VAPORESSO XROS 4 & XROS 4 MINI Review: Better than Ever

Design & Build Quality

The XROS 4 and 4 Mini follow the now-familiar tall, slim pod vape form factor. As the naming suggests, the 4 Mini is smaller than the 4, but the overall shape is the same for both devices. The body is constructed from aluminum alloy, apart from the obvious sections like the plastic shield over the display screen, and feels as solid as modern vapers have come to expect.

The larger XROS 4 features an activation button and digital display on the front face, an airflow slider on the opposite side, and a USB Type-C charging port halfway along one edge. The 4 Mini is draw-activated only, so although it looks like it has a button at first glance, the silver lozenge shape on the front is actually just hiding an LED.

The only other minor difference between the two models is that the 4 Mini has its USB-C port on the bottom. This is a bit of a pet hate of mine, as it means the device has to be laid flat to charge it. This isn’t always a problem, but it can result in leakage, especially in some top-fill vapes. Thankfully, that doesn’t seem to be an issue here.

Both the XROS 4 and 4 Mini are available in 10 different colors. These range from the standard blacks, greys, and blues, to more extravagant hues like Sunset Neon, Pastel Palette, and Yellow Camo. My favorite is Bloody Mary, but sadly that wasn’t the color I was sent to review (I know, boo-hoo, right?).

Pods

The XROS 4 and 4 Mini are compatible with any pod in the XROS range. That means you have a good amount of possible resistances to choose from, ranging from 0.4Ω up to 1.2Ω. However, alongside the new devices, VAPORESSO has also introduced new 3ml pods in 0.4Ω, 0.6Ω, and 0.8Ω resistances. This is the capacity supplied with the 4th generation unless you are in a TPD/TRPR country that limits pod size to 2ml.

You get two pods with the larger device but only one with the 4 Mini. The kits I was sent included 0.6Ω and 0.8Ω pods with the XROS 4 and a 0.4Ω pod with the 4 Mini, although the pods you receive will vary slightly depending on where you buy the kit.

The coils used in the XROS 4 versions feature Corex 2.0 technology, which VAPORESSO suggests provides 30% more flavor, a 30% longer lifespan, and 15% more vapor per puff (compared to previous versions). While I didn’t test these claims side-by-side against older Corex pods, I have used them in the past and these certainly seem better all around.

The pods, which attach to the battery using magnets, are filled from the top. You just snap off the mouthpiece, insert the bottle nozzle and refill. It’s an easy and mess-free process. Top-fill pods are much more common than they once were, and thankfully so. There is generally a far less chance of leakage when the fill hole isn’t positioned below the liquid level in the pod.

Liquid visibility is also excellent in the 3ml pods I tested, with around 80% of the reservoir standing above the top of the pod socket. The fact that the pods are completely clear also makes a big difference.

Features

The XROS 4 doesn’t break the mold with its features but it has everything you could expect from this type of device. This includes adjustable power and airflow, auto and button draw, USB-C charging, and a screen to display usage information such as battery level, power setting, and button lock status.

The adjustable power is restricted to three levels: low, medium, and high. While VAPORESSO doesn’t explicitly state what wattage those levels refer to, I’d guess that it’s from around 12W to 25W.

As might be expected, the 4 Mini has slightly fewer features, including a lack of detailed display (it only has a battery indicator LED), no fire button, and a fixed power level. But if you’re looking for an easy-to-use beginner device, less doesn’t always equal worse.

The brain inside the device is the Axon chip. Aside from managing all of the usual stuff like voltage regulation, the Axon chip also manages Pulse Mode. Pulse Mode works to boost power through each puff to provide consistent flavor, and I have to say it seems to work quite well.

Battery Life & Charging

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the battery capacity is the same for both devices, as adding the “mini” designation to a vape is often a good excuse to provide a smaller battery. The 1000mAh battery is adequate for the larger device and a welcome feature in the smaller (presumably less power-intensive) MINI version.

The XROS 4 battery should easily last for more than a day if the device is used in the low power setting. Heavy vaping at the highest power output will certainly drain the battery faster, but I still managed to make it last from 6am to early evening on a single charge. Battery life with the MINI was closer to two days, as long as I didn’t hit it too hard.

Charging speed is a definite plus point in the XROS 4 thanks to the 2A fast charging. VAPORESSO promises 30 minutes, and that closely matches my timings. After using the vape on a red light for nearly two hours, a full charge took only 24 minutes. I’m not sure why, but the 4 Mini is restricted to 1A power input despite having the same capacity battery. That makes charging slower, but only by around 15 or 20 minutes.

Both devices use pretty standard battery life indicator colors to alert you to when a recharge is needed. The colors and corresponding battery levels are: 

• Green: 100%-70% remaining
• Blue: 70%-30% remaining
• Red: 30%-0% remaining

Performance

I would class both the XROS 4 and 4 Mini as MTL vapes due to their relatively limited power settings and coil resistances that are, in the majority, fairly high. However, I used both for RDL vaping and wasn’t entirely disappointed with the experience.

The draw with the airflow closed and the 1.0Ω or 1.2Ω pod installed is tight. Perfect if you want a MTL experience similar to smoking, but you’ll definitely want to go in the opposite direction for RDL. For me, RDL vaping was only viable with maximum airflow and a 0.4Ω pod inserted. 

I tested the XROS 4 and XROS 4 MINI devices with 60/40 freebase ejuice in the low-resistance pods, and 50/50 nicotine salt ejuice in some of the higher-resistance pods. The flavor produced by both devices was excellent in all cases, although I found the XROS 4 to be better overall. That’s not to say that the XROS 4 MINI was bad, but the lack of adjustable power meant that I couldn’t tweak the setup to my liking as easily. 

Vapor production is great even with the airflow closed. However, both the 4 and 4 Mini seem to go through a full pod of e-liquid quite quickly.  I’m not entirely sure if that’s a result of very efficient coils, inefficient coils, or something else entirely. Perhaps that’s the reason for upping the pod capacity to 3ml. Not a huge problem, but compared to similar devices with similar specs, it was noticeable. 

Overall, the vaping experience was excellent with both XROS 4 models. I encountered no problems with leaking (even from the aforementioned potential issue with the 4 Mini having to be laid down to charge) and the pods are still going strong after a week of use and multiple refills. No wicking, no loss of flavor, and they’re still producing good vapor. 

Verdict

I already had a good opinion of several of VAPORESSO’s XROS range pod vapes and these latest devices are no different. The slight but intelligent improvements made over the previous version have resulted in better flavor, more vapor, and a more consistent experience. 

The pods seem to last really well and I experienced very minimal leaking. Even then, it was only the occasional drop of eliquid underneath the removable mouthpiece. Having the option to use pods from previous XROS models is also a nice bonus. It’s very frustrating to buy an updated version of your favorite vape only to discover that your stash of pods no longer fit. 

There was a slight issue of both devices burning through vape juice quickly, at least it seemed so to me. But perhaps that goes hand in hand with producing great flavor and clouds from whatever liquid is used. 

I don’t entirely understand the need for the 4 Mini to be available alongside the XROS 4. It’s only 15mm shorter and a few grams lighter, and while it is slightly easier to use for beginners, it would be hard to argue that its big brother is complex in any way. 

The XROS 4 and 4 Mini aren’t groundbreaking vapes in any way, but either would be a good, solid option if you’re looking for an easy-to-use MTL device.