In Charge — Excitrus NitroCharge 30 Review

Potent portable
Living in a world with an ever-increasing demand for electrical power, it helps to have something in your everyday carry that keeps you going in case you’ve left something unplugged overnight or you’re on an extended break from civilization.

The Excitrus NitroCharge 30, a clever little device covered in canvas, might seem like it’s too precious to be outdoors, but it’s actually the battery equivalent of a Swiss Army Knife.

Rugged on the outside and packed with features for almost every charging scenario, it’s capable of charging practically every portable electric device on your wrist, in your pocket or backpack, or on your desk.

The NitroCharge is an all-in-one you can’t leave home without.

Supercell
Basically, everything powered by a USB wire or through wireless contact –smartphones, tablets, earbuds, and even laptops like MacBooks and Microsoft Surfaces — can get their juice from the NitroCharge 30.

That’s because the 10,000mAh lithium-polymer-based battery pack has several ways of connecting and delivering the power to match your device’s needs.

The USB-A QuickCharge 3.0 port can send 18W of electricity to quickly charge compatible devices, while the USB-C port can send up to 33W to power up your smartphone or laptop. On the battery’s flat side, the built-in 10W Qi charger can wirelessly charge devices with Qi, MagSafe, or NFC support. The included thin metallic stickers can be strategically placed inside your phone case to keep your phone firmly planted on the battery’s side thanks to the powerbank’s built-in magnets.

Up to three devices can be charged at the same time, and a fully charged NitroCharge 30 can fill up both my Samsung Note10+ smartphone and my Amazon Echo earbuds with a bit to spare. A full battery can fully charge one iPad Pro 11″, or a percentage on my 15″ MacBook Pro. I powered down my laptop at 5% and plugged in the NitroCharge at 95%. In about half an hour, the NitroCharge went to 38%, and my laptop powered on with 23%.

The NitroCharge also has passthrough capabilities, so you can use it as a charging hub for various devices while it banks its own power for reserves.

It only takes an hour to get the battery to 70%, which means you’ll be able to plug it in and get more power and faster.

And with a list of security features that should keep your battery and connected devices safe from being overcharged and overpowered, the NitroCharge is built to be as safe as possible.

A small but visible LED in between the two ports displays how much power is in the bank, and a lightning icon appears whenever your connected wired device is quick-charging.

Physical specimen
According to the Amazon description, the NitroCharge is built to be soil and water-resistant, though I decided not to test the latter. The former is a little suspect — though the canvas texture is a nice touch (literally), making it easier to hold, I would prefer the option of a plastic hard case which would be much easier to clean and keep clean. I’m pretty positive this would soak up all a lot of cheese dust if you ever touched it with Cheetoh fingers.

The battery is rather light and feels well-constructed. The black metal rim at the edges of the battery don’t feel cheap like plastic bevel would. Instead, they add a bit of elegance to the product. The contouring is subtle, and the design is better than your average battery pack in the form of a plastic block.

It’s also missing a flashlight — and I might be spoiled for pointing this out. My last two battery packs had LED lights which actually turned out to be useful, and it would have been a nice touch, though perhaps superfluous. Not everything needs a light.

Power off
The NitroCharge 30 is my main battery now, and I keep it in my daypack that I carry to school every day. Not only will it keep my small electronics going in the case of a power outage or some error in connecting them overnight — it will also power up my laptop and almost everything else I encounter. Because I teach media and computer science courses, I can keep the tablets for the teleprompters going out in the quad or leave it on my desk to charge my phone, my earbuds, and my MacBook all at the same time. It’s basically a power block for my USB-wired electronics.

At a price of $79.99, it might be more expensive than your average 10,000mAh Anker battery pack that comes in at about $18. While the Anker pack has quick-charging capabilities and multiple ports, it doesn’t have wireless charging or the ability to charge your laptop.

The RavPower 20,000mAh can power your smartphone and a laptop — its 60W laptop charger is pretty fast, in fact — and it will cost you a very competitive price of $49.99. It won’t do wireless though, which will cost you about $10 if you want to compare.

For an all-in-one, the NitroCharge’s price is fair, and it won’t take up a lot of space in your everyday carry. It’s efficient, functional, and a multi-purpose tool that will make charging your gadgets much easier. I think there’s still room for improvement, but it’s an excellent battery that’s worth a look if you’re in the market for something that can handle practically anything you can throw at it and juggle having to charge them all at once.

NitroCharge 30
Excitrus