Best Overall
SmallRig's BLK22 battery moves USB-C charging off the camera dock and onto the cell itself. For an S9 owner, that collapses the charging kit down to one cable: a spare battery can be topped up from a phone charger or power bank while the camera stays ready to shoot. The pack is fully decoded, so the S9's remaining-time display treats it like an OEM battery instead of showing a generic third-party warning. Compatibility with other BLK22 Lumix bodies such as the S5 II, GH6, and G9 II also makes the same spare useful if you carry more than one camera.
With a 5V/2A source, a flat battery reaches full in about two and a half hours. The charging LED stays red while topping up and switches to green when done, which makes an overnight charge easy to read. The orange shell is a small but useful detail: in a bag with lenses, straps, and cards, that color is easy to spot without hunting. The six-layer protection circuit guards against overcurrent, overcharge, and short-circuit conditions, which matters when the battery is charged outside the camera from a random USB adapter.
This is the practical spare for travel and street photographers who already carry a power bank and would rather skip a separate charger. The honest boundary is the other side of that convenience: full-speed refills need a 5V/2A source, and some shooting patterns can produce shorter endurance than the original Panasonic battery. If the day is built around maximum single-battery runtime, a two-battery charger kit is the closer fit; this cell is about lighter travel, not extended runtime.
This is not a compromise pick; it is a targeted travel tool. The mid-range price keeps it competitive with OEM spare batteries, but the USB-C port is what separates it from a plain backup cell. It also pairs naturally with the S9's compact design: when the camera bag is small, a battery that charges from the same power bank as your phone is easy to justify. No charger dock in the bag means more room for the things you actually shoot. For S9 owners who treat a charging brick as phone gear rather than camera gear, this battery fits the same pouch. The choice depends on whether you would rather carry a dock or use USB-C; for trips where a dock would just take up space, this is the one to pack.
Pros
- Built-in USB-C charging removes the need for a separate battery dock.
- Fully decoded DMW-BLK22 communication keeps remaining-time readings accurate in Lumix bodies.
- Bright orange shell is easy to spot in a dark gear bag.
- LED charging indicator shows red/green status during top-ups.
Cons
- For a full travel day, one cell in the box means a second pack is still required.
- At a desk with several drained batteries, a separate dock is required; the USB-C port tops up one at a time.
On a trip, this battery answers the where-is-the-charger question before it starts. For S9 owners who want USB-C top-ups without a dock, it is the spare to pack.