IQOS and TEREA Glossary: Every Term Explained

This IQOS glossary explains more than 50 terms you will meet on ILUMA i screens, TEREA packs and Dubai shop pages, from SMARTCORE and FlexPuff to Pearl capsules and country versions. Each definition is one or two sentences, checked against official IQOS pages in November 2026, and the last section lists the Arabic spellings people use.

Definitions checked: November 2026. Device figures come from the IQOS UAE product and support pages.

The terms are grouped by topic, so related words sit together. For what each flavour actually tastes like, use our TEREA flavour guide; this page explains the vocabulary around the flavours and the devices.

IQOS glossary: heated tobacco basics

• Heated tobacco: Tobacco that an electronic device heats instead of lighting it. IQOS is the heated tobacco brand of Philip Morris International.
• Heat-not-burn: Industry shorthand for heated tobacco. The tobacco is warmed to release its flavour and nicotine, and it is not set alight.
• Aerosol: The word IQOS uses for what you inhale from a heated stick.
• Experience: IQOS’s word for one session with one stick. On ILUMA i devices it lasts up to 6 minutes or 14 puffs, whichever comes first, including about 20 seconds of preheating.
• Puff: One draw on the stick. The device counts puffs, which is how it knows when the 14-puff limit is reached.
• Preheating: The warm-up of about 20 seconds at the start of each experience. On ILUMA i it starts automatically when you insert a stick, or when you swipe up on the Touch Screen.
• Filter line: The point on the stick up to which you push it into the holder. The holder vibrates once the stick is in place.
• Uses per charge: How many experiences one full charge gives. IQOS lists 20 for ILUMA i, ILUMA i PRIME and ILUMA i ONE.
• Consecutive uses: How many experiences you can have back to back before the holder needs a top-up. ILUMA i and ILUMA i PRIME allow up to 3; ILUMA i ONE allows up to 20.

IQOS devices and models

• IQOS: The brand name for Philip Morris International’s heated tobacco devices and the products around them.
• IQOS ILUMA: The first IQOS generation to heat sticks by induction instead of with a blade. It uses TEREA.
• IQOS ILUMA i: The current generation, which keeps the induction system and adds features such as Pause Mode and FlexPuff. It is also the name of the standard model, which shops often call ILUMA i Standard.
• ILUMA i ONE: The all-in-one model, with no separate pocket charger. IQOS lists up to 20 back-to-back sessions and about 1 hour 30 minutes for a full charge.
• ILUMA i PRIME: The premium model, with a holder and a pocket charger. It has the same Touch Screen, Pause Mode, FlexPuff and FlexBattery features as ILUMA i. Our ILUMA i One vs Standard vs Prime comparison sets the three side by side.
• Holder: The slim part you insert the stick into and draw from. On ILUMA i and ILUMA i PRIME it rests in the Pocket Charger between uses.
• Pocket Charger: The case that recharges the holder on ILUMA i and ILUMA i PRIME. IQOS gives about 135 minutes for a full charge from the wall.
• All-in-one: A design where the holder and battery are a single unit, as on ILUMA i ONE and BONDS by IQOS.
• Limited edition: A device sold in a special colour or finish for a limited time, such as ILUMA i Galaxy Blue or the Remix editions.
• IQOS 3 DUO and IQOS MULTI: Older IQOS devices that heat sticks with a blade. They take HEETS, not TEREA.
• BONDS by IQOS: A separate all-in-one IQOS device. IQOS says it works only with BLENDS sticks.
• BLENDS: The tobacco sticks made for BONDS by IQOS. They are not interchangeable with TEREA.

Heating technology and device features

• SMARTCORE INDUCTION SYSTEM: IQOS’s name for the way ILUMA devices heat: induction warms a metal element inside the stick, so the tobacco is heated from within.
• Induction: A way of heating metal without touching it, using an electromagnetic field. An induction hob works on the same principle.
• Heating element: The metal piece sealed inside every TEREA stick. It is what the device heats, which is why TEREA needs an ILUMA device.
• Bladeless: ILUMA devices have no heating blade, so nothing pierces the stick.
• Blade: The heated metal plate in older IQOS devices that pushes into the tobacco plug of a HEETS stick. IQOS warns that a TEREA stick may damage it.
• HeatControl: IQOS’s name for the blade heating technology in IQOS 3 DUO and IQOS MULTI.
• AutoStart: On ILUMA i devices, heating starts automatically when you insert the stick, with no button to press.
• Touch Screen: The small screen on the ILUMA i and ILUMA i PRIME holders. It shows the preheating status, the time left in an experience and the experiences left (as dashes).
• Light Guide: The light around the Touch Screen that shows the time left in an experience and when FlexPuff puffs are available. For every colour and blink, see what the ILUMA i lights and vibrations mean.
• Pause Mode: Lets you stop an experience for up to 8 minutes and resume it. It works only in Performance Mode and must be started within the first 3 minutes or 8 puffs of the experience.
• FlexPuff: A setting that may add up to 4 extra puffs, depending on your pace, while staying within 6 minutes. It does not activate if you used Pause Mode.
• FlexBattery: The choice between two battery settings for the holder: Eco Mode and Performance Mode.
• Eco Mode: The battery setting that, according to IQOS, can extend the holder’s battery lifespan by up to one year if used throughout; IQOS adds that results may vary.
• Performance Mode: The battery setting you need for Pause Mode and for up to 3 experiences back to back.
• Vibration: The holder’s way of signalling. It vibrates when a stick is inserted, and the device is ready after the second vibration.
• IQOS app: Where you choose the holder’s battery mode, Eco or Performance, and manage other device settings.

TEREA sticks, packs and flavour words

• TEREA: The tobacco sticks made for IQOS ILUMA devices, each with a metal heating element sealed inside. IQOS states they are not compatible with IQOS 3 DUO or any earlier blade device.
• SMARTCORE STICK: IQOS’s technical name for sticks with a built-in heating element. TEREA is one, and ILUMA devices are designed to be used only with them.
• HEETS: The older tobacco sticks for blade devices. They have no metal element, so they do not work in ILUMA; our TEREA vs HEETS guide covers the differences.
• Pack: A single packet of 20 TEREA sticks.
• Box or carton: 10 packs, so 200 sticks. This is how TEREA is usually sold in the UAE, including in our shop.
• Pearl: A TEREA with a flavour capsule in the filter, such as Sun Pearl, Oasis Pearl or Twilight Pearl. The taste changes once you click the capsule.
• Click: Squeezing the filter of a Pearl stick until the capsule breaks. The flavour you get before and after the click is described separately on official pages.
• Menthol: Sticks with a cooling taste. Many TEREA names show it, such as Black Menthol, while others, like Turquoise in most markets, carry menthol without saying so in the name.
• Regular: In Japan, the word for non-menthol tobacco flavours, as in Regular, Rich Regular and Smooth Regular.
• Black: The Japanese TEREA line with the strongest menthol, rated 5 out of 5 for menthol feel on the Japanese scale, for example Black Menthol and Black Purple Menthol.
• Wave: A name ending used for several menthol blends outside Japan, such as Purple Wave, Blue Wave, Bright Wave, Summer Wave and Zing Wave.
• Dimensions: An Indonesia-only TEREA range that includes Yugen and Apricity.
• Golden Edition: An Indonesia-only TEREA with a clove aroma and no menthol, launched in November 2023.
• Intensity: The number many international IQOS pages give a flavour’s strength, for example Silver 4, Amber 6 and Bronze 8. A higher number means a fuller taste; our TEREA strength guide ranks them.
• Japanese taste scale: The official Japanese IQOS site rates each TEREA from 1 to 5 on four bars: taste strength, body, aroma and menthol feel.
• Country version: TEREA made for one market, such as Japan, Indonesia, Italy or Switzerland. The same flavour name can differ in blend from one market to another, as our TEREA country versions guide explains.
• Market name: The same blend can carry different names in different countries. Some flavours we sell under one name appear under another name elsewhere, but we found no IQOS page that confirms which names share a blend.

TEREA in Arabic: the spellings people use

Official IQOS Arabic pages keep IQOS, TEREA and ILUMA in Latin letters. Shoppers and Gulf shops, though, usually write them in Arabic script, and these are the spellings you will see:

Searches by country follow the same pattern, such as تيريا ياباني (Japanese TEREA) or تيريا اندونيسي (Indonesian TEREA). Every page on our site also has an Arabic version.

Where these terms meet our shop

Most of the device words above describe the models in our IQOS ILUMA i collection, from ILUMA i ONE to the limited editions. The stick and flavour words describe our TEREA range, sold by the box of 10 packs in seven country versions.

We deliver within 1-2 hours in Dubai, with cash or card on delivery and free delivery on orders over AED 400. If a product page uses a word you do not know, this IQOS glossary is the place to check it.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between TEREA and SMARTCORE?

TEREA is the brand of sticks. SMARTCORE is the technology: SMARTCORE STICK is the technical name for any stick with a heating element inside, and the SMARTCORE INDUCTION SYSTEM is how ILUMA devices heat them.

How do you write TEREA in Arabic?

The usual Arabic spelling is تيريا, and some people write تيرا. IQOS’s own Arabic pages keep the name in Latin letters as TEREA.

What is the difference between Pause Mode and FlexPuff?

Pause Mode stops an experience for up to 8 minutes; FlexPuff may add up to 4 puffs within the 6-minute limit. You get one or the other: FlexPuff does not activate after a pause.

Can I use HEETS in an ILUMA i?

No. HEETS have no metal heating element, so ILUMA’s induction system cannot heat them. They were made for blade devices such as IQOS 3 DUO.

For adults 18+ only. Tobacco and nicotine products are addictive and not risk free.