Nimble’s New Modular Power Bank Can Be Shared With A Friend

Power banks are useful but unpleasant. Trust me, after all testing over 100 power banksI am entitled to complain about the lack of innovation. These rectangular batteries are very useful. You grow up laptop power banks and slim mobile power banksbut new designs are rare, so Nimble’s SharePower immediately brought a smile to my face.

Nimble SharePower is a 10,000-mAh, power bank that you can cut in half to give you two separate and efficient 5,000-mAh chargers. They connect magnetically with little pogo pins, and each half has its own USB-C (one cable that doubles as a loop and one connector). The idea is that when friends or family members decline, you can leave half and share the power.

Sharing Is Caring

This thoughtful design works well, and within seconds of opening it, I found myself pulling out the power banks and plugging them back in, because the magnetic system is so satisfying. Together, you have a 10,000-mAh power bank that can output up to 35 watts to charge up to three devices at the same time, with a built-in cable and two USB-C ports. The digital display shows you how much is left.

They are about three inches wide and about an inch thick when together. Split it up, and each 5,000-mAh cell works independently to deliver 20 watts. The top half contains a USB-C cable, a USB-C port, and four LEDs to indicate remaining power. The bottom half has a pop-up USB-C connector, a USB-C connector, and a digital display that shows the remaining power as a percentage.

The best thing about Nimble’s SharePower is that it manages the load. So, if you break one half and your friend uses it to charge his phone, when you put it back together, the other half will share the power. Instead of one half being perfect, it’s split evenly. This was a technical problem, Nimble founder and CEO Ross Howe told WIRED, and the company talked to the chipsets of large foldable phones (with split batteries inside) to control the load to make sure it doesn’t see until the water runs out.

Photo: Simon Hill