Innokin Podin Review: Flexibility in an Open Pod System

The Innokin Podin is a mini-mod with an internal 800mAh battery. The device uses 2ml capacity pods that have removable coils. The unit has a resistance range of between 0.3 and 3.5ohms. The Podin kit comes with two 1.3ohm Kanthal coils. It also features a special pod adapter so users can fit different style pods onto the battery.

The Podin has a single power/firing button on its front. Users can set the power settings (8W or 9W) and switch between an automatic and manual style of vaping. The Podin also has several LED lights along its zinc alloy exterior to show battery life. The Podin pods even feature adjustable airflow control and snap securely into place when installed.

Table of Contents

• General Overview
• What’s In the Box?
• Design and Build Quality
• Battery Life
• Innokin Podin Pods
• Operating Instruction
• Performance
• The Competition
• Final Thoughts

A First Look at the Innokin Podin

The Innokin Podin stands at 75mm (with the pod installed) (2.95”) and is 11.5mm (0.45”) wide, giving the pod device a compact and pocket-friendly shape. It features a zinc-alloy frame with a stainless steel trim that wraps around the sides and makes the entire Innokin Podin very durable.

The side panels of the unit feature a soft-touch matte finish, which comes in six different marble/color options. There is a single power/firing button on the front of the unit. This button turns on the battery and also lets users choose between the two power outputs loaded onto the battery.

Users can choose from an 8W output, or the 9W Boost Mode that puts out more enormous clouds and better flavor, supposedly. Users can also select between draw-activation and manual functioning by either pushing or not pushing the button.

The pods for the Innokin are refillable and reusable, as they have removable coils. They can hold 2ml of e-liquid, and users need to access the side-fill ports to fill the pods. The pods also have a flat-type of a mouthpiece, giving the user a more comfortable draw. The unit has a small ejector button on the side to release an installed pod.

The cartridges snap into place when installed, and they stay securely in the bay when installed. The Podin kit also comes with a pod adapter that users can connect, so the Innokin Podin works with different cartridges. Users can use Juul and MyBlu pods with the device and use them like they would with the regular pods.

There is a small USB port on the base of the Innokin Podin, which is where users install the combination lanyard/charger cable that comes in the kit to charge the battery. The LEDs show the current battery level of the cell by descending lights (full lights = full power, one light = recharge).

A Look Inside the Box

The Innokin Podin device comes in a slide-open box with the battery sitting atop the rest of the unit’s components. There is a pod installed when users take it out of the box, and the other second coil is sealed in a black plastic bag.

Here’s what users will see when they get the Innokin Podin device:

• 1 Innokin PODIN Mod
• 1 Innokin PODIN Pod
• 1 Spare Coil
• 1 MicroUSB Lanyard Cable
• 1 Quick Start Guide
• 1 Warning Booklet

The Look and Feel of the Podin

The Innokin Podin meets with the most basic requirement for any pod system: it is tiny. Without the pod installed, the unit is a shade under 62mm (2.4”), which is only a few millimeters shorter than the similarly-shaped Caliburn Koko, which stands at 67mm (2.6”).

The exterior panels are zinc alloy but covered in a soft, almost-rubberized material that gives it a good grip. There is a band of stainless steel around the Innokin Podin that gives it not only a high-quality sheen but a protective band to lessen the impact of falls or everyday use. Atop the pod bay is a small hook to attach the lanyard/USB charging cable.

Power

The Podin uses an 800mAh battery that could last for at least a full day of semi-moderate use. The battery inside also comes with a slew of essential protections like a 10-second cut-off time and short circuit protection. Another feature that the battery can perform is the two operating modes it offers.

Users can choose between an automatic draw or a manual one. There are two separate power settings available on the battery, the default 8W, and the Boost mode that outputs 9W. There is not much difference between the two, although the Boost mode does produce more significant clouds. Users can select from the two power levels using the power button.

A Look at the Podin’s Pods

The Podin’s one cartridge has several features that pods usually do not have. The first main feature has to be the removable coils. Many systems use refillable pods without detachable coils, which means the entire thing gets chucked out when the coil runs out.

Not only is this wasteful – mainly since you are getting rid of a perfectly good pod – but it ups the cost of getting a device like this. The removable coil idea lets users keep the pod, but throw out the coil, which is much smaller and leaves less of an environmental impact.

The other outstanding feature of the Innokin pods is the airflow control knob. There is a tiny wheel-like knob on the front of the unit, which lets users adjust the airflow – something unseen since the Lost Vape Orion with its airflow control ring around the mouthpiece.

It is up to users to decide whether these attributes make a difference to the vaping experience, but the fact that they are present on such a tiny device is astounding in itself. The pods have a removable base that users give a slight counter-clockwise turn to remove the coil base and then to unscrew the coil.

Podin Coils

The Innokin kit comes with two coils, both of them rated for 1.3ohms. With such a high resistance and a low-wattage output, the Podin is meant for mouth-to-lung vapers who prefer flavor quality over cloud density.

The combination of the Kanthal coils and the 8 to 9W output also makes the Podin a perfect vape for nicotine salts that will boost flavor and deliver a great throat hit. The small size of the coils, though, speeds up their decline, and they last only a matter of days before giving off weak vapor.

Getting the Podin Started

After fully charging the battery, users need only fill the Podin cartridge with e-liquid and install it.The cartridge has a side fill port with a silicone stopper inside. Users must open the port by taking out the stopper, which is attached, and then fill the pod. The fill port is quite wide and can take various bottle nozzle-types.

With the pod installed, if the user has an automatic draw set, they can start taking pulls, and if the Podin is set to manual, they press the fire button to take a draw. There is no separate setting to put the Podin into automatic or manual draw like with the Nord or Uwell Caliburn.

Users can take a pull from the mouthpiece, and the battery will activate. Users can also press the fire button and take a vape that way; there is no other button to press to change between the two styles. The same cannot be said of the power settings. Users need, to improve the power output, first, turn on the battery and then press and hold the power button to change the LED from green to purple or vice-versa.

The battery takes three clicks to activate, which will illuminate the LEDs a bright white to show the battery level. There is a separate LED to indicate the power setting, which can either be 8W (low) to 9W (high). The two power settings are color-coded with the 8W setting shining green and the 9W setting showing purple.

Vaping the Innokin Podin

The device works well for what it is: a stylish, easy-to-use MTL hitter for on-the-go vaping. Even though nicotine salts pair well with the coil and the power output, using regular freebase nicotine is also possible, although they do not expect big clouds. The mouthpiece on the pod is well-made and comfortable to hold with the mouth.

The fact that it extends is also a good design, as your lips do not touch the edges of the battery, which can sometimes be hot. Adjusting the airflow on a pod system is a little gimmicky, but the addition of that feature was a welcome surprise.

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To be sure, there is not much adjusting to do. The airflow knob goes to either fully open or closed or somewhere in between, but the vapor coming out of the Podin was satisfying no matter how open or closed the airflow vent. While the battery duration is good, the same cannot be said of the coil.

The fact that they are small is both a positive and a negative. Positive because their size makes the Podin that much more compact and portable. Negative because they do not last very long. Even though the battery only outputs a maximum of 9W and the Kanthal wire has a resistance of 1.3ohms, the degradation of the wick is fast, which is not so surprising if you think about it.

The Vape-Off: the Innokin Podin vs. the Caliburn Koko vs. the SMOK Mico

Innokin Podin vs. Caliburn Koko

The Caliburn Koko is a smaller version of the Uwell Caliburn, which is an open pod system. The Koko features a buttonless design, and it is draw-activated, so it does not have manual control like the Podin. The Koko has a much smaller battery capacity (520mAh) than the Innokin device (800mAh), although it is physically bigger. The two devices are both eye-catching with the Koko’s clean, shiny aluminum alloy exterior competing with the colorful, resin panels of the Podin for best-looking pod mod of 2020.

The Koko has a removable and refillable pod but not a removable coil, which the Podin does have. The Koko comes with two types of cartridges, one for mouth-to-lung vaping and the other for direct-lung, but as the Innokin device comes with a pod adapter.

Innokin Podin vs. The SMOK Mico

The SMOK Mico is much smaller in size than the Podin – 56mm compared to the Podin’s 61mm height – but its battery has a capacity similar to the Innokin device, 700mAh compared to 800mAh. The Mico comes with two pods, like the Koko, that is suited to different vaping styles. The Mico has an MTL cartridge rated at 1.3ohms (like the Innokin device), and a second is rated at 0.8ohms. Both pods can fit the only 1.7ml, which is a little less than the Podin’s 2ml cartridges.

The Mico can also output more power with a maximum power output of 26W compared to the Innokin’s 9W maximum. The Mico has a small on/off switch to activate the battery, but it works on air-activation, so it does not have the multifunction of the Innokin model.

Positives and Negatives

Concluding Thoughts: The Innokin Podin Review: A Tiny Device with a Lot of Features

The Innokin Podin has a lot going on for it. It has removable coils, which prevents plastic pods from getting disposed of unnecessarily. Users can vape in either automatic or manual mode without having to press any buttons or change anything. The liquid cartridges for the Innokin Podin are easy to install and take out, which does require the push of a button because they snap into place.

The vapor production is excellent. Flavor quality and cloud density are both on point and consistent. Even with the battery power waning, the Kanthal coils still produced top-notch vapor. The coils, though, are not long for this world. Even with the battery minimal power output, the coils get taxed very fast and burn out in only a matter of days.

Despite the short-life of the coils, the battery life, design, and construction of the Podin all get top marks. The addition of the adapter (not sure if it will be included in all the kits) is a useful accessory for anyone who prefers the high nic content of Juul pods but is pretty unnecessary for anyone who does not.

Have you ever used Innokin Podin? How was your experience? Do not hesitate to share your experience with us in the comments section below.