decide not to use it.

Pods

The pods for the XROS 4 Nano are top-fill, like all others for this range of devices. That means they are easy to fill without removing them from the battery and suffer from almost no leaking when used correctly. The pods supplied with the device are 3ml (2ml in TPD or CRC countries) and have coils with 0.4Ω and 0.8Ω resistance.

One of the most versatile aspects of the XROS 4 Nano is its compatibility with the entire XROS pod series, up to 1.2Ω. This means that if you’ve been using a previous XROS device and have found a pod that you really like, you can continue to use it with this new model.

The XROS pods incorporate COREX 2.0 technology. In a COREX 2.0 coil, the mesh structure has a refined grid which allows for a more efficient heating process. When you take a puff, the e-liquid is vaporized more evenly, resulting in a richer and more consistent flavor that’s particularly noticeable if using e-liquids with complex flavors.

Another big advantage of COREX 2.0 is its ability to heat up quickly, which not only improves the vaping experience but also helps to conserve e-liquid. More efficient heating means less waste. It also reduces the risk of hot spots, which can burn the e-liquid and affect both the taste and the lifespan of the pod.

The pod is held in the socket on the top of the device using reassuringly strong magnets. There is a bit of lateral movement of the pod while in the socket, although it never feels insecure and is unlikely to detach at inopportune moments.

Features

VAPORESSO has made the display a key feature of the XROS 4 Nano, so let’s start there. At 1.3in, it’s the largest screen of any device in the XROS range, probably the largest of any VAPORESSO pod device. The TFT isn’t as bright and crisp as the screens on some other devices I’ve used recently, but the data it contains is easily readable thanks to the size.

That data includes wattage/power mode, battery level, lock status, and puff count. That is all squeezed into a relatively small display area due to the graphic that fills the remainder. There are three graphics to choose from: Flower, Motorcycle, and Universe (which is really just the Earth and a few stars) which can either be animated or static.

If you choose to have the graphic animated it will expand to fill the whole screen every time you take a puff. How this affects battery life is unclear, but surely it must be more draining than no animation? A double-click of the activation button takes you to the menu to choose the graphic and control animations, and a triple-click allows you to adjust power mode/wattage, depending on the pod you are using.

The adjustable airflow slider on the side of the Nano 4 is smooth and has good resistance with a low-profile handle. I had no issues with the airflow being accidentally altered while the vape was in my pocket, even during the 10-mile hike I did on the first weekend of testing it.

XROS 4 NANO Button Combinations

• Settings menu: 2 clicks on the activation button.
• Adjust power/mode setting: 3 clicks on the activation button.
• To lock/unlock: 4 clicks on the activation button.
• Power on/off: 5 clicks on the activation button.

Battery Life & Charging

The XROS 4 Nano is powered by a 1350mAh battery, which is a solid size for a device like this, and the largest battery capacity of any XROS vape. Vaproesso suggests a full charge will last up to four days, but while that might be true for very light or low-power vapers, I doubt it is the average.

During my tests, the best I managed was two days of fairly light use with the 0.4Ω pod at 25 Watts, and half a day longer with the 0.8Ω pod in Normal power mode. Using Eco mode will undoubtedly extend the time between charges but a definite drop in flavor and throat hit is noticeable at this low-power setting that will not suit some users, myself included.

That said, two days of use from a single charge at 25W is by no means terrible. The 1350mAh battery is a considerable upgrade from the 1000mAh cell in the Nano 3, and the Axon chip seems to use that extra power efficiently.

Thanks to the 2A-rated USB-C port and fast charging, you can top up the battery in around 30 minutes. That’s always a big plus if you’re on the go and don’t have much time to wait for your device to charge. When charging, the screen displays not only the current battery level but also the time remaining until fully charged. That’s a useful feature I haven’t seen on many other pod vapes.

Performance

The 4 Nano is designed for use as an MTL or RDL vape and handles both vaping styles well. There is enough variation available in wattage, coil/pod resistance, and airflow to allow the average vaper to find their vaping experience sweet spot.

Incremental wattage adjustment between 15 and 30W is only possible when using the 0.4Ω pod, with the 0.6 and 0.8 pods automatically switching to the Eco/Normal/Power wattage mode. RDL vapers will almost certainly favor the 0.4Ω pods, but both the 0.6Ω and 0.8Ω pods do a decent job if used in Power mode with the airflow open.

I tested it with nic salts (20mg/ml) and freebase(6mg/ml) liquids, and the pods performed great with both. Flavor production is generally good thanks to those COREX 2.0 coils, although I found the subtle sweet flavor notes of my go-to e-liquid to be a bit more muted than usual. That wasn’t a problem for me, but is something worth considering if you favor disposable-style sweet liquids.

Throat hit isn’t the most intense I have experienced with a pod vape (even using freebase) but you can achieve a satisfying level if you ramp up the power. You’ll have to be content with not getting as much life from the battery.

The pods are easy to fill thanks to the snap-off mouthpiece and seem to last as long as modern pop vapers have come to expect. After nearly two weeks of using the 0.4 pod, the flavor is still good and I haven’t noticed any leaking. I experienced no wicking or popping, and only a tiny amount of spit back at low power settings.

Verdict

The XROS 4 Nano is a significant upgrade from the earlier “Nano” devices and a great addition to the wider XROS range. Despite the large plastic front and back panels, the 90g weight makes it feel solid and well-constructed, and the available designs are varied enough to suit all tastes. It isn’t the lightest or slimmest “nano” vape available, but still compact enough to fit in the palm of your hand.

The 1350mAh battery is powerful enough for at least two days of use, and if you are happy to vape on low power it could certainly last for up to four days at a push. VAPORESSO top-fill pods have been consistently good for some time now, and all of the 3ml ones I tested with the XROS 4 Nano were easy to fill, leak-free, and produced good flavor.

Having reviewed a few vapes lately with decorative on-screen graphics and animations, I am still not entirely sure they add anything worth the potential extra battery drain. The same can be said about the lanyard/loop; it does nothing for me but if you want either feature on your vape, the 4 Nano has you covered.

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