30-Second Verdict
The XMAX V4 Pro wins — 8.3 to 8.0 — on flavour, build and cleaning. The V3 Pro wins on forgiveness, dosing capsules and price, and it's still the one I'd hand to a first-timer. They're siblings from the same factory, with the same removable 18650 and the same magnetic-mouthpiece idea. The difference is how they heat: the V4 Pro is pure convection that rewards a slow, firm draw, and the V3 Pro is the one that forgives you when you don't have it.
XMAX V4 Pro: 8.3/10
XMAX V3 Pro: 8.0/10
Buy the V4 Pro if:
- Flavour is why you're upgrading: brighter, cleaner top notes from pure convection
- You use a water piece: the magnetic glass mouthpiece is a 14mm/18mm adapter out of the box
- You want the faster heat-up: about 11 seconds against about 30
- You'll put in a few days learning a slow, firm 7–8 second draw
Buy the V3 Pro if:
- It's your first proper vaporiser and you want the more forgiving draw
- You use or want dosing capsules — the V3 Pro takes POTV ONE capsules, the V4 Pro takes none
- You want the cheapest route into a removable-battery portable
- It's for lending, festivals and camping, where you'd rather not worry about it
Quick Specs Face-Off:
| XMAX V4 Pro | XMAX V3 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Heating | Pure convection | Convection, heat-soaking metal chamber (blends like a hybrid as the bowl goes on) |
| Heat-up | ~11 seconds | ~30 seconds |
| Modes | Session + on-demand | Session + on-demand |
| Airflow | Three-stage slider | Side vents (cover partially for denser draws) |
| Battery | Removable 18650, 6–8 bowls, pass-through | Removable 18650, 6–8 bowls, pass-through |
| Dosing capsules | No | Yes (POTV ONE) |
| Mouthpiece | Magnetic glass, doubles as 14/18mm WPA | Magnetic plastic cap (WPA sold separately) |
| Size / weight | 110 × 32 × 25mm, ~130g | 150mm tall, 27mm slim |
| Price | Check current price | Check current price |
The Hook
Every kitchen I've ever lived in has had a rice cooker in the cupboard and a wok on the hook, and they've never once been in competition.
The rice cooker is the reliable one. Rice in, water in, press the button, walk away. It clicks when it's done and the rice is good every single time. It won't impress anyone at a dinner party. It has also never burnt anything, never needed watching, and never made me feel stupid.
The wok is the other thing. It gets hotter, it cooks faster, and when you get it right, you get a flavour you simply can't get any other way — that smoky, just-kissed-by-the-flame thing. But you have to stand over it. Move it too slowly and you burn the garlic. Crowd the pan and you're steaming, not frying. The first few attempts are usually a bit of a mess.
The V3 Pro is the rice cooker. The V4 Pro is the wok.
I called the V3 Pro the Decathlon of dry herb vaporisers and the V4 Pro a sourdough starter kit in their own reviews. Both still stand. But the kitchen is the better picture of this choice, because it's not really about which is better. It's about whether you want to press a button or learn a technique — and whether a little extra money for a lot more flavour sounds like a good deal or a bad one.
We stock both at HerbVape.co.uk — details and pricing below.
Vapour Quality
Winner: V4 Pro — 8.5/10 against 8.0/10.
The V4 Pro is pure convection. Hot air passes through the herb at one of three airflow settings, with nothing cooking the bottom of the bowl while the top waits its turn. First draw at 185°C with a slow, firm pull: the flavour hits before the vapour does. Its review compared it directly with the V3 Pro — same session, same grind, same jar — and the V4 Pro gave brighter, cleaner terpene character.
The V3 Pro is sold as convection too, and on the first draws of a bowl you can taste that. The complication is the chamber: it's small and metal, and in session mode it soaks up enough heat between draws to start behaving like an oven. So you get proper flavour separation early and more blending as the bowl goes on. The V4 Pro review simply calls it the hybrid of the pair, and in practice that's how it behaves: denser clouds sooner, and far more forgiving of a sloppy draw.
The catch with the V4 Pro is the draw. A short, light pull gets you thin, harsh vapour; a slow, firm 6–8 second pull gets you the flavour. The V3 Pro wants long pulls too — 7–10 seconds, with the side vents partly covered — but it forgives mistakes that the V4 Pro punishes.
Both come alive through water. The V3 Pro through its water pipe adapter is, in its review's words, 85% of a Crafty+. The V4 Pro doesn't need an adapter at all — its glass mouthpiece slots straight into a 14mm joint — and above 200°C water isn't optional on the V4 Pro, it's the reason the mouthpiece is shaped that way.
The Strain Test, Side by Side
Same jars, same grinder, same weights logged. Both devices ran the full two-strain protocol in their reviews, bare mouthpiece for the benchmark.
Jack Herer shows the heating difference straight away. The V3 Pro took 0.1g, levelled with the stir tool, four-minute session. Draw one at 180°C was cleaner than a budget vape has any business being — pine, lemon peel, a menthol edge at the back — and draw two held most of it. By draw three the chamber had soaked up enough heat to act like an oven and the citrus had thinned into general green herb. Pepper arrived on schedule at 195°C and stayed put. Eleven draws, two of them properly good. The V4 Pro took 0.15g with 2–3mm headroom, Stage-1 airflow, 7–8 second draws. Draw one at 180°C was almost embarrassingly bright, with the menthol edge sitting on top of the pine rather than underneath it, and draws two and three held the citrus without thinning. At 195°C the pine stepped back behind the pepper rather than vanishing. The top stage went through a bubbler, because the bare mouthpiece at 205°C is a mistake I've already made for you. Eight draws. The V3 Pro gives you two great draws of Jack and then blends; the V4 Pro gives you three and keeps the pine in view longer — if you draw it properly.
Wedding Cake is where the V3 Pro closes the gap. It took 0.1g, coarser grind, no tamp, and was generous: vanilla and sweet cream thicker than Jack ever got, and four dense draws at 195°C with butter, cake and warm dough. The honest limit is that it hands you warm sweet cream as one satisfying thing rather than three separate ones — rich, not resolved. The V4 Pro (0.15g, Stage-2 airflow) delivered vanilla, cream and dough as three separate things at 180°C, and at 195°C butter and pepper with the cherry deepening towards jam. It also bit me: one greedy, fast pull gave a scorched edge that took a draw to clear. Firm is not the same as hard.
The call: on fragile, terpy flower, the V4 Pro is clearly the better flavour device. On heavy dessert strains, the V3 Pro's blending costs very little, and it never punished me for anything.
Design & Build
Winner: V4 Pro — 7.5/10 against 7.0/10.
Neither is pretending to be premium. Both are plastic with small OLED screens and clicky budget buttons, and both reviews say so plainly.
The V4 Pro is the better-made of the two. The body doesn't flex, the airflow slider has proper three-position detents, the magnetic glass mouthpiece clicks on securely, and the battery door — famously the V3 Pro's weak point — feels more substantial.
The V3 Pro is built as a consumable, not a keepsake. The magnetic mouthpiece cap cracks if you soak it in isopropyl (Dave learned that on a camping trip), the max screens fray after 20–30 cleaning cycles, and the silicone seals have a habit of disappearing down drains. None of it is expensive; all of it recurs.
One warning that applies to both: XMAX counterfeits circulate on marketplaces. Buy from an authorised UK stockist.
Battery & Charging
Winner: V3 Pro, on the card — 8.5/10 against 8.0/10 — though it's the same system.
This is the least argued category. Both run a removable 18650, both manage 6–8 bowls at 185–195°C, both drop to 4–5 if you push past 200°C, and both support pass-through, so you can vape while they charge. Both take about two hours to charge from flat over USB-C with a decent charger.
The V4 Pro review says it outright: no major battery upgrade on the V4, same proven platform, same user-replaceable economics. The V3 Pro scored half a point higher because that system is the entire reason it exists — the review's whole argument is that a cheap cell and thirty seconds bring it back to new, which Dave proved after two years of daily use. Buy either, carry a spare cell, and you'll never be caught short.
Ease of Use
Winner: V3 Pro — 7.5/10 against 7.0/10.
The controls are near-identical. Three buttons, a small OLED, session and on-demand modes (triple-click power on the V3 Pro, long-press minus on the V4 Pro). Neither has an app, and neither needs one.
The difference is the draw. My first days with the V4 Pro, I drew like it was a Mighty+ and got thin, harsh vapour. By day four I was pulling slow, firm 7–8 second draws and suddenly the reviews made sense. Dave diagnosed it in one sentence: "You're drawing like it's an Arizer. This wants a bong pull."
The V3 Pro has a learning curve too — I thought mine was broken in week one — but it's gentler, and dosing capsules make loading a five-second job. When I lend a vape to a mate who doesn't vape much, it's the V3 Pro. The V4 Pro's learning curve is too steep for casual users.
Cleaning & Maintenance
Winner: V4 Pro — 7.5/10 against 7.0/10.
The V4 Pro's magnetic glass mouthpiece is the cleaning win: it drops into an ISO bath, cleans in minutes and clicks back on. The ceramic chamber wants a brush after each session and a soak every 20 bowls, and the chamber screen is a cheap consumable you replace every 2–3 months.
The V3 Pro's parts are individually easy to clean but collectively a subscription: tap the max screen out every 10 bowls, strip and soak the mouthpiece parts every 20, never soak the magnetic cap, and keep spare screens because they fray. Dosing capsules help keep the chamber clean.
Neither comes close to the faff of a Mighty+ cooling unit. The V4 Pro is simply less fiddly.
Portability
Winner: V3 Pro, narrowly — 8.5/10 against 8.0/10.
Both go in a jeans pocket, which is rare at any price. The V3 Pro is tall (150mm) but properly slim (27mm), so it doesn't dig into your leg, and it's the one you'll throw in a festival bag without a second thought. The V4 Pro is shorter and very light at about 130g, but its glass mouthpiece wants a bit more care in a pocket — take it off for travel and it becomes a smooth block that disappears.
Both are discreet devices with visible vapour. Neither makes a sound.
Value for Money
Winner: V3 Pro, by the width of its price tag — both score 9.5/10.
Both reviews gave value a 9.5, and both meant it. The V3 Pro is the cheapest way into a removable-battery portable that actually vapes well, and its review recommends it to strangers more than any device on the site. The V4 Pro costs a few quid more and, in its own review's words, it's the cheapest flavour upgrade you'll ever make in vaping — plus you get the water pipe adapter built in.
The tie-break is who's buying. For a first vaporiser, the V3 Pro's lower price and more forgiving draw make it the better value. For a second vaporiser, bought for flavour, the V4 Pro's small premium is money well spent.
Score Comparison
| Category | XMAX V4 Pro | XMAX V3 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Vapour Quality | 8.5/10 | 8/10 |
| Design & Build | 7.5/10 | 7/10 |
| Battery & Charging | 8/10 | 8.5/10 |
| Ease of Use | 7/10 | 7.5/10 |
| Cleaning & Maintenance | 7.5/10 | 7/10 |
| Portability | 8/10 | 8.5/10 |
| Value for Money | 9.5/10 | 9.5/10 |
| Overall | 8.3/10 | 8.0/10 |
Three categories each, one level — and the V4 Pro's three are the ones that matter most to someone upgrading for flavour. The V3 Pro's three are the ones that matter most to someone buying their first proper vape. That's the whole article in a table.
Who Should Buy Which
Buy the V4 Pro if you already own a vaporiser and want better flavour without paying premium money. It's the natural step up for V3 Pro owners, the best budget companion for a water piece I've tested, and the right call for anyone who enjoys learning a device rather than just using it.
Buy the V3 Pro if this is your first proper vaporiser, or if you want something to lend, take camping or lose at a festival without crying about it. It forgives sloppy draws, takes dosing capsules, and costs less. It's also the better choice if you won't read the manual — be honest with yourself about that one.
Upgrading from a V3 Pro? Do it for the flavour and the built-in water pipe adapter. Don't do it for the battery; that hasn't changed.
How I Actually Choose
Both live in my house, and they've settled into completely different jobs.
The V4 Pro has been in daily use since it arrived. It lives next to my bubbler, with the mouthpiece slotted into the 14mm joint for evening sessions, and it comes out for morning micro-sessions and day trips where I'd rather not carry anything dear.
The V3 Pro lives in what I call the lending library. It's the one I hand to mates who are curious about vaping, the one that goes to festivals and camping, and the one I reach for when every other battery is flat.
The best evidence came from Marcus, a sound engineer with trained ears, who ran both side by side with me in the garden. Three draws into the V4 Pro he said, "The airflow's opened up. V3 Pro was tighter." He was right. And Dave, who daily-drove his V3 Pro for two years, ordered a V4 Pro after one weekend with mine — but he hasn't got rid of the V3 Pro. It's become the one he lends out too.
The Verdict (The Bookend)
You don't throw out the rice cooker when you buy a wok. The V3 Pro is still the best first vaporiser for most people: forgiving, capsule-friendly, cheaper, and impossible to be precious about.
But if you've been using the rice cooker for a year and you've started wondering what the fuss about wok cooking is, the answer is: flavour. The V4 Pro is the better vaporiser — 8.3 against 8.0 — with brighter vapour, faster heat-up, a built-in water pipe adapter and an easier clean. It asks for four days of learning how to draw. After that, it's the best flavour you can get from a budget device.
Press the button, or learn the pan. Both make dinner.
FAQ
XMAX V4 Pro vs V3 Pro — which should I buy?
The V4 Pro if you want better flavour and a built-in water pipe adapter and you're happy to learn a slow, firm draw. The V3 Pro if it's your first vaporiser, you want dosing capsules, or you want the cheaper, more forgiving device. The V4 Pro scores 8.3, the V3 Pro 8.0.
What's the difference between the V3 Pro and V4 Pro?
Heating and airflow. The V4 Pro is pure convection with a three-stage airflow slider and an 11-second heat-up. The V3 Pro's metal chamber blends more as the bowl goes on, heats in about 30 seconds and takes POTV ONE dosing capsules. Both run the same removable 18650.
Is the V4 Pro worth upgrading to from the V3 Pro?
Yes, if flavour is why you vape or you use a water piece. The battery is the same system, so don't upgrade for runtime. If you rely on dosing capsules, the V4 Pro doesn't take them.
Do both have removable batteries?
Yes. Both use a user-replaceable 18650 with USB-C charging and pass-through, and both get 6–8 bowls per charge at normal temperatures. Carry a spare cell and neither will run out on you.
Which is easier for a beginner?
The V3 Pro. Both need longer draws than most vapes, but the V4 Pro punishes short, light pulls with thin, harsh vapour, while the V3 Pro is more forgiving.
Are there fake XMAX vaporisers?
Yes. Counterfeit XMAX devices circulate on online marketplaces. Buy from an authorised UK stockist — HerbVape.co.uk is an authorised XMAX/TopGreen stockist.
About Dennis M.
Dennis M. has been vaping daily for the best part of a decade — since an original Mighty in 2018 — and has tested 50+ devices for this site. He works in IT, has ADHD, and uses cannabis for chronic pain management. He lives in Manchester with his partner Sarah, who has stopped asking why two nearly identical black rectangles live in the same drawer.
A note on spelling: 'vaporizer' is the de facto international spelling, but I've stuck with the British 'vaporiser' throughout this blog.
Questions, corrections, or a device you want tested? dennis@herbvape.co.uk
Related Content
Full Reviews:
- XMAX V4 Pro Review: The Sourdough Starter Kit →
- XMAX V3 Pro Review: The Decathlon of Dry Herb Vaporisers →
Head-to-Head Comparisons:
- XMAX V4 Pro vs TinyMight 2 →
- XMAX V4 Pro vs Arizer Solo 2 MAX →
- PAX 4 vs XMAX V3 Pro →
- Arizer ArGo vs XMAX V3 Pro →
- All Head-to-Head Comparisons →
Best-Of Guides:
New to Vaping?
How I Score:
Get Either at HerbVape.co.uk
XMAX V4 Pro — the wok: hotter, faster, more flavour, needs a bit of technique.
Buy the XMAX V4 Pro →
Worth grabbing with it: X-MAX Starry Bong Adapter — more water-piece options beyond the built-in mouthpiece joint.
XMAX V3 Pro — the rice cooker: press the button, get good results.
Buy the XMAX V3 Pro →
Worth grabbing with it: XMAX V3 Pro Complete Mouthpiece — a spare, because the mouthpiece is the part that wears out.
Just one more bowl.
Last updated: 25 September 2026.
Review Policy: I buy or borrow the devices I review. HerbVape.co.uk is my employer, but my opinions are my own — they pay me to be honest, not to sell you shite. Affiliate links and discount codes exist because running a site costs money, not because they influence scores. This comparison reflects six weeks of daily use with the V4 Pro alongside long-term use of the V3 Pro.
Strains Used: Jack Herer — sativa (Haze × Northern Lights #5 × Shiva Skunk), ~20% THC, terpinolene/caryophyllene/pinene-dominant, pine-citrus-pepper profile with fragile top notes. Wedding Cake — indica-leaning hybrid (Triangle Kush × Animal Mints, via Triangle Mints #23), ~24% THC, caryophyllene/limonene/myrcene-dominant, vanilla-cream-dough dessert profile over peppery earth. Same two strains, same jars, across every vaporiser reviewed on this site — the strain is the control, the device is the variable. Strain effects vary by individual, batch and consumption method.
Counterfeit Warning: XMAX counterfeits are circulating in UK marketplaces. Only buy from authorised retailers. HerbVape.co.uk is an authorised XMAX/TopGreen stockist — your warranty is valid and your device is genuine.
Medical & Legal Disclaimer: Nothing in this comparison constitutes medical advice, and I am not a medical professional. Cannabis is a controlled substance in the UK; medical cannabis is legal only on prescription from a registered specialist clinic — Sapphire, Cantourage and Zerenia are three of the larger ones. HerbVape.co.uk sells vaporiser hardware only: we do not sell, prescribe, or recommend cannabis or cannabis products. Vaporisers are sold for use with legal dry herbs and legally prescribed medical cannabis. You must be 18 or over to buy one, and cannabis law varies by jurisdiction — check yours.