Review: Anker Solix C1000 Gen 2 is a Mid-Size Power Station With Fast Charging

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Anker is well-known for its charging accessories, including the Solix enactment of high-capacity powerfulness stations. Earlier this year, Anker came retired with a caller Solix C1000 Gen 2 Portable Power Station, which I've been investigating for the past respective months.


The C1000 has your modular powerfulness presumption aesthetic, made from durable achromatic and grey plastic. It has 2 handles astatine the sides, which makes it elemental to administer the value crossed 2 hands, on with instrumentality grilles and an LED show that shows the existent powerfulness level and the powerfulness gully of thing that's plugged in. Rubber feet astatine each 4 corners guarantee that it remains stable.

There's nary revolutionary plan here, but the Solix C1000 looks and feels rugged. Curves astatine the corners marque it consciousness a small much modern than immoderate different powerfulness stations, and portion it's not waterproof, you tin get a protective carrying lawsuit that keeps it harmless from moisture. It's 25 pounds, truthful it's astir apt not a artillery that you're going to privation to beryllium lugging to the formation oregon the park, but it is bully for all-day powerfulness if you're successful a determination wherever dragging astir 25 pounds isn't a hassle. It isn't overly large, measuring successful astatine 15 inches by 8.2 inches by 9.6 inches.


At the front, determination are 5 AC outlets, 2 140W USB-C ports, 1 15W USB-C port, and a 12W USB-A port. I admit that Anker is phasing retired USB-A and lone included a azygous USB-A port, due to the fact that USB-A connectors are increasing much uncommon. In the future, you whitethorn person nary USB-A devices astatine all, truthful you won't person respective wasted ports. 140W USB-C should besides beryllium bully for years to come. There's a charging larboard astatine the side, a star input port, and a 12V car port.

I similar the larboard arrangement, and was good with each of the AC ports connected the front, but spacing could beryllium an contented if you privation to plug successful aggregate devices with ample plugs. For the AC outlet, you request to crook connected AC powerfulness manually, a diagnostic that exists to forestall artillery drain erstwhile idle.


This is simply a 1024-watt-hour artillery with enactment for devices that gully up to 2000W, though it does enactment 3000W highest output. It should beryllium capable to grip astir immoderate tiny appliance, including refrigerators, TVs (even ample screen), heaters, portable aerial conditioners, lights, java makers, microwaves, aesculapian devices, aquarium and carnal setups, and tools that necessitate a batch of power. I tested it up to 1500W and it worked with nary issue.

It uses lithium robust phosphate (LiFePO4) technology, which is what you privation for a powerfulness presumption due to the fact that LiFePO4 batteries are harmless and past for much complaint cycles. The C1000 is capable to clasp a complaint successful standby mode for a agelong time, which is large if you privation to person a artillery connected manus for the occasional powerfulness outage. I charged it to afloat and near it powered disconnected for a month, and it remained astatine 100 percent erstwhile I turned it backmost connected astatine the extremity of the test. It's astir apt amended to store it astatine astir 80 percent capacity, but the constituent is you tin complaint it up, tuck it successful a closet, and propulsion it retired months aboriginal to usage it successful an emergency.


The C1000's 1024 Wh capableness is capable to complaint an iPhone dozens of times. Charging my iPhone 17 Pro Max from 0 to 80 dropped the artillery level from 53 percent to 51 percent, which is lone a 2 percent hit. Subsequent investigating consistently utilized betwixt 2 and 3 percent for ‌iPhone‌ charging.

You tin get less afloat MacBook charges, but it's inactive capable to support aggregate radical up and moving for a mates days. Charging my MacBook Pro from 0 to 100 percent dropped the artillery from 100 to 88 percent, and charging my MacBook Air from 0 to 100 percent dropped the artillery from 100 to 90 percent.


It was capable to tally my ‌MacBook Pro‌ for a afloat 8-hour enactment day, doing day-to-day tasks similar writing. I started astatine 76 percent and ended astatine 57 percent. It lasted astir 24 hours moving my afloat Mac setup, which included my ‌MacBook Pro‌, Studio Display, 3 LED lights, and a telephone charger. That does see astir 10 hours of clip wherever the MacBook and show were successful remainder mode, but it is much than susceptible of supporting a afloat enactment setup for a time oregon two.

What's large astir the C1000 is that it tells you precisely however agelong it volition past based connected the powerfulness gully of what's plugged in. On the LED, you'll spot an estimated readout. It predicted astir 14 hours of usage for my 67W ‌MacBook Air‌, which was accurate.

It's not going to past ace agelong erstwhile utilizing precocious powerfulness devices similar a microwave, but you often aren't utilizing precocious powerfulness accessories for precise long. It tin tally a mini heater, but those often scope from 750W to 1500W, truthful it would past astir an hour. For thing similar a mini fridge, though, you would beryllium capable to tally it for respective days.

The C1000 is capable to complaint quickly, which has the imaginable to beryllium utile erstwhile you're successful a hurry. It tin recharge to afloat successful 49 minutes from a modular household plug, drafting astir 1200W to bash truthful (Anker says it tin spell up to 1600W, but you request to alteration it). When it is nether that benignant of load, the fans footwear on, and the fans are loud.

I wouldn't beryllium capable to slumber with the fans connected that high, and it's decidedly a loud, irritating instrumentality sound erstwhile going afloat blast. Luckily, the fans lone travel connected astatine that level erstwhile it's nether dense load, and charging doesn't instrumentality excessively long. It besides can't tally precocious watt devices for ace long, and it's overmuch much tolerable astatine little powerfulness levels. When charging tiny devices, it's adjacent silent.


You tin link the C1000 to a car oregon to star panels to complaint it up. For solar, charging times alteration based connected the size of the panel, the fig of panels, and the disposable light. It tin judge up to 600W done the star input.

For devices wherever you mightiness similar a backup diagnostic that activates automatically successful a powerfulness outage, the C1000 supports that. It has a UPS strategy with a sub 10ms switchover time. So if you plug thing similar a CPAP instrumentality into the C1000 past plug the powerfulness presumption into power, the C1000 volition travel connected close distant erstwhile there's an outage.

Anker has an app that connects to the C1000 implicit Wi-Fi oregon Bluetooth. You tin usage the app to cheque powerfulness level, powerfulness draw, and clip remaining erstwhile a instrumentality is plugged in. You tin besides crook connected the AC output oregon car charger output from the app, and good tune controls similar charging power, instrumentality timeout, charging and discharging limits, and more. It delivers caller firmware too, which I struggled with. For respective days, the firmware update kept failing, but it worked flawlessly aboriginal on, truthful I'm not definite what the contented was.


Bottom Line


This is simply a good made powerfulness presumption that's versatile acknowledgment to its 1024 Wh capableness and the quality to enactment devices up to 2000W. It's a bully location backup artillery to person connected manus successful lawsuit of an emergency, but it besides works good for camping, abbreviated trips wherever you request power, aesculapian devices, and powering tools.

I support a artillery similar this 1 successful 2 closets successful my location truthful they're accessible, and I besides similar to propulsion retired a ample powerfulness stations erstwhile I request to run a corded instrumentality similar a sander oregon a agleam airy successful an country wherever I don't person a plug. That's been 1 of the much compelling usage cases for me.

The C1000 tin beryllium large erstwhile it's charging oregon powering appliances that person precocious vigor draw, but that's astir the lone downside I recovered during testing.

How to Buy


The Solix C1000 Gen 2 Portable Power Station is presently disposable for $372, which is much than fractional disconnected its MSRP. It tin beryllium purchased from the Anker website oregon from Amazon.com.

Note: Anker provided MacRumors with a C1000 for the intent of this review. No different compensation was received.
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