Hahnel ProCube3 Twin Charger review - the BEST camera battery charger?

Amateur Photographer verdict

The Hahnel ProCube3 is an extremely well-made dual battery charger that’s very fast and practical, thanks to its USB-C input. Interchangeable battery plates and AA support make it versatile, too.

Pros

Speedy charging
Robust build
Interchangeable battery plates
Also works with AA batteries

Cons

Bulkier than more basic dual chargers
Plate release tool is easy to lose
Percentage charge meter is over-optimistic

The Hahnel ProCube3 is a dual charger for camera batteries that works from any USB-C power supply. It’s an upgrade to the previous ProCube2, which used proprietary mains and car adapters. Switching to USB-C makes it faster and means you can now charge your batteries from a powerbank.

Hahnel ProCube3 at a glance:

£79.99
Charges two batteries in 2 hours
Interchangeable battery plates
4x AA battery tray included
USB-C input (10W minimum, 30W for fastest charging)
LCD display
Available for all major camera brands
hahnel.ie

There are plenty of cheaper USB-C dual chargers on the market. But the ProCube 3 feels far more robust than most, thanks to its chunky metal casing. It also employs interchangeable battery plates, so the same base unit can be used for almost any camera.

To this end, the ProCube3 comes in kits that have all the plates required for each camera brand. I tested the Sony version, which works with BX1, FW50 and FZ100 batteries. This covers everything from the firm’s RX100 compacts to its full-frame mirrorless models.

Each kit has a different coloured charger unit, but they’re all the same thing, with the plates being freely interchangeable between them. Spare plates are available for around £10 each, so if you shoot with two different camera brands, you don’t have to buy two chargers.

Hahnel ProCube 3 rear view — On the back, there are USB-C power input and USB-A output ports. Image credit: Andy Westlake

Hahnel ProCube3 key features:

Display: A clear LCD display shows the batteries’ charge status in percent and the mAh supplied
AA battery charging: You get a tray for four AA batteries that clips on top magnetically. But it can’t be used when camera batteries are in place.
Brand compatibility: ProCube3 kits are available for Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon, Olympus Panasonic, and Sony cameras
Output: A 2A USB-A output on the back allows you to charge other devices once the batteries are full

In the box, you’ll find the charger unit with one plate fitted, plus various others depending on the brand. You also get a nice USB-C cable and a tray for four AA batteries that clips on top of the charger. Everything is packed neatly with minimal use of plastic.

Hahnel ProCube 3 kit contents — Each kit comes with a charger unit, two or three battery plates, AA tray and USB-3 cable. Image credit: Andy Westlake

Battery plates are easy enough to remove, using a supplied tool that’s like a sturdier version of a smartphone SIM tool. There’s a minor art to clipping a new plate in place: you have to hold it down at the front, then clip it in at the back.

It’s a shame there’s nowhere to store the release tool, though, as it’s easy to mislay. A simple push-button release mechanism would have been a better idea.

Hahnel ProCube 3 battery plate removal — Battery plates are changed using a tool that’s all too easy to lose. Image credit: Andy Westlake

You can use any USB power source with at least 10W output, but for fastest charging, a 30W supply is required. Then the unit is rated to charge a pair of even the largest camera batteries from empty in two hours. Smaller batteries should only take about an hour.

I tested the Hahnel ProCube3 using a mix of both Sony and third-party FZ100 and FW50 batteries, plus Fujifilm W126 and W235 batteries via plates I already had available. It worked as claimed, charging a pair of FZ100 batteries from empty to 75% in one hour, 90% in 90 minutes, and 100% in 2 hours.

Hahnel ProCube 3 charging AA batteries — Four AA batteries can be charged using the supplied clip-on tray. Image credit: Andy Westlake

That’s about an hour quicker than either the ProCube2, or other similar devices we’ve tested recently, such as the Llano Fast Dual Camera Battery Charger and Jupio x Pr1me Tri-Charge.

One thing you do need to be aware of, though, is that the percentage display is over-optimistic compared to the amount of charge actually delivered, especially early on. For example, by my calculations, it indicated 50% when the batteries had only taken on board 30% of their final charge. So I wouldn’t rely on it.

Hahnel ProCube 3 retail packaging. Image credit: Andy Westlake

Hahnel ProCube3: Our Verdict

The Hahnel ProCube 3 is an excellent dual charger, being really well-built and impressively quick. The interchangeable battery plates are useful too, although they do make the design quite bulky. It’s also worth noting that you can’t charge two different battery types simultaneously. But if you just want to charge two batteries of the same type quickly, it’s difficult to beat.