(Last Updated On: February 20, 2022)

Solar power banks are your plain old power banks, and the only difference is that they have a solar panel installed within them, so you charge the power bank via solar panels.

That’s it. Most people don’t understand that a solar panel doesn’t charge that quickly with its solar recharging power, and you’re most likely going to be recharging it through the Micro-USB Input port that you use with most other portable chargers.

With that said, solar charging isn’t the only valuable asset that Solar power banks take advantage of, and they can be handy in many ways that more conventional chargers can’t be. This is the Innoo Tech solar charger; read on in this Charger Harbor Review to learn more about it.

Similar Solar Power Banks:

Dizaul 5,000mAh Solar Power Bank

Power

Power Capacity:

Starting with the power capacity, it does pretty well.

You’re starting with an initial power capacity of 10,000mAh and with conversion during charging that’s knocked down to about 8,000mAh.

The solar power bank doesn’t take advantage of particular hardware like Pansonic battery cells or any other tech that can improve conversion during charging.

With that said, we have to say that the conversion rate is pretty good, primarily because of its charging speed having a Max Output of only 2.1A.

With a power capacity of 8,000mAh, the power bank does a great job of charging most smartphones four times or more.

Although if you’re charging something like the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, then it’s going to fair a bit lower and be able to give about 2.5 total charges.

As for tablets, this charger can do well, but only if you’re charging a tablet alone. This is because power capacity won’t be split, and all the power capacity will be focused only on a single device.

It doesn’t have the highest power capacity, but it will be able to last you for a few days, and we think that it’s a perfect amount of power capacity for hiking, camping, or a simple outdoor venturing for either a few hours or days. So long as you’re charging devices that are within the portable charger’s capabilities of charging.

	Innoo Tech 10,000mAh Solar Portable Charger (Output Power Capacity = 8,000mAh)	Phone Capacity	Innoo Tech 10,000mAh Solar Portable Charger Left Over Capacity after One Charge Number of Full Charges for the Device
iPhone SE	8,000mAh	1,624mAh	6,376mAh Left Over 4.9 Full Charges
iPhone 6	8,000mAh	1,810mAh	6,190mAh Left Over 4.4 Full Charges
iPhone 6 Plus	8,000mAh	2,915mAh	5,085mAh Left Over 2.7 Full Charges
iPhone 6s	8,000mAh	1,715mAh	6,285mAh Left Over 4.6 Full Charges
iPhone 6s Plus	8,000mAh	2,750mAh	5,250mAh Left Over 2.9 Full Charges
Samsung Galaxy S6	8,000mAh	2,550mAh	5,450mAh Left Over 3.1 Full Charges
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge	8,000mAh	2,600mAh	5,400mAh Left Over 3.0 Full Charges
Samsung Galaxy S7	8,000mAh	3,000mAh	5,000mAh Left Over 2.6 Full Charges
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge	8,000mAh	3,600mAh	4,400mAh Left Over 2.2 Full Charges
Apple iPad Mini 2	8,000mAh	6,470mAh	1,530mAh Left Over 1.2 Full Charges
Apple iPad Mini 4	8,000mAh	5,124mAh	2,876mAh Left Over 1.5 Full Charges

Output Charging: Max Output: 2.1 Amps    Per Port: 5V/1.0A

The charging speed could use some work. There are 2 Output charging ports, and each of them is only capable of charging at 1 Amp.

You’re not going to be getting very fast charging for most of the devices you plan to charge. This goes for most smartphones and tablets like iPads with a max charging rate of 2.4 Amps.

However, the charging speed is quite good in a way when you’re charging a device alone. This is because the charging speed is shared through the charging ports.

So if you’re charging only a single device at any one time, then that device can potentially receive a max charging rate of 2.1 Amps. This is great for higher Amperage charging devices like tablets and smartphones since they can charge beyond a 1 Amp rate.

So if you’re using both Output ports, then charging speeds can be quite limiting as the power bank is splitting a source of power that is only 2.1 Amps.

Input Charging:    Solar Charging: 5.5V/250mAh      Micro-USB: 5V/1.0A

The main attraction for this power bank is the solar recharging aspect and as we said before at the beginning of this review, recharging with solar isn’t anything special. The same stands here.

We mean that the recharging speed through the solar panel is only 5.5V/250mA. So if you’re recharging it through ONLY the solar panels, then it can take up to 40 hours for the power bank to fully recharge.

Although that’s not happening unless you’re constantly keeping it under solar rays, also, Innoo Tech recommends that you do not leave it under sunlight for very long periods because it can overheat and get damaged.

So if you think that you’re going to be able to recharge it at a respectable charging speed through solar power, then you’re wrong.

Then there’s the traditional way of recharging the power bank through a Micro-USB input port. If you’re using the Micro-USB Input to recharge the solar power bank, it will take about 6-7 hours to recharge fully.

It doesn’t matter what wall charger you use since the Input recharge is only 5V/1.0A.

Design

Size and Weight

It’s quite a large power bank; Innoo Tech states that you can place it into your pocket, and although that might slightly be possible, we don’t feel like it’s a comfortable possibility.

The length is 6.1 inches; it has a width of 3.1 inches and a 1.6 inch in thickness. It also has a heavyweight of 10.4 ounces. So now we hope you know what we mean when we say that we don’t think it’s possible to place it into a pocket comfortably.

With that said, though, we do think that it’s possible to either carry it around, but even then, the weight of it can weigh you down. So it’s best to use a carabiner on the power bank’s latch and connect it to a backpack. This way, you can hopefully get some recharge done if you’re walking outside on a sunny day.

Functional Components

Since the power bank has an IPX5 waterproof rating, the charging ports are covered by a flap and under the flap is where you can see the 2 USB Output ports and the Micro-USB Input port.

On the side of the charger is where you find the power button and on top is where there are 5 LED Power capacity indicators.

Charging automatically begins once you get a device to the charger, and this leaves the power button to either check the power capacity that’s gone or to turn on the flashlight.

Also, one bizarre thing we just mentioned is that there are 5 Power capacity indicators, and here’s why.

1st Indicator: Green: The charger is being charged by sunlight / Blue: 20% Power

2nd Indicator: Blue: 40% Power

3rd Indicator: Blue: 60% Power

4th Indicator: Blue: 80% Power

5th Indicator: Blue: 100% Power

This isn’t to say that solar charging stops when you reach a power capacity of 20%, it’s just that the LED light displays Blue when it reaches 20% of power capacity and Green when it’s recharging to 20%.

One portable side that we mentioned of how portable it is. There’s a latch on the bag where you can hook a carabiner and place it in a backpack. If you want to hold onto the power bank, it does have some grooves and indentations that make it comfortable to hold.

Aukey 12,000mAh Dual USB Port Solar Power Bank

Build

Structure and Material

This can consider a rugged power bank, mainly because it’s waterproof and because the build is excellent.

On the outside, it’s mostly made of plastic and has rubber in various places, and this is mainly so that it withstands shock damage in the event of a fall.

Another thing is that the siding that you see aren’t exactly parts of the charger because most or at least all the circuitry is in the center and safe from the environmental effects.

Then there’s the waterproof part. Okay, so the first thing you should know is that the power bank is only waterproof when the Output ports are covered with the flap.

When the charging ports are covered, it has an IPX5 water-resistant rating. This means that it can withstand water jets in any direction, and it also means it can withstand rain. However, it CAN NOT withstand immersion into water.

Tech

There’s nothing out of the ordinary on the tech side as the power bank has the essential safety tech to keep you and your devices safe during charging.

With that said, it can still overheat and get damaged if you leave it in the sun for too long. Also, don’t charge your devices while it’s being charged from the sun, as that will increase heat.

Reliability

For the most part, this solar power bank is reliable.

With that said, the solar part makes it not so reliable for the main feature it was made for.

We think that charging electronic companies should develop a solar power bank that can charge just as fast through its solar panels as it does with its Input ports.

This is because the recharging speed done through the solar panels is not very fast or realistic to even use because of how slow the charging speed is.

Another thing about this power bank is the Output charging speed. It does well if you’re only charging one device, but if you’re charging two devices at once, then the 2.1 Amps of power being split up isn’t going to provide a fast charging speed at all.

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Summary

Power:

The power capacity is the only impressive thing regarding its powering capabilities. The Max Output of only 2.1 Amps isn’t very versatile.

The recharging that is done through the solar panel is VERY slow, and most of the time, you’ll find yourself using the Micro-USB Input port.

Design:

It’s quite a large power bank and a heavy one at that too. It’s fairly easy to use and can even use a carabiner with it so that you can latch it onto a backpack.

Build:

The build quality is good if we’re talking about the structure and material with it being IPX5 water-resistant and can survive falls. Other than that, the tech side could use some improvements with faster charging.

Reliability:

It’s a reliable enough power bank that does well when you’re using it like just any other portable charger. When it comes to using the solar part of it, it is very unreliable.

Specs of the Innoo Tech 10,000mAh Solar Charger:

• Power Capacity: 10,000mAh
• Output:

Max Output: 2.1 Amps

Per Port: 5V/1.0A

• Input:     Solar Charging: 5.5V/250mAh      Micro-USB: 5V/1.0A
• LED Power Indicators: 5 LED Power Capacity Indicators
• Size: 6.1 x 3.1 x 1.6 inches
• Weight: 10.4 Ounces

Conclusion:

Solar power banks, we feel, aren’t there yet. Or at least this one isn’t. It does a pretty good job at being a base power bank, but when you consider what the solar part has to offer, it doesn’t deliver a robust package.