If you’re headed off for a weekend away for a family camping trip or a hike with friends, having a power station to hand can be essential for ensuring that all of your key devices are topped up. After all, there’s nothing worse in that situation than going off the beaten path and then finding that your phone has run out of battery, so if you have such a trip in the diary then you might need to pick up one of the best power stations beforehand.
Regardless of what your plans are, the continued innovation of power stations has allowed them to become powerful enough to top up or run massive devices and appliances at the same time. For instance, if you need to get some work done on your laptop but you also need to keep a portable cooler powered up for a little post-work celebration, then you can do exactly that.
Plus, thanks to the use of portable solar panels, it’s now possible to make a power station go even further than before on a single trip. What this means is that power stations are now more robust than they’ve ever been, but that also extends to an abundance of features which can get overwhelming if you’re looking to pick one up for the first time. Thankfully, that’s where we come in.
Our team of experts put these power stations through a series of rigorous tests to ensure that any claims of battery life, charging times and power output are verified. By using them in real-world scenarios, you can get a better understanding of how each power station will perform day to day, before you ever part with any cash.
Bear in mind that if you’re just looking for something to top up your smartphone or tablet on the go then you’re better off checking out our breakdown of the best power banks, as they’re more portable and better suited for being thrown in a backpack. For anything more than that, power stations are the best option, and here are the ones that impressed our team the most.
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Learn more about how we test power stations
We test every power station we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We measure how much power they take to charge, at different inputs, and how much power they can actually output over AC, again at different loads. This lets us see how efficient each power station is.
We also calculate the cost to store a kWh of electricity, worked out over the usable life of the power station, so that we can measure the value of each product.
Pros
- Excellent price
- Lasts for 4000 charges to 80% capacity
- The app adds an impressive level of functionality
Cons
- Fans run even under low load
Pros
- High output power, and lots of stored power
- Compact for this class
- Excellent durability, warranty and value
Pros
- Compact
- Large battery
- High power output
Cons
- Using all five ports reduces the maximum charging rate
Pros
- Backpack has loads of room
- Cleverly designed power station
- Good array of ports (for the size)
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Excellent price -
Lasts for 4000 charges to 80% capacity -
The app adds an impressive level of functionality
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Fans run even under low load
The EcoFlow Delta 3 Plus might look like some kind of futuristic chest, but fear not, it is very much a power station, and one of the best ones available at that. Forget simply being a great product in its category, the EcoFlow Delta 3 Plus is one of those rare devices that ticks all of the major boxes you would hope for, making it very difficult for any other power stations to compete.
The big headline here is the £899 price, which, for all the features that the Delta 3 Plus includes, and the amount of cash that some companies expect you to part with, makes for an absolute bargain. If you’re most concerned about getting the best bang for your buck, then nothing really comes close to this, especially given its 1800W power output.
1800W is more than enough to keep several devices powered at one time, but if you want to speed things up, then you’ll be glad to know that the X-Boost feature can kick that up even further to 2400W with supported devices. If you’re travelling with a fairly large group, then you’ll have enough power on hand to make sure that everyone’s content, without any sense of battery anxiety creeping in.
What’s really impressive are the charging speeds of the battery itself. When topping up the battery via the mains, it only took just under an hour to go from 0% to a full battery, so if you do realise last minute that you’ve forgotten to give the Delta 3 Plus some juice, you can rectify that pretty quickly. There’s also compatibility for charging via your car as well as via solar panels.
The helpful five-inch display on the body of the Delta 3 Plus is bright and easy to read outdoors, so you can get on charging speeds and other information at a glance, but what we really appreciated was the design of the accompanying app. One of the crucial features provided by the app is Storm Guard, which sends you an alert if severe weather is on the way, which could disrupt the power station’s operation.
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High output power, and lots of stored power -
Compact for this class -
Excellent durability, warranty and value
While the EcoFlow Delta 3 Plus could be mistaken for a different product entirely, the Bluetti Elite 200 V2 has no such facade. Even just to glance at the V2, you can tell that this is a power station that means business with easily accessible outlets for three-pin plug devices, as well as anything that only needs a USB-C or USB-A cable to be topped up.
What you may not realise, especially if you’ve yet to shop around at the competition, is that in spite of being a high-end power station in terms of battery size and power output, the Bluetti Elite 200 V2 is actually quite compact. Sure, at 24kg it’s easier to carry around if you have a friend or family members to help you, but compared to the much heavier sizes that you typically see, the V2 is much easier to manoeuvre.
Diving into what’s under the hood, the V2 has a gargantuan 2kWh battery, which carries more than enough power to keep all of your essentials topped up over a decent period of time. Just for context, the V2 packs enough juice to run a dishwasher or washing machine through an entire cycle, which, oddly enough, makes for a handy back-up in the event of a power cut.
That 2kWh battery provides 6000-cycles over its lifetime, so if you are the type of person who regularly travels into the great outdoors, or wants to have a serious power station in their home for long-term use, then this is an easy option to go for. Part of the reason why the V2 is able to last this long is that it uses ‘automotive grade’ LFP cells which can provide double the durability compared to the competition.
The output can reach 2600W which, from our testing, was more than enough to have a toaster and a kettle run simultaneously, so if you like the idea of having a toast and coffee breakfast when camping, you’ll feel right at home here. Even when the V2 is used to power more heavy-duty items, it runs at a very quiet level thanks to the efficient cooling fans within.
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Compact -
Large battery -
High power output
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Using all five ports reduces the maximum charging rate
If you ever decide that your home office or that local cafe you tend to frequent are starting to get a bit stale, you might want to consider taking the train or hopping in the car to somewhere far more picturesque for a day’s work. If that sounds like a nice idea then you’ll absolutely want to have the UGreen 48,000mAh 300W Portable Power Bank on your person.
With a massive 48,000mAh battery, UGreen’s portable power station can top up a MacBook Air roughly three times before needing a top up itself, which is more than you’ll ever need over the course of a day – arguably you could stretch your period of remote working into a weekend if you fancy.
If you do have more devices that you’d like to top up at the same time, like your smartphone, tablet or smartwatch, then you’ll be glad to know that with two USB-A ports and three USB-C ports, you absolutely have the freedom to power up your entire ecosystem if needed. Plus, with a collective output of 300W, you can fast charge those devices so you won’t be waiting around for long before you can use them again.
Even though, as you can imagine, UGreen’s power station is a fair bit heftier than a pocketable power bank, it’s still very portable at just 1.6kg, and with the included carry handle, it’s easy to move around your work set-up (helpful if you need a bit more desk space for a coffee that’s just arrived).
For anyone who’s feeling a bit more adventurous and decides to set up a remote office in the woods for a day, there is a very helpful torch built into the side of this power station which can be used to signal for help or find your way out of a tricky situation. As a final flourish, the front-facing screen always lets you know how much battery is left at any given time, so you won’t be caught unaware in the middle of a Zoom call.
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Backpack has loads of room -
Cleverly designed power station -
Good array of ports (for the size)
At first glance, it might seem a bit wild to have a power station/backpack combo (and that’s why the UGreen 48kmAh power bank is still the best option for folks who want super portable power) but once you realise all the benefits of its unique design, the Bluetti Handsfree 2 reveals itself as one of the best high-end power solution that you can comfortably take with you on the go.
Because the backpack has been designed with a dedicated section for the power station itself, the latter never feels like it gets in the way, particularly as you still have ample space in other compartments for all your main devices such as a laptop, camera or tablet. Really, this is the ideal power solution to go for if you’re a photographer or content creator who needs plenty of juice to help them edit photos or videos in a pinch, whilst also ensuring that their recording devices never see a dead battery.
Depending on what you need to charge in the moment, you won’t be at a loss for options. With two 100W USB-C ports alongside two 15W USB-A slots, you can hook up your smartphone, tablet or smartwatch in a pinch with just a cable to hand. If you have something more heavy duty that requires a lot more power, there is a 700W AC adapter onboard, perfect for camera equipment.
Circling back to the battery itself, you’re looking at a 512Wh capacity, which is more than enough to get you through even a more involved day, requiring multiple camera batteries to be charged, alongside gimbals, microphones and more. Bluetti also promises 4000 charge cycles with the Handsfree 2, making it ideal as a long-term power solution.
While there is a display built into the power station, it’s not always easy to see without taking off the backpack, which is exactly where the Bluetti app becomes quite a helpful tool. You can use the app to see how much battery is left and also tweak the charging modes in an instant. For making battery anxiety a thing of the past, it’s hard not to appreciate what Bluetti has put together here.
Yes, as the batteries are charged and discharged, they eventually hold less power. Most manufacturers quote the number of charge cycles (charging and discharging) before a power station hits 80% of its original capacity. This is the figure we use to work out the cost to store a kWh of electricity.
Not quite. The capacity refers to the storage of the battery. Some power is used for internal circuits, but more power is ‘lost’ when using AC power, as an inverter is used to convert the DC power of the battery to AC mains power.
Each power station has a maximum rated output in Watts for its AC outlets. This is the maximum power that can be provided. Some power stations have a mode that can increase this maximum by adjusting voltage and amperage, but these modes only work with some devices and there are effects. For example, a heater wouldn’t get as hot and a kettle would take longer to boil. It’s important to look at the rated output and make sure it will cover the devices you want to power.
Test Data
| EcoFlow Delta 3 Plus | Bluetti Elite 200 V2 | UGreen 48,000mAh 300W Portable Power Bank | Bluetti Handsfree 2 |
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Full Specs
| EcoFlow Delta 3 Plus Review | Bluetti Elite 200 V2 Review | UGreen 48,000mAh 300W Portable Power Bank Review | Bluetti Handsfree 2 Review | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK RRP | £899 | – | £183.99 | £668 |
| Manufacturer | – | – | Ugreen | – |
| Quiet Mark Accredited | – | No | – | – |
| Battery | 1024 Whr | 2073.6 Whr | 153.6 Whr | 512 Whr |
| Size (Dimensions) | 398 x 200 x 284 MM | 350 x 250 x 324 MM | 77 x 105 x 143 MM | 105 x 305 x 385 MM |
| Weight | 12.5 KG | 24.2 KG | 1637 G | 7.5 KG |
| ASIN | B0DFPW2Y2C | B0DRFZ8C31 | – | – |
| Release Date | 2024 | 2025 | 2024 | 2025 |
| First Reviewed Date | 29/01/2025 | 05/03/2025 | 05/03/2025 | 30/06/2025 |
| Model Number | Ecoflow Delta 3 Plus | – | UGreen 48,000mAh 300W Portable Power Bank | – |
| Battery type | Rechargeable | Rechargeable | Rechargeable | Rechargeable |
| Battery technology | Lithium-ion | NiMH | Lithium-ion | Lithium-ion |
| Battery size | AA | AA | AA | AA |
