The first question I get asked by people who have decided they want a heated tobacco device is not "which one is best". It is "why do you have five of them". Which is a fair question, and it deserves an answer that does not just say "they are all great".
They are not all the same. They differ in weight, in battery, in how much heat they put in, and in which sticks they take. And the honest version of this guide is that one of them is right for most people, one is right for a specific situation, and the rest exist because the category has more than one kind of user in it.
Before we get into it, the same caveat as always. HEATX figures come from our own product documentation. Figures for the IQOS ILUMA, the glo Pro and the rest come from those manufacturers' published specifications. I have not measured a glo battery under a bench.
The five models in one table
| Model | Size (mm) | Weight | Battery | Preheat | Session | Sticks per charge | Heating | Stick format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HEATX 1 (MRT0) | 27 × 44 × 81 | 48 g | 1350 mAh | 20 s | 240 s | 15 | 360° resistive | TEREA |
| HEATX 2 (GEN2.0) | 34.8 × 20.6 × 92.5 | 66 g | 1800 mAh | 30 s | 250 s | 20 | 360° resistive | TEREA |
| HEATX 3 | 35 × 22 × 98 | 100 g | 3200 mAh | 20 s | 320 s | 30 | GEN3.0 dual zone | TEREA |
| HEATX 5 (GEN 5.0) | 30 × 21.5 × 89 | 64 g | 2000 mAh | 30 s | 270 s | 20 | 360° resistive | TEREA |
| HEATX 6 (GEN 6.0) | 30 × 21.5 × 105 | 90 g | 2600 mAh | 30 s | 240 s | 20 | 360° + airflow | HEETS |
Two things jump out of that table before we discuss anything else.
The first is weight. 48 g at the bottom, 100 g at the top. That is a 52 g spread, which is more than the weight of the small one. The second is the stick column. Four models take TEREA format sticks. One, the HEATX 6, takes HEETS. There is no cross-compatibility here and no adapter, so this single row decides more purchases than any other.
If you have HEETS sticks and want them to keep working, the HEATX 6 is the only HEATX that will do it. If you have TEREA sticks, any of the other four will.
The one most people should buy
If I had to point one device at a stranger, it would be the HEATX 3, and the reason is uncomfortable for the smaller models: it simply does more of everything.
3200 mAh, about 30 heating cycles per charge, a 320 second session, and 4 temperature modes you select with a double press. The screen shows battery level, stick count and which mode you are in. Insert a stick and it starts heating on its own. Press and hold and it stops whenever you want. Triple press for power, and press eight times quickly if you ever need to reset the stick counter.
GEN3.0 runs two heating zones, a bottom heating area and a wrap-around area that encircles the stick, so the outer edge of the tobacco gets the same attention as the centre. That is the flagship argument and it is a real one.
What it costs you is 100 g and a 120 minute charge, the longest in the range. That is not nothing. But the trade is simple to understand: the heaviest device with the longest charge, the longest session and the most control.
The IQOS ILUMA sits in the same territory and deserves an honest comparison, because it is the device people are usually choosing between. 74 g, 1728 mAh, about 20 sticks per charge, about 90 minutes to charge, SMARTCORE induction heating, TEREA sticks only, sliding temperature control, and an app with Bluetooth and firmware updates. It is lighter than the HEATX 3, charges faster, and the induction heating is more refined, with a stick-specific thermal signature that no third party can match.
What the ILUMA does not do is reuse a stick. The HEATX 3's circumferential heating means a stick that has already been heated can go back in for a second pass, which is where the 30 cycles and the cost per session start to come apart from the ILUMA's.
The one for people who carry everything
The HEATX 1, also sold as the MRT0, is 48 g and 27 × 44 × 81 mm. That is lighter than a pack of cigarettes and smaller than a lighter. The category is full of people who want a device that disappears in a jacket pocket and does not announce itself, and this is the one I would hand them.
1350 mAh, 15 sticks per charge, 20 second preheat, 240 second session, 90 minute charge. It runs the same 360° circumferential heating as the rest, so the two-use stick behaviour is there, and it has a big LED screen showing battery level, heating progress, current mode and puff count, with real-time puff tracking. The single button runs a Standard mode for a stick you have already used once and a Boost mode for a fresh one, which is a neat way to solve the "which pass am I on" problem without a menu.
The honest limitation is the battery. 15 sticks per charge against the HEATX 3's 30 is not a rounding difference, and the IQOS ILUMA's roughly 20 sits in between. If you are somewhere with a socket, it does not matter. If you are somewhere without one, it does.
The one that disappears into a pocket
The HEATX 2, also sold as the GEN2.0, is the flattest thing we make at 20.6 mm, and it is the one I would describe as the sensible middle option.
66 g, 1800 mAh, 20 sticks per charge, 30 second preheat, 250 second session, 90 minute charge. 360° circumferential heating across a 0 to 320 °C range, and 29 puffs from a single stick, 16 on the first pass and 13 on the second.
It is the same heat approach as the HEATX 1 and the HEATX 5, with a bigger battery and a longer session than the 1, and a smaller body than the 3. If you want one device that does not feel extreme in either direction, this is it.
Against the glo Pro, which is the natural comparison at this size and weight class, the numbers are close: 66 g against 98 g, 1800 mAh against 3000 mAh, 20 sticks per charge against about 20. The differences are elsewhere. The glo Pro is short and wide at 82 × 43 × 21 mm, has no screen, and its stick ecosystem is closed to glo Neo. The HEATX 2 takes TEREA format sticks, which is what most of the category uses.
The one that looks like an object you paid for
I am going to be a bit unfair to the HEATX 5 here, because its strongest argument is aesthetic and I know that is not supposed to be the argument that convinces people.
64 g, 2000 mAh, 270 second session, 20 sticks per charge, 30 second preheat. The shell is anodised aluminium with a matte finish, in five colours: metallic silver, signature magenta, mint green, ice blue and graphite black. It is 30 × 21.5 × 89 mm, so it is small and light.
The operation is where it earns its place for someone new. There is one button. Long press to start, long press to stop. An elegant breathing light shows the remaining battery, and there is vibration feedback so you know the device registered what you asked. No app, no menu, no modes to learn. For someone who has never used an HNB and is slightly intimidated by the category, that simplicity is worth more than another 500 mAh.
The manufacturer claims a price around half that of mainstream devices, on the logic that two packs of sticks cover the cost of the device. That is a manufacturer claim and the arithmetic depends entirely on what sticks cost where you are.
Against the Ploom TECH+, the comparison is really one of philosophy: 64 g of metal against 37 g of plastic, 2000 mAh against 480 mAh, and sticks against capsules. The Ploom is the lighter object and the simpler format. The HEATX 5 is the more substantial one and it takes sticks, not capsules.
The one with the different heating, and the different sticks
The HEATX 6, also sold as the GEN 6.0, is the odd one out on both counts, and both of those oddities point the same way.
The heating is hybrid: 360° circumferential heating and airflow heating run at the same time, so the stick is heated from the inside out rather than from one direction. The manufacturer describes it as fully releasing tobacco flavour with smooth smoke through dense dual heating. It also has two separate temperature curves, so it can handle different sticks with different heat profiles rather than running one curve for everything.
90 g, 2600 mAh, 240 second session, 20 sticks per charge, 90 minute fast charge, aluminium body with anodised matte finish and an elegant breathing light, in five colourways.
And then the part that will decide it for you: it takes HEETS sticks. The IQOS 3 DUO format. If you have HEETS, this is the model. If you have TEREA, this is the wrong device and one of the other four is right.
The IQOS 3 DUO itself is the reference point: carbon resistance heating, 1100 mAh, about 120 minutes to charge, about 20 sticks, HEETS sticks. The HEATX 6 carries 2600 mAh against 1100, and a hybrid heating system against a single carbon element.
Where I would not buy any of them
Not buying a HEATX at all is a legitimate position and there are two good reasons for it.
If you want the connected side of the category, the app, the Bluetooth, the firmware notes, then the IQOS ILUMA is the product and the rest of this is not for you. Only the ILUMA has all three. Everything described here is a standalone device that will be exactly this device in five years, and some people find that reassuring and some find it bleak.
If you are in a market where HNB is heavily restricted, or where your local rules do not permit these devices, none of this applies. Check first. Rules differ by country and they change, and importing a device into a market that has restricted it creates a problem for you rather than for the manufacturer.
The short version
Buy the HEATX 3 if you want the most device, the most control and the longest battery, and you do not mind 100 g and a 120 minute charge.
Buy the HEATX 1 if weight and size are the deciding factor, and you can live with 15 sticks per charge.
Buy the HEATX 2 if you want a middle option and a flat 20.6 mm body that sits in a pocket without announcing itself.
Buy the HEATX 5 if you want one button, a metal shell and no menu to learn.
Buy the HEATX 6 if you have HEETS sticks, or if you want the hybrid heating and the two temperature curves.
Full specifications and photos for every model are on chillmistvape.com, and if you are buying a range rather than a single unit, the OEM and wholesale terms are worth asking about directly.
Health, law and where to buy
Heated tobacco is not harmless. Avoiding combustion reduces exposure to a number of the toxicants in cigarette smoke, but it still delivers nicotine, and nicotine is addictive. Nothing in this article is medical advice, and nothing here claims that any device is safe.
If you do not already use tobacco or nicotine, there is no reason to start. Check the age limits and the tax rules where you live, since both differ by country and change. Buy from licensed sellers only. Figures attributed to Philip Morris, British American Tobacco, Imperial Brands, Japan Tobacco and KT&G come from those manufacturers' published specifications; the HEATX figures come from our own product documentation. Compare the numbers, then decide which device fits how you actually use a heated tobacco device.