examine – Most people know what to look for in a portable power plant. This technology is starting to become commonplace among manufacturers. LiFePO4 battery usage, ultra-fast charging, USB-C ports, apps for phones, etc. are all becoming more common and expected. To separate themselves, Anker developed the SOLIX C800 Plus Portable Power Station, tailor-made for campers and outdoorsmen. Read on to find out what features make this power plant unique.
What is that?
The Anker SOLIX C800 Plus Portable Power Station is a 768Wh battery/charger using LiFePO4 battery technology. The name ‘Plus’ indicates that this powerhouse has a 3-mode camping light in its regular C800 storage compartment.
What’s included?
- Anker SOLIX C800 Plus Portable Power Station
- AC charging cable
- Automotive (DC) charging cable
- Solar (XT) charging cable
- user manual
technical specifications
Click to expand
- 768Wh
- 1200W output
- 1600W surge
- 3,000 cycle LiFePO4 battery
- 10 ports
- Maximum solar input 300W
- Ultra-fast charging to 100% in 58 minutes
- Size: 14.61 inches
- Weight: 24 pounds
Design and Features
I already own two different portable power plants, a huge 2000Wh unit and two smaller 300Wh units. I have a huge, heavy one for power outages or long camping trips. It’s a small thing you use to power small items when you’re out of the house for a few hours. I was interested in the “mama bear” size of the Anker SOLIX C800 Plus power plant. I have a portable refrigerator/freezer combo that I use in my truck. Small power plants are quite effective at keeping things running during the day, but they always need to be recharged at night. I plugged in the Anker and in 8 hours the fridge/freezer lost 10% of its power. I can see this powering my fridge/freezer for days!
Other power plants do not have companion phone apps. At first I wasn’t sure how useful this would be. But after my first trip, I realized how useful this feature is. Usually I keep the refrigerator/freezer in the bed of my truck along with the power plant. While stopping to get gas out of the truck, I had to lower the tailgate and check to make sure the plug wasn’t out and how much battery life was left. Now you can do it anytime from the front seat!
A standout feature of the Anker SOLIX C800 Plus power station is the included camping lights. This is much more than a ‘portable flashlight’. The adjustable pole, which comes with two lights, is located in a storage compartment at the top of the unit. If you look closely, you’ll notice that the light has a pogo pin connector that lines up with the pins on the device to allow for recharging when stored. Very smart! Each light has three modes: Candles, floodlights, flashlights. Each mode can be increased/decreased by pressing and holding the power button. Each light has a magnetic ring and retractable hook so it can be mounted on a variety of surfaces. The magnetic ring attaches to the magnetic ball on the extension pole, making it easy to direct the light in any direction. The pole itself is screwed onto the power unit. With an induction cooktop, you can use the light for tailgating or camping in the dark, or for late-night editing on your computer while taking photos during the day. If you need more light, there’s a light strip on the power unit!
Assembly, installation, setup
No assembly required. The Anker SOLIX C800 Plus Portable Power Station was double boxed and charged approximately 80%. I charged it to 100% using the included AC wall charger and installed the app on my iPhone.
Performance
The Anker SOLIX C800 Plus portable power station has two USB-C ports, one delivering 100W and the other 30W. There are 5 110 outlets and 1 car charger. As mentioned above, if you use your portable refrigerator/freezer for about 8 hours, it will only use 10% of its power. For reference, my truck refrigerator/freezer is a Setpower PT35L Dual Zone. For testing with the Anker, we used a refrigerator/freezer with ECO cooling mode. Since the refrigerator/freezer was not running continuously and was using a more efficient DC input (cigarette lighter plug), we were able to maximize power usage from the power plant.
What I like about the Anker SOLIX C800 Plus Portable Power Station
- LiFePO4 batteries, the lifespan and safety of this battery technology are currently the best.
- Includes 2 camping lights, magnetic base and hanging hook – great!
- This app allows you to easily monitor and change your device without having to go directly to it, which is useful for inconvenient storage.
What needs to be improved?
- It would be nice to have the ability to daisy chain other batteries to increase capacity.
- The UPS functionality is specified in the literature, but it is believed that there will be degradation with a switching time of 20 ms. (I read that for computer equipment the transition time should not exceed 5ms.)
final thoughts
I think the Anker SOLIX C800 Plus portable power station will be a great help on my short adventures! There should be enough power to charge everything and easily get you through the weekend. I like that it’s not too heavy and is much more portable than my massive 2000Wh unit, but offers more capacity and runtime than my little power plant. Anker says this device will keep your blanket heated for nearly 12 hours!
If you’re looking for a portable power station, especially for camping, I think this is one of the better options with all the built-in features and included features.
price: $649.99
Where to buy: Anker Store and Amazon
source: A sample of this product was provided free of charge by Anker. Anker did not have the final say on the reviews and did not preview the reviews before they were published.