The Innokin Platform Z Biip Kit is basically a follow on from the existing Zenith range but in AIO (All in one) form.
The Zenith range are a collaboration between Innokin and YouTube Vape reviewers Phil Busardo and Dimitri ‘The Vaping Greek’.
Other items in the range include the Zenith Tank and the Zlide tank.
What Can We Expect From The Innokin Z Biip Kit?
This kit is designed for Mouth to Lung (MTL) vapers – but there is also a 0.48ohm PLEX3D mesh coil included which arguably could be targeting a restrictive Direct to Lung (DTL) vaping style.
We tell you what these terms mean in our guide to MTL and DTL vaping styles.
The PLEX3D coils have a 3D structure to increase surface area for more efficient vapour production. This technology is also present in the iSub B Tank and the recent EQs.
You can also use any of the previous Z range of coils in this kit.
Moving on to the battery component this has a whopping 1500mAh battery and you have the choice of 3 power output levels – High (16W), Medium (14W) and Low (11W).
There is a top fill port and you can adjust the airflow – more about that later on!
Plus this device has audio alerts which you can turn on or off with a simple switch so I will see how well they perform too!
There are 6 colour options to choose from – Pink Shine, Black Shine, White Shine, Emerald Dune, Bronze Dune and Navy Dune.
I received this device free of charge for review purposes and as always I will report back honestly on my findings with the device I have in my possession.
What’s In The Box
- Innokin Platform Z-Biip battery
- Z-Biip pod
- Z-PLEX3D 0.48 Kanthal 3D mesh coil
- 1.6ohm coil
- E-liquid squeeze bottle
- Airflow control ring
- Micro USB cable
- Manual
Features
- E-liquid Capacity: 2ml
- Battery: 1500mAh (internal)
- Output: 3 power levels – 16W, 14W and 11W
- Audible system – can turn on or off
- Adjustable airflow
- Top fill – twist cap
- Indicator light for battery and power levels
- Compatible with the Z coil range – including the new PLEX3D Z coil
- Coils can be replaced without discarding the pod
Build Quality & Design
I received the Innokin Platform Z Biip Kit in the Emerald Dune, Navy Dune and Bronze Dune colours. As to why I have several kits I will explain.
The first kit I received was the Emerald colour but sadly I had a few faults with the airflow ring being seized and the pod leaking.
Upon informing Innokin they promptly sent me two new kits and a new pod! Fair play- it was also here really quickly too!
The packaging is the usual great standard from Innokin with everything well laid out and isolator strips to prevent the mod from firing and damaging the coil in transit.
Again like with the EQs kit the instructions consist of a leaflet which is a quick start guide which only really covers the basics. However you get a thick battery safety booklet in multiple languages
Device
The finish of the body reminds me of Hammerite Metal Finish paint!
Also this is bigger, chunkier and a lot heavier than I was expecting.
I think of a vape pen such as the Freemax Twister Kit which has a bigger capacity battery – yet the Z Biip is very similar in weight. Also compare the size of this to two 18650 batteries and you will see what I mean!
Giving this a shake with the pod installed it feels solid, like it is made from cast iron. I dread dropping this as I am likely to end up with a huge hole in the floor!
The finish is beautiful – the metallic effect really looks like the surface has depth and texture. When in fact it is smooth!
LED Indicators
On the front of the device is the “V” shaped LED indicator which changes colour to indicate which power level is selected.
Below that on the right side are 3 white LED lights which display the battery level remaining.
At the bottom of the front face is the Z Biip branding which is not in your face and almost hard to see in some lights.
Fire Bar | USB
The right side of the device has a fire bar which is clicky and responsive and ideally positioned. However it will only operate when you press the top third of the bar. Pressing lower down does not work.
The back of the device has the micro USB port towards the bottom and the Innokin branding in the same subtle print as the front.
A matching bar insert is on the left side but this does not press and is purely for decoration.
On the base of the device are the required legals and the switch for turning on and off the audible warnings.
Pod
The pod arrives with a cap on which is easy to remove.
However it is worth keeping hold of this cap as this really is useful to help to turn the top part to reveal the top fill port. Without the top cap I found it difficult to turn this.
Airflow
One thing I noticed very early on is that the first device I received had a seized up airflow ring.
Basically this ring screws onto the bottom of the pod. You rotate the ring to adjust the airflow – you can see the slot and the holes which you cover or conceal to adjust the incoming air.
I eventually managed to turn the airflow ring using pliers but as soon as you screw the ring back onto the pod you end up closing the airflow again grr!
However the two replacement kits had airflow rings which turned perfectly, not too loose but I didn’t need bloody pliers either!
Also do not lose this airflow ring as new pods are not supplied with it so you will need to swap it over onto a new pod. I have however seen the airflow rings available on their own for a good price in the UK.
Coil | E-Liquid Capacity
The coils are a push in fit and I do like the fact you can change just the coil rather than discard the whole pod!
The e-liquid level is clear to see through the side of the pod.
Do keep a good eye on the level as the mesh coil can get through the 2ml of e-liquid quite quickly. Also this is a wide and shallow pod – so it may look like you have plenty of e-liquid. However if you tilt the pod and there is no liquid near the coil you could get a nasty dry hit and damage the coil.
Quick Set-up Guide
The device is supplied with the 0.48ohm coil installed but do not switch the device on until you have filled the pod as you will burn the coil out.
There is an isolation strip between the device and pod to help prevent accidental firing.
Basic operation
- Turn On/Off = press the fire bar quickly 3 times
- To vape = press the fire bar
- Airflow adjustment = remove the pod as described below. Turn the ring on the base of the pod to expose or conceal the airflow holes as required.
Battery capacity remaining
The white LEDs will light up to inform of the battery capacity remaining:
- 3 lights = Full
- 2 lights = half charge
- 1 light = recharge soon.
Change power – First turn the device off.
- Press and hold the fire bar.
- The “V” LED will light up to show the power mode and cycle between the different modes.
- Release the fire bar when the mode you require is shown.
Audio Alerts
- Activate/Deactivate audio alerts – move the switch on the base to the on or off position.
When audio alerts are turned on you will get the following audio warnings:
- Battery capacity remaining below 50% = 2 beeps
- Battery capacity remaining below 20% = 3 beeps
- Pod installed correctly = 1 beep
- Charging completed = 5 beeps
Protections
Again like the EQs there is nothing in the instructions about protections and what warnings you will get.
However there is a video on the Innokin website addressing this which I have included below.
How To Remove The Pod
I found this a bit difficult at first – but there is a knack to this – I didn’t get the little sticker on the top of my kits to tell you where to push!
- Place your thumb on the top of the pod as shown.
- Push towards the centre of the device and the pod will lift.
- To replace simply push back in until you hear a click. There is no wrong way around. Also if Audio Alerts are turned on a single beep will confirm the pod is correctly installed.
How To Fill The Pod
- The top of the pod twists to expose the top filling port.
- I found it easier to use the protective cap to turn the top of the pod 90°.You can try without of course.
- Add e-liquid through the fill port whilst observing the liquid level on the side of the pod. You will need to push the spout of the bottle through the white gasket to fill.
- If the e-liquid bottle spout is too large or using a dripper style bottle a squeeze refill bottle is included in the kit. Fill this bottle and use that to refill the pod. However even with 50ml chunky bottles I didn’t experience a problem. I did have to remove the top cap as it got in the way but was fine otherwise.
- Twist the top of the pod to close. Again the cap is useful for this.
How To Change The Coil
- Remove the pod from the device.
- Turn the pod upside down and unscrew the airflow control ring. Make sure to retain this as new pods do not have this fitted.
- Pull the existing coil out of the pod.
- Push a new coil into the pod making sure the flat sides of the coil align with the flats in the pod.
- Replace the airflow control ring and reset the airflow to your preference.
- Fill the pod as described above and leave to stand for at least 10 minutes for the coil to fully absorb the e-liquid.
How To Charge The Battery
- Using the included USB cable install the small connector into the USB port on the device.
- Install the larger USB connector into a suitable USB outlet.
- The device will cycle through the white LED patterns and the lights will turn off when fully charged.
- If audio alerts are turned on the device will bleep 5 times when fully charged.
From fully empty to fully charged took 1 hour and 55 minutes using the USB port on my PC which I do think is only 0.5A. There is nothing in the instructions or on the Innokin website to suggest that a higher rate of charging is possible with the applicable equipment – so it might not be faster with higher output USB’s.
How Does the Innokin Z Biip Kit Perform?
There are two different coils in this kit so I did alter my e-liquid type to suit.
I used a 70%VG E-liquid with 7mg Nic added for the 0.48ohm coil.
I used a nicotine salt e-liquid from Apollo for the 1.6ohm coil.
We tell you all about VG and PG proportions in our guide here.
Z-PLEX3D 0.48ohm Coil
I used some 70% VG IVG Bubblegum e-liquid which I am also running in the Smok Trinity Alpha kit with the 0.6ohm Mesh coil.
I found I was doing a kind of DTL and MTL hybrid type vape! It seemed to work ok for both styles.
It is quite weird to explain as the airflow restriction really is for MTL vapers, but I was using low nicotine, high VG e-liquid quite happily!
However I do think strong nicotine may be a bit harsh on this coil as it was on the EQ and EQs.
On the wide open setting the airflow is still quite restricted and you can close it off to fully closed and anything in-between.
For instance in the fully open position the airflow felt the same as the Smok Trinity Alpha Kit.
11W (Blue light)
The flavour is pretty good but a very cool vape and not much vapour.
This also felt a bit “gurgly” as if the liquid wasn’t atomising fully.
14W (Green light)
It is amazing the difference just a few Watts make!
The flavour was much better and still quite cool but I quite like this setting.
16W (Red Light)
At this setting the flavour is much deeper and the vape is a lot warmer.
There doesn’t appear to be any wicking issues like others and myself have experienced with some of the PLEX 3D coils. The 70% VG liquid feels perfect in here.
The flavour is close to the Trinity Alpha with the 0.6ohm coil set on the Normal setting.
I will say though this is my favourite setting for this coil and e-liquid.
1.6ohm Coil
So for this coil as it is higher resistance I used a 50%VG / 50%PG e-liquid which was the Tobacco flavour 20mg Nicotine Salt from the Apollo range which I love.
I have also used this in many pod devices and was my go to with my Smok Nords when I managed to give up smoking earlier this year.
Airflow wise – at fully open it is pretty restricted. Fully closed there is no airflow at all. So again from a restricted MTL airflow to a totally closed and everything in-between.
I found on the mid setting (2 airflow holes exposed) was pretty similar to the Innokin EQs which is very restricted for a pod mod. Way more restricted than for instance the Nord or Trinity Alpha.
I used this setting for the tests below.
11W (Blue light)
So with the Z-Biip set in the lower power range there was a surprisingly good throat hit which I really wasn’t expecting.
You don’t get a lot of flavour or warmth so it took me by surprise when I was inhaling that suddenly I started coughing as its pretty deceiving. You actually don’t feel like you are pressing fire until your throat decides whoa that’s a big hit!
The clouds I exhaled also surprised me – in fact seemed almost the same as the 0.48ohm coil with 70%VG wow!
14W (Green light)
Oh yes you know you are pressing fire now -you can feel the warmth a bit more – and again that throat hit is huge!
The flavour is there but it isn’t as deep as with the EQs or the Nord but the vapour and throat hit are where this excels!
16W (Red Light)
Right then big girl pants on and brace myself…
There is a real crackle when you press fire, the flavour is cleaner but thankfully this still isn’t a harsh vape despite being 20mg nic salt.
The flavour is starting to shine through now too!
I was taking shorter vapes on this power level as it definitely felt a lot stronger, massive throat hit and still that surprising amount of vapour!
Just to add I was enjoying this coil so much I ended up making myself nauseous from too much nic!
Battery Life
Your vaping habits, power setting and the coil you are using will vary the battery life figures. But to give you a guide on the medium power level (14W) with the 0.48ohm coil I got 6 hours of vaping in 2 sessions.
I will also add the audio alerts also worked great and made me check the battery level lights so they are doing their job!
I felt no loss of performance until the battery completely died and would not fire so it does keep the power level stable.
As I have decided today is the last time I buy tobacco (I’m dual using due to a horrific bereavement) I will be using the Z-Biip with the 1.6ohm coil and nic salts to quit smoking. So I will update this review with battery and coil life info with the MTL setup.
Pros
- The finish is beautiful with a solid, heavy build
- Can just change the coil when it is past its best rather than discard the entire pod.
- Top fill
- Adjustable airflow
- Different types of coil – MTL and DTL plus other Z Range coils are compatible
- 3 power levels
- Audible alerts for people who may have sight issues – these can also be easily switched off too.
- The “V” shaped light on the front changes colour according to the power level chosen, on devices such as the EQs you could only see this indicator if you turned the device off. But on the Z-Biip it lights whenever you press fire.
- 1.6ohm coil gives huge throat hit and vapour with 20mg nic salt.
- 0.48ohm coil gives lovely flavour and a smooth vape.
Cons
- I needed to use the protective cap to rotate the top of the pod for filling. You may not need to use this.
- Fill port is no good for glass drippers or very large nozzles.
- A lot bigger and heavier than I was expecting
- Have to remove the pod to adjust airflow
- First device had faults – very quickly replaced by Innokin though
- The wide shallow e-liquid compartment can be deceiving – keep a good eye on liquid level with 0.48ohm coil as it is a bit thirsty.
- Charging time on my PC at 0.5A is a bit slow. Not the worst but at nearly 2 hours it does take a while. No mention of a fast charging capability with newer USB ports?
Final Review Verdict
The Innokin Platform Z Biip Kit has won me over…
I will be totally honest after the hassles with the first kit which was faulty I was ready to write this device off.
However when the replacement arrived and I filled it up it is very easy to fall in love with this little kit!
For DTL use this is slightly less satisfying than the Smok Trinity Alpha in DTL mode. But it gives a lovely smooth vape and plenty of flavour. Also the restricted airflow means you cannot get a true DTL vape – more of a hybrid style.
Where this device excels for me is with the 1.6ohm MTL coil. Wow that throat hit!
Even on the lowest power where it feels like you are not even pressing fire – suddenly the vapour hits your throat and woohoo! I used 20mg nic salts and despite this having a very high resistance coil and low power the vapour and throat hit were outstanding.
In fact I am almost close to saying I might use this more for MTL than my Nord!! The adjustable airflow is pretty restricted even in the most open setting. I like a restriction and I used it in the mid position.
The battery capacity is really good but this does pay the price as it is quite chunky and heavy. Also the charging time is a bit slow – not the worst by any means but not super quick either when you consider the capacity.
The Audio alert system could be useful for someone with sight issues however the faffing about with the airflow and pod would be a quite difficult I think. In my case the beeps kept making the dog jump!
Have you used the Z-Biip kit? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
