SMOK Nord 2 Review

Design & build quality

The SMOK Nord 2 is discreet and light yet solidly built.

SMOK’s pod outings of late confirm again and again that the company’s initial focus on boxy cloud mods was far from the only trick up their sleeves, and the Nord 2 seeks to become the new favourite device of anyone who leans towards discretion and flavour as key device features.

“Compactability” is the name of the game with the SMOK Nord 2, the unit weighing only 79g empty and standing at a height of roughly 9cm. It’s the very last word in pocket-friendly design.

The primarily plastic materials are a little less durable than on some other pod vapes such as the Voopoo DRAG S but still feel solidly built, available in a range of eye-catching resin and snakeskin designs.

A 0.69 inch OLED screen is one of the new, unexpected features in the Nord 2, displaying wattage, battery, coil resistance and puff-count, fitting neatly onto the side of the device.

A single light-up button on the front of the Nord 2 is the unit’s only input; one push to fire, three to change wattage and five rapid clicks to turn the device on and off again.

The unit charges via micro-USB port at the base of the vape, and charges from empty to full in little over an hour, with pass through tech allowing you to keep vaping while it charges.

SMOK Nord 2 – how to use/button functionality

The button combinations on the SMOK Nord 2 are as follows:

• Powering on & off: Tap the fire button 5 times.
• Changing wattage: Tap the fire button 3 times, then hold down to cycle through settings and release to confirm.

The SMOK Nord 2 comes with two pods, a clear plastic one which fits the RPM DTL coil series and a darker shaded pod which fits the standard MTL Nord coils.

Both pods are extremely simple to refill; just locate the flexible hatch on the side of the pod and pull it open to permit access for an e-liquid bottle nozzle.

Changing coils is even easier; just pull the old coil out and dispose of it then push a new one into place, lining up the white part of the coil’s base to touch the side of the pod.

The pods are held tightly in place via suction, so while they’re easy to remove you won’t have to worry about them slipping out of place. The coils are of excellent quality, delivering clear flavours and lasting at least a week based on our testing.

The unique duck-bill mouthpiece is a standout comfort feature of the Nord and RPM pods, both held very securely in place while also being simple to remove with a gentle tug.

The unorthodox mouthpiece helps to further break the mental/physical associations of finding nicotine relief by pursing your lips around a cigarette.

Battery life & charging

1500mAh and 40W potential output in a tiny, stylish package.

The SMOK Nord 2 features an internal battery of 1500mAh capacity; that’s 50% more power than the previous Nord was carrying. 1500mAh is more than enough to get you through a solid day and night, and the device charges from empty to full in approximately 1 hour.

In the event you forget to charge it, the device is equipped with vital passthrough functionality, meaning you can vape while it’s charging.

Performance

The SMOK Nord 2 delivers consistently satisfying hits of vape with no spitback.

The duckbill design has a great mouthfeel and doesn’t collect excess lint and other pocket detritus.

The vapour itself is gentle and doesn’t burst out at you, reducing the likelihood of e-liquid spitback and making this a really nice moderate daily vape.

Those looking to cut loose and chase some serious cloudage can rely on the RPM pod to withstand the Nord 2’s 40W output. You may find the battery runs a little low when you spend a lot of time using the RPM pod at higher wattages, so if you’re looking for an all-day sub-ohm pod machine it may be better to investigate the SMOK RPM 85.

The verdict

The SMOK Nord 2 is a nice and simple daily vape with enough features to explore the cloudier side of things.

The SMOK Nord 2 is a serious improvement on a classic, and allows SMOK to flex a little bit of their old sub-ohm strength while showcasing one of the year’s best MTL pod vapes.

The impressive wattage range and assortment of coil resistances ensure the Nord 2 avoids being pigeonholed as a ‘backup’ machine, able to stand throughout the day as your primary daily vape.

The Nord 2 is a brilliant pod vape that feels as comfortable in the office as it does at the bar after work or outside the gym. We hope you enjoyed this review of the SMOK Nord 2 and look forward to seeing you again for our next in-depth review!