The Nokia Extra Power DC-11 is basically an external rechargeable 1500 mAh Li-Ion battery. The concept behind it isn’t new: charge your device using a portable, external power source when on the move and when empty you charge it just like any other Nokia phone. The Extra Power DC-11 is one of two external power units offered by Nokia. The other model is the Nokia Extra Power DC-8 which uses either standard or rechargeable AA batteries. While the latter unit is more compact it does require rechargeable AA batteries or the not-so-eco-friendly standard AA batteries. Here at The Nokia Guide, we prefer technology that helps every bit when it comes to our environment and the use of AA batteries, even the rechargeable ones are something we wouldn’t recommend or even consider using. For this simple fact we prefer the DC-11 over the DC-8.

Before we continue let’s have a look at the specs:

Physical features and interface

Dimensions

• 113 x 56 x 11 mm (L x W x T)

Weight

• 94 g

Charging cable length

• 113 mm

Charging connectors

• Nokia 2.0 mm and micro USB charging connectors

Operation time

• Depending on phone/accessory, up to 3 h.

Operating temperature

• 0°C to 40°C

Recharging time

• Depending on a charger, less than 2 h 45 mins with AC-8 Power

Power supply

• Rechargeable 1500 mAh Li-Ion battery

Sales package contents

• Nokia Extra Power DC-11
• User guide

Design

1.Power key

2.Indicator light

3. 2.0 mm charger connector

4. microUSB charger plug

5. 2.0 mm charger plug

The design of the Nokia Extra Power DC-11 is simply elegant yet quite sturdy, putting other Mobile Chargers on the market to shame. It’s similar in size to the N97, but much thinner. The top and bottom are made of a light colored metal finish, that in some light conditions can almost seem like White, matching the White rim surrounding the unit and White indicator light. There’s no denying that the DC-11 is one of the best looking mobile chargers on the market and a big part of this is due to the metal design. However we also think that they should have chosen a more grippy and scratch resistant material for the bottom part of the  unit. If you don’t take care scratches will start to show. While this doesn’t happen easily on the top part, eventually it will on the bottom as that’s the area where the unit will touch most surfaces. For this reason, a more resistant material like plastic or rubber would have done a much better job. Luckily this is only cosmetic and affects an area that’s mostly  hidden from view. 

Both the microUSB and 2.0 mm Nokia charger connector neatly tuck away in the White rim, keeping the overall design clean.  Scratches aside, the unit has a solid build, typically what we’ve come to expect from Nokia and is what separates this from other third party chargers. The only button we can find on the DC-11 is the power button initiates the charging process.

The dual charging capabilities of the DC-11 is pure genius, allowing you to charge two devices, specifically a 2.0 mm charger and a microUSB compatible device at the same time. Considering that you can charge two devices simultaneously, you’d expect the DC-11 to have at least 3000 mAh of power, but according to Nokia the reason why it has 1500 mAh, is because it’s meant for “for partial and occasional charging.” Having more juice, will without any doubt have implications when it comes to the overall size, so we think  Nokia did a find a perfect balance between size and power. Even so, it should provide enough juice to completely recharge a Nokia N97 or partially recharge two devices. In the future we would love to see another version with at least 3500 mAh.

The ability to charge devices with a microUSB makes the DC-11 perfect for current  (N97) and upcoming devices (N900)  that use microUSB for charging. Only problem is that the DC-11 itself uses the older 2.0 mm charger connector. This can become a problem when you have device, like the N97 that specifically uses  microUSB for charging. This means that you’ll need to keep a second charger that has a 2.0mm charger handy to charge the DC-11 itself. This can easily be solved by adding a microUSB charge connector the DC-11, something that it currently lacks. It’s kind of strange that the DC-11 can charge devices via microUSB, yet the unit itself can not be charged via the same connector and charges exclusively via 2.0mm Nokia chargers. This to us, is the only true downside to the Extra Power DC-11.

Charging the DC-11

Included in the package was the Nokia Extra Power DC-11 and a simple user guide. Wait, no included charger? Normally we would scoff at the idea of device whose main function is charging, yet that doesn’t include one itself (a charger). In this case we’ll have to make an exception,because the DC-11 was intended to be used with your Nokia’s included 2.0 mm charger, keeping overall costs down and alleviates the problem of yet another Nokia charger that’s left unused and that will probably end up at the landfill. We liked this idea, especially considering the environmental reasoning behind it. As we pointed out earlier, this can become a problem if you have microUSB compatible devices like the N97, as the DC-11 cannot be charged via microUSB. One thing we would have liked to see is a microUSB to 2.0mm pin connector, that would allow you to for example use the N97’s charger.

Nokia says that DC-11 is compatible with the AC-3, AC-4, AC-5, AC-8, DC-4, and DC-9 Nokia chargers. In fact, because it uses Nokia’s 2.0mm chargers, it’s also possible to charge the DC-11 through a USB port using the Nokia connectivity cable CA-100 or CA-126.

One interesting fact about the DC-11 is that once paired with the AC-8 charger, it can fully charge in less than 2 h 45 mins. In our test we clocked this at 2 h 15 mins, which is quite fast when you compare this to other Mobile Chargers that take well above 3 hours to fully charge.

When charging the indicator light flashes during charging and when fully charged and when fully charged, the indicator light stops flashing.

Charging your device

Using the DC-11 is pretty simple. The charger connectors are neatly tucked inside the DC-11, so you’ll need to pull these out, connect them to your device and press the power button. While charging the device slowly flashes the power connector. When the battery in your
device becomes fully charged, the indicator light stops flashing and is continuously shown for about 30 seconds, and the DC-11 device switches off. You can also stop charging and switch off the DC-11 device by pressing and holding the power key for about 5 seconds. The
DC-11 device automatically switches off if it becomes discharged.

Conclusion

In typical Nokia fashion, the Extra Power DC-11 is a solid mobile charger. The beautiful design and sturdy build put other mobile chargers to shame. Another plus is that you can charge two devices at the same time, but at 1500 mAh, expect to fully  charge one Nokia smartphone, or partially two of them. While the metal material looks nice it easily picks up scratches, for this reason Nokia should have used a rubber material on the bottom part of the unit. This a slight cosmetic issue that shouldn’t be a big problem. When paired with a AC-8 Nokia charger, the DC-11 is able to quickly charge in less than 3 hours, something other mobile chargers haven’t been able to do. The only true downside to the DC-11 is the fact it can charge devices via microUSB, yet the unit itself can not be charged via the same connector and charges exclusively via the 2.0mm Nokia chargers. If you have a N97 for example, that uses a microUSB charger, you’ll need to keep it an extra charger handy. Overall score: 8.2 out of 10.

Special thanks to Mobilefun.co.uk for providing a sample unit. If you’re interested in purchasing a Nokia Extra Power DC-11, it can be purchased here.

Pros

-Beautiful design

-Sturdy Build

-Charge devices simultaneously

-Can charger newer devices using microUSB

-DC-11 Can be quickly charged

Cons

-DC-11 can not be charged via microUSB