Innokin Z80 Nex review, the mod on our test bench

A mod with a removable battery cannot be measured like a pod, because its battery life depends on the cell you give it rather than on the device. The Innokin Z80 Nex therefore puts a precise question to the bench, namely what the electronics draw and deliver once the battery is taken out of the equation. The protocol was adapted to answer it.

Innokin Z80 Nex score, 8.4 out of 10

The Z80 Nex scores 8.4 out of 10. The five criteria split as flavour 9, battery life 9, handling 8, leak resistance 8 and value 8, and the average of those marks is the overall score of the test.

The two 9s do not reward the same thing. Battery life comes down to the removable cell, in other words a design choice. Flavour comes down to the Zenith Nex tank supplied in the kit, which does a good share of the work here.

The protocol applied to a battery mod

The lack of a built-in battery changes two steps of the sequence. The bench replaces timed charging with a consumption check and adds an inspection of the battery compartment, and what comes out of those passes are usage findings rather than a table of values.

Consumption at fixed power

The same 18650 cell, charged on the same external charger, is used for every test in the category. The mod is then vaped in series of ten two-second puffs at a set power, with the remaining voltage noted between each series.

Counted puff series

Counting continues until the electronics trigger their low-voltage cut-off. The count serves as a reference from one device to another as long as the cell and the power stay the same, without our publishing an efficiency figure from it.

Leak and compartment check

The kit spends two days in a pocket with a full tank. The inspection covers the 510 plate, the inside of the battery compartment and the top ring of the tank, which here combines filling and airflow.

Innokin Z80 Nex battery life and the removable cell

This is the criterion where the Innokin Z80 Nex pulls clear of any device with a built-in battery, and the reason is simple. An empty cell is swapped in ten seconds, where a pod needs an hour on the cable.

On the bench, a day of steady vaping at around 25 W runs on a single cell with room to spare. At 40 W the cell never lasted the full day, which makes a second one essential for direct-to-lung use. These are observations from use, not durations clocked with a stopwatch.

The technical review published by Vaping Post places the mod between 6 and 80 W on an 18650 cell, in a body of 84.5 x 27.5 x 39.5 mm weighing 92.5 g. It lists a plate that takes atomisers up to 26 mm in diameter.

The same review describes a 5 ml Zenith Nex tank, with 0.3 Ω coils rated for 30 to 40 W and 0.8 Ω coils rated for 15 to 18 W. One caveat applies to the capacity, since those 5 ml belong to the international versions, while the TRPR caps tanks at 2 ml in the UK.

That legal limit shifts the whole autonomy question. The removable cell settles the battery side in ten seconds, but 2 ml means carrying a bottle as soon as you vape at 0.3 Ω, and it is refilling, not charging, that sets the rhythm of the day.

Power ramp-up and consistency

A mod in this class is judged less on its maximum than on its consistency. The bench therefore measures the gap between the first and the last puff of a long series at identical power.

On the Z80 Nex, that gap stays small while the cell is above half its charge. Below that, the power delivered visibly sags, which is normal behaviour on a single-cell mod and easy to follow on screen thanks to the voltage display.

The built-in puff counter proved more useful than expected for this test. It lets the bench cross-check its manual count without depending on an operator, and it flags series spoiled by an inhale that was too short.

Flavour and sealing of the Zenith Nex

The tank in the box is the real argument of the kit, and it pulls the score upwards. Its top ring combines filling and airflow adjustment, which reduces the number of moving parts that could let liquid through.

At 0.8 Ω and around 16 W, the mouth-to-lung flavour is dense and well defined, clearly above what a closed pod of an equivalent class produces, such as the Vaporesso Vibe SE in our pod review. At 0.3 Ω the device switches to direct-to-lung use and loses in finesse what it gains in volume.

On leaks, two days of transport left no trace on the 510 plate. The only point noted is that refilling requires the ring to be seated firmly on its detent. Left half-closed, it lets a few drops escape on the first draw, which is why the leak mark stays at 8.

Handling and value

A single-cell mod under 100 g is easy to carry, and the faux leather side panel avoids the slipperiness of all-metal chassis. The fire button is wide, positive and reachable with either hand.

The screen shows power, resistance, voltage and the puff counter, with no menu to scroll through. It is a deliberately spare interface, and a sensible choice in this segment, since there is nothing to configure before you vape.

On value, the calculation runs over time. The kit comes without a cell, so a quality 18650 and an external charger have to be added, which narrows the gap with mods that carry a built-in battery. The device, though, stays usable far longer, because a tired cell is cheap and quick to replace.

Frequently asked questions

Five frequent questions, on aspects the protocol does not cover directly.

Which battery should I choose for the Z80 Nex?

An 18650 cell from a recognised brand, with a continuous discharge rating sufficient for the power you plan to use, is the only sensible choice. The bench uses only new, matched cells for its measurements.

Can I charge the battery inside the mod?

The USB-C port allows it, but an external charger is kinder to the cell and lets you follow its real condition. That is the method used for every test in this section.

Does the Zenith Nex take older Z coils?

The Z series is broadly compatible across generations, but not every reference covers the same power range. The value printed on the coil always takes precedence over the name of the range.

Will a rebuildable atomiser fit this mod?

The plate takes up to 26 mm without overhang, which leaves room for most common models. The mode to use is then simple power control.

What if the screen shows an unstable resistance?

Unscrew and refit the atomiser, then check that the centre pin is clean. A value that changes from one puff to the next almost always comes from a dirty contact.

What the bench keeps from the Innokin Z80 Nex

Scored 8.4 out of 10, the Innokin Z80 Nex sits just behind the Geekvape Aegis Solo 3 and its 8.6 on the site’s scale. It owes that place to two choices, a battery you can replace and a tank that was not an afterthought, and it is an everyday mod that should age better than the average of its segment.

The next report in this section will look at higher-power mods, measured with the same reference cell. Their scores and the Innokin Z80 Nex result will therefore stay directly comparable.

Adult readership only. E-liquids used with this mod can contain nicotine, which is highly addictive, and the sale of vaping products to people under 18 is prohibited in the United Kingdom. No manufacturer paid for this independent test, which should not be read as a buying recommendation.

Innokin Z80 Nex review, a removable-battery mod on the bench

Innokin Z80 Nex score, 8.4 out of 10