VAPORESSO XROS 6 Review: Minor, But Meaningful, Upgrades

Design & Build Quality

VAPORESSO hasn’t tried to reinvent the wheel with the design of the XROS 6, and I think that it’s for the better. It’s nearly indistinguishable from the XROS 5, which was itself a well-designed pod vape, so it’s nice to see that they’ve kept things mostly the same. As the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, and the XROS 6 is a prime example.

The location of the buttons and airflow slider remains the same as the XROS 5, with the power button and Type-C charging port on one side, and the airflow slider on the other.

The only obvious design change from the XROS 5 is that the XROS 6 has a taller display area with a slightly thicker bezel surrounding it. But the larger display is an illusion; it only appears to be larger due to the larger bezel. In reality, the black spaces at the top and bottom of the display mean that the display is actually the same size as the XROS 5, at 0.88 inches.

The XROS 6 looks solid, and it feels the part too. The 122mm height is a little tall, but it’s otherwise a compact and slim device at just 24.5mm wide and 14.5mm thick.

The (what I believe is aluminum-alloy) body has proven to be durable, having survived a couple of drops onto my floor and concrete driveway with only a few scratches to show for it.

It’s also quite light, despite packing an 1800mAh battery. I barely notice the 75g XROS 6 in my pocket, and it feels extremely light in the hand. As with previous XROS series devices, this is a device that I can take anywhere with me, and it doesn’t weigh me down or inconvenience me in the slightest.

The ten available colors look great, with something for everyone’s taste. There are simple colors like Abyssal Blue and Pearl White, standout patterns like Carbon Fiber Grey and the marble-like Scorching Cloud, along with criss-cross etched patterns that are similar to some of the colors for the XROS 5. It’s hard to choose one, but no matter which you pick up, you can’t go wrong.

Pods

The pods for the XROS 6 are much like the design of the device; nearly the same as the XROS 5, but with some minor upgrades that you might not notice. The XROS 6 is compatible with the entire XROS pod series, with five resistances available: 1.2Ω, 1.0Ω, 0.8Ω, 0.6Ω and 0.4Ω.

Like the XROS 5, XROS 6 pods use VAPORESSO’s latest COREX 3.0 tech. These pods have a ‘Hive Mesh’ structure coil, with a nano-microfiber wick and aerospace-grade temperature-resistant materials. It’s a lot of technical jargon, but in layman’s terms, these pods have a complex coil and highly resilient cotton that work together for better flavor.

With the release of the XROS 6, all XROS pods have been upgraded to this COREX 3.0 tech. Additionally, all XROS pods have also been fitted with improved leak resistance in the form of VAPORESSO’s SSS 2.0 tech.

For pods that have always been rather leak-resistant, it seems like an unnecessary upgrade, but I can’t really complain about a pod being made more leak-resistant. To further aid in leak resistance, these pods are top-filled, with the mouthpiece portion snapping off/on to access the fill port.

The 3ml pods sit in the device with the entire pod contents visible when inserted, which is really nice. The 2ml pods, however, sit with some of the pod contents hidden, which is not as ideal. In both cases, though, the pods are clear and untinted, which further aids in visibility and with keeping track of how much e-juice you have left in the pod.

Two pods come with the XROS 6: a 0.6Ω Mesh Pod and a 0.8Ω Mesh Pod. These pods, as well as the 0.4Ω pod, are available in 3ml versions. The other resistances, 1.2Ω and 1.0Ω, are only available as 2ml pods.

Features

As with previous XROS devices, the XROS 6 is not filled to the brim with features, nor does it offer the most customization. However, it has just the right features and customization options to get a great vaping experience, which is really all that matters at the end of the day. It’s also not overcomplicated or difficult to use, so even beginners should have no problem getting the most out of the XROS 6.

Starting with the display, the XROS 6 has a nice one. It’s full color, bright, and crisp. The 0.88” size leaves plenty of room for the UI, with only the important bits displayed, such as the battery percentage, mode, and a puff counter.

There are 6 themes available, although none of them particularly suit my taste. The ‘Basic’ and ‘Stars’ themes are the most neutral, but I wish there was a truly simple theme with no background at all, like there is on the XROS 5.

When using the 1.2Ω, 1.0Ω, 0.8Ω, or 0.6Ω pods, you can choose from three modes: ECO, Normal, or Power. This is done by pressing the button three times, then clicking the button to cycle through the modes. However, when using the 0.4Ω pod, you can set the wattage up to 30W. This setup is great; it keeps the XROS 6 beginner-friendly but still adjustable, while offering more control and power where it’s needed for RDL vapers.

Another neat feature that is new to the XROS 6 is coil priming. By pressing the button twice, you can access the menu, which has a “Prime Coil” option. Clicking this will start a 60-second countdown, which primes the coil and ensures the cotton is properly saturated without having to wait the usual 5-10 minutes.

Having tested this out myself, it works surprisingly well. I was able to vape the pod immediately after the coil priming finished, and it vaped perfectly fine.

Airflow

The airflow slider on the XROS 6 remains unchanged from the XROS 5. It’s a simple slider with two airflow holes when fully open, and one airflow hole when fully closed. This setup is simple, but it allows for a great MTL or RDL draw depending on which pod you use.

With the 0.6Ω and 0.8Ω pods, I get a loose MTL draw with the airflow open. This can be brought down to a tight MTL draw by closing the airflow all the way, or somewhere in between by leaving the slider in the middle. The 0.4Ω pod is RDL with the airflow open, but can be taken down to a medium MTL with the airflow closed.

I didn’t get the chance to test the 1.2Ω or 1.0Ω pods, but I imagine that these will be an even tighter MTL than the 0.6Ω and 0.8Ω pods. But in my experience, I found the 0.8Ω pod more than sufficient for a good MTL experience, and luckily, it comes included in the box.

Battery Life & Charging

Long battery life is one of the most important qualities of a good pod vape, and the XROS 6 doesn’t disappoint. The 1800mAh battery is an increase of 300mAh from the XROS 5, so it offers a little extra juice to get you through the day.

It also seems like the battery efficiency has been improved from the previous generation, as I’ve been getting just about a day longer of usage out of the XROS 6 over the XROS 5, which can’t be accounted for by the 300mAh increase in capacity alone.

The XROS 6 has been lasting me for about three days per charge when used in normal mode, which is respectable enough for a pod vape this size. In ECO mode, I can manage to eke out another day of use.

Equally as impressive as the battery life is the charging speed. Despite the larger battery, the XROS 6 still takes only 35 minutes to go from completely dead to fully charged, which is blazingly fast. Plugging it in for ten minutes can get you enough battery life to last a day, which is perfect for those who are always on the go, or even those who are a little forgetful about charging their vape.

While charging, the screen will display the current charging percent, as well as the estimated time until it’s finished charging.

Performance

I’ve been testing the XROS 6 for two weeks, and I have to say, I’ve been absolutely enjoying every minute that I’ve spent vaping with this device.

Being able to try out three of the most popular and widely available pod resistances has been a blast, and it’s really shown me just how versatile a device the XROS 6 is.

While the MTL experience is certainly where the XROS 6 shines, the RDL experience is good enough that it shouldn’t be discounted. Sure, a dedicated RDL pod mod will do a better job, but the XROS 6 is 80% there for RDL, and it’s a smaller device.

The 0.8Ω pod is undoubtedly the one to use for the best MTL draw. Whether the airflow is open or closed, it’s a slightly tighter draw than the 0.6Ω pod, and it delivers a perfect tight or loose MTL vape.

The 0.6Ω pod is also suited for MTL, albeit a looser one than the 0.8Ω pod. It still gets fairly tight with the airflow closed down, though. 

The 0.4Ω pod is the way to go for RDL. The airflow slider allows you to dial in the draw for the perfect restricted direct lung vape, and the flavor from the COREX 3.0 pods makes it a device that RDL vapers should consider. Plus, you can change the wattage anywhere from 5-30W, which adds another bit of customization to allow you to get the perfect RDL draw.

The 0.6Ω and 0.8Ω pods seemed best when used in Normal mode, although switching to Power for a stronger draw or ECO for a more mellow one is something I often found myself doing.

When it comes to what type of nicotine e-juice you should use with each pod, I would break it down like this: freebase e-juices with the 0.4Ω pod, lower strength nicotine salts or freebase with the 0.6Ω pod, and medium-high strength nic salts with the 0.8Ω pod.

VAPORESSO XROS 6 vs VAPORESSO XROS 5

The XROS 6 and XROS 5 share some similarities, but there are also some small differences between them. To make the differences more easily understandable and comparable, we’ve created this easy reference chart for you below:

Verdict

The XROS 6 is a really great vape overall, with plenty of flavor and incredible battery life, but it’s hard to say that it’s really any better than the XROS 5.

That’s one point of contention that I have with the XROS 6; it’s a great device, but you’ll get 90% of the features and a similar experience if you already own the XROS 5. Sure, you don’t get the ‘Coil Prime’ feature with the XROS 5, but is it really that big of a deal to wait five minutes for the coil to saturate?

Similarly, yes, the XROS 6 offers better battery life, but is an extra day of battery life enough to upgrade? For some, maybe, but from a purely value standpoint, you’re better off sticking with the XROS 5 if you already have one.

As for those who don’t currently own a XROS 5 and are looking for a new pod vape, the XROS 6 is definitely one to consider. It checks all of the boxes for what a good pod vape should be, and then some, and you won’t be disappointed with the performance.

Recommended.