When the latest model IQOS ILUMA i appeared on the Japanese market last year, we did not hesitate and ordered an import at a hefty price and started testing. On the Czech pre-Christmas market, we were then able to order the luxury version ILUMA i PRIME. Well, spring is here and with it the remaining two models — read the review of the IQOS ILUMA i One in another article, and now let's take a look at the best-selling middle model, the ILUMA i.
Check out all the colors of the IQOS ILUMA i in our video
What's new with the IQOS ILUMA i
The inconspicuous "i" in the name stands for innovation, and there is plenty of it. It is not too obvious on the charger — you can only tell it apart by the five new colors — but you will notice the difference immediately after taking out the holder. If you are not familiar with the model, first read last year's review of the IQOS ILUMA, because many features and the way of control remain the same; only the holder has changed.
Holder with a display
The holder has undergone a major innovation — the button and status LEDs are gone, replaced by a small black oval touchscreen. Once you insert a stick, heating starts automatically, an indicator runs around the edge of the display, and once the LEDs close into a full circle, the stick is ready.
We recorded the display in a separate video on our YouTube channel.
As the session time counts down, the LEDs gradually disappear, and 30 seconds before the end they start blinking.
Although it may look that way, the two bars in the middle are not the eyes of your IQOS — they indicate the battery level and the number of sticks left; if there is only one bar, you have just one session left. When the holder is idle, a light tap on the display or a shake of the holder shows how many sticks are left on the battery.
Two levels of backlight
The display has adjustable backlighting. Tap it quickly five times to dim the brightness; tap again to increase it. This can come in handy at night, for example, because the display glows quite a lot.
Pause mode
Another new feature related to the touchscreen is the heating pause mode. If, during heating, you swipe your finger smoothly upward across the display, the holder vibrates, the center LEDs light up, and heating is interrupted. Swiping your finger downward across the display reactivates it. This only works during the first 3 minutes of heating.
A handy feature that lets you postpone heating for up to 8 minutes — for example, during a break at work when you need to take a phone call or jump on a tram.
Nothing is perfect
We encounter convenient touch controls more and more often — at ATMs, in cars, even on stoves. And everywhere they have their flaws. With the IQOS, what bothers me most is that the display cannot be located by touch in the dark like the old rubber button could, and in direct sunlight it is still a display, so it is not perfectly visible. I also occasionally activate the heating pause unintentionally when my finger wanders across the holder.
Secret tip: If you activate the pause by accident, the quickest fix is to pull the stick out slightly and push it back in.
FlexPuff + 4 extra puffs
The ILUMA i now monitors the intensity of your draws. If you draw gently, it automatically extends the session time by up to four extra puffs. Since I draw like a locomotive, I did not have the chance to test this feature myself, so I would be glad if you could let us know, for example in our Facebook group, how it works in practice. In the app on the IQOS.com website, you can also set two heating levels:
- Performance: Up to three consecutive sticks without a pause, or two sticks with a pause.
- Eco: A single stick session without the option to interrupt heating.
Buying the IQOS ILUMA i
The new ILUMA i is available for purchase. The previous version without a display is also still being sold out, so you have a choice.