REVIEW – Most 10,000mAh power banks feel like carrying a second phone. Nitecore built the NB10000 GEN4 to not feel like that at all, wrapping the same capacity most bricks ship with in a carbon-fiber shell that weighs less than a can of soda. What I wanted to know is whether shaving weight off a power bank actually changes how often it gets carried, or if that’s just a spec sheet number nobody notices.
Note: This Nitecore NB10000 GEN4 was sent to me by Nitecore at no cost. They had no editorial input and did not see this review before it published.
Photos and video by Gregory Morley.
The Basics
The NB10000 GEN4 is a 10,000mAh power bank with carbon fiber panels on both sides of a composite frame, where most banks this size use plastic or aluminum, and it weighs 143g. It has two USB-C ports. IN/OUT1 charges the bank and powers devices, while OUT2 is output only. Either port puts out up to 22.5W on its own, and the total drops to 15W when both are in use. Pass-through charging lets it top itself up from the wall through IN/OUT1 while OUT2 keeps powering a device at up to 10W. It ships with a USB-C cable that doubles as a lanyard, so there’s one less loose cable to lose track of.
What You Get
- Nitecore NB10000 GEN4 power bank
- USB-C lanyard charging cable
- User manual
By the Numbers
- Price: $83.95
- Capacity: 10,000mAh (39Wh, TSA/FAA carry-on compliant)
- Weight: 143g (5 oz)
- Ports: USB-C IN/OUT1 (input and output), USB-C OUT2 (output only)
- Charging: 22.5W max input, 22.5W max from a single port, 15W total from both, 10W on OUT2 during pass-through
- Output modes: Regular and Eco (5V 1A for low-current devices)
- Water resistance: IPX7
- Shell: carbon fiber panels over a composite frame
- Extras: Knock to Wake battery check, RGB port indicator lights
Design & Build
Pick it up right after a normal 10,000mAh brick and the weight difference is immediate, and it changes how it sits in a bag. The carbon fiber panels have a visible woven texture instead of smooth plastic. Knock to Wake is the one interaction that took getting used to. A knock on the upper part of the shell lights the four blue battery indicators for about 10 seconds with no button press, and the port rings glow yellow for Regular Mode or green for Eco before cycling through RGB colors for about a minute. It doesn’t always catch the first knock, so sometimes it takes a second one. Anyone who would rather skip the light show can turn Knock to Wake and the RGB off by holding the Touch Button for about six seconds while the bank charges.
Living With It
The real test for a power bank this size is whether it actually leaves the drawer, and the honest answer here is yes, more than the heavier bank it replaced. Pass-through charging means it can sit plugged into a wall overnight charging a phone and itself at the same time, which solved the one-outlet-one-device math that used to matter more than it should when there’s no one else around to negotiate charger access with. The phone side of that setup runs at 10W, which is slow, but overnight nobody is counting. Away from an outlet, a phone is what it spends most of its time charging. Eco Mode drops the output to 5V 1A for earbuds and other low-current gear, and Nitecore rates the usable capacity slightly higher in that mode.
What Could Be Better
Laptops are where it runs out of room. Its output is too low to charge one at any useful speed, so it works best as a bank for phones, earbuds and other small gear. Plugging in two devices at once caps the total output at 15W. I wish it had a USB-A port as well, but getting the weight this low meant cutting something, and USB-C is fast becoming the standard anyway. I’m also not sold on the lanyard as a way to hang the bank from a backpack. The part that holds it together is just plastic, so I use it purely for cable storage. The IPX7 rating covers splashes and brief submersion, and Nitecore says it isn’t designed for underwater use, so it’s still worth keeping out of standing water.
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Quick Questions
Q: How much does it weigh?
A: 143g, or about 5 oz.
Q: Do both USB-C ports charge the power bank?
A: No. Only IN/OUT1 accepts input. OUT2 is output only.
Q: Can it charge and pass through power at the same time?
A: Yes. With a wall charger plugged into IN/OUT1, OUT2 keeps powering a device at up to 10W.
Q: Is it TSA compliant for carry-on?
A: Yes, its 39Wh capacity falls under the 100Wh TSA/FAA limit for carry-on power banks.
Q: What does “Knock to Wake” do?
A: A knock on the upper part of the shell lights the four blue battery indicators for about 10 seconds and shows the output mode on the port rings, no button press needed. It can be turned off by holding the Touch Button for about six seconds while the bank charges.
Final Thoughts
The NB10000 GEN4 makes the case that weight matters more than most spec sheets give it credit for. A 10,000mAh bank that barely registers in a bag is a different experience than one that reminds you it’s there every time the bag shifts. At $83.95 it costs more than most power banks this size, and the extra money goes into the carbon fiber build and the ounces it saves. Anyone who carries a bank every day will notice that. Anyone who keeps one in a drawer for emergencies can spend less on a heavier one.
Price: $83.95
Where to buy: Amazon or direct from Nitecore
What I like: Really lightweight, and the cable comes attached so I never have to go looking for one
What I don’t: No USB-A port, though something had to go to keep it this light and USB-C is quickly becoming the standard, and I don’t trust the plastic piece holding the lanyard together to carry the bank on a backpack, so it’s cable storage only
