Hahnel Extreme HLX-E6NH review: new and improved Extreme battery offers 20% more power

With the move to mirrorless, cameras need more juice than ever to power their LCD screens, electronic viewfinders and go the distance when doing power hungry tasks like recording 4K video. That’s why we’ve seen Canon update its proprietary LP-E6N 1865mAh battery for DSLRs, with a newer Canon LP-E6NH for mirrorless which has an extra 14% capacity at 2130mAh.

Hahnel’s Extreme batteries have been around for many years - they’re well-built with an additional silicone injection process that makes them more durable and drop-resistant. They’re also cost-effective and the original HLX-E6NH had a respectable capacity of 2000mAh as a direct replacement for the LP-E6N and LP-E6NH, for cameras such as the Canon EOS R5 and EOS R6.

Hanhel first updated its Extreme battery cells for better mirrorless performance with the Sony Extreme HLX-XZ100, though Nikon and Olympus variations have also followed suit.

Hahnel has now updated its HLX-E6NH with a new and improved 2400mAh capacity, an increase of 20%, so in this review we got hold of the new and improved model to see if it really can deliver even more performance than Canon's LP-E6NH 2130 mAh battery at half the price, or whether this promise is simply too good to be true.

Hahnel Extreme HLX-E6NH: Design & Handling

From the outside the Hahnel HLX-E6NH looks no different to its prior model, as changes for the new and improved iteration are all internal, using the latest battery technology to squeeze in a large 2400mAh capacity.

Its shape and size are also determined by the original Canon LP-E6N and LP-E6NH - Hahnel’s Extreme batteries need to share the same design and dimensions to fit properly inside of its Canon camera body, such as a Canon EOS R5 or R6, which it does very well.

Hahnel has however given its Extreme cells a lick of paint. The bright orange plastic helps Hahnel to put its stamp on the range, which it has done since the range’s inception back in 2012. This also makes it a little easier to find when searching through your kit bag at night or in a dark shooting location.

While predominantly made to handle the higher power draw from mirrorless cameras as the LCD screen or electronic viewfinder has to be used to compose an image, whereas on a DSLR you could just use the optical viewfinder to compose which would draw very little power by comparison, there’s nothing stopping you putting this souped-up cell in your older Canon DSLRs and benefiting from the extra capacity. In our testing, a single charge easily lasted us a full day of moderate shooting, more on exact performance statistics for stills and video below.

If you’re interested in purchasing a Hahnel Extreme for your Canon be sure it will fit your camera as some Canon’s, even full-frame models like the EOS RP, take smaller batteries like the LP-E17.

Hahnel Extreme HLX-E6NH: Performance

In order to thoroughly test the Hahnel HLX-E6NH we pitted it against its closest rival for Canon cameras, the Canon LP-E6NH. With a charge capacity of 2400mAh, compared to the Canon’s 2130mAh, we were interested to see what the additional 270mAh equated to in real terms.

For our first test, we fully charged up both batteries and recorded some 4K-D (4096x2160) video at 25p on a Canon EOS R5. Canon’s proprietary LP-E6NH was capable of recording a very respectable 128 minutes, while the Hahnel HLX-E6NH with its supposedly higher capacity that should have delivered a 13% increase actually provided a poorer result, recording just 103 minutes of footage before the camera shut-off. That means the Canon first-party battery could record for 25 minutes longer, an increase of 24.3%.

When it came to stills photography, we set our Canon EOS R5 to record its highest quality RAW files and used the High-Speed burst mode using the mechanical shutter to rattle off 24,966 images before the Canon LP-E6NH ran completely flat. However, the new and improved Hahnel HLX-E6NH could only muster 19,093. That means that despite the Hahnel claiming a higher capacity, the proprietary Canon battery was able to last 30.7% longer when it came to stills in our tests.

In addition to raw power, the Hahnel HLX-E6NH also boasts additional insulation to help give it shock-absorbing properties with Hahnel claiming it can survive a 3m drop. After testing this for ourselves we can confirm the battery did indeed continue to work after taking such a tumble (though we wouldn’t recommend it). It’s worth noting that due to the extra insulation, Hahnel claims the Extreme HLX-E6NH should perform better in cold conditions, though we were unable to test this.

Once our batteries were thoroughly tested and completely flat we needed to charge them up, here there was again a bit of a difference between the two. It took two and half hours to fully charge up our Canon LP-E6NH, while the HLX-E6NH was fully charged after just 1 hour 51 minutes. However, this is perhaps unsurprising given that the Canon lasted for longer in our tests.

Hahnel also claims the HLX-E6NH is built from high-quality Li-ion cells with a high energy density ratio and good voltage stability. They also claim it is capable of more than 500 charge and discharge cycles and due to its extra insulation will perform better in cold conditions.

One issue with third-party batteries that's worth mentioning is that you might have anxiety that you're not using an OEM part. Many years ago when I shot on Nikon, I had a bunch of brilliant 3rd party batteries for my Nikon D800 which were much cheaper than Nikon's cells. However, when I upgraded to a newer Nikon D500 my 3rd party batteries refused to work with it and I had to buy the first-party batteries to ensure they would work correctly. Now, while I should reiterate this wasn’t found to be a problem with the Hahnel on test here, it is a problem I have in the back of my mind, worrying if something is suddenly going to stop working as intended after a firmware update or upgrading to a newer camera body - this is an anxiety you simply don't get when buying first-party products.

Hahnel Extreme HLX-E6NH: Final Verdict

Hahnel’s Extreme HLX-E6NH is almost half the cost of Canon’s proprietary LP-E6NH, plus has all of the niceties of its silicone injection process for enhanced cold-weather performance and 3m drop resistance, as well as having a bright orange design that makes it easier to find in your kit bag.

Our biggest gripe is that the new battery hasn’t been rebranded so it’s a bit confusing as to which model you’re buying online, whether that’s the older 2000mAh or newer 2400mAh (though the packaging has a new yellow sticker). Plus in our tests, despite claiming to have a notably higher capacity than Canon’s 2130mAh LP-E6NH at 2400 mAh, the Hahnel simply couldn’t keep pace and delivered a poorer performance ranging between 25-30% lower mileage for RAW stills and 4K video.

Why this was the result, we can't say for certain. But you can't argue with the facts: the OEM Canon battery despite costing much more and claiming to have a lower maximum capacity, delivered a much stronger performance.

That being said, the Hahnel Extreme is still a very good option for Canon shooters, recording about 20,000 RAW files or an hour and forty minutes of 4K video from a full charge in our tests, and at half the price of Canon’s LP-E6NH that’s a compromise we can see many being willing to take. We just wish Hahnel's marketing and branding was a bit clearer.

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This is the official first-party cell for Canon’s such as the EOS R5 and R6 with a capacity of 2130mAh. Buying proprietary Li-Ions ensures no issues and Canon’s top quality too, though staying loyal will cost you as the LP-E6NH cells have a steep RRP of £120!

With a capacity of 2250mAh the Mathorn MB-201 sits in-between Hahnel’s new and old Extreme HLX-E6NH, though sits firmly above Canon’s proprietary LP-E6NH cell. While it doesn’t have the silicon injection of Hahnel’s Extreme series for better drop protection and cold weather performance, it is a better budget option at about 25% less than the Hahnel.