Top 10 Best Portable Solar Chargers with Battery – or is it the other way

Samuel J Tan External Batteries, Gadgets, Hardware, Technology 0

Summer is here, why not make the most of the sun, literary! When a source of electricity or power socket is not readily available, these solar panel chargers not only let you charge your gadgets but keep sufficient charge to charge your devices many times over with the onboard battery.

Great for camping, excursions, long boats, camper vans, field work, long distance travelling or any outing that takes you away from ‘civilisation’ and power source to charge all your gadgets; smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, digital camera or any mobile devices that charge over a USB socket. Bigger chargers with high capacity battery and variable voltage can even charge your laptop.

When you are not charging your device, the solar panel charges the battery using direct sun light and conserve the energy for use later. When you are ready to top up the charge on your mobile devices, simply plug it in. This meant you don’t have to worry about charging during the day time just to catch the hours when the sun is out or charging your devices even when your battery levels are high which may affect the life span of the batteries.

Table of Contents

Top 10 Best Portable Solar Chargers with Power Bank

For our line-up of Portable Solar Charger with Batteries, we have grouped them according to size or capacity of the batteries

Solar Chargers with up to 10000mAh Battery Capacity

ALLPOWERS Solar Charger with 4000mAh Battery USB – ULTRA PORTABLE, RUGGED
Levin Solar Charger with 6000mAh Battery USB – ULTRA PORTABLE, RUGGED
Poweradd Apollo Solar Panel Charger with 7200mAh Battery USB – ULTRA PORTABLE, COMPACT
Poweradd Apollo 3 Solar Charger with 8000mAh Battery Dual USB – NEW
ALLPOWERS Solar Charger with 10000mAh Battery DUAL USB
Poweradd Apollo 2 Solar Panel Charger with 10000mAh Battery USB
GRDE Solar Charger with 10000mAh Battery USB
GRDE Ultrathin 3W Solar Charger with 10000mAh Battery DUAL USB – ULTRA THIN, ALUMINIUM BODY

Solar Chargers with 100001mAh – 20000mAh Battery Capacity

Levin Giant+ Solar Charger with 12000mAh Battery USB – RUGGED

Solar Chargers with more than 20000mAh Battery Capacity

ALLPOWERS Solar Charger with 23000mAh Battery USB & Laptop – 5V, 12V, 16V, 19V – BIGGEST CAPACITY
Poweradd Apollo Pro Solar Panel Charger with 23000mAh Battery USB & Laptop – 5V, 12V, 16V, 19V (same as above) – BIGGEST CAPACITY

Now for a closer comparative look at each of these chargers.

ALLPOWERS Solar Charger with 4000mAh Battery USB – ULTRA PORTABLE, RUGGED

Affordable low capacity solar charger. iSolar and Fast Charging Technology automatically adjust the current and voltage for maximum power delivery. Capable of charging iPhone 5s twice, Galaxy S5 once and iPad mini 2 up to 50%. Recharge with direct sunlight using solar panel (5V 200mAh) or via microUSB (1A). Available in black, blue or green.
Rugged; water, dirt and shock proof design.
Capacity: 4000mAh Li-Polymer battery
Output(s): USB 5V (2A)
Others: switches off automatically after 2 minutes when no load is present
Dimensions and Weight: 160 x 100 x 10mm (6.3 x 3.4 x 0.4inch), 190 grams

Levin Solar Charger with 6000mAh Battery Dual USB – ULTRA PORTABLE, RUGGED

Cost efficient entry level solar charger may be your best entry to enjoy the benefits of solar charging. Available in 5 different colours (green, black, orange, blue and yellow). Enough to charge an iPhone between 50-60% for emergency. Recharge with direct sunlight (7-8 hours) with 1.2W monocrystalline solar panel (5V 200mAh) or via USB (1A).
Rugged design; water resistant and shock proof. Rubber seals for ports to stop water from going in.
Capacity: 6000mAh Li-Polymer battery
Output(s): Dual USB 5V (2 x 1A)
Others: 4 LED battery level indicator, flash light, hook for hanging on you rug sack, microUSB port and cable for charging.
Dimensions and Weight: 14.2 x 7.6 x 1.3 cm, 150 grams – LIGHTEST

Poweradd Apollo Solar Panel Charger with 7200mAh Battery Dual USB – ULTRA PORTABLE, COMPACT

Capable of charging iPhones 4-5 times, Galaxy S4 2-3 times and iPad twice. Recharge via direct sunlight or microUSB port (input 1.5A)
Capacity: 10000mAh/37Wh Li-Ion Polymer
Output(s): Dual USB (5V 1.3A and 5V 2.1A)
Others: 4 LED battery level indicator, flash light, microUSB charging port and cable included
Dimensions and Weight: 20.8 x 11 x 3.6 cm, 358 grams

Poweradd Apollo 3 Solar Charger with 8000mAh Battery Dual USB

Capable of charging all iPhones 3 times, Galaxy S4 twice and iPad once. Recharge via direct sunlight or microUSB port (input 2A)
Capacity: 8000mAh/29.6Wh with Li-Polymer Battery
Output(s): Dual USB (5V 1A and 5V 2.1A)
Others: 4 LED battery level indicator, microUSB charging port and cable included
Dimensions and Weight: 14 x 5.1 x 3 cm, 299 grams

ALLPOWERS Solar Charger with 10000mAh Battery DUAL USB

Capable of charging iPhones 6 3 times over, Galaxy S5 twice and iPad mini 2 one time over. Recharge via direct sunlight with solar panel (5V 200mA) or microUSB port (input 1.5A).
Available in 4 colours (white, blue, orange or yellow). iSolar and Fast Charging Technology automatically adjust the current and voltage level to achieve maximum power delivery and fastest charging time.
Capacity: 10000mAh/37Wh Li-Polymer battery
Output(s): Dual USB 5V (1A and 2.1A)
Others: 4 LED battery level indicator, flash light, microUSB charging port and cable included
Dimensions and Weight: 130 x 80 x 10mm (5.1 x 3.14 x 0.39 inch), 236 grams/ 8.3 oz

Poweradd Apollo 2 Solar Panel Charger with 10000mAh Battery DUAL USB

High capacity battery, Recharge via direct sunlight with solar panel or microUSB port (1.5A). Available in White + Orange, Pink + White or Black + Orange
Capacity: 10000mAh/37Wh Li-Polymer battery
Output(s): Dual USB 5V (1.3A and 2.1A)
Others: Power button, 4 LED battery level indicator, flash light, hook, microUSB charging port and cable included
Dimensions and Weight: 153 x 75 x 17 mm, 272 grams

GRDE Solar Charger with 10000mAh Battery USB

Your standing block of a power bank profile, this high capacity solar charger works both indoor and outdoor.
Capacity: 10000mAh Li-Polymer battery
Output(s): Dual USB (2A and 1A)
Others: Power button, 4 LED battery level indicator, flash light, microUSB charging port and cable included
Dimensions and Weight: 133 x 79 x 16 mm , 308 grams

GRDE Ultrathin 3W Solar Charger with 10000mAh Battery DUAL USB – ULTRA THIN, ALUMINIUM BODY

GRDE Ultrathin Solar Charger 10000mAh Silver

Super Slim design in Aluminium Alloy casing, capable of charging iPhone 6 over 3 times, iPhone 5S over 5 times, Galaxy S5 over 3 times and iPad mini 2 once. Recharge using 3W 5V 550mAh Monocrystalline Silicon Solar Panel 24 hours or microUSB input (1A) 12 hours.
Capacity: 10000mAh
Output(s): Dual USB (5V 1A and 5V 2.1A)
Others: 4 LED battery level indicator, power switch with auto off, microUSB port for charging with cable included
Dimensions and Weight: 177 x 120 x 10 mm (0.39 inch), 336 gram

Levin Giant+ Solar Charger with 12000mAh Battery USB – RUGGED

Levin Solar Charger 12000mAh Battery Dual USB

Available in three colours (blue, orange or black). Recharge using 1.7W Monocrystalline Solar Panel (5V 280mA) or microUSB input (1A)
Rugged: water resistant, shock proof.
Capacity: 12000mAh Li-Polymer battery
Output(s): Dual USB (2 x 1A)
Others: Power button, 4 LED battery level indicator, flash light, microUSB charging port and cable included
Dimensions and Weight: 167 x 89 x 18 mm (6.6 x 0.7 x 3.5 inches), 309 grams (10.9 ounces)

ALLPOWERS Solar Charger with 23000mAh Battery USB & Laptop – 5V, 12V, 16V, 19V – BIGGEST CAPACITY

Uses mono-crystaline solar panel (15V 150mA) Recharge via direct sunlight or DC input 12-20V (1.2A) with adapter
Capacity: 23000mAh/85Wh Li-Polymer battery
Output(s): Single USB port 5V(2.1A max), 12v, 16V, 19V (3A max) with DC and USB output
Others: power switch, voltage selector switch (12V, 16V or 19V), 4 LED voltage level indicator, output voltage level indicator (12V, 16V or 19V), flash light, microUSB port for charging with cable, 10 laptop connectors with cable, AC adapter included.
Dimensions and Weight: 222 x 126 x 21 mm (8.7 x 4.9 x 0.87inch), 635grams (22.3oz).

The same Solar Charger is available under the Poweradd brand and is available depending on your market. For compatibility with laptops, see list below.

Poweradd Apollo Pro Solar Panel Charger with 23000mAh Battery USB & Laptop – 5V, 12V, 16V, 19V – BIGGEST CAPACITY

This is a similar model to the ALLPOWERS Solar Charger with 23000mAh Battery above.
Compatible Model:
10 notebook connectors are included, please check the model, size, voltage and power of your original adapter to ensure compatibility before using.
A – 6.00×4.25 – Sony VAIO
B – 6.25×3.00 – Toshiba Satellite A105, M35
C – 5.50×2.10 – Toshiba T1950, T4700 / Acer Aspire 1200
D – 4.75×1.70 – ASUS Eee 900, 1000
E – 5.50×1.70 – Acer Aspire One AO722 AO725
H – 5.00×3.25 – Samsung N130, N310
I – Dell 3Pin – Any Dell Laptop use a 3 Pin adapter
J – 7.40×5.00 – HP Pavilion DV6 / HP G60, G61/ HP Compaq CQ60, CQ61 / HP 550 / Dell inspiron 1525, E1505
K – 7.90×5.40 – ThinkPad T60, X60, R60

The Small Prints with Portable Solar Panel Chargers

Note that due to the limitation in terms of the size of the solar panel on these chargers and its low output charge current, it is recommended that you use the solar panel ONLY to top up the on-board battery and NOT as a primary charging source.
For a solar panel this size and depending on the battery capacity, it may take up to or more than 24 hours to fully charge the battery. It is strongly recommended that you use the USB input port or supplied adapter to charge it electronically on first use and to recharge subsequently when necessary.
It is also worth noting that while it is good to expose the solar panel to direct sunlight, it is another to leave it under scorching heat and high temperature. As with all electronic devices particularly one containing a high capacity battery, exposing the charger to long term heat will damage both the electronic components and battery.
As with all batteries, it is worth maintaining a proper charge and discharge cycle. Make sure that you completely discharge the battery before charging it again to optimise the charge-discharge cycle. In most cases, manufacturers quote this at 500 times. Better grade batteries and combination of good electronic circuits can increase the recharge cycle up to 1000 times.
We recommend charging the battery using the USB cable from a USB power source on your desktop, laptop or wall plug for the first few cycles.