Extra batteries and portable power banks are great for keeping your electronic devices charged and operating when you’re off the grid, but they won’t last forever. Portable solar chargers don’t have this problem, and as long as the proper conditions are met, they can provide a practically unlimited supply of electricity for your mobile devices, flashlights and battery packs or portable chargers. Compact and lightweight, they’re perfect for camping, travel and emergency use.
We brought in 10 well-regarded models for testing and ran them through a series of performance tests, monitoring, analyzing and comparing each unit’s ability to generate energy efficiently and effectively to find the best portable solar charger for your needs.
Cyber Monday DealX-Dragon 20W
The best portable solar charger overall
X-DragonThis soft-sided folding charger packs an impressive amount of charging power into an easy-to-use package that’s small enough to take anywhere, so you’re always ready to charge.
$100 $45 at Amazon $110 at NeweggGoal Zero Nomad 50W
The best portable solar charger for larger devices or bigger emergencies
Goal ZeroWith 50W of output and the proper connectors for use with bigger solar generators alone or daisy-chained with more panels, the Nomad 50 is great if you need to keep multiple devices charged and ready wherever you go.
$250 $176 at AmazonThe best portable solar charger overall: X-Dragon 20W
$109 at Newegg
Alex Rennie/CNN UnderscoredConveniently sized and offering consistent, efficient charging, the X-Dragon 20W was the clear choice as our top recommendation overall. The compact charger measures about 12 inches tall and is less than an inch thick when folded, making it easy to store in a backpack, a seat-back pocket in your car or a cupboard or drawer with your emergency kit. It also weighs just 1.29 pounds, so it won’t add much heft to your pack on hiking or camping adventures.
Most importantly, the X-Dragon 20W performed really well in our tests. When connected to a Drok USB Load Tester set to draw 2 amps, the X-Dragon 20W delivered a combined 3,087mAh over two 60-minute tests in sunny conditions — very impressive considering the much larger Goal Zero Nomad 50 reached 3,887mAh. (For an example of real-world power requirements, the largest iPhone available has a battery capacity of 4,323mAh.) It also handled occasional cloud cover well, continuing to operate even when direct sunlight was interrupted.
The X-Dragon 20W panel folds up compactly enough that it’s easy to keep in a glove compartment or backpack to have on hand whenever you need it in an emergency. Alex Rennie/CNN UnderscoredWhen we used a 10,000mAh Anker power bank to better judge the consistency of the X-Dragon’s output voltage, the X-Dragon beat every other model, apart from the Goal Zero Nomad 50, maintaining a nice, solid 5.06 volts (between 4.75 and 5.25 volts is ideal for USB charging, as USB is nominally 5 volts). What really separates the X-Dragon from the other comparable chargers we tested was its performance in our 2.4-amp high-load test. We cranked the load tester from 2.0 to 2.4 amps, simulating a more demanding device, and aside from the Goal Zero Nomad 50, the X-Dragon 20W was the only other model in our testing pool that could handle the load at all, averaging 7.22W of power, and delivering 1,215mAh in just 45 minutes.
This charger also fared well in my durability test, even after days of stress testing the stitching, throwing it down driveway, tugging and pulling on the carabiner loops and stepping on it “accidentally.” The X-Dragon 20W also features two USB ports for charging multiple devices and a helpful red LED that clearly indicates when current is flowing. The included instruction manual was easy to understand, too, and included several helpful tips to maximize charging performance.
A zippered compartment on the back of the unit is perfect for storing devices being charged. The mesh cover keeps fragile and expensive items from contacting rocks, dirt and debris on the ground, and also keeps them from overheating and negatively affecting charging performance.
The best portable solar charger for larger devices or bigger emergencies: Goal Zero Nomad 50
$250 $176 on Amazon
Alex Rennie/CNN UnderscoredIf you’re interested in charging devices larger than smartphones or small battery packs, and don’t mind sacrificing a little portability, we’d recommend the Goal Zero Nomad 50. Its 50W output is the highest of the models we tested, and it features an 8mm connector and cable for connection to larger power banks or solar generators (Goal Zero recommends using it with the Goal Zero Yeti 500X Portable Power Station). If you’re a car camper that doesn’t need to lug it around all day, this is exactly what you’re looking for.
The Goal Zero Nomad 50 and its impressive panel size bested every other model in our testing process. It accumulated 3,887mAh after two one-hour tests, compared with our top portable pick, X-Dragon 20W, which reached 3,087mAh. The Goal Zero Nomad 50 also maintained a steady 5.03-5.07 volts during the 10,000mAh power bank pack and iPhone tests, and it didn’t create any fluctuations that interrupted or paused charging. When we cranked our load test to draw up to 2.4 amps, this was the only model, apart from the X-Dragon 20W, that was able to work at all.
The Goal Zero Nomad 50 is much larger than most of the panels we tested and is too large for everyday carry, but it folds up compactly enough that it's not a burden to store in an emergency kit. Alex Rennie/CNN UnderscoredPerhaps more important than the wattage output potential of the Goal Zero Nomad 50 is its reliability and consistency. Regardless of the cloud cover, time of day or device being tested, this workhorse began generating power the second we unfolded it, even maintaining a steady 2W of power in completely overcast conditions. In sunny conditions, it kept generating uninterrupted power when large clouds would slowly pass by, even when most other models shut off until the sun reappeared. This ability to continue operating even with minimal light makes the Goal Zero Nomad 50 ideal for harnessing as much power as possible, even in less than ideal conditions.
The Nomad 50 only has a single USB output port, but since you’ll likely be using it to charge power banks that do have multiple USB ports, that shouldn’t count against it too much. A second 8mm chaining connector allows you to connect it to another Nomad 50 in series (or chain even more panels, though you’ll need to pick up some extra daisy-chaining connectors) if you need even more power.
The Goal Zero Nomad 50 can also be mounted on optional support legs that can be utilized to angle the panels toward the sun. Although the pitch of these legs are at a fixed angle, they’re still useful, and we appreciated the option. They’re easily fastened out of the way when not in use. I did my best to stress test these supports in my durability test, along with the zippers, Velcro and stitching. After days of purposely tugging, pulling and generally mistreating the unit, I didn’t notice any obvious structural or durability issues.
Despite the relatively large dimensions — it measures 17 by 11.25 by 2.5 inches when packed and extends to 53 inches across when unfolded — the Goal Zero Nomad 50 is still fairly lightweight at less than seven pounds. At just 2.5 inches thick, it’s easy to slide into a car trunk, tote bag or even a large backpack.
Do I need a portable solar charger?
Whether you need to keep a few devices charged through an extended outage or just want to make sure you can get connected when you’re adventuring off the grid, a portable solar charger can help. The larger Goal Zero Nomad 50 (top) can work with a larger power bank or portable power station to keep laptops and other large devices ready for use, while the smaller X-Dragon 20W panel is great for throwing in a backpack to make sure your phone or GPS tracker is ready to use on the trail. Alex Rennie/CNN UnderscoredIf you want to make sure your electronic devices — smartphones, tablets and all the other things we depend on these days — can be charged while you’re on off-the-grid excursions or in the event of a long-term power outage emergency, then you can probably use a portable solar charger.
Battery packs and portable power banks and power stations can keep you charged for a bit, but on their own, they’re limited — once you’ve depleted their capacity, you’ll have to find a working outlet if you need more juice, and models that are designed for more than a day or so of use are heavy and bulky so they aren’t a total solution for unpredictable emergency situations.
Portable solar chargers provide a way — so long as there’s available sunlight — to generate usable power in just those types of unpredictable situations, whether you’re dealing with an emergency or just an unexpectedly long day on the trail or at the beach. You use them to charge up a portable power bank while you use your devices, and then charge up your devices whenever you like, even if it’s gotten dark.
Portable solar chargers are typically designed to fold for storage, making them easy to keep around in a bag, seat-back pocket or emergency kit while still providing a large enough surface area to capture sufficient solar energy to produce electricity.
This all means a portable solar charger is an extremely valuable addition to your emergency kit. Floods, hurricanes or earthquakes can potentially knock out power for days or weeks at a time, and having a way to keep on your flashlights and headlamps, mobile phone, radio and more can be essential in emergency situations, whether you need to read a map, call for help or just get information to make critical decisions.
Portable solar charges are also perfect for hikers and campers who want to keep their devices — smartphones, GPS watches, flashlight and headlamp or any of the other tech gear that makes its way into the outdoors these days — charged, whether they get lost or injured, or just end up extending an adventure for longer than expected.
Do portable solar chargers generate enough power to be useful?
Our test group of solar panels, set up with multimeters and dummy loads and ready for testing under a day with variable cloud cover. Alex Rennie/CNN UnderscoredYes, portable solar panels work, and you don’t have to luck out and get a cloudless day for them to work. As long as you’re realistic about the fact that their performance can vary with the weather and don’t expect them to charge your devices as quickly as a charger plugged into your home’s electrical socket, you’ll find that solar chargers can work really well. While a standard USB wall charger will deliver a steady current close to its maximum capacity, a solar charger’s current will fluctuate based on the amount of sunlight it’s exposed to. A super-bright, cloudless sky can deliver a really strong, constant current, an occasional cloud will decrease the current temporarily and a cloudy day will either result in a low current output, or none at all.
Portable solar chargers also require some user effort to ensure that they’re working efficiently. Since you’re dealing with a moving target — the sun — you’ll need to occasionally adjust the angle of the panels to make sure they’re facing the sun as best you can. This positioning makes more of a difference than you might think, and their productivity will be seriously affected if you ignore this factor and just toss them on the ground.
To use our top pick, the X-Dragon 20W, as an example, this model generated 3,087mAh in 2 hours of sunlight, which is close to the full charge of an iPhone 13 Pro. Just keep in mind that this result is specific to the weather and cloud cover of that particular testing day and your mileage may vary. A cloudy afternoon can roll in and create a lot of fluctuation in the available current being sent to your device.
How we tested
Using a USB multimeter, dummy load and a battery pack, we were able to get a read on each solar charger's continuous and average output and it's ability to function under changing lighting conditions, as well as gathering a host of other data we were able to use in order to find the best performing, most dependable panels availab.e Alex Rennie/CNN UnderscoredSolar panel charger performance is affected by a number of factors, including sun intensity, cloud cover, air temperature, angle toward the sun, ground temperature and the device being charged, so our specific results may be different from your own. Because of this variance, the results of our tests should be used as more of a comparison tool than a declaration of how quickly or efficiently they’ll work at all times. We did our best to perform several tests throughout the week, in different cloud and sun conditions and at different times of the day, to provide the most accurate picture of how each unit worked compared with the others in our testing pool.
To get an idea of how much raw power each charger generates, we connected each unit to a Drok USB Load Tester set to 2.0 amps, in-line with a Porta-Pow Power Monitor, and positioned them in the sun for two 60-minute tests. The power monitor showed us exactly the amount of mAh accumulated during those tests, which is the amount of battery power transferred from the charger to a device. We also performed this same test with the load tester cranked up to 2.4 amps, to see which units could effectively generate enough amperage to power items that required a larger amperage load. These accumulated mAh numbers gave us a clear idea of which chargers were able to produce the most power in a given time, as well as the amount of amperage draw they could conceivably handle.
These load tests also helped us judge how consistent each charger performed for the duration of the test. A lower mAh number is a good indicator that the unit repeatedly had trouble generating power when clouds rolled past, while higher numbers showed that these interruptions were less frequent.
To better judge how effectively each unit was able to charge an actual device, we used a 10,000mAh Anker Power Bank in place of the load tester. Using the power monitor, we compared the accumulated mAh after an hour and also logged each unit’s voltage and amperage every 10 minutes for the duration of the test. These details are important since USB devices like battery packs and phones are charged most efficiently between 4.75-5.25 volts and can have their charging interrupted if the voltage goes outside that range. This 10-minute logging isn’t exactly precise, but combined with the accumulated mAh number, it is a good indicator of how well the charger stayed within the optimal range.
We used the results of both the load tester and power bank tests together to best judge overall performance, since a solar charger could perform well in the Drok test but be less effective at charging actual devices. Comparing the results of both these tests allowed us to confidently declare the X-Dragon 20W and Goal Zero Nomad 50 our top choices.
The chargers with built-in batteries were given an additional test, where we drained their batteries and placed them in the sun for 1 hour. We then brought them inside and used a load tester and power monitor to compare how many mAh that hour in the sun generated.
We judged the overall durability and build quality of each charger as well. We threw them around, pulling, ripping and tugging on their zippers, Velcro, stitching and grommet holes. We also noted whether or not they featured any kind of protective cover or cap for their USB ports, to prevent dirt, rocks or debris from potentially damaging them or making them inoperable when you need them. We also judged our testing pool on their versatility, using their total number of charging ports as well as overall power output to compare and better recommend which would be ideal for multiple devices.
Portability is another important factor we investigated, and we compared each unit’s overall size and weight, as well as whether or not they included any helpful accessories. Several of the larger models provided carabiners and featured grommet holes or lanyard loops, which could be convenient for those who prefer to hang their solar chargers from their backpack or bicycle while they hike or ride.
Other portable solar chargers we tested
BigBlue 3 28W
$80 73 on Amazon
While the BigBlue 3 was certainly capable of generating a lot of power, it just wasn’t consistent enough to recommend as a top choice. While the X-Dragon 20W and SunJack 25W maintained a solid current throughout testing, the Big Blue would occasionally either shut off altogether when clouds rolled past or its voltage and amperage fluctuated wildly. We’d still recommend it for use in full, direct sunlight though, and its three USB ports — and included USB-A to USB-C cable — make it a good option for multi-device charging. We were also impressed with the compact size, just 11.1 by 6.3 by 1.3 inches when folded up, and light, 1.5-pound weight. Its overall durability was a nice perk as well, with really sturdy stitching and Velcro strips, and the rubber port covers decrease the chances of dust or moisture issues.
Goal Zero Nomad 5 Panel
$60 on Amazon
This Goal Zero panel is small enough to store just about anywhere and the adjustable support stand ensures proper positioning, but it ranked very poorly in our current and voltage tests. I had high expectations considering the impressive performance of the Goal Zero Nomad 50, but this little panel never generated any usable power in our 2-amp testing and fared only marginally better when paired with a power bank. Even when it was actually attempting to generate power — for brief moments and only in direct, full sunlight with zero clouds — its rock-bottom amperage resulted in extremely low outputs. There’s really no reason to recommend this product to anyone. Priced the same as our top pick, the X-Dragon 20W, which to choose is a no-brainer.
BioLite SolarPanel 10+
$150 $112 on Amazon
We had high hopes for this bifold panel and its unique analog sundial, but the high price and poor power output make it impossible to recommend. It failed to register any current during our 2-amp load test and generated just 505mAh after two 60-minute power bank tests. Its 3,200mAh battery is also relatively small, and though I understand the potential convenience of having it integrated into the panel itself, you’d be better off spending your money on a better performing solar charger and separate battery pack.
BioLite SolarPanel 5+
$100 $75 on Amazon
Just like its larger sibling, the BioLite SolarPanel 5+ underperformed in nearly all our tests and failed to register any usable current. This is a shame because we really appreciated the analog sundial and adjustable support stand, which combined to make this — and the BioLite SolarPanel 10+ — by far the easiest to adjust properly. An included USB-A to USB-C cable is a nice perk, and the corner holes allow it to hang from your pack while hiking, but in our experience, this model is usable only for extremely low power output. For this price, there are several high-quality options with far better performance.
Anker Powercore Solar 20000
$48 on Amazon
This Anker solar charger doubles as a power bank, providing an impressive 20,000mAh capacity. Unfortunately, that’s all we can recommend it for, as our tests revealed it to have very little use as a solar charger. It barely registered any charging current during both the load test and power bank test, indicating that it either needed more sunlight than almost every other model to work at all or just isn’t properly designed for effective solar charging. We’ve had great experiences with Anker’s products in the past, and if used strictly as a power bank with no solar-charging expectations, we’re confident that this could still be a great choice for the right user. We also appreciated the rubber corners to protect against drops and falls, and the bright LED flashlight makes it uniquely suited for camping and emergency use.
Hiluckey Solar Charger
$45 on Amazon
Although this Hiluckey model (you’ll see the same thing sold under the Tranmix name, among others) seems to have the ability to generate charging power, it lacks the reliability or consistency to be useful. It repeatedly shut down during both the 2.0-amp test and power bank tests, and it required us to manually power it back on to reinitiate charging. Although the 25,000mAh battery capacity is helpful, unless you’re comfortable hitting the power button every minute or so — and the button is frustratingly hard to press — it’s not a dependable solar-charging option. It’s slow, too — in our testing, the internal battery had accumulated just 256mAh after 1 hour in the sun, which isn’t exactly ideal. The flashlight feature is minimally effective, but the two USB-A ports and the single USB-C port do allow you to charge multiple devices when using it as a power bank.
QiSa Solar Power Bank
$40 on Amazon
This QiSa model had identical issues to the Tranmix Solar Charger, and despite generating usable voltage and amperage, it would shut off after a minute or two. It does offer wireless charging, though, and with a battery capacity of 38,800mAh, is a decent choice for those who only need a power bank. This unit does have the same confusing flashlight position as the Tranmix charger, but at least the power button is easier to access and press.
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