VOOPOO ARGUS G2 Mini Review: No Screen, More Battery!

Product intro and specs

The ARGUS G2 Mini is the latest pod system by VOOPOO. It is meant to be a more affordable version of the recently released ARGUS G2—but, interestingly, not a more compact one. VOOPOO has done an excellent job on its ARGUS line of pod systems, making many good devices with nice features, all using the same coil line.

The G2 Mini comes with an internal battery listed at 1200 mAh (which is 200 mAh more than the G2) and includes the new 0.7-ohm side-fill pod with a 3 mL capacity. It is compatible with the ARGUS line of pods, including the 2 mL versions that are available separately. The G2 Mini is made for MTL up to a restricted DL and it's stripped down compared to the original G2 when it comes to features, keeping only the airflow adjustability.

The ARGUS G2 was an excellent pod system, so keep reading to find out if the Mini holds up to its namesake.

Price: TBA (at Element Vape)
Colors: Aurora blue, midnight black, moonlit grey, spring green, starry silver, sunset orange, violet pink, violet red

Build quality and design

The ARGUS G2 Mini is a standard stick-style pod like the G2. And even though it’s called the Mini, it’s around the same size as the G2. I think the use of Mini here points to it being a stripped-down version that is meant to be more affordable. 

The ARGUS G2 had a color screen and adjustable watts, while the G2 Mini is a basic pod with no features or a screen. It does still have an air slider on it to adjust from a tight MTL to a restricted DL vape, but other than that, it’s a basic inhale-to-fire pod system. The USB-C port is on the bottom of the device. There is one small LED for the battery meter on the front of the bottom and a big LED light on the bottom that can be turned off. It does feel really well built and solid in the hand and can handle everyday drops with no issues.

They offer a total of eight colors: two solid colors in starry silver and midnight black, and six colors that fade from one color to another. The ARGUS logo is etched into the body, so it blends in nicely with the device. The finish is great and shows no sign of wear or chipping. Overall, the design is simple yet functional.

Getting started

The ARGUS G2 Mini is a basic beginner pod system. It’s an inhale-to-fire only vape with no buttons or settings. The bright LED on the bottom can be turned on/off by taking three quick puffs, and the air slider on the back lets you adjust from a tight MTL vape to a restricted DL vape, but that's all there is to settings and adjustments.

The G2 Mini is made for MTL vaping, but it can also be used with the 0.4-ohm coil (not included) to do a restricted DL vape, just like the G2. It’s basically the same device as the G2 but without the screen and wattage adjustments. Overall, it’s as easy as can be to use, perfect for beginners or even intermediate vapers who just want a small device as a backup.

The new pods were first seen on the P2 and G2. They are labeled as “top fill,” but in reality, they are side-fill pods as the rubber plug is on the side. It can be done while the pod is still in the device. The pod itself is magnetic and just pops in and out with little effort. It’s not tight in there, but the magnets hold it in place well with no wiggle. 

The pod is pretty much fully visible (about 90%), so seeing the level is very easy. However, they are tinted, which I'm never a fan of. Thankfully, they are not too dark, but you do need some light to see the juice level. When running low, you don't have to slant it because if you can’t see juice, it’s time for a refill. Overall, though, I'm very happy with the usage of the device.

Performance

The G2 Mini comes with only one pod, which is the 3 mL version of the 0.7-ohm pod. Since it’s cross-compatible, you can use whatever pods you want from this series, which has plenty of options. 

The big draw is their improved “top fill” versions, which do vape batter and last longer than the original bottom-fill ones that were used in older ARGUS models. According to VOOPOO, they are also leak-resistant. I rarely (if ever) have leak issues on any device, so I'm not sure why people do other than leaving them in hot cars (which is a big mistake).

I really like the pod it comes with, and I use it as a loose MTL, so I'm about halfway on the slider. I wish it would have come with two pods, but at least it comes with my favorite pod from the ARGUS line. I’ve used many of them recently and really enjoy the 0.7-ohm pod for loose MTL vaping. I got great flavor and coil life out of this one as well, just like I have in the past, so their coils seem consistent. Overall, I am very happy with the performance of this device.

Battery life and charging

VOOPOO advertises a three-day battery life, but battery life on the G2 Mini, like all devices, will vary based on your vaping habits. You can't calculate battery life in days; for example, I’ll never get three days on any device because I vape too much, but someone who vapes socially may get a week out of it. When it comes to battery testing, I just focus on the battery capacity and how fast it charges.

The internal battery is listed at 1200 mAh, so it is actually a larger battery than the G2. They list the charge rate at 5V/1A (both listed on their site), and the port is USB-C located on the bottom. When I see specs like this, I expect at least 960 mAh and a charge rate of 0.75A or higher (both ratings can be inflated by 20% for various reasons.) So I'll only ding companies for being worse than expectations to be fair to everyone.

I tested all this, and for the max charge rate I got 0.66A, which is a little low for the 1A rating. I would have preferred it to be listed at 0.7-0.8A, but again, companies really like rounding up. For charge time, it’s about 100 minutes. Most pods charge in 30-60 minutes, so it’s quite a bit slower than the category average, but I guess some cutbacks had to be made to make it more affordable. For battery size, I got around 1000 mAh usable. That fits into my expectations, so I have no complaints there. 

It does have passthrough vaping thankfully (like all pods should,) and I'm glad they added it to the recent devices after not having it in a few of their older ones. Overall very happy with the battery specs, but the charging is quite a bit slower than what I expect these days.

Pros / Cons

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