SMOK Nord 4 Pod Review | Another Epic Pod From SMOK!
We were recently asked to write a SMOK Nord 4 review – A big thank you to VapeSourcing for reaching out and sending us the latest release by SMOK.
As a HUGE fan of the original, we jumped at the chance to review the brand new SMOK Nord 4 Kit.
Interestingly, there is no SMOK Nord 3… SMOK jumped from the original Nord, to the Nord 2. Then came the Nord X and now the new Nord 4!
I’ve been using the SMOK Nord 4 as my all-day-vape since it arrived almost 3 weeks ago, and I can’t find a single fault!
With a 2000 mAh battery, adjustable airflow AND wattage up to 80w, refillable 4.5ml capacity pods and both MTL and DTL coil options, the SMOK Nord 4 is definitely one of the best pods on the market today!
So much so, we’ll be updating our guide on the best pod vapes in the near future!
But enough of me rambling, let’s get into the full SMOK Nord 4 review…
SMOK Nord 4 Pod Review
Features & Specification
·Size (mm) – 33.7 x 24.4 x 104.9
·Net weight – 115g
·Internal 2000mAh battery
·Type-C USB charging port
·Charge time – 1.5 hours
·Variable wattage 5w – 80w
·Input voltage – 3.3V/4.2V
·Button activated
·OLED display screen
·4.5ml e-juice capacity (2ml TPD)
·Adjustable airflow
·DTL and MTL pod/coil options
·Side fill pods
·All the usual safety features
What’s In The Box?
·SMOK Nord 4 Pod system
·1 x SMOK Nord 4 RPM 2 Pod (0.16ohm mesh coil)
·1 x SMOK Nord 4 RPM Pod (0.4ohm coil)
·Type-C charging cable
·User manual
SMOK Nord 4 | Design & Appearance
SMOK pulled out all the stops with the Nord 4 – the design and build quality is fantastic. It’s slightly larger and heavier than the original Nord, weighing in at 115g with dimensions of 33.7mm x 24.4mm x 104.9mm. It’s the heaviest pod I’ve used but it feels sturdy, well built and reliable in the hand.
The SMOK Nord 4 comes in either the standard design or a leather series – which is slightly larger and heavier. VapeSourcing sent us the standard design in the red and white color option.
As you can see from the pictures, it’s a really well designed and aesthetically pleasing pod – definitely something I’m happy to vape out and about!
The Nord 4 is similar in design to the original Nord, with a rectangular shaped zinc alloy body, slightly rounded edging/corners and smooth plastic face panels on either side.
It’s super comfortable to hold and feels like it’s going to survive anything I can throw at it. I’ve dropped the Nord 4 several times already and it’s still working perfectly – not that I recommend dropping your vape!
The body of the Nord 4 has a single firing button and adjustable airflow wheels on both sides. This is a really nice feature and really opens up the draw, especially with the 0.16ohm DTL coil!
In the centre of the firing button is a small LED battery life indicator, which lights up when you fire the Nord. On the side of the device is a OLED display screen, with the current battery life, resistance, wattage and a puff counter.
At the base of the SMOK Nord 4 is the Type-C USB charging port. The 2000mAh battery is a big selling point – even at higher wattage output, the Nord 4 has fantastic battery life!
Overall, I’m really impressed with the design of the Nord 4. The OLED display is super handy, the airflow wheels give you a fully adjustable draw and the Nord 4 looks and feels great!
SMOK Nord 4 Pods | Design
The SMOK Nord 4 pods look identical to the original Nord pods – a clear plastic body with a fixed plastic drip-tip and a removable coil head that slots into the base of the pod.
The beauty of the Nord pod design is that you don’t really need to replace the actual pod. When you need to change the coil, you just remove it and insert a fresh one into the bottom of the pod.
The kit vapesourcing sent me came with two pods and two coils – the SMOK Nord 4 RPM 2 pod with a 0.16ohm DTL mesh coil and a SMOK Nord 4 RPM pod with a 0.4ohm MTL coil.
The SMOK Nord 4 RPM pod is compatible with other RPM coils and the RPM 2 pod is compatible with other RPM 2 coils. Which means if you own the original SMOK Nord and have a bunch of coils lying around, you can put them to good use with the Nord 4!
The pods hold 4.5ml of e-juice (2ml in TPD compliant areas) and are refillable via a red rubber plug on the side of the clear plastic body. The pods are a smoky black transparent color so you can see how much juice you have left. The pods are also really easy to fill and I’ll show you how a bit later…
On the underside of the pods are 4 small magnets to hold it in place when it’s connected to the device – these are a perfect fit and the pods connect with a satisfying snap, with no rattle or wiggle room.
Overall, I’m really impressed with the design of the Nord 4 pods – they’re only slightly different to the pod design with previous Nord releases and as the saying goes – ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’.
SMOK Nord 4 | Performance
In terms of performance, let’s break it down into the two pods/coils that came with the kit:
RPM 2 0.16ohm DTL
I’d been rotating the Caliburn, KOKO and SMOK Nfix for the past year, which are all MTL style pod systems. Eager to try the DTL vaping set-up on the SMOK Nord 4, I opted for the RPM 2 0.16ohm pod/coil first.
First things first, the airflow is insane! It’s like vaping on a dripper, and it’s fully adjustable via the airflow wheels on each side of the device. With the airflow wide open, it’s a really airy draw – perfect for cloud chasing.
The vapor and flavor are both excellent – far better than I was expecting from a pod system! Especially with the wattage cranked up! The vapor in particular is amazing – so much so, that you’d be forgiven for wondering whether it’s worth ever getting your RDA and box-mod out again!
The coil life is brilliant – around 3 weeks before I started to get muted flavor and the occasional burnt tasting hit.
I’m super impressed with the RPM 2 0.16ohm and I’ll definitely be buying a few replacement coil heads!
RPM 0.4ohm MTL
The air-flow on the 0.4ohm coil with the airflow wheels half open was the perfect draw for me – something I expected after using the original SMOK Nord. It’s not too tight, but not too loose. Of course, it’s fully adjustable, so you can play around until you find the perfect draw for you.
The flavor and vapor produced by the 0.4ohm pod/coil is also on point. I made the mistake of using the 0.16ohm DTL coil first, so the flavor and vapor on the 0.4ohm seemed a little lacklustre in comparison. But after switching back to the KOKO for a few days, I can say the flavor and vapor production is on par, if not slightly better even.
Coil life is excellent – up to around a month before I felt I needed to replace the coil.
Overall, both the RPM 0.4ohm and RPM 2 0.16ohm pod/coil set-ups worked perfectly. Great flavor, great vapor and amazing coil life. I’m really impressed with the SMOK Nord 4 so far – it’s pretty much all you could want in a pod system wrapped up in one device!
SMOK Nord 4 | Battery Performance
The SMOK Nord 4 is powered by a 2000 mAh internal battery, charged via the Type-C USB port on the bottom of the device. This is a pretty large battery compared to other pod systems, and if you’re vaping at low-medium wattage the battery life is amazing!
BUT, the SMOK Nord 4 is adjustable up to 80w, so obviously if you’re vaping at higher wattages you’re going to burn through the battery capacity a lot faster.
For me, the battery life was far better than any other pod system I’ve tried – vaping at around 25w I get at least a full day of fairly heavy vaping before I need to re-charge!
You can see how much battery you have remaining thanks to the OLED display. And while you’re charging, the OLED display will tell you how much time left until the battery is fully charged – a nice little feature.
The Nord 4 also has pass-through capability, which means you can vape while charging. It takes up to 80 minutes to charge the Nord 4, which can be a bit of a pain if it’s your only device.
Charging the SMOK Nord 4
Charging the SMOK Nord 4 is easy – you just plug the charging cable into the Type-C USB port on the base of the device and connect it to a suitable outlet.
Like I said before, expect it to take around 80 minutes for the SMOK Nord 4 to fully charge. A quick glance at the OLED display while charging will tell you how much longer you’ll have to charge until the battery is full.
Filling the SMOK Nord 4 Pods
Both the RPM and the RPM 2 pods are filled in exactly the same way, and it’s really quick and easy. Just pull on the pod to remove it from the Nord 4, flip open the red rubber plug on the side of the pod and you’re good to start filling with your favorite juice!
When you’ve finished filling the pod, push the rubber plug back into place and make sure it’s nice and tight. Pop your pod back into the body of the Nord 4 and be sure to give it a few minutes to stand alone before you fire – this gives the wick time to fully saturate and helps you avoid a dry hit!
Changing the SMOK Nord 4 Pod/Coil
Replacing the coil is also super easy – just remove the pod from the Nord 4 and get a fingernail under the rim of the coil at the base of the pod. You’ll need to give it a good tug as it’s a pretty secure fit!
SMOK Nord 4 | Price
At the time of writing, the SMOK Nord 4 will set you back roughly £/$30 – not a bad price considering it’s a MTL and DTL pod system all in one!
The replacement RPM/RPM 2 pods and new coil heads are a little on the pricey side, which is a shame. BUT to be fair you do get really decent coil life out of the two coils included in the kit.