By Timothy S. Donahue
Key points:
- TPD-Compliant Big-Puff Devices Surge – A wave of 2+10ml modular pod systems dominated the expo, showcasing industry adaptation to Europe’s strict regulations.
- Smart Pods & Connected Devices – From Bluetooth-enabled touchscreens to vape-smartphones with ChatGPT, brands like NJY Innovation and Elfbar pushed digital integration.
- E-liquid Customization on the Rise – Devices now allow users to tweak everything from nicotine strength to cooling, sourness, and even aroma.
Vaper Expo UK 2025, held May 9–11 at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre (NEC), offered plenty of insight into what direction Europe’s nicotine industry is going. Many exhibitors showcased their growing emphasis on TPD compliance, product customization, and digital integration, according to an overview from Wingle Group Electronics.
This year, Vape Expo offered companies an outlet to outline how the industry is adapting to a tightening regulatory and competitive landscape. The expo’s dominant trend was the emergence of high-puff, modular devices specifically engineered to comply with the European Tobacco Products Directive (TPD). Booth after booth offered new generations of pod systems with refillable configurations that cleverly circumvent the 2ml capacity restriction.
Devices featuring “2+10ml” or even “2+2+10+10ml” formats were everywhere, promising the experience of a disposable with the regulatory legitimacy of a refillable system. These devices use built-in 2ml reservoirs paired with multiple 10ml refill bottles—often attached to or stored within the housing. As the report noted, “These large-puff devices are increasingly being marketed as TPD compliant with multi-fill bottles rather than relying on traditional disposable designs.”
First Union’s “Monster Rhythm 30000” featured dual refill tanks and a high level of user customization. HQD’s Apex model, equipped with a 1.47-inch HD touchscreen and variable wattage controls, demonstrated how hardware sophistication is reaching smartphone-like levels.
Many products at the show allow users to fine-tune everything from cooling intensity and nicotine strength to sweetness, sourness, and even the aroma of the vapor itself. That level of personalization was once rare, but in this new generation of vaping, it is nearly standard.
Several manufacturers including Maskking, Pando, and Coolplay brought in devices offering dual-chamber flavor systems, enabling users to switch between flavors or blend them mid-session. Freeton’s Free Mix and Hiflow’s adjustable chip systems were also creative new developments that enable on-the-fly customization of vapor quality and intensity.
Some of the most eye-catching innovations were tech integrated. NJY Innovation was a standout with its new pod-powered smartphone that includes a full Android-like interface, camera, touchscreen, and even ChatGPT integration. Priced at around $80 wholesale, it could serve as both a nicotine delivery system and a basic smartphone.
“The lines between a vape, a smartphone, and a smart home device are beginning to blur,” a representative from NJY Innovation said. “This [is] the first fully functional phone with built-in pod compatibility seen on the market.”
Meanwhile, Elfbar’s Elfx Ultra, Memers’ Dr. Air X, and Pava Vape’s Horiz Ultra all featured Bluetooth connectivity, app integration, and ID verification tools, hinting at a future in which vapes interact directly with mobile ecosystems. “User-controlled personalization features such as adjustable sweet/sour, cooling, and vapor volume are becoming a default setting rather than a luxury feature,” the report states.
Disposable devices have not disappeared from the European market, but they are evolving to maintain relevance. The market is increasingly dominated by large-puff systems labeled as “TPD compliant,” with offerings like the Feoba Solo, Innobar’s 12000-puff X-Pod, and iMiracle’s Mr. Fog Switch 5500 series.
Many of these devices feature e-liquid level indicators, puff counters and smart airflow systems that respond to user intensity. The line between pod and disposable is blurring fast, as brands focus on hybrid systems that combine the convenience of single-use with the refillability and compliance of pod mods.
E-liquid innovation was more subdued but still present. A handful of brands, including Kush and Bobo Vape, launched new flavors such as “sunset sorbet” or “London fog tea.” However, it was clear, according to Maryna Gudym with the Wingle Group, that “the spotlight has shifted to hardware and user experience rather than liquid formulation.
Nicotine pouches and alternative smokeless formats are the fastest-growing segments of the nicotine industry. Brands like Tick Tock, Mynt, and Geek Bar expanded their offerings to include higher-nicotine formats and hybrid pouches incorporating caffeine or energy boosters.
On the CBD side, Cannapresso introduced new gummy lines and hemp-based pouches targeting crossover consumers interested in both nicotine and cannabis alternatives. The report also noted that “CBD was significantly present at the show in the form of gummies, pouches, and vapes, albeit with a generally lower profile than in past years.”
The big takeaway from Vaper Expo UK 2025 was that the maturing European vaping market is as focused on compliance and sustainability as it is on satisfying consumers’ evolving preferences. The products were smarter, the designs sleeker, and the user experience is becoming more refined. As the industry waits for potential regulatory shifts from Brussels or Westminster, the message from Birmingham was clear: innovation isn’t slowing down—it’s just adapting.
