UWELL Caliburn G5 & G5 KOKO Review: Worth the Upgrade?

Design & Build Quality

The design of the Caliburn G5 hasn’t strayed very far from the previous generation, and for the most part, it looks identical to the Caliburn G4. It’s a little bit bigger in all dimensions, coming in at 120.1mm tall, 28.9mm wide, and 17mm thick, but it’s only a few millimeters larger overall. Otherwise, it’s hard to tell the new from the old.

There are, however,  a few small tell-tale signs that the G5 is a different device. For one, the screen is a bit rounder, with a thin metal bezel surrounding it. This is a relatively small display with tiny font. Thankfully, I’m still young enough to read it without a problem, but it’s definitely small text. The front design also extends to cover more of the top and bottom of the device, while the previous G4 model doesn’t.

The G5’s 65g weight isn’t bad, especially since it’s made of aluminum alloy, not plastic. It feels really great in the hand, premium even, and the iridescent, resin-like panel looks really great. I’m personally using the blue color, but it comes in a whole bunch of different designs, all of which look equally great.

The G5 KOKO is a radically different device, despite the similar name. The square shape isn’t my personal choice for a pod vape, but I know some vapers prefer it. If this is you, then the G5 KOKO will be right up your alley.

It’s more compact than the G5, measuring 85mm tall, 49.1mm wide, and 21.8mm thick. This makes it easier to conceal in your palm, which is great for a few covert puffs on your lunch break.

The bezel of the G5 KOKO is aluminum alloy, the front screen side is plastic, and the back features a leather panel. It’s a nice device, but despite the leather, it feels way less premium and definitely ‘cheaper’ than the G5.

A lot of this comes down to the plastic front panel and display. For one, it scratches extremely quickly, and my review unit was looking beat up after just a day in and out of my pockets. Secondly, the display is very flashy and gaudy. It’s a scintillating display of stars and galaxies, and honestly, it’s just not to my taste. Thankfully, it can be turned off completely by pressing the button four times, leaving only the simple wattage/battery life readout.

Both the G5 and G5 KOKO have an adjustable airflow slider, as well as a 2A Type-C charging port. They also both feature an e-juice viewing window on the backside of the device. But because there’s no window on the opposite side to let light through, it’s difficult to use the viewing window, and I found it easier to just remove the pod to check the contents.

Features

As I mentioned in the introduction of this review, the Caliburn G5 is the more advanced and customizable device of the two. While the G5 KOKO still shares the same core features, the G5 can do a few things that the KOKO can’t.

I’ll start with the shared features. Both devices feature adjustable wattage up to 35W. Changing the wattage is as easy as pressing the button three times, then clicking or holding it to scroll up through the wattage range.

Both devices also feature two different output modes: Storm and Waves. The description on Uwell’s website says that Waves is for flavor, while Storm is for intensity.

From what I can gather, these modes basically boil down to this: Storm mode is a boost mode, while Waves mode is a normal mode. There’s a slight difference between the two, with Storm mode delivering a heavier and stronger vape, but I preferred Waves mode between the two.

Something I think is really cool on the G5 is that it has nine themes, each matching a different colorway for the device. For example, there’s a blue theme to match the design on the blue G5, which kind of makes the display blend into the device. It’s super cool, and something that I haven’t seen done before, at least not this well.

The G5 also features a unique tap sensor. You can tap three times on the device to perform an action of your choice: switch themes, change modes, adjust the brightness setting,or bring up the main menu. You can also disable this completely.

The G5 KOKO doesn’t have themes or a tap sensor, so it’s decidedly the simpler device of the two.

Caliburn G5 Button Combinations

• Power ON or OFF: Press the side button five times.
• Change wattage: Press the side button three times.
• Access the menu (change modes, themes, screen brightness): Press the side button four times.

Caliburn G5 KOKO Button Combinations

• Power ON or OFF: Press the side button five times.
• Switch between Storm/Waves modes: Press the side button two times.
• Change wattage: Press the side button three times.
• Toggle starry display ON or OFF: Press the side button four times.

Pods

The pods that come included with the G5 and G5 KOKO will depend on where you live. For those in the USA, you’ll get top-filled 3ml capacity pods. Those in Canada and TPD countries will get top-filled 2ml pods, while those in other locations internationally will get side-filled 3ml pods.

These GPP pods are compatible with previous-generation devices like the Caliburn G3 and G4, which also means the G5 and G5 KOKO are compatible with pods from those devices as well.

You get a total of three pods with the G5, which is something that you don’t see very often. I’m in Canada, so I got a 0.4Ω pod, a 0.6Ω pod, and a 0.6Ω Alpha pod. Those in the US will get a 0.9Ω pod instead of the 0.4Ω one. The G5 KOKO, unfortunately, only comes with one pod, which is a 0.6Ω GPP pod.

The Alpha pod is a new release with the G5, and it’s a bit different than the standard GPP pods. Uwell says it has a longer pod lifespan, better flavor, and can last for 50ml+ of e-liquid. It also has a soft-touch TPU mouthpiece, which I have to say, feels really great.

My top-filled pods have a snap-off mouthpiece that reveals the fill port below. The fill port is plunger-style, so you have to push down with your nozzle while you fill to open it. Once you’re done filling, removing the nozzle closes the fill port to prevent any leaking.

The 2ml pods that came with my device are completely transparent, making it easy to check the e-juice level. However, the capacity can be misleading. The bottom part of the pod features a clear section that is raised a few millimeters, which creates the illusion that there is still e-juice remaining.

In reality, this clear section marks the true bottom of the pod. I’ve experienced a few instances where I checked the pod and thought I still had e-juice, only to take a dry-tasting puff. Don’t make the same mistake I did!

One last important thing to mention about the pods is that they can be flipped around to change the airflow. Depending on how you insert the pod, you’ll get more or less airflow, which is just another way that you can dial in your draw.

Battery & Charging

Both the G5 and G5 KOKO have a 1600mAh capacity battery, which is a decent capacity for a small pod vape. It’s a good improvement over the Caliburn G4’s 1300mAh capacity, and a welcome upgrade.

Uwell’s website says the 1600mAh battery will last up to 6 days of typical use, but I don’t think that will be the case for most vapers. If you vape a lot like me, you’ll be lucky to get more than three days out of a charge.

Both devices feature a percentage battery life indicator on the display, so it’s easy to tell where your battery is at.

Something I found strange is that, even though both devices have a 1600mAh battery and are listed as having 2A charging, the G5 charges significantly quicker than the G5 KOKO. It only takes 45 minutes to charge the G5 from dead, while the G5 KOKO takes 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Performance

As I mentioned in the ‘Pods’ section of this review, I got three different pods with the G5: a 0.4Ω pod, a 0.6Ω pod, and a 0.6Ω Alpha pod. Unfortunately, I don’t have a 0.9Ω pod on hand to test, but I reviewed this pod a few months ago in my G5 Lite and G5 Lite KOKO review, so check out that review if you want to know how it performs.

Each pod is meant for a different style of vaping, so depending on how you like your airflow and what type of e-juices you like to use, you’ll want to pick the right one. A basic, loose breakdown of how to use each pod is:

• 0.4Ω pod: Airy, direct lung draw. Best used with freebase nicotine e-juices. Not for use with nicotine salt e-juices.
• 0.6Ω Alpha Pod: Airy, direct lung draw. Can be made restricted direct lung by closing the airflow down. Not for use with nicotine salt e-juices. Best used with freebase e-juices.
• 0.6Ω pod: Can be used for restricted direct lung (RDL) and also mouth-to-lung (MTL) vaping. Best used with lower-strength (~20mg/ml) nicotine salt e-juices, or freebase e-juices.

The Alpha pod delivers a noticeably stronger, punchier vape than the regular 0.6Ω GPP pod. It’s as strong a draw as the 0.4Ω pod, and the flavor is really, really good. It’s a shame that this is the only resistance that it’s currently offered in, because I would love a 0.9Ω Alpha pod for MTL vaping.

I would imagine that the G5 and G5 KOKO will perform similarly to their Lite counterparts with the 0.9Ω pod, and thankfully, vapers in the USA will get one included in the box. This will be the pod to use for MTL, although you can also use the 0.6Ω regular GPP pod with lower-strength nic salts.

All of the pods that I tested deliver ample flavor and vape quite well overall. The 0.6Ω regular GPP pod started to lose flavor after three weeks of use, but the other two pods are still going strong. 

Verdict

The Caliburn G5 and G5 KOKO are good vapes, but like the G5 Lite and G5 Lite KOKO, they’re more of the same as the last generation of devices, just with a slightly new look.

There’s nothing groundbreaking that the G5 or G5 KOKO bring to the table that you can’t get from the G5 Lite, G5 Lite KOKO, or even the Caliburn G4. Since all of these devices are compatible with Uwell’s GPP pods, and the only real new addition is the GPP Alpha pod, those of you who already own any of these devices are in luck; just purchase a pack of Alpha pods, and you’re getting 99% of the experience of the G5.

But what if you don’t have a G5 Lite, G5 Lite KOKO, or Caliburn G4? Then what? In this case, you can definitely consider a G5 or G5 KOKO, depending on which form factor you like best.

I would personally recommend the G5, just because it charges faster and has a bit more customizability. Plus, the plastic display cover on the KOKO and its flashy animation really aren’t great. They seem to be priced accordingly too, with the G5 selling for around $30 USD, while the KOKO is going for half the price at around $15 USD.

With all the comparisons to previous generations aside, the G5 and G5 KOKO are solid vapes. The battery lasts a long time, the overall experience is smooth and straightforward, and they vape great. Uwell’s products are almost always worth picking up, and the G5 is (even if only barely) one of their best yet.