INTRODUCTION
It wasn't that long ago that if your smartphone, tablet or any other portable device happened to ran out of battery juice the only way to recharge it again would be plugging it into an electrical socket. The appearance of portable batteries (powerbanks) in the market quickly solved that but again with the majority of models having enough juice for just 2-3 full charges the same issue remained for a large number of people. Two solutions were then proposed and adopted by certain manufacturers the first was increased battery capacity which in turn also ment larger models and the second was solar powered models which used the sun as an alternative to electrical sockets (many times less effective however). Unfortunately we haven't really seen as many solar powered models as we have larger ones but thanks to Xtorm there's another one in the market currently called the EVOKE (AM121).
Xtorm is part of the Dutch company Telco Accessories B.V and was founded in 2008 with the idea that today more and more mobile devices come to the market, which requires a lot of power. To contribute to the environment we have searched for durable applications to provide a solution to this problem. Meanwhile we are the manufacturer in the field of innovative and practical solar and power solutions for everyday use. We bring a complete range of affordable and user-friendly consumer products on the market that simply charged from solar power and USB. The products with the brand Xtorm have a contemporary character and are of high quality.
The Xtorm EVOKE (AM121) solar charger is a large-sized powerbank that features a 10.000mAh lithium polymer battery pack (can be used to charge smartphones up to 5 times and tablets up to a single time), two SunPower high-efficiency solar panels (4.5W), IPX4 certified (protection from splashing water, no matter the direction) shock-proof rubberized enclosure, micro USB input charging port and two high-output USB charging ports (5V/2.1A). The EVOKE also packs several technologies including an APM chip which automatically decides the correct charging speed and efficiently divides the power between attached devices and several electronic and electrical protections against overload, overcharge and overheating.
SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES
PACKAGING AND CONTENTS
The EVOKE gets shipped inside a black box that has a large product picture at the front placed right over its main features and beneath the company logo.
Some of the features are also mentioned on the left side.
At the rear of the box we find a product description in 7 languages right over the specifications list and 2 years warranty.
The front of the box opens to reveal both the EVOKE solar charger and in-depth explanation of its main features.
As for bundle aside the EVOKE solar charger you are also getting a USB to micro USB charging cable, user manual and a thank you note.
THE EVOKE
Measuring 165mm in length, 100mm in with and 21mm in height the 366g heavy EVOKE is certainly not among the smallest portable batteries in the market today.
To showcase its size we placed it right next to the XTPower 23.000mAh, Xtorm AL420 9.000mAh, CHJGD Ultra Compact Powerbank 10.000mAh, Luxa2 PL3 10.400mAh and the Luxa2 PL2 6.000mAh models.
The rubber enclosure opens up to reveal the two SunPower solar panels.
On the right side we find the two high-output USB charging ports and the micro USB input port all placed behind a rubber cover.
A large hook is placed on the upper right corner of the EVOKE which could be used to attach the device with a carabiner (or hang it from someplace in general).
Turning the EVOKE over we find the test button with its 5 blue LEDs used to indicate the current battery charge.
CONCLUSION
According to Xtorm the EVOKE (AM121) solar charger packs a 10.000mAh lithium polymer battery pack and since after 2 weeks of testing the usable/available capacity seems to be roughly 7.200mAh we have no reason to believe otherwise. The most highlighted feature of the EVOKE however is its two SunPower solar panels and that's what we focused quite a bit during our tests. This is a feature that relies a lot on just how strong the sun is where you live (not to mention it relies a lot on clear skies) so although in Greece we currently have a temperature of up to 35 degrees Celsius that probably isn't the case in for example Germany or the UK. Regardless however under direct sunlight and with clear skies it took less than 9 hours to fully recharge the 10.000mAh internal lithium-polymer battery of the EVOKE. We did perform the same test with some clouds on the sky but we never surpassed the 10 hour mark (obviously not enough clouds to stop the sun we have currently). Still i do expect that in some areas with weaker sunlight it may take well over 12-13 hours to fully recharge the EVOKE. With that out of the way however there's one thing we didn't like about the EVOKE and that was its bulky enclosure which is not something you can put in your pocket. True the EVOKE is far from the larger powerbank available currently and its size does allow for larger solar panels but still it's something that some people may not consider as "convenient".
Solar chargers are obviously not as affordable as regular powerbanks and with a current price tag set at 99Euros (Xtorm.eu) the same applies for the EVOKE (AM121) model by Xtorm. Of course for people who are away from electricity for long periods of time models like the EVOKE are a one way so to them cost is of no serious concern really. For casual users however the EVOKE and other similar models may seem as too expensive and we actually agree so yes this isn't a product aimed towards them. At the end of the day however we can’t deny that the EVOKE offers more compared to regular powerbanks and for that it comes highly recommended by us.
PROS
- IPX4 Certified Enclosure
- SunPower Solar Panels
- 10.000mAh Lithium Polymer Battery
- Used Technologies (APM Chip / Electrical & Electronic Protections)
- 2 USB Charging Ports (5V/2.1A)
CONS
- Size (For Some)
- Price (For Some)