ELECAENTA 30W Portable Solar Phone Charger Review
- Review of:
- ELECAENTA 30W Portable Solar
- Brand name:
- ELECAENTA
- Reviewed by:
- Bohdan
- Rating:
- Published On:
- Nov. 18, 2022, 10:20 a.m.
- Edited On:
- Nov. 26, 2022, 10:55 a.m.
Summary
Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with this solar panel. However, on very cloudy days during winter it barely generates any energy which is understandable. Solar panels usually generate only 7-15% of their maximum capacity during winter. Also, I've had no chance to test it outside, I guess the power output should be higher than when the panel is hung on behind a window.
I ordered the Elecaenta 30W solar panel after checking dozens of other offers on Amazon. It was one of the cheapest options with more or less decent solar panels size. No doubt, there are a bunch of cheaper solar chargers with smaller panels, but after researching a bit, I concluded that they are useless in winter when the sun is hidden in the clouds.
Design and first impression
The body of the Elecaenta solar charger is made from an ETFE material supposed to have high corrosion resistance and strength in different climate conditions.
It has a foldable design and consists of 4 monocrystalline silicon panels claimed to provide up to 24% conversion efficiency, which is one of the highest available on the market. The size of the folded solar charger is 28x20x35cm, comparable with a small laptop or tablet weighing less than 1 kg. When unfolded, it is 1m long and 28cm wide.
The manufacturer claims IPX5 water resistance, I didn't test it under rain and would not recommend you to do so, but at least it's good to know that light rain most likely will not damage this thing. However, you should always keep the USB ports dry when charging.
I received it this autumn so was not able to test it on sunny summer days, but the material seems to be prone to high temperatures under direct sun lights. Overall, the materials and the build quality feel decent and solid.
Package contents
- Solar charger
- 2 x carabines
- User manual
There are two carabines in the box which allow you to hang up the solar panel on a window, tree, or wall. Very convenient.
Power output
The Elecaenta has three USB charging ports:
- 1 x PD USB port with 18W output
- 1 x USB-C port with QuickCharge 3.0 support
- 1 x USB-A port with max 2A output
A mobile phone can be placed in a pocket where the charging ports are located so it will not overheat under direct sunlight.
It can charge up to 3 devices at the same time but keep in mind that you need direct sunlight to charge a few devices simultaneously. In cloudy weather, I was able to charge only one device at once.
USB-C QC3 port is supposed to provide 5V/3.4A, 9V/2.5A, and 12V/2A, however, I've had no chance to test the maximum output yet as I got it in autumn and the weather is pretty output in my area with almost no sun during the day.
I hang up the solar panel inside my house on a window and even on cloudy days, my Android phone recognized the charger as a fast-charging device. On very dark days with fog and no signs of the sun in the sky, the panel generates only 200-500mAh of energy which is still enough to slowly charge a power bank, but not a phone as the phone charging controller automatically disconnects when the power is not sufficient or is not stable.
Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with this solar panel. However, on very cloudy days during winter it barely generates any energy which is understandable. Solar panels usually generate only 7-15% of their maximum capacity during winter. Also, I've had no chance to test it outside, I guess the power output should be higher than when the panel is hung on behind a window.
