Power stations come in all shapes and sizes, but I find that the units on the extreme ends get most of the attention: either the massive ones that can power a home for days or the tiny, ultraportables that fit into your pocket.
But the middle ground gets overlooked, which is a shame because there are some great units in that space.
Also: If you’re a hiker, this is the lightweight power bank I recommend packing
One that I’ve been testing recently is the EcoFlow Delta 3 Plus, so I was eager to see what improvements have been made.
Well, let me tell you: there’s a lot I like about the Delta 3 Plus. First, it’s small. It measures a petite 16 x 8 x 11 inches, so it’s perfect for chucking into a trunk or footwell of a car, or even a backpack to lugging it to camp — just remember that it’s quite hefty, weighing 27.6 pounds.
Luckily, the ammo crate style handles on the unit make lifting and moving that weight around as easy as it can be, as they’re comfortable and well balanced.
The batteries in the unit are lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) cells that are good for up to 4,000 recharge/discharge cycles. That’s a decade of daily charging and recharging before the cells fall blow that 80% capacity point and are considered spent.
I’ve also noticed that the cooling fans are much quieter than those on the Delta 2. If you gave that power station any load over 500W, the fans kick in and it sounds like a helicopter taking off.
The Delta 3 Plus, on the other hand, is virtually silent at whatever load. The new design also moved the air inlet and outlet from the side of the power station to the front and back, which makes it a lot harder to inadvertently block the airflow.
The silver finish isn’t as robust as the old black finish, but the overall build is just as good (if not better).
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
I’m not concerned about how it looks, so it’s not a worry to me, and not a deal-breaker, it’s just the older finish seemed more robust. And it’s just the finish I’m referring to here. The unit is just as robust and durable as earlier models.
The unit also relies heavily on a smartphone app to activate advanced features rather than a physical button. Again, not a deal-breaker, but for me, I prefer to do everything through the power station itself.
ZDNET’s buying advice
All in all, the EcoFlow Delta 3 Plus should you find that your power demands have grown.