Uwell Caliburn A3 Review: Worth Upgrading For?

Uwell’s latest Caliburn A series device is here — the Caliburn A3. Unlike the big changes from the original Caliburn to the Caliburn A2, the Caliburn A3 is more similar to its predecessor than it is different.

Uwell’s Caliburn series are some of the most popular pod vapes ever. They’re often thought of as the gold standard for what a pod device should be like and as such, vapers have high expectations of how a Caliburn device should perform.

The Caliburn A3 isn’t much different from the A2. It’s nearly an identical device, but the A3 has been fitted with fast charging and a button lock feature to prevent it from firing in your pocket. Aside from these two main differences (and a small cosmetic change to the pod), the Caliburn A2 and Caliburn A3 are identical.

The A3 is still the same size, uses 2ml capacity pods, and has a 520mAh battery that recharges with Type-C charging. You get two 1.0Ω pods in the box.

If you’re looking for a new device, should you buy the A3? What if you already own the A2, is the Caliburn A3 worth upgrading for?

Box Contents

• 1 x Caliburn A3 device
• 2 x Meshed 1.0Ω Caliburn A3 Refillable Pods
• 1 x User Manual

Specifications

• Size: 109.8mm x 21.3mm x 11.7mm
• Pod Capacity: 2ml
• Uses Caliburn A3 pods
• Button/Draw activated
• MTL draw
• Battery Capacity: 520mAh
• Max Wattage: 13W
• Charging: Type-C Fast Charging

Design & Build Quality

If you were hoping for a fresh and new design for the Caliburn A3 then you’re going to be disappointed. The A3 looks nearly identical to the A2, save for a few small changes that you probably wouldn’t notice unless you placed them side by side. Still, like the A2, the Caliburn A3 is a nice device that is available in six colors: red, silver, gray, green, blue, and black.

The A3 is 109.8mm tall, 21.3mm wide, and 11.7mm thick. It’s the same size as the A2 and just as portable. It’s made of aluminum alloy, so it’s light at 31g and barely noticeable when I have it in my pocket. 

The body is finished in a satin metallic paint that stays clean and doesn’t pick up fingerprints. I’m using the red color for this review and I like the color a lot. It doesn’t stand out too much but it’s still nice and attractive. If you’re after something more subtle you can always go with the gray, silver, or black. But for a little pop of color, the green, red or blue are the colors to get.

The main design change from the Caliburn A2 is found at the pod connection. The Caliburn A2 had a pod with a flat base, but the pod for the A3 has a rounded base that connects to the rounded cutout on the top of the device. It’s a change that you wouldn’t notice unless you knew what to look for.

Another change is at the base of the A3. Instead of a thin slot LED indicator there’s a semi circular plastic portion that glows to indicate your battery life. It has a wave-like pattern, with multiple ridges making up the semi-circle.

As for the rest of the A3, it’s identical to the A2. There’s a nice, large ejuice viewing window that allows you to check on your pod without removing it. The pod is slightly frosted but otherwise clear, so it’s easy to see into the pod. 

The fire button also remains the same. It’s circular and located in a prime position for thumb firing. If button firing isn’t to your liking, the A3 is also draw activated so you can use it however you like best. No matter which way you vape, the A3 will output at a maximum of 13W.

Pods

The Caliburn A3 uses new, 1.0Ω Caliburn A3 pods and you get two of these in the box. These pods are a bit thinner than the pods for the A2 and due to the rounding at the base, they are not compatible with other Caliburn devices. The A3 is also not compatible with any of the pods from previous Caliburn devices.

The pods for the A3 use Uwell’s upgraded “Pro-FOCS” flavor technology which is supposed to provide better flavor and a leak-free experience.

The pod attaches to the battery magnetically. The connection isn’t as strong as some other devices that I’ve used but this hasn’t caused any issue for me. I haven’t had the pod fall out of the device or even come loose, but I would feel more confident if the connection was stronger. With the pod inserted there is absolutely zero wiggle or movement of the pod.

The mouthpiece is a cap which conceals the filling port, so you have to remove it in order to fill. I always found these Caliburn caps to be difficult to remove and the A3 is no different. The easiest way to remove the mouthpiece is by getting your nail under the rounded portion and pulling it up. Still not the easiest thing to do but it’s a little easier than the A2.

Once the cap is removed you get access to the fill port. It has a red membrane that seals itself when you remove your ejuice bottle nozzle so it’s easy and hassle-free to fill. Insert your bottle, fill, and replace the top cap. 

How to Use the Caliburn A3

The Caliburn A3 is simple to use, even for someone who is completely new to vaping. This is for a number of reasons. Firstly, the coils are built into the pods so there’s no need to change the coils. Once the pod starts tasting off, you simply replace it with a new one. Second, there are no settings to adjust and no airflow control. You fill up the pod, wait 5 minutes, and you can start vaping. 

The A3 features both button and draw activated firing so how you vape on it is up to you. You can simply inhale on the mouthpiece to vape, or press the button and vape. The A3 features a button lock that will disable the firing button for those times when you want to put it in your pocket. Pressing the fire button twice will lock or unlock the fire button. After pressing the fire button twice, the LED will glow green to indicate that the button is unlocked or red to indicate that the button is locked.

The A3 can be turned on or off by pressing the button five times quickly. Next, remove the mouthpiece and find your ejuice of choice. The A3 is compatible with both freebase and nicotine salt ejuices and with all nicotine strengths.

Insert your bottle nozzle into the red fill port and fill the pod. Leave a little bit of room at the top of the pod for the best experience. Replace the mouthpiece cap and wait five minutes for the coil and wick to saturate. Once you’ve waited, you can insert the pod and either press the button or inhale on the mouthpiece to vape.

Battery & Charging

Just like the Caliburn A2, the Caliburn A3 has a 520mAh battery. However, the A3 fires at up to 13W which is slightly lower than the 15W maximum output of the A2. I vaped just over a pod and a half per charge and this is right about what I would expect for a device with these specs. For me, this was a day or two of vaping, but you could reasonably get a few days of vaping out of a single charge if you don’t vape as heavily as I do. 

The primary selling point of the A3 over the A2 is the charging speed. Uwell claims that it can fully charge from dead in just 15 minutes but I didn’t find this to be the case. I timed a full charge at just over 30 minutes; still much faster than the A2, but double the stated charge time. Compared to other pod vapes, 30 minutes is a very quick charge time and definitely an attractive reason to get the A3.

The LED indicator near the bottom of the A3 lights up in three colors to signal your battery life: green, blue, and red. The battery life and colors are as follows:

• Green: 60%+
• Blue: 30-60%
• Red: Less than 30%

The Type-C charging port is located on the bottom of the A3, so you have to lay it down to charge. While charging, the LED will pulse and glow red, then blue, then green. Once fully charged the LED will be solid green and you can remove the A3 from the charger.

Performance

The Caliburn A3 uses what Uwell says are upgraded pods, but I honestly can’t tell much of a difference from the A2. The A3 performs identically to its predecessor, with the same great flavor, draw, and throat hit. I expected improved levels of performance from this latest generation Caliburn A device, but that’s not the case.

Before you click off this review thinking to yourself that the A3 isn’t worth grabbing, let me stop you there. While the performance isn’t better than the A2, the A2 was already a very good device. The A3 delivers flavor that is better than most other pod vapes out there and the draw is one that I really like. It’s a medium mouth to lung draw; not too tight and not a loose MTL draw but somewhere in between. 

The A3 also does very well with all sorts of ejuices. Freebase and nicotine salt ejuices of varying nicotine strengths all vape well in the A3. You can use lower strength freebase ejuices (0-9mg) or medium to high strength nic salt ejuices (30-50mg) all the same. 

Lower strength nicotine salt ejuices and higher strength freebase ejuices are also usable, but you’ll get a weaker throat hit from the former and a throat hit that may be too harsh from the latter. The ranges that I mentioned are where you’ll get the best vaping experience from the A3, at least in my opinion.

My time with the A3 has been smooth sailing all around. I’ve had small droplets of ejuice under the pod, but nothing major and more comparable to condensation than anything else. I’ve also been using a single pod for my entire time with the A3 and I’ve refilled it at least ten times (20ml+). It’s still doing quite well, although I will likely be swapping it out soon to get the flavor “fresh” again as I can tell that it’s starting to lose some flavor.

Verdict

The Caliburn A3 is yet another great pod vape but it’s not much different from the A2. It delivers the same excellent flavor, great throat hit, and long coil life as its predecessor and overall the design and performance are nearly identical. 

So is it worth getting the A3? I say yes. If you currently own the A2 it might not be as worth it, but the charging time is much faster so you’ll have less downtime during the day. For someone who doesn’t own the A2 then the A3 is an obvious choice. It’s easy to use and you’ll be getting one of the best pod vapes on the market.

But like any device, the A3 isn’t without its faults. The pod cap is difficult to remove and the battery life of a single charge could be better. And of course, while it’s very easy to use, it’s also not customizable to your liking due to the lack of adjustable wattage or adjustable airflow.

As a whole, I think that the A3 is a great pod vape that you won’t regret purchasing. It’s also around $20 USD, so the value for your money is there.

Have you used the Caliburn A3? What do you think about it? Leave me a comment down below!

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