Pod systems are currently stuck between two worlds: they started out simple and beginner-friendly, but as more and more vapers started using them, many mod-like pod systems started to emerge. It happened naturally because there are many benefits to more complex systems, and bringing those into the convenience of a pod device adds flexibility to the format, but it also reduces their ease of use, which is one of the major benefits of pod-style devices.
The Mi-Pod Pro has the potential to bridge this gap, having a simple puff-to-vape design, but with a bigger battery and the look of a mini box mod. But is it a good choice of device for a just-switching smoker? How does it perform compared to other pod systems? We’ve taken a detailed look for our Mi-Pod Pro review to find out.
Is it worth buying?
The Mi-Pod Pro is a perfect pod device for new vapers or anyone who wants something straightforward that still performs exceptionally. It’s compact, powerful, easy to use and packs an impressive battery for something so portable. It isn’t perfect, but it’s more than worth the $40 price tag.
Mi-Pod Pro Review
What You Get
The Mi-Pod Pro comes in a compact kit containing the device, two pods (with 0.9 ohm coils), a lanyard and two connectors for it, a USB charging cable and an instruction manual. This is more than you need from a starter kit: all you need to do is get yourself some salt nic juice and you’re ready to vape. The extra pod and lanyard just improve things further.
Mi-Pod Pro – The Design
Appearance
The Mi-Pod Pro is a compact, square-bodied device, like a miniature box mod with a little mouthpiece protruding from one side at the top. It’s available in tons of different designs, including the Red Raw version I got (which has a leather coating), loads of “alloy” designs with an interlocking pattern across the body, some snakeskin-style designs, a bunch of “pebble,” stained-glass like designs and many more.
The body is bare aside from the Mi-Pod “M” logo where the pod sits that doubles as a window to see your remaining juice level, and there’s a small power button and a micro-USB port on the front edge too. Overall it looks great, letting the core design shine through without overcomplicating things.
The Pods
The pods themselves are well-designed enough that even brand new vapers won’t have to look at the manual to get filled up and ready to go. They push right into the top of the battery section, with a little notch on the pod’s rectangular body to help you align it. The mouthpiece curves inwards towards the tip so it’s comfortable when you take a puff, and it has a separate airflow hole in the tip in addition to the one directly from the coil. For filling there’s the usual system with a small silicone flap covering the fill-hole, which you prize up with a fingernail and push back in place when you’re done.
Overall they do a great job, familiar enough to feel at home but with some nice little additions to improve usability.
The Lanyard
The lanyard included with the kit is a nice addition, especially for such a small device which could easily slip out of a pocket. You also get a couple of little connectors for the mod, with a loop of string that you attach to the upper corner of the Pro and a metal ring for the lanyard to attach to. There isn’t much to say here but it’s a nice addition to the kit.
Overall
There’s nothing too complicated with the Mi-Pod Pro’s design but it has an understated style to it and it’s very user-friendly.
Mi-Pod Pro – In Use
Performance
The Mi-Pod Pro vape pod performs surprisingly well for such a compact and simple device. It responds quickly when you take a puff, and the vapor starts to flow almost instantly. You get tons of vapor too, with the dedicated airflow tube adding volume to the cloud and making it easily rival devices many times its size. If you’re just switching over from smoking, you’ll be more than satisfied with what it can do. But even as a vaper who was using dual-battery mods for the few weeks before getting the Mi-Pod, I was impressed.
It does a great job in terms of taste too, producing clear and vibrant flavors from your juice thanks to the combination of the mesh coil and the organic cotton wick. The design also means it can support anything up to 70% VG in your e-liquid, so nicotine salt juices work excellently and most ordinary ones do too. Everything does work better with salt juices – just by the nature of the device – but it does deal with ordinary e-liquid well if that’s what you enjoy.
Puff-to-Vape Operation and Power Output
The Pro works “automatically,” which means you just have to take a puff to start vaping. Many people prefer “manual” (push a button to vape) devices but when you’re just getting started, it’s much more natural to use something like the Pro. And the problems you get with some automatic vapes – not responding right away when you inhale, for example, or just glitching out – aren’t an issue. It starts working basically as soon as you take a puff and it continues consistently provided you don’t let up with your puff.
The power output from the Pro is essentially dependent on your battery life. This means that it won’t be quite as powerful near the end of a charge as it is on a full charge. However, through my testing this didn’t really cause an issue – the output is still good right up to the end. You start to notice just before it’s time to charge but this is essentially unavoidable, compared to most e-cigs it’s very consistent.
Battery Life and Charging
The Mi Pod Pro has a 950 mAh internal battery, which is pretty huge for a pod device and especially one you can easily fit in the palm of your hand. With higher-strength e-liquids this can comfortably last you for a day and a half, although if you have a heavy vaping day you can drain it in one. There are other great vape pods that can compare to this, but they tend to suffer a little more in terms of bulkiness – for the size of the Pro the battery life is awesome.
You get a limited indication of your battery level through the LED light next to the pod connection, which shines up into the pod as you take a puff. The light shines blue for over 50% charge, purple for under 50% and then red just before you need to recharge it. Switching at 70% and again at 30% would have been better, but overall it does enough so you won’t be blind-sided by a suddenly dead battery. In my testing I got through just over one and a half pods of juice on a single charge, somewhere around 3 ml of e-liquid being average. For non-salts this isn’t great, but for salts it’s more than enough.
Charging with the included micro-USB takes around two hours from a flat battery to a full one. You can also vape while the Mi-Pod is charging, so you never need to go without something to vape.
Ease of Use
Refilling the Mi-Pod Pro and changing your pods are the two main tasks you’ll have to complete, and both are about as easy as they can get. The flap for refilling is foolproof, and the shape of the pod makes it easy to get it almost completely full without spilling anything. And the pods just pull out and push into place – you just have to check if it’s the right way around and you’re good to go. There’s a little notch on the side of the pod you can look at, but the gold-plated contacts are much easier to spot and get to line up.
It has a power button too, which is pretty small but sits on the lower corner of the device so it’s really easy to find by touch alone. You pres it five times quickly to switch it on and the LED will flash red to let you know it’s switched on, and the same happens when you switch it off.
In short, the only things you’ll need to do with the Pro are made so simple you’ll be right at home basically as soon as you unbox it.
Comfort and Portability
Portability is a huge strength of the Mi-Pod Pro. At only 60 by 51 mm, with a 13.5 mm thickness, you’ll be able to slip it into any pocket with ease, and it’s easy to conceal in your hand if you want to vape without attracting much attention. The lanyard is a little dorky but really helps with this too – you could even wear it around your neck without it getting in the way too much, but it’s great for keeping it attached to a belt-loop while it’s in your pocket. The near-square shape doesn’t seem like it would be ideal in terms of comfort, but it’s small enough that it’s still comfortable to hold and use despite this.
Build Quality
There aren’t many moving pieces on the Mi Pod Pro, but the device is solidly-built and doesn’t feel fragile despite the small size. The pod connection works really well too, it has a snug fit so you won’t accidentally pull it out, and it lets out a clear click as you push it into place. You can wiggle the pod while it’s inserted because it leaves a bit of space, but this doesn’t cause an issue in practice and you only notice it through the occasional creak as you hold it. This is a very minor point, though, overall it’s well put together.
Conclusion
The Mi-Pod Pro is an ideal choice for your first vape and has a lot to offer even more experienced vapers looking for something portable and simple to use out of the house. The performance is hard to fault, it looks great, is really easy to use, has an impressive battery life and offers fantastic value for money at $40 for the kit. It might not have any additional features that you’ll find on other pod mods – such as power settings – but works perfectly for what it is. If you want something to turn heads at the vape store, go for one of the many mod-like offerings out there. If you want a no-nonsense vape that gets the job done well without needless complications, it’s definitely one to pick up.