Jackery makes a range of more powerful battery pack options designed for iPhones and iPads, useful in emergencies, power outages and when camping.
Jackery’s Explorer 500 Portable Power Station is a mid-range 518Wh/144,000mAh portable battery that costs $499.99, but is great for keeping your essential devices charged when no other power source is available.
Design
The Zachary Explorer 500 Portable Power Station isn’t your average battery pack—at just over 13 pounds, it’s bulky and not something you want to lug around.
The E500 has a super rugged design that can withstand abuse, making it perfect for camping and outdoor use. Both the shape and the ergonomic handle make it easy to carry and it has an attractive design despite its size.
It is made from a black plastic material with orange accents and fan vents on the sides There’s a small LCD display on the front, which is one of the handiest features. You can press the Display button to see the current charge level, power draw of any connected devices, and input power.
There is a small input port for charging on the side of the display and multiple ports below it. On the side, there’s another button that toggles a built-in LED light as a flashlight feature, which is a nice addition.
port
There’s a standard 110V AC port that supports up to 500W and 1000W surge, two 12V/7A 6.5×1.4mm DC outputs, a 12V/10A car outlet, three 2.4A/5V USB-A ports and a DC input for charging purposes. .
The number of devices and cables that use USB-A is decreasing, and at this point, most of my electronics have USB-C cables rather than USB-A cables. I wish USB-C ports were available, both for the Explorer 500’s convenience and for charging devices like my MacBook without needing a power adapter, but unfortunately there is no USB-C port.
Apart from that, there is a good mix of ports. The three USB-A ports can be used for your smaller devices that require minimal power, while the AC outlet works for just about anything.
As for the two 6.5×1.4mm DC output ports, I’m not sure most people’s devices will be able to take advantage of these. I don’t. There is a 6mm DC to car cigarette lighter port converter that works with them, allowing for two car-compatible ports, but you’ll need to purchase such an adapter separately.
There are on/off switches for the DC, AC and USB outputs, so they need to be turned on whenever you’re charging something. Disabling them prevents power draw and freezes the battery so it doesn’t drain. I didn’t have the E500 with me long enough to test its battery retention, but it managed to hold a charge for a week without use.
Zachary recommends charging it once every few months to make sure it’s ready in an emergency, so for the most part it can be tucked away in a closet until needed, as long as you remember to top it up every now and then. Ports power is automatically disabled after 12 hours if power usage is below 10 watts to conserve battery.
charging
At 518Wh, the Jackery E500 has more than enough power for everything from charging electronics to powering appliances. How long each device lasts will depend on its power draw.
With my 15-inch MacBook Pro, I tested charging twice. It takes 20 percent of the battery to charge from zero to full the first time and 19 percent the second time So if you’re not using it for anything else, the E500 can charge a MacBook Pro about five times.
It took about two hours to fully charge my MacBook Pro, which seems like full speed. I’m not 100 percent sure that the LCD is giving me the correct wattage when charging because it seems to peak at about 75W and fluctuate between about 60 and 70W, while the MacBook Pro is able to charge at 85W, but charging doesn’t seem slow.
My iPhone 11 Pro Max (the iPhone with the largest battery I own), took three percent of the E500’s battery to charge the first time I tested it, and four percent the second time, taking the charge from dead to full. Based on these metrics, I estimate that I can charge an iPhone 11 Pro Max approximately 29 times with the E500.
I tested the E500 with a Razer gaming laptop drawing an average of about 150W, and it managed to last a full four hours. I plugged in the laptop at 1:30pm and Zachary died at 5:40pm
With my Dyson air purifier, I plug it into the E500 at 12:00pm and set it to medium and it runs for 24 hours. When I finished this test, the E500 still had 43 percent battery life, so for low-power devices like fans and lights, it can last quite a while.
I know the E500 is compatible with a wide range of small appliances like mini fridges, but I find that many of my standard appliances draw too much power. My small Vornado heater, for example, is 750W/1000W depending on power level, and my Vitamix blender is up to 1500W, so they are not compatible.
Compatible items include a PlayStation 4/5, a Dyson fan, a Netgear router and a television, so there are still plenty of options, but make sure whatever you want to use with the E500 is under 500W. For devices that require more power, Jackari has the more expensive E1000, which is a better solution for high-powered devices and long-term use.
When charging devices that draw a lot of power, the E500’s fans run intermittently. They’re not very loud, but they’re noticeable, and the decibel level is about the same as running a standard fan on a medium setting.
The E500 can be charged by itself with a wall socket with the included power adapter that plugs into the input port, in a car using the 12V port, or with a solar panel that Zachary sells as an add-on accessory. There is no charging method for this battery that is particularly fast, which is a downside of this charger. A full charge takes about 7.5 hours using an AC adapter and more than double with a car adapter. Solar charging can be done in 9.5 hours, but it depends on the outside conditions.
Note that passthrough charging is possible, so you can charge devices plugged in while charging the E500.
Solar charger
Zachary sells a 100W solar panel alongside the Explorer 500, which uses the sun to charge so it can be used continuously off-grid. SolarSaga Solar Panels hugeWhich seems appropriate since it’s a big battery.
Although it’s a bit unappealing, I do appreciate SolarSaga’s design. Has a handle that makes it easy to transport and it folds in half. There’s also a pouch on the back to store the charging cable, which was handy.
SolarSaga connects to the E500 via a built-in DC cable that plugs into the Explorer and is easy to use. I just plugged it in and set up the panel using the included velcro-attached kickstands that allow it to be angled toward the sun. It took me a full two minutes to get it ready to charge.
Given that it’s winter, we don’t get full sun in Northern California, but I chose the day with the sunniest forecast for testing. I plugged in the SolarSaga in the morning, but I didn’t see it charge more than 20 percent during the day, nor did I max out its charging capacity because it wasn’t sunny enough. In the winter with the most sun I’ve found, the SolarSaga was delivering about 60W, which should be enough to keep small appliances up and running.
If you want to get full charging power from the SolarSaga, you’ll need good, direct sunlight that isn’t obscured by trees or other objects, so keep that in mind.
You’re going to get faster charging times when taking advantage of full sun, so the usefulness of a solar charger depends on where you’re taking it. For a sunny camping spot, it might be able to keep many of your smaller devices topped off for a week, and if you get full sun all day, you’ll still have enough power for your larger devices.
Zachary says the battery should take about 9.5 hours to fully charge, but I’d guess that’s under optimal sun conditions. You can plug devices directly into the SolarSaga as it has a USB-C port and a USB-A port
bottom line
Living through a pandemic, wildfires in California, and a dull election in 2020 has made me stockier than ever and it’s made me think more about emergency preparedness, and I don’t think I’m alone.
It’s not the kind of tech-related product I’d pay much attention to in 2019, but it’s something practical that concerns being prepared for power outages and other emergencies, or even makes sense to have on hand for those trying to get out of the house this year. Went camping.
The Explorer 500 provides enough power to keep most devices running for a day or more with storage, and if you have a random outage it can power a router for a few hours, which is useful for most of us working from home now. And things cannot be done without a source of energy.
It’s an investment at its price point, but for those who need it, it’s a solid portable power station worth considering if you’re in the market for one.
I would say that if you plan on using this type of battery daily to power a camper or anything else, you may want to look into one of the higher capacity models as the E500 doesn’t have enough power to keep the equipment. Up and running for more than a day depending on what you’re charging, and it’s not powerful enough for high wattage devices.
How to buy
Jackery’s Explorer 500 Portable Power Station can be purchased from Amazon for $499.99, and there’s also a version with a 100W solar panel for $799.98.
Note: Zachary provided MacRumors with an Explorer 500 and SolarSaga 100W for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received.
