I love solar gear because it allows you to be off the grid as much as possible.
Solar powered phone case chargers are being sought after more and more each year. The industry has made a few attempts, but they have all failed.
There are no working solar charging cases that I know of (at least that work on iPhone 8 and above).
But I understand the desire. And so does iPowerup. They are in the early stages of getting funding and backers.
Why is this a needed product? When you’re hiking, camping, backpacking, or spending time outdoors, you may be using navigational apps, tracking apps like Strava, taking pictures, and more. Batteries tend to drain much faster as a result.
Wouldn’t it be nice to let mother nature charge your phone instead of carrying extra battery packs or ending up with a dead phone?
Well, since a solar phone case doesn’t exist, let’s look at the best solutions at this time.
Best Solar Power Phone Cases and Solutions Reviewed
This is one of the reviews I did because I was seeking out my own solar-powered charger and figured I’d write a post while researching.
In my opinion, the technology is just not there yet to make solar charging a great option for being on the move.
You’ll be spending ~$20 for the solar capability on a battery pack just so that you can probably never use it.
In my opinion, that $20 is better spent on 1) a larger portable charger, or 2) for a larger solar panel that can actually make a difference.
Let’s take a look.
1. The Anker Power Core Solar Charger for Phone
Anker is one of the few solid brands in the solar charging space. It has a great reputation and is the most popular brands for battery packs.
My girlfriend uses this on backpacking trips.
To be honest, 99% of the time it gets charged at home and it never uses the solar function. It would take days to charge this via solar in many situations, so it’s not super practical (see #3 for a more practical, but bulky solution).
Splashproof, dust resistant. Great for the outdoors.
What you’ll like:
- Can charge most phones 1.5 to 2 times
- Can charge a variety of devices
- Easy to attach to a backpack
- Great solution if in the same spot most of the day and can let it sit in the sun
Things to note:
- Solar panel is small, actually, tiny
- Durable, but not waterproof
- Expensive for 10,000mAh, can get a 20,000mAh Anker battery, without solar, for the same price.
This versatile battery pack is a great alternative to a solar panel cell phone case. It can be charged by the solar panels OR it can be charged through a microusb charger at home.
However, it should NOT be relied on in terms of rechargeability. The solar panels are small. You could hang it on your backpack, but you’re not going to get a full charge very easily. Charge it before you go out. If you’re going to hang out at camp for a while, put it in the sun and get a little more charge out of it, but don’t expect to have it charge fully back in a short time using only the solar panels.
2. The Anker Power Core (Solar Alternative)
If you want to save a couple bucks, take a look at a very similar product, just without solar.
This is by far the best option. It's about the size of your existing phone and can charge it between 1.5 and 2 times depending on your phone.
What You’ll Like
- Fast charging (0 to 50% in 30 minutes) via USB-C
- Slim and sleek look
- Lightweight (7 oz)
- Charges a wide variety of products
- Can charge most phones 1.5 to 2 times
Things to Note
- It takes ~4 hours to charge
- It can’t be used while being charged.
- Could get a dud, I find this common with many battery packs
- No fast charging to a Galaxy s21
- Not a solar charger
3. Solar Charger 24000mAh Portable Solar Power Bank with 3 Foldable Solar Panels
This is a little more practical solution if you’re looking to really use solar to charge the device.
What you’ll like
- Can attach to backpack easily and get a charge while hiking
- Compact while panels are folded
- Good value to performance ratio
- Bright flashlight included
- More surface area means more solar power
Things to note:
- Charges slow, but that is pretty standard in many of these style panels
- Durable, but not waterproof
- Not available for most phones as of this writing
- Difficult to get the phone out
To me, this is the best option available if a normal battery pack isn’t sufficient. Although it’s not a cell phone case, it is similar in size and can do much more work than the surface area of just a phone.
As like other solar battery packs, you can charge it by sun OR it can be charged through usb charger at home. A friend of mine uses a similar model on backpacking trips to charge her phone and camera. It’s especially good in desert climates in the fall and winter where the cold at night can deplete your batteries, but you have some sun during the day to charge.
This is also good in the summer even with cloud coverage. The 3 panels provide a good amount of surface and can be folded so it doesn’t take up much more space than the ones that have 1/3 of the panels.
Overall, this is the most practical product. It has enough surface area to be useful, it can easily be hung on a backpack or set down to charge, and it is small enough to still be portable and bring on backpacking or kayaking trips.
So What is the Best Solar Powered Case for Your Phone
It turns out, the best solar powered phone case is actually not a case at all!
Why? The technology just isn’t good enough and affordable for companies to invest enough to make a decent product.
The ideal one would be have to have foldable panels to offer greater surface area to be practical to get enough sun power.
If you put that on a phone case, it can be heavy and bulky (as of now).
I expect we’ll be adding to this list over the next years as the technology becomes cheaper and more efficient.
