Component comparison: Accord and IQOS
| Accord | IQOS | |
| Product description | '… [Accord is] an electrically heated cigarette smoking system, comprised of a lighter/heater, which supplies power to the system, and a cigarette designed to be used only with the lighter/heater … activation occurs as the smoker takes a puff. The flow of the puff is detected by a sensor, which then activates the blade-heating cycle. The electronic system in the lighter/heater synchronizes puffing and energy to the blades. The result is that the cigarette delivers eight puffs to the smoker on demand, one for each blade.'36 | ’To operate … the user inserts a Tobacco Stick into the holder and turns on the device by means of a switch. This initiates the heating of the tobacco via the heating blade inserted into the tobacco plug. The tobacco neither ignites nor burns. The electronically controlled heating, in combination with the uniquely processed tobacco, prevents combustion from occurring. The holder supplies heat to the Tobacco Stick through the heating blade for a fixed period of approximately six min and allows up to fourteen puffs to be taken during that time.'61 |
| Health claims | ’The Accord product has not been proven to be safer. Substantial reductions in certain harmful compounds have not been proven to lead to a reduction in smoking-related diseases.'41 | '[IQOS] heats tobacco but does not burn it. This significantly reduces the production of harmful and potentially harmful chemicals. Scientific studies have shown that switching completely from cigarettes to [IQOS] can reduce the risks of tobacco-related diseases.'61 |
| Tobacco material | Tobacco, glycerol, water, ammonium magnesium phosphate, pectin, beta-cyclodextrin | Tobacco, glycerol, water, guar gum, cellulose, and propylene glycol |
| Cigarette configuration | 62 mm (overall length) 32 mm (tobacco plug) | 45 mm (overall length) 12 mm (tobacco plug) |
| Tobacco weight (mg/cig) | 407.6 | 314 |
| Tar (mg/cig) | 3.0 | 19.4 |
| Nicotine (mg/cig) | 0.2 | 1.29 |
| Filters | A low-efficiency filter (30 mm), containing a segment of activated carbon-in-paper | A polylactic acid filter (18 mm) and a low-density cellulose acetate mouthpiece filter similar to the filter of a conventional cigarette |
| Tube | Hollow acetate tube | Hollow acetate tube |
| Paper | Outer paper Tipping paper | Outer paper Tipping paper |
| Retail price | US$77 (inflation adjusted to 2018) | US$110 |
| Heater description | ’The heater is equipped with an array of eight blades made from an iron-aluminide alloy, one blade for each of the eight possible puffs per cigarette …. activation occurs as the smoker takes a puff. The flow of the puff is detected by a sensor, which then activates the blade-heating cycle.'18 | ’The Holder heats the tobacco using a ceramic blade, which is pushed into the tobacco plug [upon insertion]. The Holder has a small battery, which stores enough energy for a single experience (ie, complete use of one Tobacco Stick). The power to the heating element is controlled by an embedded electronic system, which ensures that the temperature follows a pre-defined heating profile for each puff regardless of the user’s puffing behaviors. The Holder needs to be recharged prior to each Tobacco Stick use. The Holder is activated by a simple button and its status is conveyed through an interface that includes a colored LED.'61 |
| Peak temperature (°C) | 500 | 310–350 |
| Heating blade thickness (mm) | 8 | 0.36 |
| Puffs per charge | 13 cigarettes (eight puffs each) | 14 puffs per cigarette or 6 minutes of use (whichever comes first), after which the Holder must be recharged in the portable case before a new tobacco stick can be used. Portable case can charge Holder 20 times before needing re-charge. |