IQOS ILUMA Review - Heated Tobacco

IQOS Iluma Overview

IQOS are a popular brand known for their variety of Heated Tobacco kits and accessories. Their first release in 2014 was the beginning of a new era for the tobacco industry with the debut of their revolutionary ‘heat not burn’ technology.

Today I’ll be assessing one of their latest creations, the IQOS Iluma, also known as the IQOS Iluma Starter Kit. In this review I'll be talking about what the device is, how it works, the quality of its build and packaging, as well as how it performs compared to the IQOS Iluma One.

What is the IQOS Iluma?

The Iluma is a ‘Heated Tobacco’ device by IQOS composed of a ‘pocket charger’ and a ‘holder’. The holder is a small pen-shaped device that you insert the TEREA tobacco stick into. The holder then uses magnetic energy to heat the blade in the tobacco stick and produce vapour, which you inhale.

The charger is a larger device which opens up at the side for you to insert the holder into when it's not in use to recharge it. The pocket charger has a sleek, modern design with rounded edges and is available in a variety of colours, including Azure Blue, Moss Green, Pebble Beige, Pebble Grey and Sunset Red.

First impressions regarding the style of the IQOS Iluma, the materials used to make it and the packaging it arrived in are all quite positive.

The packaging was quite minimalistic in design but of a very high quality with the device protected by multiple layers
The devices (Holder + Pocket Charger) themselves seem really robust and of a high quality. It feels like they’ve been built to last, even if dropped or knocked over.
One downside of the ‘Pocket Charger’ is that it's actually too big to fit in my pockets - ironically. Although it is small enough to slip into my bag without taking up much space.

IQOS Iluma Performance

After testing the IQOS Iluma for a day I can happily say that its performance exceeded my expectations, and by quite a measurable margin, too.

Heating Technology

It uses new heating technology which IQOS have named the ‘SMARTCORE Induction System’. This new heating system uses electromagnetic energy which interacts with the small blade inside the TEREA stick that you insert into the holder. This in turn gradually heats the tobacco instead of burning it, resulting in a vapour that you inhale. This is how the product remains smoke-free and ash-free.

This method of heating the tobacco made for a much more pleasant experience than smoking, as the flavour of the tobacco was much more prominent. There was no harsh smoky taste and overall it just felt much cleaner than using cigarettes.

Battery Life

The holder has two LED lights which indicate how many uses it has before needing to be recharged. Whilst this is great for chainsmokers who may use two tobacco sticks in one session, I found that I was satisfied with just one Terea stick per session, so I didn’t need the additional charge. I can see how this could be a beneficial feature for others though.

Charging

The holder is fitted with an integrated 1500mAh battery that lasts for up to 20 uses, which is the equivalent of a pack of their TEREA tobacco sticks. It can be recharged using a USB type-c charging cable which is provided in the box.

However, the pocket charger took over an hour and a half (90 minutes) to fully charge once it had run out of battery. If you can’t wait for that long between tobacco sticks I’d advise keeping it topped up throughout the day if you can rather than letting the battery run out of power.

Vapour Consistency & Quality

Each tobacco stick lasts for approximately 6 minutes, or 14 puffs overall. Most of the time the 6 minutes was more than enough for me to make use of the 14 puffs.

However, I found that if I were using it whilst holding a conversation, sometimes the holder ended the session before I’d gotten the full use of the TEREA stick.

Overall I can’t find any fault with the consistency of the vapour or its quality - it provided an experience similar to smoking for the duration of each session. There was no loss of flavour or vapour in the last few puffs.

Ease of Use

I daresay using the IQOS Iluma is actually easier than smoking. I didn’t have to worry about carrying a lighter, there was no mess either as it doesn’t produce ash. All I had to do was take the holder out of the charger, insert a Terea stick and wait for it to heat up. The holder even vibrates to let you know when it’s ready to use and when you’re nearing the end of your session. Its simplicity and ease of use is one of its biggest advantages, in my opinion.

IQOS Iluma Features

The IQOS Iluma has been designed with quite a few nifty features that improve the experience by making it simpler, safer, more convenient, and more personal.

Safety Features

The ‘SMARTCORE Induction System’ itself is a form of safety feature, as it heats the tobacco instead of combusting it - meaning there’ absolutely no fire involved at all.

Another feature that’s been included to protect the user is an automatic reset - if the device finds a fault in itself it will automatically reset and the LED lights will flash to indicate that there’s an issue. I didn’t experience this myself as my Iluma device had no problems, but IQOS goes into detail about this feature on their website.

LED Indicators

Both the Holder and Pocket Charger feature LED indicators that serve a variety of purposes.

The most obvious reason for this feature is to give you a clear display of how much battery, or how many uses, you have left before needing to charge the device. Another use of the LED lights is to demonstrate when the device is active and heating your IQOS tobacco stick.

Also, as previously mentioned, the LED lights will flash when the device has performed a reset due to a perceived fault or issue.

Haptic Feedback

IQOS have incorporated haptic feedback into the Holder and Pocket Charger.

The holder will vibrate once when your TEREA stick is in the process of heating up, twice when it’s ready to use and twice more when there's only 30 seconds remaining of your session.

Also, if you double tap the Holder whilst it’s in use it’ll vibrate to let you know how much power you have left.

Three vibrations - 75% - 50% charge remaining
Two vibrations - 50% - 25% charge remaining
One vibration - < 25% charge remaining

Customisation

Whilst I didn’t customise the IQOS Iluma as I was only testing it for a day, I did take a look at all of the different accessories available.

IQOS sell a variety of protective skins and cases for the Iluma, as well as colourful rings for the holder as well as a variety of different coloured doors for the charger. These accessories give you the option of personalising your Iluma kit to make the experience feel more personal.

Maintenance

The IQOS Iluma starter kit is the easiest Heated Tobacco device to maintain that I've ever used. The TEREA tobacco sticks are sealed on both ends, so there’s no tobacco or residue left over after each use. This completely eliminates the need for cleaning and general maintenance.

IQOS Iluma Comparison

I briefly tested out the IQOS Iluma One for comparison, and I have to say, I think I might have preferred it.

IQOS Iluma vs Iluma One

The Iluma One is much slimmer than the Iluma Starter Kit as it’s an all in one device, whereas the Starter Kit is a Holder and Charger.

They both last for 20 consecutive uses, they both have LED indicators and haptic feedback to notify you of the device’s status. I just felt that the Iluma One was more convenient than the Iluma Starter Kit - but that’s just my opinion.

Value For Money

The Iluma One is cheaper than the Iluma IQOS Starter Kit - costing just £19 compared to the kit which is £39 - even though they both essentially do the same thing. This means that the Iluma One is better value for money overall.

Final Verdict

The IQOS Iluma is a really great piece of kit and is by far one of my favourite heated tobacco systems. It offers an experience that is similar to smoking without many of the disadvantages associated with using cigarettes. The IQOS Iluma is easy to use, provides amazing flavour and vapour production and has a reliable battery. However, it’s not quite perfect. The Ilume One has many of the same features but is cheaper, and is also smaller which makes it more portable.