Nitecore Unveils Its Most Lightweight and Compact Power Bank to Date

There are two key things to know about me as your dedicated reviewer: I’m not a fan of the unnecessary features that often come with modern power banks, and I’m all about shedding weight from my gear when I’m out backpacking, bikepacking, or trail running. So, you can imagine my excitement when Nitecore unveiled the latest version of its ultralight NB10000 battery. After spending a few weeks with it, I can confidently say: forget the gimmicks!

The NB10000 Gen 4, priced at $83.95, tips the scales at just 146 grams and measures 1.45 x 11.6 x 4.68 cm (0.57 x 4.57 x 1.84 inches), making it the lightest and most compact 10,000mAh power bank I’ve come across. Even with the additional 6 grams from the included USB-C lanyard, it still outperforms the previous lightweight champion, Nitecore’s NB10000 Gen 3. The secret behind the Gen 4’s impressive weight lies in its silicon-carbon anode, a battery technology that’s becoming more common in high-end smartphones, including those from Samsung.

Despite its small size, the Gen 4’s 39Wh battery managed to fully recharge my aging iPhone 15 Pro twice, with some watt-hours still available. With an output of up to 22.5W, it can even give my 14-inch MacBook Pro a boost when necessary. Plus, it supports pass-through charging, allowing you to power your devices while the power bank itself is recharging.

Have I discovered the perfect power bank? Almost.

The NB10000 Gen 4 nails the essentials. It features a straightforward four-element battery level indicator, which I prefer over a flashy display. Constructed from carbon fiber sheets, it boasts IPX7 water resistance, making it capable of withstanding rain or even brief submersion—exactly what you want from a reliable adventure battery.

In my tests, I recorded 33.58Wh of the claimed 39Wh capacity, resulting in an efficiency of 86.1 percent. This is a solid performance for a premium power bank and a slight improvement over the 33.33Wh we measured on the Gen 3 model. This translates to 229.98Wh/kg of delivered energy, or 220.90Wh/kg with the cable—top-tier results in either case. The NB10000 Gen 4 is compatible with PD, QC3.0, and Huawei’s SCP charging protocols.

The Gen 4 model also avoided the overheating and shutdown issues that plagued the Gen 3 when it was running low on power. I did notice a brief interruption in power delivery when the Gen 4 was nearly depleted, but that was only because I had a meter attached; otherwise, I wouldn’t have noticed since it resumed charging almost immediately.

The only feature that might be seen as unnecessary is the animated RGB lighting around the dual USB-C ports. Nitecore claims the lights help you locate the ports in a dark tent, but you can also feel them. A double-knock near the top activates the lights (and battery indicator), which can be handy when wearing gloves, as Nitecore has opted for a touch-sensitive wake button on the Gen 4. Fortunately, this “Touch Button” reliably detected my wet finger during testing. The knock-to-wake feature worked about 75 percent of the time, but both it and the RGB lights can be turned off if desired.

The lights will glow yellow (regular mode) or green (eco) after a long press of the power button, allowing you to switch between full power and extended life modes. Eco mode reduces the output to a slow 5W (5V at 1A) maximum, which helps prevent the power bank from shutting off when charging low-draw devices like headlamps, watches, or wireless earbuds. It can also extend total charge capacity by generating less heat waste and allows the battery to operate closer to its native voltage, resulting in reduced conversion loss.

The Nitecore NB10000 Gen 4 is the perfect power bank for endurance athletes, backpackers, or anyone in need of an ultralight and compact power bank that avoids unnecessary features. The only downside is the price, which has risen to $83.95 since the $64.95 Gen 3 model launched two years ago. This makes the Gen 4 two to three times pricier than the average 10,000mAh power bank, but it can save you 50 grams or more. That’s a premium I can see many active, outdoorsy folks gladly paying for.