The FXLion NANO THREE mini V-lock battery is the latest addition to the range that includes the NANO ONE (50Wh) and NANO TWO (98Wh).
The 14.8V, 10.2Ah battery features D-Tap, USB-A, and USB-C Input & Output ports as well as a handy display that shows remaining power.
A battery that includes both D-tap, USB-A, and USB-C ports is extremely handy as you could use it to power everything from your lights to your computer. And as well as its small size, if you’re on location there’s no need to take a bulky V-mount charger with you.
At 150Wh in capacity the NANO THREE is flight safe, but please be aware that most airlines will only allow you to carry up to two batteries that are between 100Wh and 160Wh.
NANO THREE Key features
- 14.8V, 10.2Ah, 150Wh
- D-Tap, USB-A, and USB-C ports
- D-Tap Output 14.8V/10A (Max)
- USB & D-Tap charging
- USB-A output 5.0V/2.4A, 9V/2A, 12V/1.5A
- USB-C Input & Output 5V/3A, 9V/3A, 12V/3A, 15V/3A, 20V/2.2A
More ports, more flexibility
As I already mentioned, the NANO THREE comes with D-Tap, USB-A, and USB-C ports. With such a diversity of ports, you have a lot of flexibility to power a range of products.
Below are the specifications of the various ports:
- D-Tap Output 14.8V/10A (Max)
- USB-A output 5.0V/2.4A, 9V/2A, 12V/1.5A
- USB-C Input & Output 5V/3A, 9V/3A, 12V/3A, 15V/3A, 20V/2.2A
Having all of these connections also means you can charge the NANO THREE from a range of options. These include 16.8V professional charges, cellphone, laptop, or tablet charges.
Display
The NANO THREE has a LCD display that shows you the battery voltage, how much battery life is left, and also the power draw on the USB and USB-C ports.
Power your Mac remotely in the field
The FXLion NANO THREE allows you to plug in your laptop and use the battery to power your computer. This is extremely handy if you’re out and about and don’t have access to mains power.
Not only can you charge your Mac from the NANO THRE, but you can also charge the battery using your Mac power supply. For traveling this is ideal because you can use a single charger for two jobs.
There have been numerous times over the years where I was on location doing live crosses and the battery on my MacBook Pro would run out because there was no access to any power.
I could have really used a product like the FXLion Nano THREE back in those days.
This is perhaps my favorite feature of the NANO THREE.
I really wish every camera battery that came out has USB-C In/out, however, I think we will start to see more and more batteries with this capability coming to market.
Years ago I had a Hawk-Woods VL-MAC2, which was designed to allow broadcast production personnel to run their Mac laptops from the batteries already being used out in the field. This was ideal for use in remote locations, or when you were away from a mains supply for a prolonged period of time.
The adaptor came with a MagSafe2 plug to XLR cable. This allowed the voltage of any inserted battery to be stepped-up to 19.5V. This product was discontinued by Hawk-Woods many years ago and for some reason, they haven’t made a newer model that works with today’s Macs.
It’s Reasonably Compact
V-mount/Gold-mount batteries have been getting smaller and smaller over the last few years and the NANO THREE follows that trend.
It weighs in at 773g (26.78 oz) and has physical dimensions of 103mm x 74mm x 75mm.
As a comparison, the Hawk-Woods Mini V-Lok 14.4V 150Wh Li-Ion Battery weighs in at 21.41 oz / 607g. The Hawk-Woods is lighter than the FXLion but it doesn’t have any ports or a display like the NANO THREE.
Above you can see its size in comparison to an Anton Bauer Dionic 150Wh.
| WEIGHT | |
| FXLion NANO THREE | 773g / 26.78 oz |
| Hawk-Woods Mini V-Lok 14.4V 150Wh | 607g / 21.41 oz |
| Core SWX Helix 150 Mini 147Wh | 820g / 28.92 oz |
| Core SWX Hypercore NEO 150 Mini 147Wh | 820g / 28.92 oz |
| Core SWX NANO Micro 147Wh | 703g / 24.79 oz |
| bebob V150MICRO 14.4V, 150Wh | 800g / 28.22 oz |
| IDX System Technology Imicro-150 14.5V 145Wh | 750g / 26.45 oz |
| IndiPRO Tools Micro-Series V-Mount Li-Ion Battery | 730g / 25.74 oz |
| PAG PL150e 150Wh 14.8V/8Ah | 775g / 27.33 oz |
| Kinefinity PD KineBAT 150Wh | 720g / 25.39 oz |
| Anton Bauer Titon Micro 150 | 790g / 27.9 oz |
| Intellytech Pocket-V 14.8V 155Wh | 710g / 25 oz |
As a further comparison, above you can see how the weight compares to some other mini V-lock batteries that are on the market.
Build Quality
The battery is well made and solidly constructed. The button, ports, and LCD display are all well designed and thought out.
I like that the NANO THREE has nice strong protective covers over the ports.
I also like the tactile grip that is on either side of the battery. This makes it easy to hold onto which is important when you are dealing with a small product.
The battery also firmly secures onto any v-lock battery plate and it doesn’t wobble around or move.
Charging & Charge Time?
In a clever design move FXLION gives you multiple ways to charge your NANO THREE:
- Charge the battery via the USB-C (it supports PD protocols*)
- Charge the battery on a regular V-Lock charger
- Charge the battery through the D-Tap
*The USB PD specification supported by USB-C has a power delivery of up to 100 watts. It’s bi-directional, so a device can either send or receive power.
As far as charging times are concerned, it really depends on what you are using to charge the battery. If you need to charge your battery quickly then it’s best to use a normal V-lock charger.
I also found that I could charge the battery via another V-lock battery as well as by using my DJI Mavic Pro 2 charger, via the USB port that is for charging the remote control.
Charging one V-lock battery using another V-lock battery is probably fairly pointless in the grand scheme of things, but at least it can be done.
It is significantly slower to charge the battery through USB-C. In fact, saying it is significantly slower would be an understatement. There is a reason why nobody ever wants to quote charging times in their specifications when it comes to USB-C.
Low capacity makes them perfect for travel
You can take the battery onboard airplanes without worrying – they’re under the threshold for carrying in hand luggage. But as I mentioned earlier, most airlines will only let you take up to two batteries that are between 100Wh and 160Wh.
The relatively low weight, small size and ability to create a larger capacity battery by placing 2 of the 150Wh NANO THREE’s onto a dual V-lock battery plate make these batteries ideal for travel. As they can be charged in a variety of ways you also don’t necessarily have to travel with a large and heavy V-lock charger, although USB and USB-C charging is significantly slower.
I would personally just buy one of the Mini V-lock chargers that are out there because they are relatively small and charge the batteries fairly quickly. FXLion makes both dual and quad Mini V-lock chargers.
Real World Use
I found myself using the NANO THREE for lots of different reasons. Its versatility makes it ideal for so many applications.
Whether I needed to power a light, a monitor, or even charge my cellphone or laptop it was always on tap.
I also found myself using the NANO THREE to keep my Mac charged when I was out in the field without access to mains power. It is never a nice feeling to see your laptop battery getting low if you are doing a live cross or sending files back from a remote location. Having the ability to keep the laptop powered up is a big deal.
Most MacBook’s and MacBook Air’s internal batteries are around about 50-60Wh, which gives them a similar capacity as a 50Wh camera battery. With a NANO THREE and a fully charged internal laptop battery, you can power your laptop for long periods of time.
The battery is also great for powering certain lights remotely.
NANO THREE, double up
If you take two of the NANO THREE 150Wh batteries you can use them on the NANOL2S optional dual battery plate to create a larger capacity battery.
The dual battery plate is well made and it also has 3x D-Tap outlets on it for powering additional accessories.
What I found is that not only could you use the FXLion NANO THREE batteries on the dual plate, but it also worked with the Hawk-Woods Mini V-Lok batteries as well.
There is also room to use one normal-sized V-lock battery on the plate as well.
A whole NANO Ecosystem
What I love about the NANO series is that FXLion hasn’t just made a few batteries and said, that will do. Instead, they developed a whole ecosystem around the battery.
Along with the battery and the dual battery plate, there is the following:
- NANOL01: NANO V-lock Plate with mini crab, fit for 19-22mm rod
- NANOL02: NANO V-lock Plate with a useful hook
- NANOL03: NANO V-lock Plate for Camera cage
- NANOP1: NANO V-lock Plate with D-tap
- NANOLNP: Suitable for 6-18V DC input device using Sony NP-F battery
All of these components greatly increase the functionality and versatility of the NANO batteries. I especially like the NANOL01 and the NANOL03.
The NANOL01 is great for attaching to light stands etc. or even a panhandle on a tripod.
The NANOL03 is tiny and makes for a really nice option if you want to attach a small v-lock battery to a camera cage or to the back of a monitor.
Competition
There is a fast myriad of 150Wh batteries on the market, so the NANO THREE does face stiff competition. However, there aren’t a ton of competing options that offer the same inputs/outputs.
The closest competitor would probably be the Kinefinity PD KineBAT 150Wh which features a USB-c PD In/Out and a USB-C PD Out. However, it doesn’t have any D-tap outputs.
Price & availability
The FXLion NANO THREE 150Wh battery will be shipping shortly for $399 USD.
| PRICE | |
| FXLion NANO THREE | $399 USD |
| Hawk-Woods Mini V-Lok 14.4V 150Wh | $513.60 USD |
| Core SWX Helix 150 Mini 147Wh | $546 USD |
| Core SWX Hypercore NEO 150 Mini 147Wh | $489 USD |
| Core SWX NANO Micro 147Wh | $295 USD |
| bebob V150MICRO 14.4V, 150Wh | $395 USD |
| IDX System Technology Imicro-150 14.5V 145Wh | $337 USD |
| IndiPRO Tools Micro-Series V-Mount Li-Ion Battery | $315 USD |
| PAG PL150e 150Wh 14.8V/8Ah | $716 USD |
| Kinefinity PD KineBAT 150Wh | $399 USD |
| Anton Bauer Titon Micro 150 | $399 USD |
| Intellytech Pocket-V 14.8V 155Wh | $269 USD |
At $399 USD the battery certainly offers very good value for money. Above you can see how much some of the other competing batteries cost. It is interesting to see that the Intellytech is the most affordable option.
Conclusion
There is no other way to sum it up than to say that I am a big fan of the NANO series of batteries. Batteries are not exciting but they are crucial for everything we do. Without power, nothing works!
I love products that are multi-versatile and solve real-world problems. Having a small v-lock battery that I can use to power a camera, light, monitor, smartphone, tablet, external recorder or a portable Mac computer is ideal.
There are so many ways you could use the NANO THREE and that is the mark of a good product.
