INTRODUCTION

   Where i live green energy may not be as popular as for example it is in California but still some people are trying to reduce emissions (and electrical bills) by using both the sun and the air to cover their power needs. Due to the very high cost of such solutions however this is mostly done on a large scale by corporations who place windmills, wind-turbines and solar arrays (photovoltaic) in various places and sell that power to the main distributor which in turn sells it to us regular consumers. Fortunately not everything needs to be done on a large scale so many manufacturers have released mini wind-turbines and solar panels which thanks to their size can be installed everywhere even ontop of your own house. Today’s review although relevant it's about something much smaller in scale even compared to that since we'll be testing the AP175 Mobile Solar Panel (SolarBooster) by Xtorm.

   Xtorm is part of the Dutch company A-solar bv 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.

   As clearly stated by its name the AP175 Mobile Solar Panel is basically 4 medium-sized solar panels linked together that have a total power output of 24W and can be used to charge your mobile devices via two 2.1A USB ports. Now we have seen numerous portable batteries (powerbanks) in the past some of which featured one or two solar panels of various sizes but the AP175 is in a league of its own since these 4 panels are not only of very high build quality (Xtorm says they are on par with those used in regular full-sized photovoltaic solutions). Unfortunately the AP175 doesn't feature an internal rechargeable battery which means you can only use it to charge devices only when the sun is out but especially in the summer that shouldn't be a problem. Still let's move forward with our review and see just how good the AP175 really is and whether or not it deserves to have a permanent place in your backpack.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

You can see the product, its main features and possible uses from the front of the somewhat large box.

The product specifications and approximate time needed to charge mobile devices can be seen at the rear of the box.

Contained inside the box is the AP175 mobile solar panel, USB to micro USB charging cable, carbine and the user manual.

THE AP175

The 4 solar panels are folded into what seems to be a large envelop made out of nylon (a magnet keeps the envelop folded).

When the solar panels are unfolded the AP175 measures 71cm in length, 16cm in width and 1cm in height (notice the 5 loops located at the ends of the panels - these can be used to attach the AP175 onto surfaces by using the bundled carbine).

I really can't comment on the whether or not the solar panels of the AP175 are of the same quality as those found in regular photovoltaic models but i can say that they are of very high quality.

Turning the device/envelop over we find two USB charging ports and two elastic bands all placed under a protection net.

Although this area may not be large enough for a 10" tablet you should be able to fit a couple of large phones without problem (our ZTE test phone features a 5.5 inch screen).

CONCLUSION

   These days the thermometer has surpassed 38 degrees Celsius where i live so obviously the sun is very strong and thus ideal for testing anything with a solar panel attached to it. This goes double for the AP175 since we're basically talking about a large yet portable solar panel capable of delivering up to 24W of power to two attached mobile devices. This is also why although Xtorm indicates that you'd need approximately 2 hours (120 minutes) to charge a smartphone it took less than 90 minutes to fully charge our ZTE smartphone that features a lithium-ion 3000mAh battery (do note that most smartphones feature smaller capacity batteries). Of course even 90 minutes to fully charge a smartphone is not a small amount of time and certainly more than what you'd need if you used a regular portable battery but leaving out the fact that the AP175 can also be used to charge such devices what really matters is that for as long as there's sun where you're at you will never run out of battery power. My sole "issue" with the AP175 (if one can even call it that) is the lack of a universal charging cable something which lately applies to almost every similar device in the market. Now i do realize that i may be asking for a lot especially since most smartphones use micro USB ports like the one bundled with the AP175 but still it wouldn't hurt if companies like Xtorm also bundled iPhone and other types of charging adapters (like a mini USB) so consumers would know that they have everything they could ever need in that package.

   Normally the AP175 Mobile Solar Panel retails for 129Euros but thanks to our friends over at Xtorm and a special discount they've made available for our readers (22% off with code XT346-NikK) you can get it for just 103.20Euros directly from their online store (Xtorm.eu). Bottom line if you are in a place (or intend on going to a place) with lots of sun and you want ample power for your mobile devices even away from home (and civilization) then the AP175 could really come in handy and since we all liked using it we’re giving it our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- 24W Output
- 2 USB Charging Ports
- Size (When Folded)
- Price (With Our Discount)

CONS

- No Internal Battery
- Availability outside the EU