Olight Baton 4 Pro Review: The Baton 4 With More of Everything
The short version: Everything that made the Baton 4 our default recommendation, pushed further — 1,600 lumens, a 200 m throw, dual side-and-tail switches, and both magnetic and USB-C charging. The proprietary cell remains, and now the light costs $70. For most people this replaces the original as the default Olight to buy.
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Who this light is for
The Baton 4 Pro sits one rung above the Baton 4 on the same ladder: a thumb-sized rechargeable EDC light for people who don't want to think about flashlights. The upgrades are real — 300 more lumens, 30 more meters of throw, a second switch, and a second charging method — but the philosophy is unchanged. Small, polished, always charged, nothing to configure.
The dual-switch layout is the differentiator. A side e-switch walks through modes; a tail switch gives instant turbo and momentary-on in an overhand grip. People who found the side-switch-only Baton 4 fussy for one-handed use will find the Pro answers that criticism directly. It's also the right pick if you want a magnetic tail that sticks to a car hood and a switch you can find without looking.
Specifications
All figures below are Olight's published ratings, not our measurements.
| Maximum output | 1,600 lumens |
| Beam distance | 200 m |
| Switches | Side e-switch + tactical tail switch |
| Battery | Proprietary rechargeable cell (built in) |
| Charging | Magnetic tailcap and USB-C (dual) |
| Water resistance | IPX8 |
| Lockout | Yes |
| Body | Anodized aluminum |
Two switches, correctly implemented
Dual-switch EDC lights usually compromise one of them. The Baton 4 Pro doesn't: the side e-switch handles mode stepping with the battery indicator built in, while the tail switch fires turbo instantly on a half-press — the grip a hand finds naturally when a light is drawn from a pocket. In practice that means: draw, squeeze, light, at any hour, one-handed.
Lockout carries over from the rest of the line and matters more here than most lights, because a tail switch that sensitive in a pocket full of keys is a heat event waiting to happen. Learn the lockout on day one; it's the difference between a light you trust and one you check.
What 1,600 lumens means in this body
The same physics that governs the Baton 4 governs the Pro: there is no thermal mass in a thumb-sized light, so turbo is a burst. What the extra headroom buys is a higher sustained ceiling and a genuinely useful 200 m beam distance — this is now a flooder with real reach, not just a room-filler. For a driveway, a backyard, or a path to the car, the Pro covers ground the Baton 4 can't.
The charging story is the sleeper feature. Magnetic tailcap charging at a desk, or USB-C from any cable you own — the Pro is the first Baton to offer both, which quietly removes the "proprietary cable" objection that has followed Olight for years. IPX8 submersion rating rounds out the package.
Where it falls down
The proprietary cell is still proprietary. USB-C charging mitigates it in daily use, but in the field a dead Pro is still a dead Pro until it reaches a charger — the same disqualifying constraint we flagged on the Baton 4, and it applies with interest at this price.
$70 buys a lot of alternatives. The Arkfeld Pro costs more but adds UV and the beam; the honest competition is the Fenix E18R V2.0, which costs $10 less, takes a replaceable 16340 or CR123A, and posts the same IP68 rating. The Pro's answer is polish, the dual switches, and the magnetic ecosystem.
Turbo steps down quickly. Sixteen hundred lumens lasts seconds, not minutes, in a body this small. That's correct engineering, not a defect — but buyers who expect sustained 1,600 will be disappointed.
Pros
- 1,600 lm and 200 m in a genuinely pocketable body
- Dual switches — instant turbo plus mode control
- Both magnetic and USB-C charging
- IPX8 with lockout for pocket safety
- Olight polish and ecosystem
Cons
- Sealed proprietary cell
- Turbo is a brief burst (physics, not defect)
- Costs $10+ more than a replaceable-cell rival
- Magnetic cable still required for the dock feature
What to buy instead
| If you want… | Buy this | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Save $10, swap batteries | Fenix E18R V2.0 | 1,200 lm, 16340 or CR123A, IP68 |
| Stay in the family, save | Baton 4 | 1,300 lm, the proven default |
| Flat carry + UV | Arkfeld Pro | 1,300 lm flat with UV and green beam |
| Raw output | Seeker Ultra | 4,800 lm for real search work |
The verdict
The Baton 4 Pro is the Baton 4 with the three most-requested upgrades — more output, a tail switch, and USB-C — and it executes all three without losing the pocket-sized soul of the original. If you're buying your first Olight, this is now the one to buy; the original remains the pick only if the price gap matters.
Its one structural weakness remains the battery, and Olight's ecosystem is the only answer to that. Buy it for the polish and the switches; buy the E18R V2.0 if a replaceable cell is a requirement rather than a preference.
Frequently asked questions
Baton 4 Pro vs. Baton 4 — is the upgrade worth it?
For $10–15 more you get 300 more lumens, 30 more meters of throw, an instant-turbo tail switch, and USB-C charging alongside the magnetic dock. If you use a light daily, the tail switch alone justifies it. If budget matters, the Baton 4 remains excellent.
Can the Baton 4 Pro charge with a normal USB-C cable?
Yes — it accepts standard USB-C in addition to Olight's magnetic tailcap charging. That's the first Baton to offer both, and it means any cable you own can keep it topped up.
Is the battery replaceable?
No. Like the rest of the modern Baton line, the rechargeable cell is built in. Daily users charge it on a schedule and never notice; anyone who needs field-swappable batteries should look at the Fenix E18R V2.0 instead.
How bright is it really for everyday use?
The mid levels are the ones you'll live on — genuinely bright for rooms, paths, and yards. The 1,600-lumen turbo is a short burst for identifying something at distance, after which the light steps down to protect itself and the cell.