[REVIEW] NexTool 12-in-1 LED flashlight surprises with its sheer number of features: RGB lights, speaker, strong beam distance, and more

Package contents

The new NexTool 12 in 1 flashlight comes in a very compact white box measuring 20.7 x 7 x 6.8 cm. The flashlight is placed in a sliding box, where it’s protected not only by an internal cardboard reinforcement, but also by plastic film.

Under that reinforcement, you’ll also find a paper envelope. It includes a manual in Chinese and English, along with a short charging cable (USB-C) without an adapter.

Build quality and design of the NexTool 12 in 1

Like most other higher-quality flashlights, the NexTool 12 in 1 is largely made of metal—aluminum. It feels very high-quality to the touch. All parts fit together perfectly and hold firmly as a whole.

Design-wise, we can’t really find anything to complain about. The flashlight body is mostly black, complemented by a dark gray ring around the light source. Its dimensions are 173 x 36 x 43 mm, the weight is 248 g, and it feels great in the hand.

A less traditional element is the side light, which sits under the white plastic cover. More about its functions later.

Layout of control elements and other uses

Since it’s a multifunction flashlight, there are quite a few control elements. The main buttons for controlling individual functions are located at the end. It’s a series of 7 buttons arranged in a circular element.

The middle button is used to turn the light on and off, while the other buttons adjust brightness and switch music, since the lamp also has a built-in hidden speaker. On the side there is a rotating handle that is magnetic, and in its center you’ll also find a thread for mounting it on a standard tripod.

The charging connectors are hidden under a screw-on cover around the control buttons, and beneath it there’s a thin strip with four openings for the audio output.

Main light with four color options

The main NexTool 12-in-1 flashlight light is of course white, and it turns on with a slightly longer press and hold of the power button (about 1.5 s). However, with additional short presses of this button, we can also switch it to red, green, or blue.

After turning the flashlight off and back on, it will light up with the color you used last time before you turned it off. There are four LED light sources available, and each one controls its own color.

With all four colors, it’s also possible to adjust the light intensity in five levels using the “+” and “-” buttons. The highest level provides up to 900 lumens with a beam distance of up to around 245 m.

We miss the option to adjust the color temperature for white lighting. However, the light diffusion can be adjusted by pulling out the ring around the main light source, which is the LEDs.

NexTool 12-in-1: Side light

After two quick presses of the main button in succession, the side light turns on right away, and it has several modes. The first one is a classic white light with 5 – 145 lm brightness and an approximate range of 12 m.

With another short press of the middle button, we switch to the second mode, which is an interesting rainbow light with a moving effect. Using the “+” and “-” buttons, you can switch between three brightness levels, where the color-changing speed also changes.

The third mode is called “Sound Atmosphere Lamp”, and it’s also colorful light that changes colors to the rhythm of the music being played via the Bluetooth speaker. If no music is currently playing, the colors and their changes are random.

The fourth mode features red light with 1 – 4.5 lm brightness, and the last, fifth mode is flashing light in the same red color.

Emergency mode and Bluetooth speaker

An interesting feature is the so-called emergency mode. It is activated by pressing and holding the main center button for 3.5 s. During this mode, both flashlights (the main and the side one) turn on and blink in different colors, representing some kind of warning. It’s also accompanied by an unpleasant high-pitched beeping.

A non-traditional extra for the NexTool 12-in-1 flashlight is the built-in Bluetooth speaker with four openings on the sides of the flashlight body. It’s activated by pressing and holding a pair of buttons – play/pause and the button with a music note symbol.

After activation, a Chinese voice is heard, which turns on Bluetooth. Then simply search for the NexTool flashlight in the list of available Bluetooth devices on your smartphone, and pairing is done. The quality of such a small speaker with only 2 W power isn’t very good, which is something you could expect. Its performance gets worse at higher volume levels, where the sound is no longer clean.

This is an interesting accessory that definitely isn’t a traditional feature for flashlights, but given the low quality of the speaker, it doesn’t make a lot of sense. It’s just a Bluetooth speaker you connect to your smartphone, but most smartphones have better speakers than the one in the flashlight, even if at a lower volume.

Runtime and charging

The NexTool 12-in-1 flashlight hides a 2600 mAh / 3.6 V / 9.36 Wh battery. Of course, it’s integrated, so it can’t be replaced. The USB-C charging port is hidden under a rotating cover near the control buttons. You simply unscrew the cover to access the USB-C and USB-A ports. This way, they’re well protected against dirt.

The USB-A port is used to charge other devices, so the flashlight can also serve as an emergency power bank. It’s an emergency power bank because it has a lower capacity than typical smartphones, so you won’t be able to fully charge a smartphone with it.

Battery life depends on the used mode and brightness level. At maximum brightness of 900 lm, it’s approximately 2.4 h, but at the lowest brightness we can reach up to 40 h of battery life on a single charge. In addition, for the color lights with lower brightness, the runtime is in the range of 45 – 48 hours. However, there’s no battery status indicator at all.

NexTool 12 in 1: Final verdict

The NexTool 12 in 1 isn’t just an ordinary flashlight. It’s a multi-functional flashlight with several ways to use it. It offers the classic flashlight function with adjustable brightness from 35 – 900 lm and a beam distance of up to 245 m. Besides that, it also features a stylish side color light, a magnetic rotating mount, and a thread for a tripod.

There’s also an emergency mode: a Bluetooth speaker paired with a color light flashing in rhythm with the music, plus the option to use the flashlight as an emergency power bank. However, the speaker quality is fairly weak, and the battery capacity is really only enough for emergency charging of a smartphone.

That said, the flashlight will find plenty of uses—whether as a classic spot light for illuminating in the dark, a work light for car repairs, for fishing, camping, or even while working at your computer.