Hands-On With the Powerful Anker Solix C1000

I found myself hosting a seven-person role-playing game in the world of Cyberpunk Red the other day. The table we set up was pretty far from the wall outlet. Being a modern group of role-players, we all had various gadgets to keep powered up: phones, tablets, and laptops.

Sure, we could have found an extension cord and then dug up a power strip from somewhere and ran that all to the table, but Anker's Solix C1000 portable power station was sitting right there. I grabbed it by its comfy handles, dropped it in the middle of the table, and everyone plugged their gear into it.

Boom: every gadget, USB-C, Regular wall plug, USB-A was connected and ready to go. We could have been playing in the middle of the woods if we wanted to. That's how easy and convenient this thing is.

The device is a little smaller than, say, a desktop computer tower laid on its side or a big toaster. It weighs just under 30 pounds. It's got two handles across the top, and the sides have an RV power port, a standard port to plug in the charging cable, and a place to plug in a solar panel (Anker makes one for about $55).

The front of the unit is where the magic happens. There are six regular (US-style) 3-prong electrical ports, two USB-C and two USB-A ports, and a car socket (what we used to call a cigarette lighter). There's a little screen on there, too, to let you know the charging status and power availability. There's also an app you can use to manage the whole thing.

Oh, and there's a light strip across the front face of this thing that has three levels of brightness—perfect for hands-free illumination wherever you're trying to find power plugs to charge it.

At first, I wondered why I'd need a light on it, but then, when I was digging around in a darkened garage trying to plug in all my e-bikes, I found it pretty darn useful. I can see it being a replacement for a lantern in a tent or a light to help change a tire while you power a compressor.

The company says that Solix C1000 can charge up to 80% in 43 minutes (or 100% in 58) using its UltraFast charging system. As EV owners know, though, fast charging can come at the cost of lowering the long-term viability of your battery, so you'll probably only want to do this in emergencies.

The company promises 3,000 battery cycles and a 10-year lifespan, so this should last you a long time. The solar power recharging can also use up to 600W for fast charging, though you'll need a solar power panel that can output that much. If you do, though, Anker promises a full 100% charge in under 2 hours.

I've plugged many things into my Solix C1000, including my PS5 and TV (which worked just fine), a smart projector, my fridge (just because), and various mobile devices. I've even taken it out to recharge my e-bikes mid-trip because I didn't want to rely on my EV's battery to charge back up (I like to keep the electricity in my car battery reserved for driving).

This summer, I hope to take the portable power station with me camping, too. Imagine projecting a movie from my laptop onto the tent wall while deep in the woods or at a music festival—the potential joy of that is palpable.

The Solix puts out 1800W of power all at once, though you can surge up to 2400W of throughput if needed. One of the AC ports can also double as an uninterruptible power supply (UPS), with a less than 20ms switch-on speed. If you run a server or any other electric device that can't have any downtime, this might be a great addition to your system.

Honestly, the best thing about this Solix C1000 from Anker is that it just works. It sits there, unimpressively holding a nice charge, and I can plug whatever I need into it. When guests come over, I don't need to find a wall plug for their iPhones to charge up; it already has both kinds of USB.

If I want to use my laptop in the car? A simple AC plug into the Solix works wonders. Sometimes, the best tech is the kind you can rely on without much thought.

The Anker Solix C1000 is precisely that, in an attractive little power package.