Choetech 14W USB Portable Solar Charger Review

Staying connected on a hike or in a middle of nowhere is a rule you shouldn’t break. It keeps you safe and it also keeps you in touch with your loved ones during your journey. A power bank will do at times, but true weekend warriors know that it’s not enough. Enter the Choetech 14W Solar Charger.

The Choetech 14W USB Portable Solar Charger features a price point of about $50 USD. Along with it comes a 14W solar panel, capable of outputting 2.1A of power via a single USB Type A connection. The solar charger is also water proof, comes with a pouch and is foldable for maximum portability. Choetech offers a code for this charger at 30% off. Use SC004EY while checking out on their own online store.

Technical Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

The Choetech 14W USB Portable Solar Charger comes inside a small packaging. The product comes with the following items inside:

• User Manual
• Panda Bookmark
• Welcome Guide
• 2x Carabiner

Design, Layout and Build Quality

The Choetech 14W USB Portable Solar Charger is almost a wallet size device at 15cm or about 6in when it is fully closed. Materials used on the other hand, particularly the exterior, are excellent – blending well with the quality stitching. Even the buckle for mobile devices holds itself incredibly well.

Thickness or thinness rather, is about 3cm or similar to that of your well fed wallet. The charging module is located outside, featuring a rubber grommet for better water resistance when not in use. There’s also a LED indicator on top of the module so you’ll know when it is working properly – without the need for sundial. It is also capable of automatically detecting a device’s requirement to deliver an optimal charging current.

Opening the four-fold layer reveals the solar panels. They are sewn to perfection, laminated even, which is in line with Choetech’s claims. These panels are able to convert up to 25% of solar energy for a maximum of 5V/2.1A output.

Any phone or device with no more than 3in of width and a z-height of no more than 0.75in will fit on the solar charger’s pouch. That is slim enough to stow on any bags. What we also liked are the addition of two carabiners for easier backpack or general mounting purposes.

Final Thoughts

The Choetech 14W USB Portable Solar Charger is the first solar panel based chargers we’ve tested. That doesn’t mean we don’t know much about the technology though. Having owned a few el-cheapo ones for my perusal, I know that it’s hard to achieve the rated wattage and this one is no different – although better in many ways. On a clear day, we could get as much as 5V/1.9A according to our USB multimeter without considering the best possible angle. Those figures are not bad at all, considering that most device’s requirements are well below those figures.

Practicality and functionality wise, you are looking at a charger that does what it intended to do with simplicity. You have one port, meaning you could only charge one device at a time. That also means it wouldn’t distribute power to two devices which makes charging really fast. I find that kind of simplicity adequate enough for its price point. Though to be fair, another port wouldn’t really hurt.

If you absolutely need a capable solar charger with water resistance, excellent build quality and other trail ready features, the Choetech 14W USB Portable Solar Charger is a must.