At the International Consumer Electronics Show 2015 today a company called Solpro has announced what it calls the “industry’s fastest portable solar charging device.” The idea here is to bring solar charging technology to mainstream consumers and Solpro aims to do that with the Helios. The company claims Helios is better than current options because it can charge up more than four times faster and provide enough output to fully charge a smartphone in just 90 minutes of sunlight.
Granted that the company is entitled to make its claims but that does leave many questions unanswered. There is no empirical evidence or metrics to support the claims of fully charging a smartphone in 90 minutes of sunlight. Smartphones are different, the battery capacities (in mAh) are different, so this would not be true for all smartphones…
Furthermore one must also take into account the best solar conditions which will enable Helios to perform at its peak, so the real-life usage results might be different from what’s being advertised.
Helios is capable of charging up to two devices simultaneously and it works with most smartphones and tablets. Its small enough to fit a pocket so portability is no issue. Solpro says Helio stores a 3X charge in four and one-half hours and is also capable of being charged from any standard USB power source if sunlight is scarce.
Filed in . Read more about CES, CES 2015, Chargers and Solar.