4stars

SMOK Trinity Alpha Review

SMOK has been in the vaping game for a long time, and even though its products haven’t always been stellar, the Chinese manufacturer has never been known to blatantly copy other companies’ designs. However, I guess there is a first time for everything, because SMOK’s latest all-in-one vaping device, the Trinity Alpha, looks oddly similar to one of the hottest pod systems available right now, the Lost Vape Orion Q. I wouldn’t go as far as calling it a clone, because it’s actually quite different in the way it works, but at first glance, it’s pretty easy to tell that the Trinity Alpha was heavily inspired by the Orion Q.

A Look at the Contents

The SMOK Trinity Alpha kit comes in a small cardboard box with a picture of the device – in the colors it actually comes in – on the front, and a list of contents, age restriction and nicotine warnings, on the back. It’s pretty much your classic SMOK packaging, nothing more, nothing less.

Inside the box, we have the Trinity Alpha AIO sitting snug in a Styrofoam holder right next to the two coil-heads it comes with. Underneath the holder we have a second comaprtment which contains all the accessories – a micro-USB cable for charging, a lanyard and a user manual.

This device comes with just one refillable pod, which I would normally consider a con, only in this case it’s really not. You see, the Trinity Alpha, is not your regular pod system. The pods don’t have built-in coil-heads, but removable ones that you can swap out whenever you feel like it, which I think is a huge pro. And the kit already comes with two coil-heads, one for direct lung vaping and one for mouth-to-lung, so nothing to complain about in that regard.

Design and Build Quality

I’ve never actually used the Lost Vape Orion, either the Q or the DNA version, but I know what it looks like, and the moment I saw the SMOK Trinity Alpha, I knew it was heavily inspired by it. Now, I have no problem with companies “borrowing” certain design concept, but in this case SMOK went way beyond that, making its AIO device so similar to the Orion that the two look virtually the same. They’re about the same size, they use the same style of pod, the drip tip and fill port are located in exactly the same position, they even copied the resin panels of the Orion DNA, only SMOK went for a cheaper option – plastic with resin patterns.

Now, just to be clear, the Trinity Alpha may look like a clone of the Lost Vape Orion, but it’s actually not. There are plenty of differences, from the way the pods are designed, to the multiple color options of the Trinity Alpha, not to mention the 3 power modes, and the lack of airflow adjustment. We’ll go through all this in greater detail below, but I just wanted to make sure not to bash SMOK too hard for copying the look of the Orion.

The Trinity Alpha AIO measures 91mm x 38mm x 16mm and weighs around 90 grams. It’s made primarily of zinc alloy and plastic, and is currently available in 6 different color configurations, each with its own resin pattern. The sample I received for this review is called Prism Gold, and while it’s not the most eye-catching version available, it’s definitely not bad looking either.

Starting at the top, we have the same style pod as the Lost Vape Orion. The 510 drip tip and the raised fill port look almost identical to those of the Orion,, but they are slightly different. The drip tip lacks airflow adjustment, and the fill-port cap slides to the side, instead of unscrewing from the pod completely. Although, the Eu version of the Trinity Alpha reportedly comes with a fill port cap that unscrews.

The pod can be removed from the battery section by pulling on a plastic latch located near one of the narrow edges of the device. All you have to do after that is pull the pod upwards and it detaches. It has a capacity of 2.8ml, but before you fill it up the first time, make sure to first insert one of the included SMOK Nord coil-heads into the open slot on the bottom of the tank. It doesn’t screw in, you just have to align it properly and push it in all the way.

The metal body of the Trinity Alpha has a glossy finish that I can’t say I like too much simply because it makes the device a fingerprint magnet. Also, it makes scratches really visible, and I have a feeling that, like most of my other SMOK devices, the paint will chip off in time. The decorative plastic panels look pretty cool, although they don’t really compare to the actual resin on devices like the Voopoo Drag 2 or Vandy Vape Pulse 80W. Still, they make the Trinity Alpha look a lot better than the bland Orion Q, in my opinion.

On one of the narrow sides of the SMOK Trinity Alpha we have the control panel, which includes a rectangular fire button, three mode indicators, a mode selection button and a micro-USB charging port at the bottom. Each of the three LED indicators light up whenever you press the mode selection button to cycle through them. They stand for Soft, Normal and High, and allow you to adjust the wattage output according to your preference.

All in all, the SMOK Trinity Alpha looks and feels like a very solid device. It doesn’t have any rattling components, the pod locks firmly into place and it actually has a nice weight to it, which gives it a high-quality feel. Again, I have never used a Lost Vape Orion, so I can’t say how it compares, but for what many would call a clone of that device, the Trinity Alpha isn’t bad at all.

Battery Life and Performance

Most pod systems have a battery capacity of around 400mAh, but as I said, this isn’t a classic vape pod, but more of a pod-style all-in-one device, so it’s no surprise that the SMOK Trinity Alpha features a 1,000mAh battery. That’s way more than any of the pods I’ve ever reviewed, so I have to count that as a big pro. The battery indicator right above the Mode button will light up green when the battery is over 70 percent charged, orange when it’s between 30 and 70 percent charged, and red when power drops under 30 percent.

In terms of performance, the SMOK Trinity Alpha is an impressive device, especially if you enjoy a very loose mouth to lung, or restricted direct lung vaping, however you want to call it. One thing you can’t use this device for is proper MTL vaping. Since you can’t adjust the airflow, you’re stuck with a very loose draw, even if you choose to use that mouth-to-lung coil-head, so if you’re looking for a vaping experience similar to smoking, this is definitely not it.

On the other hand, if you enjoy a looser draw or straight-up direct lung vaping, the Trinity Alpha works great, producing decent plumes of vapor and much better flavor than regular pod-systems. I found myself using it mostly in High mode, as I felt that really brought out the best flavor in the juice I was using, but if you prefer cooler vapor, you can try it in Soft or Normal and see how you like it.

From a convenience standpoint, the SMOK Trinity Alpha may be a bit more cumbersome for causal users, as you do have to chance the coil-heads from time to time, but it does make up for that in customization and cost. Having the option of trying multiple coil-head configurations and not having to throw away the whole pod when the coil goes out is huge, and SMOk definitely deserves for making the right choices. They could have opted for disposable pods, or opted for a new type of coil-head, but they decided to go with their Nordic coils, which are compatible with several other SMOK products.

Conclusion

The SMOK Trinity may not have the exact same build quality as the Lost Vape Orion, or be powered by the stellar DNA chipset, but it definitely improves on the device that inspired it in more ways than one. It has slightly better battery capacity ( 100mAh compared to 950mAh), three different power modes, and most importantly, swappable coil-heads, which opens up loads of customization options. It can be a bit messier at first, until you figure out how to remove the coils without spilling whatever juice you still have in the tank, but it’s much better in the long run. Oh, and I personally think that the Trinity Alpha looks a bit better than the Orion, thanks to those large resin-like panels.

The only thing I wish it had is airflow control, so I could actually used it for mouth-to-lung, but that’s not really a con, just personal preference. I’m sure there are plenty of vapers who actually appreciate its loose draw.