The power station or portable battery market is so crowded that making a product stand out is difficult. They all feature a multitude of output sockets, a durable and easy-to-carry case, and maybe even a mobile app for remote management; you’ll find one for every budget, too. But the lightweight Anker C800 Plus has actually managed to differentiate itself, with an ingenious cubbyhole on the top that stores a couple of flashlights and a handy extendable magnetic stand.
Anker Solix C800 Plus
The power specifications are nothing remarkable in the world of portable power stations. But the addition of two handy flashlights hidden in the top of the case and an extendable mount to provide overhead lighting set a new standard for these devices.
It Has Flashlights!
I have been known to get rather excited about flashlights, but I understand not everyone wants an80,000-lumen self-defense monster light cannonholstered to their belt at all times.
Not only does the Anker Solix offer a competent illuminated panel on the battery itself, it also houses not one, but two flashlights, within a hidden compartment on the top. Press the inconspicuous square button, and up pops the concealed compartment, revealing the flashlights—which charge while they sit in there with some pogo pins—as well as an extendable mount.
The flashlights themselves are quite clever, offering either a basic forward-facing throw beam, a lantern-style all-around flood, or a warm candlelight. The brightness isn’t adjustable, nor are the lights super bright, but they’re exactly what you need in an emergency situation or camping.
Nestled in between the two flashlights is an even smarter mounting arm, which either of the flashlights can magnetically attach to the ball head and swivel in any direction in a hemisphere. With a screw on the base of the mount, you can pull off the mysterious rubber cap on top of the Solix C800 Plus, and it’ll securely screw into the cavity. It then extends telescopically up to about a meter.
These flashlights and mount are genuinely brilliant features. They provide a versatile set of small flashlights to suit any situation—whether you just need a little ambiance, a directional spotlight, or something to grab in an emergency when a bear stumbles into your camp and you need to leg it into the pitch-black forest.
The flashlights also have a ring on the base for hanging them, though they’ll need something to hook onto. I’m a little disappointed they’re only magnetic to the ball head mount, not to a car hood or steel tent pole. But at this point, I’m just being picky.
Design and Size: Perfectly Portable
The size of a portable battery is almost completely determined by its electrical storage capacity. Since there has been no remarkable breakthrough in battery technology, all power stations use an array of 18650 or 21700-sized battery cells (imagine a couple of hundred AA batteries glued together, and you’re pretty much on the right track). So the Anker Solix C800 Plus is exactly as big as I’d expect a power station with 768Wh of capacity to be: 37 x 21 x 26cm (14.6 x 8 x 10in), and weighs just under 11kg (20.3lbs).
It features carry handles on both the left and right sides, and you’ll only need to grab one to carry it comfortably; it is eminently “luggable.” While a handle on the top can often be more convenient, it would have interfered with the far more useful built-in flashlight storage, and isn’t as good for stacking into tight luggage spaces.
The output ports are all located on the front, along with the LCD screen, buttons, and LED bar. On one side are the AC and solar input ports. Our UK model features three AC ports, but the US model has five. You’ll find two Type C USB ports—one of which is up to 100W, and the other 30W—and a further two full-size USB-A ports. There’s also a 12V car socket, but no other DC outputs. For the size of battery and intended purpose, I think this is sufficient.
There’s little in the way of a distinctive design—again, this is a portable power station, so don’t expect much variety other than a large gray or black box—but I quite like the bright vertical blue streaks found on the sides, which appear to be glowing like EL-wire (but they don’t; it’s just painted).
Solar Input and Power Output: Sufficient for Camping and Emergencies
With a maximum solar input of 300W at 11-60V, it’s not designed to be used with large static panels. It is, however, perfectly sized for one or two portable panels, and uses an XT60 input port. Included in the box is a Y-splitter cable, too. I’d love to tell you how much solar I was able to squeeze in, but I’m afraid we haven’t seen the sun here in Britain since last October. The 200W panel I plugged in generated a paltry 30W—that’s absolutely not the fault of the Anker Solix, though. In theory, you could charge by solar in just under three hours.
If you opt to charge over AC instead, it’ll take about an hour.
Let’s be clear: the Solix C800 Plus is not a replacement for a backup diesel generator, nor will it run your HVAC and fridge-freezer when the power goes out. Even with a full 300W solar coming in (which wouldn’t happen anyway; 200W is the more realistic maximum from a 300W panel or combination of), you’d still kill the 768Wh battery in around half an hour if you maximized the 1200W power output.
However, it is the perfect size for camping, and will happily power something like a CPAP overnight or other low-power devices like a laptop for even longer—but it’s important to set realistic expectations. Even if it can potentially power a device up to 1200W, that doesn’t mean you should.
Anker Smartphone App: Surprisingly Functional
Some would argue that apps for a portable power station are superfluous, but there’s only so much you can do with buttons so they’re a necessary evil if you want some advanced configuration. The Anker app offers everything I’d expect, and a little more. Notably, you can adjust the AC charge rate anywhere from 100W to the full 750W. You should always charge at a slower rate if possible though, as it helps to preserve the battery life. You can also set a timed shut-off for the AC output sockets. Other than that, you’ll find all the usual: a breakdown of power output per port, current charge rate, time remaining, etc.
The only thing I would have liked to see, given the shutoff timer for the AC output sockets, is a similar timed start and stop for the input AC, allowing those of us on cheap overnight electrical tariffs to charge this when the power costs almost nothing. That said, this is more of an ultimate wishlist feature, and I’ve not seen it yet on any other power stations.
Should You Buy the Anker Solix C800 Plus?
The Solix C800 Plus ticks a lot of boxes: it’s lightweight and easy to carry, long-lasting thanks to LFP battery tech that’s rated for 3000 cycles, has enough output ports, and has a smartphone app. But none of that is unique in the portable battery market. The innovative flashlights are what really make the Solix C800 Plus stand out for me because it’s one (or rather, two) fewer things to carry when traveling—or less scrabbling around to do when the lights go out.
At just under 800Wh capacity, it’s also a remarkably good value at $500 direct from Anker; and not bad if you miss the launch price and end up at the RRP of $649. That’s cheaper than the standard dollar per watt-hour—and that’s ignoring the other useful features.
In fact, this one is so neat that it will live by my bedside. And while it may not have an enormous capacity, the Anker Solix C800 Plus sets a new design standard for other small portable batteries to compare to.
