Take a look at my office and you’ll see 10 or more battery packs scattered around the place, and that’s because I’m testing them all out for my battery pack roundup. (Coming soon.) And among all those batteries there’s one that stands out to me the most: The Nomad PowerPlant (£59.95/$69.95).
Why? While the other battery packs are built out of plastic or metal, Nomad have gone and wrapped the PowerPlant in solid American walnut. Yes, this is a battery pack made out of real wood.
Packing a 12,000 mAh battery inside — enough to completely charge your iPhone 6s four times — the PowerPlant has enough juice to keep you going through the day and then some. Also, where many battery packs have one 1A port and another 2.1A port, the PowerPlant features two 2.1A ports on it meaning you can charge two devices nice and quickly. (1A ports will take much longer to charge your device.)
Design is where this battery pack really stands out though. Just like the Brinell’s external SSD I reviewed a while ago with its wooden casing and metal frame, Nomad’s PowerPlant has a uniqueness and style that makes it worth Nomad’s premium asking price.
The PowerPlant’s wooden body feels durable and satisfyingly smooth to the touch, and the front plate (where the ports are) is made from aluminium to complete the sleek look & feel. On the top of the unit you’ll also find four LED lights to indicate how much charge you’ve got left; something I always like to have on a battery pack.
Nomad PowerPlant: Final thoughts
So, is it worth the premium asking price?
If all you want is a battery to power your smartphone and don’t care about looks or build quality, this probably isn’t going to be worth your while. There are plenty of cheap and cheerful options out there. For the more style/fashion conscious user who takes pride in their tech though, Nomad’s PowerPlant is tempting buy.
It’s very well built, the 12,000 mAh battery has plenty of juice to top up your devices (plus a friend’s), and to top it all off it just looks fantastic.
ORDER FROM AMAZON U.K. ORDER FROM NOMAD U.S.