UWELL Caliburn G3 Pro Review: Big Screen, Big Flavor!

Product intro and specs

UWELL seems to be bouncing from one extreme to the other. Not long ago, they released the G3 Lite—a stripped-down, lightweight (plastic) device that lacked any notable features. The new Caliburn G3 Pro, however, is the polar opposite. It’s a classy pod vape with a premium build, equipped with a massive LCD screen and multiple features. Although I’ve got a lot of love for the Lite, the Pro is in another league; it’d look right at home in a tuxedo pocket or designer handbag.

Of course, I’m certainly not claiming that UWELL has achieved perfection with the G3 Pro. Adding a large screen and dynamic user interface may be applaudable, but it also exposes the device to further criticisms (and I have several). 

But despite its drawbacks, there’s a lot to love here. Keep reading to learn what makes the Caliburn G3 Pro so special and where it falls short.

Price: $25.88 (at Eight Vape)
Colors: Midnight black, space gray, stone gray, pacific blue, rose gold, emerald green

Build quality and design

I’ll just say it: the UWELL Caliburn G3 Pro is the nicest pod system I’ve had the pleasure of owning. It feels so high-end that I almost feel guilty tossing it in my pocket, unprotected. Every facet of its construction feels elegant. The edges are contoured and smooth, the finish seems resilient, and the panels are gorgeous.

Not only does the G3 Pro look premium, but it also feels substantial. It certainly has some weight to it (92 grams), likely due to the beefy zinc alloy chassis. I assume this was necessary to accommodate the large LCD screen that encompasses an entire side of the device. And that, of course, is what separates the G3 Pro from the pack. A few years ago, it was exciting to see a pod system with even the most basic screen, but this is next-level stuff. The color screen is vibrant and stunning, wrapping seamlessly around the edges like a modern smartphone.

Although the screen is beautiful, I feel like there were some missteps in the layout. First and foremost, it’s rather busy. It reminds me of resetting an electronic device and seeing every light on the display flash at once. An unnecessary robot animation only adds to the chaos and takes up valuable space (roughly 25% of the screen).

The display is also lacking in a few ways:

• The puff counter is only three digits (four or five are always preferable), and it’s only visible for two seconds after firing the device.
• The battery level is displayed in four bars rather than a percentage.
• There is no stealth function (which would have been handy in certain situations, considering the brightness of the screen).

Granted, these are only minor (and subjective) criticisms that have no impact on performance. It just seems like there were missed opportunities given the amount of real estate on the screen.

Getting started

The Caliburn G3 Pro may not be a “basic” pod system, but the learning curve isn’t steep at all. Just take 15 seconds to learn the following click counts, and you’ll be good to go:

• Five clicks to turn the device on or off.
• Three clicks to adjust the wattage (it round-robins). 
• Wait three seconds or inhale on the mouthpiece to lock in the setting.
• Two clicks to switch between dual activation mode (inhale- and button-activated) and inhale-activation mode (disables button-firing).

To fill, simply unplug the rubber tab on the side of the pod and rotate it out of the way. If it’s a brand-new pod, wait five minutes for the cotton to saturate. After that, pop the pod into the device, and the wattage should automatically adjust, defaulting to a lower setting. Give it a few puffs just to break in the coil, and then you can confidently adjust the wattage to your preference. Note that the chipset has a wattage-limiting feature that prevents you from exceeding the predetermined range:

• 0.9-ohm pod (MTL): 5-15 watts
• 0.4-ohm pod (RDL): 5-35 watts

The Caliburn G3 Pro also remembers the previous wattage settings when you remove or switch pods. This is extremely handy, as it allows you to bounce back and forth between MTL and RDL without making additional adjustments.

The airflow can be adjusted with the switch on the side of the device, which is firm and maintains its position well. The 0.9-ohm pod can be further fine-tuned since it has differently-sized airflow holes on the bottom. Just flip the pod around to get a slightly tighter or looser draw.

Performance

Great performance has always been the celebrated feature of the Caliburn series, and the G3 Pro doesn’t disappoint. The kit includes two pods with Pro-FOCS technology: 0.9 ohm and 0.4 ohm. Let’s look at each one individually:

0.9-ohm GPP pod: There’s a reason these pods have been included in multiple Caliburn G3 versions over the past year: they’re fantastic. I tested two of them with my favorite MTL e-liquids (50/50, 12 mg freebase nicotine) at 14-15 watts, and the flavors were spot on. As for longevity, time will tell, but neither pod has dropped in performance after 20 mL of e-liquid.

0.4-ohm GPP pod: UWELL is unveiling a new 0.4-ohm pod with the Caliburn G3 Pro, and it’s certainly worthy of praise. This pod is intended for RDL vaping, up to 35 watts. While other pods in the G3 family hold 2.5 mL of e-liquid, the 0.4-ohm pods have a 3 mL capacity. The plastic is also crystal clear, making it easier to see the e-liquid level than the smoked options.

Performance-wise, this pod has been an absolute delight. The flavor is top-notch (even after 24 mL of e-liquid), and the wicking has had no trouble keeping up with 70VG e-liquid. I love everything about it. The airflow is restricted, but not excessively. For comparison, it’s slightly looser than the 0.6-ohm G3 pod (sold separately) on the wide-open setting.

Functionality: Although the UI is intuitive, I did run into an anomaly that had my head spinning for a while. I originally thought it was a defective device, but I’ve come to learn that it’s related to the pod. Let’s say I’m vaping at 12 watts, and then remove the pod and increase the power to 15 watts:

• 0.4-ohm pod: the device retains the new 15-watt setting when the pod is reinserted (as one would expect).
• 0.9-ohm pod: the device returns to the original 12-watt setting when the pod is reinserted, disregarding the adjustment I made when it was removed.

Although I can’t be certain, I suspect the new 0.4-ohm pods were primarily used to test and calibrate the chipset. The old 0.9-ohm pods (which have been available for almost a year) may not have been thoroughly tested with this device. Regardless, the G3 Pro always retains my setting when I remove and refill a pod, which is the most important thing. Things only get weird when attempting to change the wattage without a pod installed (specifically, a 0.9-ohm pod).

Battery life and charging

The UWELL Caliburn G3 Pro is equipped with a 1000 mAh battery. While that may be a downgrade from the G3 Lite (1200 mAh), it’s still the second-largest battery in the Caliburn family (tied with the GK3 Tenet and Explorer). Nonetheless, the device weighs twice as much as the G3 Lite, so one would hope for a bit more capacity. I’ve only been getting 4.5-5 mL per charge, which may not get some users through a full day. 

Charging is done via the side-mounted USB-C port. The logo on top of the screen flashes while charging and stops when complete. Given the 2A rating, I assumed the device would charge fast, but it surpassed my expectations. Even if the battery is completely dead, it only takes 36-39 minutes to bring it back up to 100%. I’m content if a pod system charges in under an hour, so that was a pleasant surprise.

Pros / Cons

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