What’s up vapers!
SirRisc here with another gear review!
These Smok Quantum kits were sourced from Smok!
Premise.
So last week I reviewed the TFV8 from Smok, and today I’m looking at yet another Smok product.
This one is a bit special in the sense that it has a new kind of functionality that we haven’t seen before in mods.
Namely the OTA (Over-The-Air) function, meaning it can upgrade its firmware through bluetooth.
So besides the bluetooth, how does the mod perform?
Let’s find out, shall we!
Specifications.
- Single 18650 battery powered
- Bluetooth 4.0
- OTA firmware upgrading
- 80W maximum power output
- Temperature control for Ni, Ti, SS
- Adjustable TCoR
- Adjustable Initial Resistance
- OLED screen
- Integrated firebutton in the batterycover
- Available in Mint Green, Sakura Pink, White and Starry Black
Packaging.
The Quantum comes in the classic Smok packaging, a black box wrapped in white and grey cardboard.
On the front of the wrap is a shiny depiction of the mod in the color inside of the box.
The slogan Smok uses for the Quantum kind of hints at the functionality of the mod, it states "Enjoy the geek vaping experience."
On one side you’ll see silver lettering (which is a bit hard to read on the photos, but easily readable in real life) saying “Quantum 80W (OTA, TC, Bluetooth)” and the slogan again.
On the other side are two QR codes you can scan to check for authenticity, the sticker with the actual authenticity code is on the back of the wrap.
The back also contains a bunch of information about what’s inside of the box, and a basic rundown of the mods specifications.
Opening the box reveals the mod immediately, sitting rather tightly packed in a black foam insert.
Lifting the foam insert will get you to the usermanual, a battery safety card, and a warrantycard.
This mod, unlike the previous Smok mods I’ve reviewed, is not a kit.
Which means there is no tank included, you’ll have to provide for an atomizer yourself.
Performance.
A while back I reviewed the Smok Nano One, a mod that showed a lot of similarities with the Joyetech Evic VTC Mini.
My conclusion in that review was that the Nano One was essentially a much improved Evic.
The Quantum is a similar design, with a few very distinct differences.
In terms of size it doesn’t differ much, but in functionality it does add a lot.
Let’s have a look where the differences are hiding.
First off are aesthetic differences.
The display has moved to the side of the mod, as did the plus and minus buttons.
The buttons have been integrated in the screenprotector and sit near the bottom of the mod.
The display is still very bright and easy to read, despite having a protector over it. The Nano One had a bare screen, which helped it keep a very clear screen even in direct light.
What is obviously missing in that summary is the firebutton, and that’s one the big draws of this device in my opinion.
The firebutton is intergrated in the entire side of the device, doubling as a batterydoor.
We’ve seen this design in other mods too and I’m honestly a fan of it, there’s no clunky button to break the smooth spine of the mod.
In terms of actual functionality, the mod is very similar to the Nano One.
It does 80W maximum, and it delivers on its promise. I measured the output and the multimeter gave a maximum value of 78.7W.
This was with a battery at ~50% charge, which may explain why it’s slightly lower.
Still not a bad result for a single battery device, I’ve seen a lot worse…
The Quantum also does temperature control for Ni, Ti, and SS.
Like the Nano One, it offers options to adjust the initial resistance of the coils for finetuning, and it offers a customisable TCoR to adjust for slightly differing alloys.
Considering it’s a similar board as the Nano One I expected the experience to be roughly the same, and I wasn’t disappointed. It does exactly the same.
Comparing it to a DNA200 with the same atomizer and coils, it does need a bit more time to reach the set temperature but again, this is a single battery device.
Smok have integrated Bluetooth in their mods before, most notably with the XCube II. (I loved that mod, I’ve got it’s successor waiting for review soon)
The app has since been renamed and heavily updated on both Android and iPhone, to integrate better with the Bluetooth enabled mods.
So what does this have to do with the Quantum? Well, it’s a two-fold kind of thing.
Similar to the XCube II you can monitor your puffs on the app, and even log your vaping over the course of hours, days, weeks and even months.
Also similar is the way you can adjust settings on the mod through the app, and this is all fairly seemless.
Adjusting the power for example is immediate, setting the mod to another mode however did have a bit of a delay (~2 seconds).
But there’s one thing that makes this mod a bit more geekworthy than the others, and that’s the OTA function.
OTA stands for Over-The-Air, which means you don’t have to connect the mod to a computer to upgrade the firmware.
When you start up the app and connect the mod to it, it will automatically check for firmware upgrades and if you so choose, you can apply it without using a USB cable.
On the first attempts to upgrade, I had problems to get them to connect and download the firmware. Essentially it failed.
However after updating the app it connected the mod, downloaded the firmware and then… unfortunately failed again.
Frustration started to set in and I set the mod aside for a couple of hours, only to return and try again.
This time though, I rebooted my Android phone before attempting the upgrade. And it worked.
I upgraded the firmware on a mod without using a computer, or a USB cable. Holy shit, technology is great!
Other than those functions and upgrades over the Nano One, it’s really a very similar mod.
The board inside seems to be a variant of the board in most of the recent Smok mods, and that’s definitely not a bad thing.
They’ve got an extremely potent platform and they’re sticking to it, which is a good thing.
Aesthetics.
As I stated above, the mod has about the same size as the Nano One.
It’s slightly taller, but otherwise the same thickness and width as the Nano One.
I’ve included a few shots for comparison.
The fact that the display has moved to the side took me a few days to get used to, but it’s actually quite a good choice.
My fingers aren’t constantly on the display when I push the firebutton, and it gets less smudged up.
The firebutton is something I hardly noticed being integrated, it feels similar to the XCube II’s button but smaller and clickier.
While the XCube II’s firebutton had a bit of play and felt mushy/squishy, this one does have a fair bit of tactile feedback. It has a natural feeling click and fires every single time.
In terms of design I think the mod is beautiful, it’s a minimalist design with very few bells and whistles.
An excellent mod to bring to a dinner or anything that requires you to keep a low profile.
And that’s pretty much where I’ve delegated the mod to, it’s now my favorite mod to carry when I’m in business mode (which surprisingly happens more often than you’d think, though I still find a tie to feel like a fucking noose).
Speaking of business mode, don’t fret if you want this mod to be a bit more playful.
It’s available in 4 cool colors, one of which is a Barbie-esque pink, a variant of Tiffany blue and the standard black and white colored ones.
Pink isn’t really my color, but it would be a waste having it gather dust on the shelf so I asked a friend of mine what she thought of the color and her answer was: “Dude, that is badass! I’d fucking rock that!”.
Badass it is, and the mod will soon be on its way to her together with a tank and a couple of bottles of DIY.
Pros and Cons.
Pro.
- Integrated firebutton
- Minimalist design
- Very accurate
- Small and easy to conceal
- Great batterylife for a single battery
- Firmware upgradeable
- OTA and settings via the app
Con.
- OTA doesn’t always work
- The app takes a lot of resources on Android (I have no iPhone so I couldn’t check)
- Drops a little bit of power when the battery goes below 50%
- There is a small gap between the top of the mod and the batterydoor/button. This is unfortunately necessary not to get the button stuck.
In conclusion.
Smok definitely has a winning streak going with the boards in their latest generation of mods, the Quantum being another iteration of the single battery board.
The Quantum performs great and offers a lot of functionality like temperature control and a maximum output of 80W.
Surprisingly the Quantum has excellent batterylife for a single battery device, and that makes it an excellent mod to carry.
The integrated firebutton and the minimalist design of the mod also helps it keep a low profile, while still having all the luxury of other mods.
The OTA functionality needs to be stabilized but it’s a nice concept, I hope to see more of their mods include it once it has been improved.
Would I buy another one if these broke down? Definitely! It’s easily concealable, lightweight and it gives me plenty of power.
In closing I would like to thank Smok for sending out the Quantum!
Thanks for reading, join me next time as I take a look at Knight kit! Another single battery mod in the Smok family!
Need to reach me? Head over to my website.
Interested in what I vape daily? Check out my Instagram.
Want to know more about DIY? Head over to ELR.
#staycloudy !
SirRisc disappears in a cloud of vanilla custard and lemon scented vapor
DISCLAIMER: This review is based on personal opinions and is not intended as a promotion, endorsement or advertisement.
The publisher is not sponsored, affiliated or compensated in any way.