Watt-hours say how long, watts say what you can plug in
A portable power station is a battery, an inverter and a charger in one box, and the two figures on the front of that box answer two different questions. Capacity in watt-hours says how long something can run; continuous output in watts says whether it can be plugged in at all. A 2 000 Wh station with a 300 W inverter will not start a kettle, and a 300 Wh station with a 1 800 W inverter will start one and empty itself in minutes. Beside the continuous figure sits a surge rating, which is only meaningful with the duration the maker attaches to it — a motor draws its starting current for a fraction of a second, and a station that holds the surge for two seconds and one that holds it for two hundred milliseconds are not the same machine. Cell chemistry decides the rest: LiFePO4 cells accept more cycles and tolerate heat better than the NMC cells that make a station lighter, and the cycle count a maker publishes is only readable with the capacity percentage it is measured to — 3 000 cycles to 80 % and 3 000 cycles to 60 % describe two different products. Then the practical part: how fast it recharges from the wall and from solar, what the solar input accepts in volts and amps, whether the outputs include a pure sine wave socket, and what the listing says about running it in a hot car or a closed cupboard. We compare capacity, continuous and surge output, chemistry, cycle life, recharge time, output sockets and published thermal limits.
230 Wh nominal · 300 W continuous, 600 W peak · LiFePO4 · 3000 cycles to 80 % · full in 2.5 h · 6 outputs
A 230 Wh LiFePO4 station rated 300 W continuous with a 600 W peak, charged in a stated 2.5 hours from the mains and offering six outputs including a 100 W USB-C port.
Best for: Someone who wants a light station for a laptop, phones and lights rather than for anything that heats.
≈ €100
1024 Wh nominal · 1800 W · LiFePO4, 3500+ cycles · 0–80 % in 1 h at 800 W · 11 outputs · 14 kg · app control
A 1024 Wh LiFePO4 station rated 1800 W with eleven outputs, charged from 0 to 80 % in a stated hour at 800 W, and controllable from a phone application.
Best for: A household that wants three mains sockets and app monitoring rather than the lightest unit on the shelf.
≈ €439
1024 Wh nominal LFP · 2600 W · 0–80 % in 37 min · 10 ms UPS switchover · 26 dB stated · 2× 140 W USB-C · 5-year warranty
A 1024 Wh LFP station rated 2600 W that reaches 80 % in a stated 37 minutes, switches to battery in 10 ms, and carries two 140 W USB-C ports and a five-year warranty.
Best for: Someone already inside the DJI ecosystem, or anyone who needs the shortest recharge and a documented switchover time.
≈ €539
288 Wh nominal · 300 W DC · LiFePO4, 4000 cycles · 80 % in about 70 min on USB-C plus solar · 5 outputs · about 2.5 kg
A 288 Wh LiFePO4 station rated 300 W, charged over USB-C, solar or a car socket, with three USB-C ports of which two are rated 140 W and an integrated cable that doubles as the handle.
Best for: Someone charging laptops and cameras rather than running mains appliances, who wants a published temperature range.
≈ £149 / €159
2232 Wh nominal · 2400 W continuous, 2600 W boost, 4500 W peak · LiFePO4, 3500 cycles to 80 % · 0–80 % in 50 min · 13 outputs · two charge rates
A 2232 Wh LiFePO4 station rated 2400 W continuous with a 4500 W peak, thirteen outputs, a 20 ms uninterruptible switchover and a choice of fast or slow charging.
Best for: A household backup where several mains appliances have to run at once and the unit will spend most of its life waiting.
≈ €594
1024 Wh nominal · 1800 W continuous · LiFePO4, 3000+ cycles · full in 65 min at 1300 W · 8 outputs
A 1024 Wh LiFePO4 station rated 1800 W continuous, charged to full in a stated 65 minutes from a 1300 W mains input, with eight outputs including two 100 W USB-C ports.
Best for: Someone who wants the fastest mains recharge in this price band and can live without a published surge figure.
≈ €439
512 Wh nominal · 800 W continuous, 1600 W peak · LiFePO4, 4000+ cycles · 100 % in 60 min at 500 W · 8 outputs · 6.2 kg
A 512 Wh LiFePO4 station rated 800 W continuous and 1600 W peak, charged to full in a stated 60 minutes at 500 W, with an uninterruptible switchover quoted under 10 ms.
Best for: A weekend away or a short outage where a fridge and a few mains appliances have to keep running.
≈ €239
97.68 Wh nominal · 150 W AC max, 120 W DC max · chemistry not stated · MPPT input · full in 5.5–6 h · 1.87 kg
A 97.68 Wh station with a 150 W maximum mains output and a built-in MPPT solar input, weighing a stated 1.87 kg, whose listing says plainly that it will not run a heater or a motor.
Best for: A camping trip where the load list is phones, a tablet, a light and nothing that heats.
≈ €133
1024 Wh nominal · 2000 W continuous, 3000 W peak · 4000 cycles to 80 % · full in 49 min at 1600 W · 600 W solar at 60 V max · 10 ms UPS · 9 ports
A 1024 Wh station rated 2000 W continuous and 3000 W peak, charged in a stated 49 minutes at 1600 W, with a 600 W solar input capped at 60 V and a 10 ms switchover.
Best for: A household that will pair the station with panels and wants the input window published rather than guessed.
≈ $599 / £499 / €600
A price quoted in the text of a PowerVerdict page dates from the day that page was written; the live figure beside each product is fetched while you read and replaces it.
