Aspire Zelos X80, what this 18650 kit actually changes

Par The Vape Actualités desk6 October 20268 min de lecture

With the Zelos X80, Aspire has brought back a format many had written off, the removable battery box mod topped with a tank. The kit arrived a few months after the built-in battery Zelos M80, and listings disagree on something very concrete, the tank capacity.

Between 4.5 ml and 2 ml the gap is far from trivial, and for a UK buyer only one of those figures fits the rules. What does the box really contain, and what does it change from the M80?

Zelos X80, an 18650 box mod and tank kit

The Zelos X80 is an Aspire kit made of two parts. On one side, a 5 to 80 W box mod powered by a removable 18650 cell, sold separately. On the other, the Nautilus GT II tank, the second generation of the Nautilus GT.

It is neither a pod nor a built-in battery kit, and the mod is also sold on its own. Aspire presented the kit on its website on 2 September 2025, and specialist reviews followed within weeks.

What the Zelos X80 spec sheet states

The figures below come from the manufacturer's sheet, cross-checked against several retailer listings. They describe a compact package for a removable battery mod, with full-featured electronics.

The mod

The mod measures 84 x 36.5 x 26 mm and weighs 108.5 g. Its zinc and aluminium alloy shell carries the 0.96 inch colour TFT screen on the front, along with the fire button, two adjustment buttons and the USB-C port.

Power runs from 5 to 80 W and voltage from 0.5 to 8.4 V. Five modes are on offer (Watt, Voltage, Bypass, CPS for power curves, and temperature control). Two LED strips run down the sides, and a sliding switch underneath locks the mod for transport.

The Nautilus GT II

The tank measures 24.8 mm across and 57 mm tall including the drip tip, and weighs 70.5 g. It fills from the top by sliding the top cap aside, with nothing to unscrew, and airflow is set with a ring at the base.

Assembled, the kit comes to 136 x 36.5 x 26 mm and 178.8 g. The standard box adds a 0.3 ohm Meshed coil pre-installed, a 1.8 ohm BVC coil, a spare drip tip, a spare glass section, O-rings and the USB-C cable.

What changes compared with the Zelos M80

The Zelos M80, which specialist reviewers were testing from June 2025, runs on a built-in 2600 mAh battery with a 4 ml Nautilus 3SR tank. The X80 keeps the same 5 to 80 W range, the same 0.96 inch screen and the same five modes, but swaps the battery for an 18650 bay.

That change has practical consequences. Battery life now depends on the cell you choose, and a tired cell can be replaced without replacing the mod. In return, you have to choose, charge and carry your cells yourself, which the M80 spared you.

The tank moves on too. The original Nautilus GT held 3 ml, while its successor reaches 4.5 ml in the standard edition. The coils remain the Nautilus family (BVC, Meshed, Nautilus 2 and 2S), so coils from another Aspire Nautilus tank carry straight over.

With its stock coils the Zelos X80 never goes past 28 W

The two coils in the box cover two opposite draws. The 1.8 ohm BVC is rated at 10 to 14 W for a tight draw, the 0.3 ohm Meshed at 23 to 28 W for a looser but still restricted draw. Those ranges appear on Aspire's sheet and on retailer listings alike.

The direct consequence is that, with the supplied hardware, the mod never runs above 28 W, barely more than a third of its 80 W. The list of compatible Nautilus coils published by the manufacturer goes no higher, from the 1.6 ohm BVC (7 to 11 W) to the 0.4 ohm Nautilus 2S (23 to 28 W). The remaining watts only matter with another atomiser.

The same logic applies to temperature control, adjustable from 100 to 315 °C and meant for nickel, titanium or stainless steel resistance wire. For Nautilus coils, which are rated in watts, Watt mode is the sensible setting.

The 18650 cell, which you supply yourself

No cell comes with the kit or with the mod on its own. It loads from underneath, behind a screw cap with a small handle, following the polarity marked inside the bay.

Charging can happen on the mod itself through the USB-C port at 2 A, without taking the cell out. Two of the retailers consulted still recommend a dedicated external charger to preserve cell lifespan.

Choose a cell from its manufacturer's datasheet, which gives capacity and continuous discharge current. Keep its wrap intact, and carry spares in a rigid case, never loose in a pocket with keys.

Zelos X80 tank capacity under UK rules

Listings disagree because there are two editions. Aspire lists a standard edition with a 4.5 ml Nautilus GT II and a spare glass, and a TPD edition with a 2 ml tank and no spare glass in the box.

UK rules restrict e-cigarette tanks to 2 ml, nicotine e-liquid refill containers to 10 ml and nicotine strength to 20 mg/ml. The TPD edition is therefore the one that fits those limits. Many retailer listings and reviews quote 4.5 ml, so check which edition a listing describes before buying.

The difference shows up in liquid capacity. One fill of the standard edition equals a little over two fills of the TPD edition (4.5 ml against 2 ml, or 2.25 times as much). We covered the same 2 ml limit for the Geekvape Soul 2, a refillable pod held to the same constraint.

Who this kit is for

The kit is aimed at an adult vaper who wants to stay in control of the hardware. Cell, coils, glass and drip tip can all be replaced part by part, and the two supplied coils move from a tight draw to a looser one without buying anything else.

Retailers nonetheless file it under advanced kit, because an 18650 cell calls for a little care. Anyone who would rather not manage a cell will be better served by a built-in battery device, the Zelos M80 or a pod.

The kit also fits the shift towards refillable hardware described in our report on e-cigarettes in Paris, where shop staff now spend far more of their time on hardware questions.

FAQ

Five questions come up often about this kit, covering setup, upkeep and what else it can be used with.

How do you switch the Zelos X80 on and open the menu? Five quick presses of the fire button switch it on, and the same sequence switches it off. The mode menu opens when you press the fire button and the "+" button together.

How do you change the coil in the Nautilus GT II? Unscrew the tank from the mod, then unscrew its base, remove the old coil and screw in the new one. After filling, wait a few minutes for the cotton to soak before taking a draw.

Which e-liquid suits the supplied coils? The 1.8 ohm BVC suits a liquid in which propylene glycol dominates. The 0.3 ohm Meshed takes a thicker liquid, with at least as much vegetable glycerine as propylene glycol.

Can the Nautilus GT II go on another mod? Yes, it screws onto any mod with a 510 connector. Compare its 24.8 mm diameter with the width of the chosen mod's top plate so that it does not overhang.

Is the Zelos X80 kit a sensible first device? The retailers selling it class it as an advanced kit. Watt mode and the supplied coils keep it approachable, but choosing and handling an 18650 cell makes it better suited to an adult vaper already familiar with that kind of battery.

Zelos X80, the takeaway

The Zelos X80 keeps the power range, colour screen and five modes of the M80, and pairs them with a removable cell. The Nautilus GT II gains capacity and keeps the Nautilus coils.

Two points deserve attention before choosing. The supplied coils cap use at 28 W, so the 80 W ceiling only matters with another atomiser. And capacity depends on the edition, 4.5 ml in the standard version and 2 ml in the TPD edition, the one in line with UK limits.

For an adult vaper who prefers a mod that can be repaired part by part, the Zelos X80 kit ticks the essential boxes without overreaching. It also shows that the removable battery box mod still has a place next to pods, and the Zelos X80 offers a modern, legible take on it.