Flaws But Not Dealbreakers
The main downside of the BigBlue charger is, as the brand name might suggest, its size. Even though it weighs the same as the X-Dragon, its a good 10 inches longer when unfolded, making it a little harder to maneuver into just the right position. But the extra size gives it more surface area to collect the sunshine, and its still relatively sleek and compact when packedthats when size and weight are most important.
Some models weve tested, such as the Eceen, snap closed with two magnets sewn into the materialmaking them, quite literally, a snap to pack up and stow away. The BigBlues single strip of Velcro was wimpier than that of the X-Dragon and came unstuck more easily. Weve noticed in past long-term testing that Velcro generally wears poorly in water, mud, and sun in comparison with magnets. Something to keep in mind, but again, not a dealbreaker.
Don’t Get Caught In The Wilderness Without One
- University of Maryland Baltimore County
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The best solar chargers use the sun’s abundant power to keep your devices and batteries topped off. Solar chargers aren’t just for nature enthusiasts. People who spend a lot of time outdoors, whether that’s camping or commuting, will find them useful, as well. These chargers help keep your devices ready to go without you needing to be near a power outlet.
With so much of our lives revolving around electricity, the case for solar chargers is not hard to make. Some solar chargers are small enough to strap on to the top of your backpack, so even as you walk to work, or set your backpack down next to a window on the train or in your car, you can use the sun’s power to your advantage.
Best Phone Charger: Dizaul 5000mah Portable Solar Power Bank
The Dizaul Portable Solar Power Bank is another battery with a built-in solar panel, though this time, you’re limited to a single cell. The power bank has two USB outputs rated at 1 amp each. The battery pack, itself, is lightweight and can easily be thrown into a pocket or, better yet, attached to a backpack. The battery pack has a built-in flashlight, but it also comes with a USB reading light, which is a nice add-on.
The battery pack also charges via microUSB, which is not ideal. These days, we’d really like to see USB Type-C here. The battery pack is water resistant, but the port covers keeping it sealed are a little on the flimsy side. This is a great battery pack for on-the-go people who occasionally need to top up when they’re away from powerthink commuters, rather than hikers.
Number of Ports: 2 | Power Output: 5V / 2X1A | Types of Ports: USB-A | Number of Cells: 1 | Efficiency: Not listed | Battery Capacity: 5,000mAh
“The Dizaul 5000mAh Portable Solar Power Bank is a lightweight and portable option for the urban dweller or occasional adventurer who wants a reliable on-the-go smartphone charger.” Yoona Wagener, Product Tester
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Solar Energy Can Power More Than Just Your Phone
The quality and efficiency of solar powered phone chargers are getting better all the time. As solar technology continues to improve, we might one day have small solar panels capable of generating a substantial amount of power.
Until that day comes, solar powered phone chargers will best serve as a backup option and not a primary source of power.
Your phone doesnt have to be the only thing you power with solar energy. By installing solar panels on your roof, you can power your whole home with solar. Not only does this decrease your carbon footprint, it can save you thousands of dollars on your utility bills.
You can use our one-of-a-kind solar calculator to get an estimate tailored to your specific home and find out how much solar could save you.
How much can you save with solar?
How Did We Choose These Solar Chargers
We analyzed several products in our search for the best solar chargers and powerbanks, carefully reviewing and comparing each product to find the very best options that the market has available.
These are some important features to help you find the best powerbanks and solar chargers for your needs:
- Size: The size of the solar panels will determine how much solar power you will receive when away from an outlet.
- Charging speeds: When you do not have a lot of time to waste, the charging speed can be a big deal. Solar panels typically charge significantly slower than wall connections, so consider how long it will take to charge your devices both ways.
- Battery size: The size of the battery also determines how much charge you can receive. While a 10,000mAh is suitable for a quick charge on the go, you will want to consider a higher battery, around 25,000mAh or more, if you plan on charging multiple devices or living remotely for a few days.
- Functions: While some solar chargers and powerbanks stick to just charging, there are other models that incorporate additional features, like a flashlight or seat belt cutter.
- Ports: If you plan on charging multiple devices, it is important to consider a solar charger or powerbank that has multiple ports to accommodate your devices.
Before you buy, take the time to consider your specific needs. Then you’ll know which product will be the best solar charger and powerbank for you.
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Raddy Sw: Solar Power Bank With A Built
- Capacity: 5000mAh
- Wireless Charging: No
- Output/input: USB A, USB-C charging port
How about enjoying your camping with some music? Raddy SW5 comes with an AM/FM/NOAA weather radio and 5000mAh battery. It has an IPX5 waterproof rating, an SOS alarm, a compass, and three lighting modes.
This power bank is made from ABS & TPU materials for durability. In addition to solar charging, you can recharge it using USB 3.0 type-C charging and the hand crank. With the FM/AM and NOAA band support, you may tune in to music, sports, news, and the weather report.
SW5 will undoubtedly accompany you if you love reading as the night falls. It has three different reading lamp modes along with the flashlight. Altogether its the best solar power bank for camping.
Pros
What Features To Look For In A Solar Phone Charger
When youre shopping for a solar phone charger, there are a few things to keep in mind to make sure you get the right one for your needs, including:
- Type of charger
There are two types of solar phone chargers:
Direct solar chargers connect the solar panels to your phone, so the energy produced by the panels goes directly into your phones battery.
A battery bank solar charger doesnt get hooked up to your phone. Instead, the panels charge a solar power bank that you can then plug your phone into later when it needs a boost.
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Nekteck 21w Solar Phone Charger
The Nekteck solar cell phone charger is compact and boasts three efficient solar panels made by SunPower. Image source:
Price: $42.99 Buy Now
Pros: Nektecks 21 Solar Phone Charger has three high-efficiency SunPower solar panels to directly charge your phone. Its dual charge ports have a combined power output of 15 watts, meaning it will charge your phone faster than some other chargers on the market. It is extremely lightweight at just 18 ounces. Plus, it is weather resistant.
Cons: This is a direct solar charger, so your phone has to be directly connected to it in order to charge. If you want to have power stored to charge later, youll have to purchase a battery bank separately.
Compatibility: All iPhones, tablets, GPS, cameras, and other USB-supported devices.
Solar Power Banks: The Best Solar Charger With A Battery
Want to a solar charger with its own battery? The Anker PowerCore Solar 20000 is our top recommendation. You get both a USB-A and USB-C port, and with a 20,000mAh capacity battery, you’ll have plenty of onboard juice to keep your devices topped up. To put that in context, it’s enough charge up an iPhone 12 around 4.7 times, a Galaxy S20 3.4 times, and an iPad mini 2.7 times.
Plus, while the battery is running down, you can be topping it up again via the solar panels. Don’t expect miracles: it can take several days to fully charge in this way. But it does give you that extra bit of juice that will stop you worrying about running out.
This power bank is also dustproof and water-resistant to IP65 standards, comes with four-corner drop protection, a handle, and an in-built flashlight, making it a good choice for outdoor adventuring. You get a USB-C to USB-C cable in the box, too, along with a Handy-Carry wrist strap.
If you want wireless charging from your solar power bank, here’s our top recommendation. You can juice up any device that supports Qi charging simply by placing it on the power bank. Alternatively make a wired connection to any of three ports . Or you can use everything at once, and charge four devices simultaneously.
If you don’t have blue skies and all day to spare, you can also use the onboard 3,200 mAh battery to charge your devices directly. Plus that battery, as you might have guessed, can be charged up from sunlight itself.
Read more
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Who This Is For
USB solar chargers are a great option if youre taking an extended camping trip or if youre traveling somewhere with an unreliable power grid. Theyre also good for stashing in an emergency kit. In all those specific situations, a solar charger could charge a phone the size of an iPhone X using a few hours of midday sun. But in most situations, a USB solar charger isnt actually the best portable power source, and you may be better off starting with a USB power bank designed for phones and tablets, USB-C laptops, or AC-powered laptops. Our power bank picks keep a smartphone charged for hours or even days at a time, are the size of a paperback novel or smaller, and are not dependent on the weather.
But whether you choose a solar charger or a battery, itll work only with USB or USB-C devices, which limits these options appeal for anyone who needs power for a long-term, off-grid setup. If youre going to be mostly stationary and need to charge or run larger devices like laptops or televisions, or if you need to use more sophisticated communications equipment, youll probably be more interested in the larger setups that we cover in our guide to the best portable power stations.
Blavor Solar Power Bank
Price: $30Best features: Size and backup power
The only solar phone battery charger on our list with attached backup battery storage, the Blavor Solar PowerBank, looks like a small black and orange brick with solar panels attached and is perfect for a little charge boost on the go. While it wont charge as fast as some of the other options in this article , the all-in-one design lets you charge up the built-in battery and juice up your phone later. One fun feature on some newer Blavor products is Qi charging compatibility. This technology allows for wireless charging in many newer smartphones.
Price range: $70 $80Best feature: SunPower solar panels
The BigBlue solar charger uses a brand of solar panels that should be familiar to anyone whos shopped for home solar panels before: SunPower, the industry leader in efficient monocrystalline solar panel tech. BigBlue says that their SunPower solar cells are up to 23.5% efficient, a surprisingly high efficiency rating. Aside from the top-notch solar cell technology, this charger must be in direct sunlight and connected to your phone to charge, as there is no connected battery pack. However, you can always buy a separate one and charge it up for power when the sun is not out. BigBlues solar charger is collapsible for easy transport, durable in most weather conditions, and lightweight. It also has three USB ports, allowing you to charge multiple devices at once.
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Is The Patriot Power Cell Any Good
As it is a relatively simple device, the Patriot Power Cell manages to do its job pretty well. The small, convenient battery bank can charge overnight and be ready for your adventures the next day. If youre going on a road trip, heading out to camp, or simply think you might need an extra battery charge for your phone, the 4 Patriot Power Cell will do the trick.
With that said, its hard to get past the barely functional solar panel included on the device. The whole thing feels a bit like a cheap gimmick. Overall, of course, there is always room for improvement. The Patriot Power Cell is neither the best, nor the cheapest portable solar charger on the market.
Our Pick: Bigblue 28w Usb Solar Charger
You save $12
The BigBlue 28W USB Solar Charger is the USB solar charger wed pack for a week in the woods or a month in Malawi. It produced the most power of the models we tested and offers several standout featuresan additional output port, a weatherproof port protector, and an expansive array of panels to catch every last ray of sunlight.
At the sunniest point of our tests, the BigBlue tied with the X-Dragon 20W SunPower Solar Charger for how much power it produced at any one instant, reaching about 10.7 watts. But over the course of the day, the BigBlue had the highest cumulative wattage: 48.8 watt-hours to the X-Dragons 43.7 watt-hours. That isnt a huge gainyou could barely charge an iPhone X battery halfway with the additional powerbut every watt matters if youre far from an outlet, and the extra power costs little more in size or price.
The BigBlue stood out among the dozens of models we considered in part because it has two 2.4 A ports and one 1 A port so you can charge three devices simultaneously. Every other model we tested had just two ports. Plus, the ports on the BigBlue are the most protected from water and dust among all the models we tested, as theyre covered by both a cloth flap and a rubber cover. Thankfully the cover is connected by a small tether so you dont lose it.
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Best Phone Solar Charger: The Experts Insights
This guide is based on years of our experience spent researching and writing about phone solar charger. Trust us, we arent the only site that reviews products, but there are a few things you should know first. Other sites including many better-known ones get paid to promote certain products. We dont. Our opinions are completely unbiased because we have no allegiances. Also, unlike many sites, we tend to do a lot more research than just make some calls on which product is best. When we post a review, its fully researched and written by our team we dont work with outside writers for reviews as others do.
Best Solar Phone Chargers For Home Backup
A solar charger is a great way to keep your phone and/or tablet charged when theres a power emergency at home.
If you plan to charge multiple devices for everyone in the household, get a high-output solar phone charger with several outlets. This will let you charge multiple phones quickly at the same time.
Its also a good idea to get a solar charger with an integrated power bank, unless you already have a high-capacity power bank.
A power bank ensures you can still charge your devices at night or when the weather is bad .
We also recommend getting a solar phone charger with fast charging technology. This is especially important for large households where you need to charge many devices.
Portability is not very important, so you can afford to get a bigger kit with a larger solar panel and bigger battery pack.
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Buying Guide: What To Consider Before Buying The Best Solar Battery Chargers For Boats
The majority of people may not be aware of the internal working of solar battery chargers. As such, purchasing an ideal boat solar charger can be quite a tricky task. The key to making the most sensible purchase decision is establishing your ideal requirements and working your way up.
Here are some of the crucial factors to consider when buying a solar battery charger for your boat.
Limitations Of All Solar Phone Chargers
The biggest limitation of ALL solar phone chargers is also what makes them so great: the sun.
Without direct sunshine falling on your solar charger, its not going to charge your phone or will do so painfully slowly.
This is especially a bad problem for combo solar chargers that have integrated battery packs. They often include such low capacity solar panels that it would take days of perfect sunshine to recharge the battery.
Normally, you wont get perfect sunshine, even in the summer. Clouds can form, or you may be traveling through a thickly wooded area.
Thats why I recommend you get the highest wattage solar phone charger you can afford. It will charge your phone faster even with limited sun exposure time.
If you are planning to spend more than a couple of days in the wild, dont get an integrated solar charger+power bank unit. According to most campers, this type of integrated charger will frustrate you because of the low wattage solar panels, sometimes as low as 1 watt. Instead, get a high capacity solar-only charger and buy a couple of battery packs to charge with it.
Another issue with many solar phone chargers is their lack of versatility. They can only produce enough power for small devices.
Unlike larger portable solar chargers, you cannot use them to power your laptop, lamp or medical device.
The payoff is that you’ll get a charger small enough to put in your pocket.
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