A compact, rugged solar USB charger for maintaining portable electronics & digital devices while on the go
Modern road-trippers now travel with more and more digital devices: smartphones, handheld GPS units, tablets and laptop computers, and more.
And all these devices require frequent charging to provide their valuable functions and features. But if your travels often take you off the beaten path, it can be hard to find convenient power sources for charging.
Does the ZeroLemon USB Solar Charger provide an easy, portable, off-the-grid solution to keep all your travel electronics topped up?
Specifications
- Content: 20000mAh Battery Pack / Clip
- MicroUSB charging cable
- The world’s largest capacity rain resistant & shockproof portable solar charger on the planet
- Shock-proof design for rough handling and drops.LED flashlight
- Top Grade A cell, Built-in 20000mAh Lithium Polymer battery which charges via a powerful 1.2W mono-crystalline solar panel
- Dual 2.1A & 1A output allows for simultaneous charging of your devices at high speed
- 1000+ recharge cycles over the life of the battery.
- 36 month Guarantee
When you are taking the road less traveled, this is the charger you are going to want on board. It is small, durable, compact, and powerful.
Get the ZeroLemon SolarJuice Charger here
First Impressions
This is a nicely built battery: solid and durable, admittedly a bit heavy, but so compact that it matters little when car- or van-camping.
The case is well made, and doesn’t flex at all. It has two USB ports and one mini USB port for charging, so you can charge two devices at once. The power LEDs light up if you are charging via the USB. There are four power level LEDs. They are labeled 100%, 75%, 50%, 25% to show how much charge it has left. A nice feature so you know when you are running low on juice.
On The Road or In Camp
The ZeroLemon SolarJuice works great. It charged my husband’s Samsung Note 2 and my LG Optimus in less than 2 hours. It is very rugged, so if you drop it you don’t have to worry about damaging it—I know from experience! You can charge it via solar, but this will take several hours in full sunlight. We have plugged in our phones and other devices and left the unit in the sun to charge for a few hours, and it worked well. (I recommend covering the phones and other devices with a towel, etc. so they are not in direct sunlight.)
We often charge the ZeroLemon SolarJuice via the USB cable powered by our dashboard power ports <link>, but we generally leave the unit laying on the Vanagon dashboard to take advantage of free solar charging. Or utilize the solar-charging feature by leaving it on the dashboard or campsite table in full sunlight while we go for a hike, walk the beach, visit a museum, etc..
In The Long Run
After using the ZeroLemon a few times, I have to say we have been impressed with its charging ability. We easily charged our devices using both ports pretty fast. You will need to turn the battery on for it to charge, or else it won’t charge. To turn the battery on, you have to hold the button for three seconds. To turn the battery off, you hold the button for three seconds. It charges from the sun, meaning you can recharge it anywhere. It is easy to use and does the job. For the price, this is great device.
The durable rugged ‘outdoors’ design, and dual-charging capability of the ZeroLemon SolarJuice make it a versatile device for van-campers and other road-trippers!
Hits:
Large capacity battery
Compact design
Good Construction, built to take it
Continued, simultaneous device charge cycles while on the go
Flashlight
Misses:
Heavy (but to be expected for a large capacity battery)
Flashlight minimally useful
Long solar charging times
Liked the story and it looks like a quick and convenient way to charge a phone without having to be near your vehicle or another outlet. However, I didn’t see where the story talked about the time it takes the battery to fully charge?Or maybe I misread it. You said that it took a few hours to charge the phone, but does the battery itself have to be at 100 percent to do this efficiently? What would happen if the battery is only at 25 percent charge?
Hey Larry!
The time needed to charge the SolarJuice will depend on the power source; wall outlet was less than 2 hours, 12VDC in the van is probably about 3 hours. Solar power is always hard to estimate because of clouds or haze, precise angle to the sun, etc.. Even the imperceptible UV tint of a van window can reduce the solar charging efficiency. But if you make a habit of leaving the SolarJuice on the dash or picnic table or otherwise in sunlight all day, it can really help stretch the battery.
Even when not fully charged, the unit will still charge your other devices, as long as the remaining amps exceeds the amp rating of the phone or other device you’re charging. The new version of the ZeroLemon SolarJuice has a rated capacity of 26800mAh, so in your example, at 25% charge remaining, that’s 6700mAh left. An iPhone 8 has a 1,821mAh battery. So, in theory you should be able to get another 3.5 iPhone charges out of it.
Of course, as with everything, there’s always some efficiency lost along the way, so your mileage will vary.
Hope this helps!