Our Smok Mico review gives a detailed run-down on the pod-style device, what it can do, what it can’t do and whether it’s worth the $24.95 price-tag.
Is it worth picking up?
The Mico is a good device for new vapers, but the smaller battery and slightly less punchy performance makes it difficult to recommend over the Nord. The more affordable price of $24.95 makes up for this to some extent, and the device is still super user-friendly and a solid performer.
However, the extra money it would cost you for the Nord buys you a much bigger battery and the ability to just change the coils on the pod rather than constantly having to pick up new ones. Overall it’s a good device, but it falls a little bit short of greatness.
Full review
The pod vaping trend has been picking up steam pretty quickly. When it looked like vaping would be forever dominated by bulky devices running on seemingly ever-increasing numbers of batteries and putting out more steam than an actual train, the compact, easy-to-use, discreet and oddly-stylish pod-style devices started making their mark. Longer-term vapers might scoff at the capacity of the battery or the power output, but if you’re new to vaping or just looking for something more discreet to use when you’re out of the house, they do have their advantages.
Smok’s Nord and Mico are two variations on the theme. The Nord is a bit more hands-on, with changeable coils and a “fire” button – basically a mini vape pen – but the Mico sticks closer to the pod vape archetype. It’s easier to use and more affordable (priced at $24.95 at time of writing), but can it compete with the Nord and the masses of pod-style vapes on the market? Our Smok Mico review aims to find out.
What You Get
The Mico comes in a little box with a push-out central section. In the top layer, two pods sit alongside the square-shaped battery section. Underneath, there’s another section with a lanyard, the manual and the USB charging cable. Overall it’s a pretty straightforward package but it gets the job done.
Smok Mico Review – The Design
Appearance
The Mico looks awesome. It’s tiny – just 56.3 by 46.5 mm (about 2 and 1/4 by 1 and 7/8 inches) – and the colorful resin pattern really makes the design stand out. When you’re vaping, the whole device is really just the beautifully-designed body section and the black mouthpiece protruding from the spot for the pods along the top side. Below the mouthpiece there is a little window so you can see your juice level, and beside this either “Smok” or “Mico” is printed (depending on the side). The front edge has a toggle switch and an LED light, and the bottom has the micro USB port, but both of these are subtle and overall the excellent body design is left to shine.
The Pods
The pods themselves have a pretty simple design. They’re basically tiny self-contained tanks, with a chimney running up the center and a fill hole on the side covered by a moveable rubber flap. There’s an arrow printed on the rubber and a little groove to insert your fingernail to open it up, so you don’t even need to look at the manual to work out what to do. The mouthpiece is ergonomically designed, thinning out towards the tip with a curve that matches your lips nicely. There are two different pods included with the kit, labeled “Mesh” and “Regular” on the front so you know which is which. They hold 1.7 ml of e-juice each.
Connecting the Pods
The Mico has a slot in the top edge for the pods to slide into. You don’t have to screw them in or make sure they’re aligned a specific way or anything: just push them into the slot and you’re good to go. The connection is magnetic too, so this helps it stay in place and makes it easier to get them in. The pods have two little lips on either side of the base of the mouthpiece which helps you get enough of a grip to pull them out without interfering with the mouthpiece or pod’s functioning.
Toggle Switch and LED
There is no button on the Mico – since it’s an “automatic,” puff-to-vape device – but there is a toggle switch on the front edge. This controls switching the device on and off or locking and unlocking it. You simply push it up to activate and pull it back down to deactivate. The LED below flashes white five times to indicate when it’s on.
The LED light also works to show your remaining battery level as you puff. A green light means the Mico has over 70 percent battery, an amber light is for 30 to 70 percent and a red light means below 30 percent battery remaining. This is a really neat and efficient way to get the information across at a glance.
The Lanyard
If you want to keep the Mico around your neck or attach it to a belt loop on your pants, Smok has included a lanyard with the kit. This has a little metal connection point on the device, along the top edge at the opposite side to the mouthpiece. The lanyard is a basic cord with an adjustable loop length, branded with “Smok” and with a thinner loop at the end to connect to your device. There’s nothing much to say here – it’s a nice addition if you want it. Personally I prefer it without the lanyard, but it’s a compact device and could comfortably be worn around your neck.
Safety Features
Like the Nord, the Mico has some safety features built-in to ensure you don’t run into issues when you’re vaping. This includes automatic pod detection (the LED blinks when you insert your pod), an 8-second cutoff to protect against accidental activation, short circuit protection and a low voltage cutoff to prevent undue stress on the battery. You’re unlikely to notice the 8-second cutoff (because that’s quite a long time to inhale) and the short circuit protection (since the coils are pre-made and inside the pods so there isn’t much chance for it to happen) but it’s good to have the protections anyway.
Overall
The Mico is beautifully designed: it looks really cool, it’s impressively compact and it’s very easy to use.
Smok Mico Review – In Use
The Battery
The Smok Mico’s internal battery has a capacity of 700 mAh. This is a rough measure of battery life between charges, and 700 mAh puts it about in line with a standard vape pen but much bigger than many competing pod-style devices. Because the Mico works at reasonably low power, the battery does more than you’d get for the same “mAh” rating on a mod or sub ohm vape pen, but it is smaller than the battery on the Nord.
The LED indicators make it easy to stay on top of your battery level, though, and it will probably see you through a day of vaping depending on how much you use it. In my testing, the Mico’s battery took me through about one and a half tanks of e-liquid with the 0.8 ohm coil, so around 2 to 2.5 ml per charge. This is probably enough to keep you vaping for a day of work but higher-strength or nicotine salt e-juice is recommended to get the most out of it.
Charging is fairly quick with the included USB cable, with the Mico going from completely empty to completely full in just under two hours.
Performance – The 0.8 Ohm Coil
The 0.8 ohm coil is the higher-power option included in the kit, and it uses a mesh coil to boost the performance even further. The vapor production is very impressive for the compact and user-friendly nature of the device, nothing like a cloud-chasing mod setup but easily in line with the vapor you’d get from a standard pen-style device and more than enough for a smoker to feel satisfied. The flavor from the coil is also great, with all of the flavor notes from your e-juice coming through clearly. The draw on this coil is quite airy: it has a little bit of tightness to it, but you can comfortably use it for either direct-to-lung or mouth-to-lung draws.
Overall, the 0.8 ohm coil performs great: even if you’ve been vaping for a while you’ll be pretty impressed with what it can do.
Performance – The 1 Ohm Coil
The 1 ohm coil for the Mico works well too. The vapor production isn’t quite at the same level as the 0.8 ohm option, but it’s close, and the flavor is hard to fault. The biggest difference is a slightly tighter draw that makes it a better choice for mouth-to-lung vaping. The tighter draw makes it less ideal for longer-term vapers, but if you’re happy to switch to smoking-like mouth-to-lung draws you’ll still like what it can do.
Ease of Use – Refilling and Changing Pods
The Mico is ridiculously user-friendly. Filling the pods is the most common task you’ll have to do, but this is really straightforward: just uncover the fill hole by pulling up the rubber flap covering it, and then drip your e-juice into the pod. You can twist the rubber flap off to the side so you don’t need to hold in place while you’re filling up. Of course you need to hold the device on its side while filling, and leave the filled tank to sit for five minutes before you start vaping to give the liquid time to soak in.
Changing pods really couldn’t be simpler: just pull the old pod out and drop the new one in and you’re done. They work both ways around, so there’s really nothing that could go wrong here.
Overall, when it comes to ease of use, the Mico is really hard to beat.
Automatic Operation
Unlike the similar Nord, the Mico works “automatic,” so you just inhale from the tip to vape rather than having to press a button. This used to be the industry standard in the days of cigalikes, and it’s becoming more common again with the advent of pod-style devices. However, it is often a little lacking when it comes to reliability and performance more generally.
The Mico handles it quite well, though. I’ve had the device cut out a couple of times when I thought I was inhaling, but I quickly learned that taking fairly firm puffs is better because it helps the Mico register what’s going on. I personally prefer the Nord’s manual system, but if you’re switching from smoking, automatic operation might make the transition easier and it works well once you get used to it.
Comfort and Portability
Thanks to the Mico’s size, portability is one of the major advantages of the device. It’s tiny enough to slip into any pocket and would fit comfortably in even the smallest bag you’d carry around. Of course you can also use the included lanyard, and even though I prefer a pocket, it’s so light you barely notice it around your neck.
In terms of comfort, the square shape of the Mico is a bit of a downside, but again the size saves it, making it easy to hold in your hand and comfortable to use. The mouthpiece design also fits your lips perfectly, so vaping is a comfortable experience all-round.
Does the Mico Leak?
The closed, pod-style design of the Mico means that leaking is pretty much a non-issue. The central chimney on the pods runs right down to their connection points, which means there is potential for condensation, but this is pretty minor and really easy to clean up.
Build Quality
The Mico is really well put together. There isn’t much that could go wrong with the device because it’s so straightforward, but Smok has done a good job regardless. The whole device is put together really well, the pods drop into the slot smoothly and securely, and the toggle switch is easy to move with a fingernail but sturdy enough that you won’t flick it accidentally.