It is the ideal companion for camping, hiking or trekking tours – the solar power bank. If you want to enjoy nature to the full, you are often far away from electricity and power sockets. With a solar-powered power bank, you can charge your smartphone or tablet wherever you are. In this buying guide, I would like to explain to you what is exciting about this topic and what you should know about it.
The most important things first
- A solar power bank is a practical solution when there is no power connection nearby.
- With the solar panels, sunlight can be stored and converted into energy by the solar modules.
- Solar power banks are available in various designs and with different features and special features.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
- The most important things first
- Practical powerhouse: The editors’ recommendation
- Good & affordable: The price-performance winner
- Solar power bank: What is important when choosing
- We compared these solar power banks
- Advantages and disadvantages of the solar power bank
- You should pay attention to these features when buying
- The most important facts summarized
- Frequently asked questions about the solar power bank
Don’t want to scroll? Click here to go directly to the solar power bank comparison.
Practical powerhouse: The editors’ recommendation
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Equipped with 4 highly efficient, foldable solar modules and 2 USB outputs, 2 devices can be charged quickly and simultaneously.
Good & affordable: The price-performance winner
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The high capacity and the possibility of charging 3 devices at the same time speak in favor of this model.
Solar power bank: What is important when choosing
You can’t go on a camping vacation or a trip into the great outdoors without a smartphone. On the one hand, you want to be able to keep your loved ones up to date and let them know that everything is okay, and on the other, your smartphone can put you back on the right track if you take a wrong turn. A solar power bank is a really practical gimmick so that you can charge your device when needed.
We compared these solar power banks
What is a solar power bank?
Let’s start with the question of what a solar power bank actually is. Basically, it is a normal power bank, except that it is not charged by electricity, but by solar energy. The solar modules convert the sunlight into energy. The way it works can be compared to rooftop solar systems, except that your solar power bank has a much smaller panel, of course. This concentrates the sunlight and passes it on so that it can be converted into electrical energy and stored. You can charge a smartphone, tablet or other devices that have a suitable connection via this station.
What types of solar power banks are there?
Even though solar panels are already a sub-category of power banks, there are certain differences between them. There are models with a battery, without a battery, with Quick Charge, with LED and so on.
Powerbank without battery
The lightest variant is the solar power bank without battery. They usually consist of a solar panel with a USB port and a small power bank. In this case, your smartphone can only be charged if the solar panel receives sufficient sunlight. The best way to do this is to attach the solar panel to the outside of your rucksack. The disadvantage is that the energy cannot be stored.
Solar power bank with battery
With the power bank with battery, you can charge your smartphone at any time, as the energy can be stored thanks to the battery. You can therefore charge the power bank during the day in the sun via the solar panel and also connect your smartphone, tablet or similar at night and have it supplied with energy. The only disadvantage compared to the version without battery is the heavier weight.
Powerbank with single panel
With the solar power bank, your battery only has a single solar panel, which is mostly located on one side of the device. The advantage is that this model is quite easy to transport and simple to use. However, the loading time is quite long due to the single panel.
Solar power bank with multiple panels
As the name suggests, this power bank has several solar panels. These can be opened up if required. This allows your power bank to charge much faster. However, this version is not quite as compact and is only suitable for hiking or trekking tours to a limited extent, at least if you want to charge the power bank while running.
Powerbank with LED
A power bank with LED is particularly useful when camping. In this case, you can also use your bench as a flashlight. Most models are designed in such a way that the LED lamp does not consume too much energy. However, you should not use the light permanently if you still need enough power for your smartphone.
Powerbank with Quick Charge
How could it be otherwise, it is all about the shortest possible loading times for smartphones. If your cell phone is equipped with Quick Charge technology, you can look around for a solar power bank that supports this function. Instead of letting your smartphone charge for several hours, you can save a lot of time with the Quick Charge function.
Powerbank with Qi
Solar power banks with Qi are particularly practical. This function is supported by many smartphone manufacturers. This involves wireless charging. Induction technology uses electromagnetic waves to transmit energy over short distances without any cables. So all you need is the solar power bank and your smartphone. In this case, you can simply leave your charging cable at home.
Capacity – this is how much power your bank should have
The range of solar power banks is really impressive. However, not every device is recommended. It is best to look for a model that has a high battery capacity. A model with a capacity of 5,000 milliamp hours (mAh) charges quickly, but can only charge your smartphone once or twice. For a slightly longer charging experience and especially if you want to charge several devices, your solar power bank should have at least 10,000, if not 20,000 mAh. You should always build in a buffer of around 30 percent capacity when calculating the required power of the power bank.
Examples:
- The iPhone 13 Pro has a capacity of 3,095 mAh. With a 5,000 mAh power bank, you could only charge your smartphone once.
- An iPad usually has a capacity of 8,000 to 10,000 mAh. So you already need a solar power bank with preferably 20,000 mAh.
- An Amazon Kindle, on the other hand, only has around 1,420 mAh. If you only want to charge this, a small model might be enough for you.
Connections – these variants are available
The connections play an important role when choosing the right solar power bank. After all, there are many different things that you want to load via your bank. Most models have several USB ports so that you can charge several devices at the same time. Some models are also equipped with a micro USB input, which is required for some smartphone charging cables. However, this has now been replaced by USB-C, which is why you should look directly for a power bank with an additional USB-C input. So before you decide on a solar power bank, think carefully about which devices you want to charge with which cable and connection. If in doubt, choose a model that has all three connections.
These connections are available:
- USB
- Micro USB
- USB-C
Power and voltage – What can I charge with a solar power bank?
In principle, you can charge almost anything that is compatible with one of the connections mentioned. You can charge your smartphone, tablet or flashlight with a USB connection via a solar power bank. For a laptop, however, you need a charger with a voltage of 12 volts. As most solar power banks have a voltage of 5 or 7 volts, they are not suitable for your laptop or MacBook. In this case, however, you can look around for a solar charger that is designed precisely for these needs. If you want to charge your laptop via the solar power bank, it must support PD18W with up to 9V.
Alternative: The solar charger
If you want to charge large devices such as a laptop or a car battery using solar energy, you will need a slightly larger device than a solar power bank. This is no problem with a 12-volt solar charger. The chargers usually have several connections so that you can charge your MacBook and generators as well as your smartphone. However, you should bear in mind that this foldable solar device takes up considerably more space than a small power bank.
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Advantages and disadvantages of the solar power bank
A solar power bank is primarily a practical purchase for people who spend a lot of time outdoors. But a solar power bank doesn’t just have advantages.
Advantages of the power bank with solar panel
Charging your smartphone without a power socket and using the sun’s rays sounds pretty practical, doesn’t it? You can easily support the capacity of your power bank using the panels and are not dependent on the power supply.
Disadvantages of a solar power bank
As practical as the function of using the sun’s rays as an energy source is, the whole thing is not that simple. Before you can use your solar power bank, you must fully charge it via a socket. Although you gain energy through your panel, the amount is relatively small. The solar panel therefore supports the battery capacity, but it would take several days to fully charge the power bank.
You should pay attention to these features when buying
Before you decide on a model, you should think again about which functions and features are particularly important to you.
Kind
First of all, it is important that you consider what type of power bank might be right for you. Should it be a simple solar power bank without a battery, a power bank with LED light or one with several panels that can be opened up?
Size and weight
If you want to use the solar power bank primarily outdoors, it should be as handy and easy to store as possible. Every gram and every centimeter counts, especially on trekking tours and long hikes.
Battery capacity
You will probably opt for a power bank with a rechargeable battery. In this case, capacity should be as large as possible. The more mAh, the better.
Connections
The number and type of connection options are also important. Ideally, your solar power bank should have several USB ports, including USB-C and micro USB.
Features
As you have already experienced, there are various extras with which solar power banks are equipped. Wireless charging via Qi is particularly practical, the Quick Charge function saves you a lot of time when charging and an LED light easily replaces the flashlight.
The most important facts summarized
- A solar power bank is particularly practical when camping or hiking.
- Thanks to the solar panels, your power bank can absorb sunlight and convert it into energy.
- You don’t have to rely on a power socket to charge your power bank with additional energy.
- There are solar power banks with a battery, without a battery, with a single panel, with multiple panels, with LED function, Quick Charge and with Qi.
- So that you can use your power bank more than just once for charging, it should preferably have over 20,000 mAh.
- There are different connections for power banks. These include USB, USB-C and micro USB.
- The advantage of a solar power bank is that you are not dependent on a power socket. The disadvantage, however, is that charging in sunlight takes an extremely long time and you should connect the power bank to the power supply once before going out.
Frequently asked questions about the solar power bank
What does a solar power bank cost?
A solar power bank is somewhat more expensive to purchase than a normal small power bank. The higher the price, the more power the device needs to have. You can get the cheap solar models for around EUR 20. If you want your charging station to have a little more mAh, you could be looking at around EUR 40 or more. If you don’t want to do without features such as Qi or Quick Charge, the prices can go up to EUR 50 to 70.
What connections should a solar power bank have?
You are ideally positioned with a solar power bank that has a USB-A, USB-C and a micro-USB port.
Are there solar power banks with Qi charging function?
Yes, solar power banks are also available for inductive, i.e. wireless charging.
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