Portable battery packs designed to keep our smartphones charged while on the go have become too good that it is almost criminal to not have one at your disposal these days. Small, lightweight, and compact chargers can be found for not much money and they generally fit the needs of most day-to-day users.
But what about those of us who have power requirements that go beyond the basics, but don’t want to sacrifice portability either. Thankfully, we now have some good options to choose from as well, including the Suaoki S270 Portable Solar Generator, an awesome little power pack that is perfect for charging just about anything while on the go.
Lightweight and compact, the S270 never the less delivers on its promise of plenty of portable power. It is equipped with a 150 watt-hour battery and is capable of a sustained 100 watt output with a peak of up to 150 watts if necessary. That means it won’t just charge your smartphone and tablet, but can also power laptops, drone batteries, headlamps, cameras, or just about anything else you plug into it. It can even power small appliances in a pinch.
The designers of S270 gave it plenty of outlets so you can plug multiple devices in at once. Along one side it has four USB ports (three standard and one quick-charging), while the other side features four DC charging ports as well. The system even ships with a female DC adapter (read: car port) for charging devices designed for that type of output. The result is a handy portable power station that you can carry with you just about everywhere.
But, that isn’t all. The S270 also features two AC wall outlets as well, which expands its versatility even further. When items are plugged into these ports, they charge as quickly and easily as they do at home, extending the life of your gadgets for a lot longer.
Other nice design choices include a set of flip-up handles that make it easy to carry the power bank and a set of built-in emergency lights. Those lights can even be set to flash an SOS signal if necessary as well. The entire product is built into a rugged, durable case that feels right at home in the outdoors. That said, the generator is only “splash proof” so you won’t want to leave it out in the rain.
The S270 is the result of a successful Indiegogo campaign, which shipped the generators to its supporters back in December. I was lucky enough to get one to review, and have been extremely impressed.
At home, it sits on my desk, providing a convenient source of power to my iPhone, iPad, and various other devices that need recharging on a regular basis. But, I also traveled with it over the holidays, easily slipping it into a backpack to take on a road trip. It served its purpose then too, not only keeping all my electronic toys stocked with energy, but my travel companions too. It also helped keep my MacBook Pro powered up while working on the go as well.
The massive battery inside the S270 takes about 10-12 hours to charge via wall outlet, and the device does support charging in the field via a solar panel. I haven’t had a chance to test it with a solar panel as of yet, but obviously that would take considerably longer, with direct sunlight, to charge the battery fully. Of course, this is the same with just about any solar-powered generator, where your mileage always varies based on conditions.
What I like about this battery pack is that if fills a niche niche between smaller chargers designed at phones and tablets, and larger generators from companies like Goal Zero. Not everyone needs something that large, but many people need a bit more than the compact battery packs that are sold at gas stations and drug stores. For those folks, the Suaoki S270 is the perfect companion for their adventures, providing plenty of power in a surprisingly small package.
Best of all, the S270 is very affordable. Priced at just $139.95, it is less expensive than some much smaller battery packs that are on the market. Of course, not everyone needs a battery pack of this size and power, but it is really nice to have one at your disposal. The versatility that this device offers is outstanding, and I’ve found myself using it more places than I first thought. I think other frequent travelers and explorers will love it too.
Find out more at the Suaoki Facebook page and order your own S270 from Amazon.
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I just picked one of these up on an Amazon Lightning Deal. I already had it on my wishlist, and with an overnight stargazing excursion coming up, I knew I was going to need a power source to charge camera batteries, phone, tablet, and laptop. To my surprise, when I went back to have another look at the S270 and add it to my cart, I got a notification that for the next fifteen minutes, the price was dropped to $107.99, a $32 drop! Needless to say, I jumped on it at once.
I'm impressed with the build quality already, and I can't wait to get this little sucker into the field to see what it can do.
Glad you like it! I'm continually impressed with mine as well. Great little device.