Voopoo Argus Z3 review: which Voopoo kit should you buy?

• The Argus Z3 is the simple one. No buttons to learn: fill the 2ml pod, inhale, and Smart Mode sets the power. It runs 5W to 20W from a 1100mAh battery.
• The Argus G4 and G4 Mini add stamina. Both have a 1650mAh battery and go up to 35W.
• The new Argus 40W kit is a bridge. It ships with two PnP pods and two coils, so you can start mouth-to-lung and try a looser draw later.
• The Drag S3, Drag X3 and Drag 6 are for bigger clouds. They run PnP X sub-ohm coils.
• Pods and coils don’t swap between systems. Argus Multi-Ohm pods fit the Z3, G4 and G4 Mini; the Argus 40W uses PnP pods and coils; the Drag kits use PnP X.

The Argus Z3 in short

The Voopoo Argus Z3 is a compact, light pod kit built around one idea: you shouldn’t need to read a manual to use it. There is no fire button. You fill the pod through the side port, push it in and draw, and the device does the rest. Smart Mode reads the pod you’ve fitted and picks a suitable wattage on its own, inside a 5W to 20W range.

In the box you get the device, one Argus Multi-Ohm pod, a USB-C cable and the manual. The pod is the clever part. Voopoo says you rotate it 180 degrees to switch between a 0.7Ω and a 1.0Ω coil, so one pod gives you two slightly different mouth-to-lung draws. The 1.0Ω side is the tighter, cooler pull; the 0.7Ω side is a little warmer and fuller. An airflow slider lets you tighten or loosen the draw on top of that, and LED lights show how much battery is left.

The battery is a built-in 1100mAh cell, and Voopoo quotes a full recharge in about 70 minutes. Voopoo says it lasts most users through the day; a heavier user may need to top it up. Voopoo also says the Z3 works with the whole Argus pod family, which Voopoo makes in resistances from 0.4Ω to 1.0Ω, and that it supports restricted direct-to-lung (RDTL) as well as mouth-to-lung (MTL). In practice the Z3 is at its best as an MTL kit: a tight, cigarette-style draw with 50/50 liquid.

Who is it for? Someone who wants a pocket kit with no settings to manage, or a first refillable kit after a prefilled one. If you’re not sure whether you want a tight or loose draw, our guide to MTL vs DTL vaping explains the difference in a few minutes.

Argus Z3 vs Argus G4 vs Argus G4 Mini

The Z3 joins two Argus kits we already stock. The difference is battery, power and how much control you want.

The Argus G4 Mini is the closest step up from the Z3. It keeps the same button-free, inhale-to-vape design and LED battery lights, but the battery is bigger and Voopoo quotes a full charge in around 55 minutes. If you like the Z3’s simplicity but vape a lot, the G4 Mini is the one to look at.

The Argus G4 is for people who like to tinker a little. You get the same 1650mAh battery and 5W to 35W range, but also a small screen and a side button to set the wattage yourself rather than leaving it to Smart Mode. It comes with two Multi-Ohm pods in the box, so you have a spare from day one.

All three side-fill, so you can refill without pulling the pod out, and all three are listed with a 2ml pod. The supplied 0.7Ω / 1.0Ω Multi-Ohm pod takes 50/50 liquid, such as a 50/50 nic salt or a 10ml freebase bottle. If you fit an Argus pod below about 0.6Ω, switch to a high-VG liquid.

The new Argus 40W kit: two pods, two styles

The other October arrival is the Voopoo Argus 40W pod kit. Despite the name, it doesn’t use the Argus Multi-Ohm pods. It runs Voopoo’s PnP coils in replaceable-coil pods, which makes it a different animal from the Z3 and G4.

The box holds two pods: an XL PnP pod for a looser half direct-to-lung draw, and a 2ml PnP MTL pod made for a mouth-to-lung draw. You also get two coils: a 0.3Ω PnP-VM1 and a 1.0Ω PnP-R2. The 1.0Ω coil in the MTL pod gives you a familiar mouth-to-lung vape on 50/50 liquid. The 0.3Ω coil in the XL pod is a sub-ohm set-up.

Power comes from a built-in 1500mAh battery with up to 40W of output, run by Voopoo’s GENE.AI chipset with a Smart Mode. The airflow adjusts smoothly rather than in fixed steps, and there’s a carry hook. Spare coils are sold separately.

This kit suits someone who wants to start on a tight draw but keep the option of trying a bigger, airier vape without buying a second device. Just remember to change the liquid when you change the pod and coil: thin 50/50 in a 0.3Ω coil tends to leak and spit, and thick high-VG in a 1.0Ω MTL coil wicks too slowly.

Moving up to the Drag range

The Drag kits are where Voopoo goes after vapour. They use the PnP X coil platform, which runs from very low resistances for direct-to-lung clouds to higher ones for a restricted draw. They’re a natural next step once you know you prefer a looser lung hit.

Voopoo Drag S3. The Drag S3 is a pod mod with a built-in 3000mAh battery, a 5W to 60W range and a 0.96-inch colour screen. It has Smart, Eco and RBA modes: Smart sets the power for the coil, Eco eases output when the battery runs low, and RBA hands you full manual control. It comes with a 2ml PnP X pod and two coils, 0.15Ω and 0.3Ω, and Voopoo optimises it for 70% VG liquid. There’s also a fingerprint lock.

Voopoo Drag X3. The Drag X3 pushes to 80W but has no built-in battery. It takes one 18650 or 21700 cell, sold separately from our rechargeable batteries range. In the box: a 2ml PnP X DTL pod, a 0.15Ω and a 0.3Ω mesh coil. Voopoo suggests 60W to 80W for the 0.15Ω coil and 32W to 40W for the 0.3Ω, both with 70% VG liquid. The replaceable cell is the attraction: carry a charged spare and swap it in. Read our guide to looking after your vape’s battery before you buy loose cells, and carry spares in a case, never loose in a pocket.

Voopoo Drag 6. The Drag 6 is a full box mod kit rather than a pod. Dual 2200mAh batteries (4400mAh in total) drive 5W to 220W, controlled by a wheel under the tank. It ships with the UForce-X 2 tank, two PnP X coils (0.15Ω and 0.3Ω) and spare glass. Voopoo lists it as best suited to liquids below 6mg. It’s the pick if you want maximum control and don’t mind the size. You’ll find it in our advanced kits.

Which pods and coils fit which kit?

Check this before you reorder: these kits use three separate pod and coil systems.

On the Argus pod kits there’s no coil to change: when the flavour fades, you swap the pod. The Argus Multi-Ohm pods come in a 3-pack. Other Argus pods are listed with our refillable pods if you’re after a different resistance.

On the Drag kits you keep the pod or tank and change the coil. The Voopoo PnP X coils come in a 5-pack. Most pod and tank coils are changed every one to three weeks, depending on how much you vape and how sweet your liquid is. Not sure when it’s time? Muted flavour and a dry, harsh edge are the usual signs.

Liquid and nicotine strength for each kit

The coil decides the liquid. As a rule, 50/50 suits coils of 0.6Ω and above, typically 0.6 to 1.2Ω, and high-VG (70/30 and above) suits coils below about 0.6Ω. Strength follows the draw: tight MTL kits can take the full range up to the UK limit of 20mg/ml, while big sub-ohm kits should stay low.

For the full strength table by smoking habit, see how much nicotine should I vape. For the Drag kits, our shortfills are sold at 0mg, which you can vape as they are or make up to a low strength with a nicotine shot. A typical pod-kit vaper gets through about 10ml to 15ml a week and sub-ohm kits on low-resistance coils get through noticeably more.

Charging and first use

Every kit here charges over USB-C. Use the USB-C cable supplied with the kit, plugged into a standard low-output USB plug or a computer port. Some of these devices are listed with faster charging inputs, but a fast-charge brick can push more current than a small kit is designed for, so the safe habit is a low-output plug. Don’t leave any kit charging unattended overnight. The kits ship with a cable, not a plug.

With a new pod or coil, fill it, then leave it five to ten minutes so the cotton soaks before your first puff. Start with a few short draws. On the Drag kits, start at the lower end of the wattage printed on the coil and work up.

Find the Voopoo kit that fits how you vape

Free UK delivery over £15 and 20,000+ five-star reviews.

Quick answers