VAPORESSO XROS 5 Nano Review: Nano Size, Mega Flavor

Design & Build Quality

The size and shape of the XROS 5 Nano are given away by that “Nano” in the name, so I wasn’t surprised to see a vape with a square form factor when I opened the box. The thing that slightly surprised me was how much it resembled a wearable camera, albeit a camera with a pod sticking out of the top. That impression is dashed as soon as the display activates, and it almost certainly wasn’t VAPORESSO’s intention to fool anyone with the design, but the large, black, circular, slightly raised screen gives definite “lens” vibes.

The device is a compact 80mm tall (to the top of the pod), with a body that is 55mm wide, and just 22mm thick. That aforementioned circular display takes up almost the entire front face with its 1.09-inch diameter (can someone explain why vape displays are always measured in inches, when everything else is shown in metric measurements?)

The main component of the body is metal, presumably aluminum or zinc alloy, giving it a robust feel without being too heavy.

The XROS Series pod sits off-center at the top of the device, alongside a lanyard loop. A lanyard is supplied in the box, if having 86g of vape hanging around your neck is something that appeals to you.

One edge houses the small, low-profile airflow slider, and the other houses the button (which is only for screen activation and powering on/off, not a firing button) and the USB Type-C port. I personally prefer having the USB port on the side, rather than the bottom, as it allows the device to stand upright while charging.

Plastic or leatherette panels cover both the rear face and the part of the front face that isn’t the screen. These panels are where most of the “design” elements of the XROS 5 Nano are, although the color of the metal sections, including the raised and protective ring around the screen, varies between the different options.

The “Blue Leatherette” style I was sent has, you guessed it, blue leatherette on the front and rear, with gold metal parts, while “Damascus Silver” has patterned panels, a green metal screen surround, and silver metal for the main body. There are eight designs available in total, which are:

• Damascus Silver
• Yellow Satin
• Orange Leatherette
• Color Burst
• Damascus Pink
• Black Satin
• Blue Leatherette
• Nacre

Pods

You get two pods with the XROS 5 Nano kit. In my kit were a 0.6Ω pod (pre-installed) and a 0.8Ω pod, but kits with different combinations are available. If you prefer a higher or lower-resistance coil in your vape, compatible XROS Series pods ranging from 0.4Ω to 1.2Ω are also available separately.

The pods are available in both 2ml and 3ml capacities, but what you’ll get in the kit will very much depend on whether you are in a TPD/CRC region or not.

As I noted when reviewing the XROS 5 and 5 Mini, the XROS Series pods combine almost every element of what constitutes good pod design for me. They always sit above the lips of the socket, so none of the e-liquid inside is hidden. Visibility is further aided by them being completely transparent (none of this “let’s hide the vape liquid” tinted nonsense here), aside from the drip tip.

They are also true top-fill pods, with the drip-tip detaching to reveal the self-sealing fill port. XROS pods have always been very reliable in terms of leaks, and these have proved to be no different. As is common with every pod that uses fixed coils, a tiny amount of vape juice might show on the bottom when the coil begins to fail, but in the two weeks I have been testing them with the 5 Nano, I haven’t even seen that.

Along with all of the good design choices that VAPORESSO has made with these pods, they also feature the latest coil technology, COREX 3.0. COREX 3.0 coils feature a new Hive Mesh structure, an improved chimney design, a nano-microfiber wick, and aerospace-grade, high-temperature-resistant materials. In simple terms, these features are designed to provide richer aroma reproduction, better flavor delicacy, and an overall smoother vaping experience.

I took the opportunity to test an older COREX 2.0 pod alongside the upgraded COREX 3.0, and while both provided great flavor, vapor, and smoothness, the 3.0 is noticeably better in every area. And not only is the intensity of flavor better, but I also felt that the newer coils highlighted individual elements of my favorite vape liquid in a very pleasant way.

Features

The most obvious and in-your-face feature of the XROS 5 Nano is that 1.09-inch, circular touchscreen, so that’s where I’ll start. Firstly, it is a truly circular screen, not just a square or rectangular screen embedded in a black circle. Secondly, it is a true touchscreen, with no other way to change settings, themes, etc., other than by touch.

Thankfully, it is a very good touchscreen, which is not something that can be said about every such screen on a vape. It is highly responsive, crisp, bright, and the on-screen buttons are spaced apart a decent amount (for those of you who don’t have my delicate writer’s fingers).

The screen can be customised to an unusual degree. It has become normal for vapes with screens to offer a few different themes and maybe a couple of different animations, but the XROS 5 Nano screen has the choice of 29. Yes, you read that right: you can choose from nearly 30 highly varied display themes.

Most, if not all, of the themes also have their own draw animation that activates when you take a puff. I’m far too old and jaded to find such things exciting, but if you want a customizable vape, that’s going to be pretty hard to beat.

You also get some more standard vape features, including adjustable airflow and adjustable power levels. I deliberately chose to say “power levels” rather than “wattage” because of how this device handles the adjustment. Rather than being able to choose specific wattage within a range, you choose from Eco, Normal, and Power modes. This adjusts the wattage, but it is not clear to what level (e.g., I can’t say with any certainty that Eco mode uses 16W and Power mode uses 30W). As the device also likely features Smart wattage based on the pod used, choosing Eco mode likely sets a power range rather than a fixed wattage level.

The airflow slider has excellent resistance and offers a good range of adjustment. However, because it is located on the side of the device and the vape is so small, if you hold it in your fist, it is quite easy to inadvertently block the airflow with a finger or palm. That’s fine if you like a tight MTL draw, but for someone like me who almost always has the airflow fully open, it was occasionally annoying.

Battery Life & Charging

The battery in the XROS 5 Nano is, for me, one of the most appealing features. At 1600mAh, it isn’t the largest you will find in a vape, but for this type and size, it’s pretty exceptional. It has a greater capacity than the other devices in the “5” range, the XROS 5 and 5 Mini, and is currently only beaten by the hugely impressive XROS Pro 2.

During my two weeks of testing, using the 0.8Ω pod and Normal power mode, a full charge lasted well over two days. And that’s with the pretty heavy vaping that writing a review often requires. The battery life definitely dropped when using the 0.6Ω pod in power mode, but I was still usually able to go two days between recharges. I can imagine that using the 1.2Ω pod in Eco mode could easily stretch battery life to well over three days, and even longer if you are a light vaper.

Thankfully, VAPORESSO has not scrimped on the 2A-rated full fast charging port either, so that 1600mAh cell can be fully recharged, from dead, in around 45 minutes. The whole time the vape is recharging, the battery level and charge time remaining are displayed on the screen. You can literally watch the percentage tick up every 20 seconds or so.

This readout, and the normal “battery remaining” readout that you’ll see when using the vape, seem very accurate, and I didn’t have any problems like 20% battery dropping to 3% between puffs (and believe me, that does happen on some lower-quality devices).

Performance

The XROS 5 Nano isn’t specifically touted as an MTL vape and, from my experience, to do so would be incorrect. It can certainly be used for RDL vaping, and I know that because that’s primarily how I have been using it for the last week. With the airflow closed and either the 0.8Ω or 1.2Ω pod installed, it most certainly does lend itself to MTL vaping, but with the 0.6Ω or 0.4Ω pod, airflow open, and in either Normal or (preferably) Power modes, it is pretty good for RDL. Not the best RDL vape available, but certainly serviceable.

All of the coils are easily capable of handling both nic salt and freebase liquids. I tested with both liquid types, in a couple of different strengths and PG/VG ratios, and the 5 Nano handled them all brilliantly when using the appropriate setup for all combinations (e.g., lower power and higher resistance for nic salts, high power and low resistance for freebase).

The COREX 3.0 coils consistently produce good flavor and vapor, seemingly no matter if the pod is one day old or has been used and abused for a couple of weeks. The longevity of pods has improved significantly in the past few years, and as VAPORESSO pods are known for being reliable anyway, I am not surprised that the two that came with my kit are still performing perfectly after over two weeks. I’d be very surprised if I didn’t get another full week or more of use out of them.

Verdict

VAPORESSO devices rarely fail to impress. As one of the industry leaders in pod vape design and innovation, that is hardly unexpected, but it isn’t always assured. Many vape brands have made missteps when attempting to add something new to their devices. Thankfully, that isn’t the case here. The XROS Nano 5 is an excellent little device that offers a great mix of user-friendly design, unique features, and solid, reliable construction.

The COREX 3.0 pods/coils are some of the best I have used for flavor and vapor production, and they last really well. I might be surprised at some point in the future, but I don’t really see how this version of the pods can be improved upon. That isn’t hyperbole; they really are excellent, and I would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone.

The touchscreen works well, which is not always the case on vapes, and I think that is due to the size and shape. Swiping between screens and settings feels very natural in a world full of smartphones and other touch displays. The menus are simple to navigate, and while there are a few slightly faddy features like puff reminders, puff counters, and other monitoring tools (do people really use these past the first couple of days of buying a new vape?), the core features can all be accessed with a single tap or swipe.

These “nano” style devices aren’t generally my favorite, mainly due to the previously outlined airflow-blocking problem. If I think about how I will hold the vape in my hand, it isn’t an issue, but how often do we think about how to hold a vape? It is in no way a dealbreaker, and I’m sure I would compensate for it over time. Overall, the good points far outweigh the bad, and I would be very happy to use this as my main daily vape. Highly recommended.