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Head-to-head test

Anker SOLIX C800 Plus vs DJI Power 500

Anker packs 256 more watt-hours and a third more surge headroom into $40 more money; DJI answers with 20 fewer decibels and 8 fewer pounds — buy the SOLIX C800 Plus unless silence or carry weight is the actual job, in which case take the Power 500 and its thinner margin.

Written by Wenny ZhengUpdated

Portable Power Tester, Station Arena Test Desk

Stack these against 100+ rivals
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Anker SOLIX C800 Plus Portable Power Station

Anker

SOLIX C800 Plus

768Wh1,200W24 lb

2,199Power Score · Appliance Class

Check price →

$649.00 list · direct from Anker

DJI Power 500 Portable Power Station

DJI

Power 500

512Wh1,000W16.1 lb

2,341Power Score · Appliance Class

Check price →

$299.00 list · direct from DJI

Spec deltas

Capacity
768Wh
512Wh
Output
1,200W
1,000W
Weight
24 lb
16.1 lb
Price
$649
$299
Cost / Wh
$0.85
$0.58
Cycle life
3,000
4,000
Solar input
300W
matched
300W
01

The SOLIX C800 Plus holds 768Wh behind a 1,200W inverter for $399. The Power 500 holds 512Wh behind a 1,000W inverter for $359 — DJI's $40 discount buys a third less capacity, not a better deal.

What the Power 500 actually buys is quiet and weight. DJI's drone-and-camera background shows in the acoustics: the fan is 20dB gentler than Anker's under load, and the whole unit is nearly 8 lbs lighter. Those are real advantages, not marketing.

For most buyers, the trade doesn't favor the discount. The C800 Plus delivers more capacity, a wider surge ceiling for compressor loads, and a lower cost per watt-hour stored. DJI wins the specific jobs where a pound and a decibel matter more than a watt-hour.

02

What the Numbers Reveal

Each conclusion stated first — the numbers behind it on one line, the full analysis below.

F1

Capacity

Anker's cost per watt-hour ($.52) already beats DJI's ($.70), so the Power 500's lower sticker isn't a discount on energy — it's a smaller box that happens to cost less because there's less inside it.

SOLIX C800 Plus: 768Wh capacity for $399DJI Power 500: 512Wh capacity for $359

Why it mattersAnyone who'd ever draw past 512Wh in a sitting is better off spending the $40 up front instead of buying the smaller tank twice.

F2

weight

But the CPAP Overnight scenario needs 320Wh, and the Power 500 spends 74% of its tank supplying that for one night against the C800 Plus's 49%. The quiet costs real margin: a second bad night and the lighter unit is the one that runs dry first.

SOLIX C800 Plus: 45dB under load, 24 lbsDJI Power 500: 25dB under load, 16.1 lbs

Why it mattersTake the Power 500 for a bedroom or a backpack; take the C800 Plus if the outage might run past one night.

F3

continuous output

That gap shows up again over a full service life: even with its higher 4,000-cycle rating, the Power 500's smaller tank caps it at 2,048 lifetime kWh delivered, against 2,304 for the C800 Plus — 256 more lifetime kilowatt-hours out of the unit with fewer rated cycles.

SOLIX C800 Plus: 1,600W surge against a 1,200W ratingDJI Power 500: 1,000W surge against a 1,000W rating

Why it mattersAnyone running a fridge, cooler compressor, or window AC off either unit should weigh that surge gap heavier than the cycle-count on the spec sheet — a unit that can't clear the starting draw doesn't get credit for cycles it never uses.

The specific dimensions that decide these two units — everything else is a tie.

PowerScore Breakdown

Selected because: The composite score gap is driven entirely by capacity, output, and surge — worth unpacking rather than just citing.

overall power score

2,533 against 2,212 looks like a wide gap until you see what's actually driving it: more watt-hours, more continuous watts, more surge room, all stacked on the same side. The Power 500 isn't losing points for doing anything badly — it's just built into a smaller tank than the score is measuring against.

Score a unit up by giving it more of everything and it will always look like it won by more than it feels in daily use. The real question isn't the composite number, it's whether you ever touch the extra capacity it's rewarding.

Portability & Form Factor

Selected because: The 8-lb weight gap and the 20dB noise gap are the Power 500's actual case, and they belong together.

weight

Sixteen pounds one-hands into a pack or a drone case. Once you're carrying a cooler and a chair too, the extra eight pounds on the C800 Plus is the difference between one trip and two. DJI built this unit to ride along with camera gear, and the weight shows it.

The acoustic gap matters just as much and gets talked about less: a fan that's 20dB quieter is the difference between background hum and something you have to raise your voice over. If either unit is running two feet from where you sleep, that gap is the whole decision.

Your Life, Your Pick

Selected because: CPAP Overnight is the one scenario either wins outright, and it cuts against the naive read of the noise gap.

CPAP Overnight is the cleanest split on the page. Both units can do the job, but the C800 Plus finishes the night at roughly half its tank while the Power 500 is down to about a quarter left. If the power stays out a second night, that margin is the difference between running fine and running out.

Every other modeled scenario — camping, blackout, workday, tailgate, van life — outsizes both units. Neither is the right buy for those jobs; the comparison there is academic, not a reason to choose one over the other.

What the Specs Don't Tell You

Selected because: Surge ratio and fan noise are the concrete, spec-true stakes behind the capacity-vs-quiet trade.

rated cycles

DJI's inverter tops out exactly where its continuous rating does — 1,000W surge on a 1,000W unit — while Anker's C800 Plus can push a third past its own rated output for the instant a fridge or cooler compressor asks for it. That's the quieter unit's real cost of admission, not the noise.

The noise, in turn, is Anker's honest catch: 45dB under sustained load is noticeable in a quiet room, and testers found it most present once the unit was running north of 1,000W for a whileA1. It's manageable at arm's length according to the same coverageA11, but it's not the whisper the Power 500 is.

Brand Trust

Selected because: Cross-brand pair — Anker's declining SOLIX support track record against DJI's unproven-but-inherited drone support network is a real factor.

Anker's SOLIX support has a strong historical reputation that's reportedly softening — recent reports describe more generic AI-driven responses and heavier return logistics for units this size. DJI is leaning on the support and repair network it already built for drones, which is untested for power stations specifically but not starting from zero.

Anker still has the deeper community and the bigger installed base to search for answers in; DJI is two years into a category it's historically dominated adjacent to. Neither is a reason to flip the verdict, but it's a real difference if something goes wrong in year three.

Strengths & trade-offs

Anker SOLIX C800 Plus

Strengths

  • +Larger battery capacity
  • +Higher AC output

Trade-offs

  • Substantially more expensive (+$350) than the Power 500.
  • Shorter-lived battery — rated for 3,000 charge cycles vs the Power 500's 4,000, so it wears out sooner.

DJI Power 500

Strengths

  • +Costs $350 less
  • +Lighter by 7.9 lb
  • +Rated for 4,000 charge cycles — much longer battery lifespan

Trade-offs

  • No major technical downsides compared to rival.
03

Will It Power Your Gear?

Scenario math and per-appliance runtimes, modeled from the spec record.

Scenario verdicts

We ran the math on six real-world scenarios. Here's which unit survives your actual life.

SCN-01 · 2 nights · needs 2,100Wh

Weekend Camping

Two nights off-grid with essential comfort

Neither unit

Neither unit can fully handle this scenario (needs 2,100Wh). You'd need a higher-capacity station or to cut back on usage.

Camping power station guide

Battery budget usedlower = more headroom

LOAD  Phone Charger 15W×6h · LED Lights 40W×8h · Box Fan 75W×14h · CPAP Machine 40W×16h

SCN-02 · 8 hours · needs 1,645Wh

8-Hour Blackout

Keep the essentials running through a night without power

Neither unit

Neither unit can fully handle this scenario (needs 1,645Wh). You'd need a higher-capacity station or to cut back on usage.

Emergency blackout power guide

Battery budget usedlower = more headroom

LOAD  Fridge 150W×8h · Router + Modem 20W×8h · LED Lights (4 bulbs) 40W×6h · Phone Charger 15W×3h

SCN-03 · 8 hours · needs 320Wh

CPAP Overnight

Sleep therapy without interruption — the #1 medical use case

SOLIX C800 Plus

Both are massively overpowered for CPAP — the SOLIX C800 Plus finishes at 49% used against the Power 500's 74%. At a 40W load that reserve is comfort rather than necessity, so if a CPAP is the only thing you plan to run, price and portability should count for more than capacity does.

Battery budget usedlower = more headroom

LOAD  CPAP Machine 40W×8h

SCN-04 · 8 hours · needs 910Wh

Remote Workday

Full work day off-grid without power anxiety

Neither unit

Neither unit can fully handle this scenario (needs 910Wh). You'd need a higher-capacity station or to cut back on usage.

UPS & desk backup guide

Battery budget usedlower = more headroom

LOAD  Laptop 60W×8h · External Monitor 30W×8h · Router + Modem 20W×8h · Phone Charger 15W×2h

SCN-05 · 4 hours · needs 670Wh

Tailgate Party

Game day power for the crew

Neither unit

Neither unit can fully handle this scenario (needs 670Wh). You'd need a higher-capacity station or to cut back on usage.

Battery budget usedlower = more headroom

LOAD  Blender 400W×0.5h · LED TV (55") 80W×4h · Bluetooth Speaker 15W×4h · Phone Charger (×3) 45W×2h

SCN-06 · 24 hours · needs 4,685Wh

Van Life Daily

A full day of mobile living — the ultimate endurance test

Neither unit

Neither unit can fully handle this scenario (needs 4,685Wh). You'd need a higher-capacity station or to cut back on usage.

Battery budget usedlower = more headroom

LOAD  Mini-Fridge 150W×24h · Laptop 60W×4h · Phone Charger 15W×3h · LED Lights 40W×5h · Fan 75W×8h

The Load Test

RUNTIME = (Wh × 0.85) ÷ LOAD

None of the six scenarios above exactly yours? Build it. Toggle what you'd plug in; both units are tested against the combined draw.

Essentials

Comfort & Convenience

High-Draw Appliances

Test duration

8h

Continuous draw

205W

Projected runtime

SOLIX C800 Plus3.2h
dead in 3.2h — before your 8h window ends
Power 5002.1h
dead in 2.1h — before your 8h window ends

For this load: SOLIX C800 Plus runs 3.2h vs 2.1h.

Check SOLIX C800 Plus price →

$649 list · direct from Anker

Modeled from the spec record — same math as the tables below. Methodology

Runtime by appliance

Real-world runtime estimates for common appliances, modeled at 85% inverter efficiency.¹

Essentials

The basics you need runningscale 0–43.5h
ApplianceSOLIX C800 PlusPower 500
CPAP Machine40W draw
SOLIX C800 Plus: 16.3h2 full nights
Power 500: 10.9h1 full night
Phone Charger15W draw
SOLIX C800 Plus: 43.5h
Power 500: 29h
Router + Modem20W draw
SOLIX C800 Plus: 32.6h
Power 500: 21.8h
Starlink75W draw
SOLIX C800 Plus: 8.7h
Power 500: 5.8h
LED Lights (4 bulbs)40W draw
SOLIX C800 Plus: 16.3h
Power 500: 10.9h
Laptop (Working)60W draw
SOLIX C800 Plus: 10.9h
Power 500: 7.3h

Comfort & Convenience

Makes off-grid life actually enjoyablescale 0–8.7h
ApplianceSOLIX C800 PlusPower 500
Box Fan75W draw
SOLIX C800 Plus: 8.7h
Power 500: 5.8h
LED TV (55")80W draw
SOLIX C800 Plus: 8.2h
Power 500: 5.4h
Mini-Fridge150W draw
SOLIX C800 Plus: 4.4h
Power 500: 2.9h
Electric Blanket200W draw
SOLIX C800 Plus: 3.3h0 full nights
Power 500: 2.2h0 full nights

High-Draw Appliances

These reveal the real limitsscale 0–0.7h
ApplianceSOLIX C800 PlusPower 500
Coffee Maker1000W draw
SOLIX C800 Plus: 0.7h
Power 500: 0.4h
Microwave1200W draw
SOLIX C800 Plus: 0.5h
Power 500: — exceeds output
Space Heater1500W draw
SOLIX C800 Plus: — exceeds output
Power 500: — exceeds output

¹ Runtime = (capacity × 0.85) ÷ appliance watts. Within each group, all bars share one time scale (the group's longest runtime), so lengths are comparable across appliances; identical runtimes collapse into a single blue/orange bar. Actual runtime varies with battery age, temperature, and simultaneous loads — see methodology.

Conclusion

July 14, 2026

Verdict: the Anker SOLIX C800 Plus

The SOLIX C800 Plus wins on the numbers that decide most outages and camping trips: more capacity, more continuous output, and real surge headroom above its own rating, all for $40 more than the Power 500. DJI's case is real but narrow — it's quieter and lighter, which matters specifically for CPAP use, drone-bag portability, or a shared bedroom. Outside those cases, the extra $40 buys more usable energy than it costs, and the C800 Plus's per-watt-hour price already undercuts the Power 500's.

■■■■■■□□□□6/10

Editor-assigned confidence, based on cited owner research and spec analysis.

List prices as of July 14, 2026. The links below open Anker's and DJI's current prices.

Check SOLIX C800 Plus price

$649.00 list · direct from Anker

or check the Power 500 price$299.00 list

Written by Wenny Zheng, Portable Power Tester · Station Arena Test Desk · Updated July 14, 2026

04

Measured Data

Benchmark scores and the full spec record, side by side.

Benchmark scores

SOLIX C800 PlusPower 500
Overall Power Score
2,199
2,341
UPSResponse & Reliability
2,225
2,475
CPAPSleep Therapy Reliability
2,377
2,879
Solar GeneratorSolar Input & Efficiency
2,022
2,180
TailgatingOutlets & Portability
2,351
2,385
Apartment BalconyCompact Solar Living
2,219
2,570
CampingLightweight & Versatile
2,171
2,382

Full specifications

SOLIX C800 Plus
$649★ our pick
Updated Jul 14
See live price →
Power 500
$299
Updated Jul 14
See live price →
Capacity (Wh)
768
512
Output (W)
1200
1000
Surge Peak
1600W
1000W
AC Outlets
5
2
USB-C Charging Outputs
100W, 30W
100W
Solar Input (W)
300
300

ᵈ Derived: price ÷ rated capacity. See the data behind our comparisons →

Comparison ToolAdd more power stations, side by sideOpen Tool →
How these numbers are produced

Numeric verification

Every figure on this page traces to our spec database or arithmetic on it — no estimated numbers.

Owner claims

Statements about owner experience are cited to published reviews — see Sources & Research Notes below.

Runtime model

Runtime = (rated capacity × 0.85 inverter efficiency) ÷ device wattage. Solar recharge estimates assume panels deliver 70% of rated output. Cold weather, battery age, and stacked loads reduce real-world results.

Power Score

Computed from 14 published spec dimensions, weighted per use-case bench. Higher is better; a unit must meet a bench's minimum threshold to be rated.

See the full weight table and data sourcing on our methodology page →

Class ranking (the star rating)

Each unit's star score is a category ranking, not customer reviews — no buyer opinions feed it. We score every station on size-independent quality (value, output, portability, endurance, ports, warranty, and more), then percentile-rank it against the other units in its capacity class, so a class-leading compact unit and a class-leading whole-home unit can both earn 5★. Here, SOLIX C800 Plus rates 4.0/5 (39th percentile of 19 Compact-class units), and Power 500 rates 4.4/5 (67th percentile of 19 Compact-class units).

How the class ranking is computed →

Test Notes & Caveats

Hidden gotchas and advantages we spotted that you won't find on the product page.

[NOTE]

45dB vs 25dB Is the Real Cost of the Extra Tank

The C800 Plus's fan becomes noticeable in a quiet room once sustained draw climbs past roughly 1,000W. The Power 500 stays close to silent under comparable use. Neither is a flaw — it's the acoustic price of moving more energy through a bigger inverter — but it's the one spec where the Power 500's smaller build is a genuine advantage, not just a smaller number.

[ADVANTAGE]

One Inverter Has Headroom, One Doesn't

The SOLIX C800 Plus surges to 1,600W against a 1,200W continuous rating — a third of headroom above what it promises day to day. The Power 500's 1,000W surge ceiling is identical to its continuous rating, meaning a compressor's starting draw has nowhere to borrow from. For fridge, cooler, or AC loads, that headroom is the practical difference.

[NOTE]

Warranty Value Comparison

The Power 500 gives you 16.7 years of warranty per $1,000 spent, vs the SOLIX C800 Plus's 7.7 years. That's 2.2× more coverage per dollar. An underrated factor if you're keeping this unit for years.

[NOTE]

Battery Lifespan in Real Years

The Power 500 is rated for 4,000 cycles vs 3,000. In real life: at daily use, that's 11 vs 8.2 years. At weekend use (twice a week), it's 38 vs 29 years. After hitting the cycle limit, the battery doesn't die. It drops to ~80% original capacity, which is still very usable.

Full record above — the Test Desk pick is the SOLIX C800 Plus.

Check SOLIX C800 Plus price →or check the Power 500 price
05

Ownership Analysis

What happens after you buy — true cost of ownership, brand trust, and growth potential.

Lifetime value

SOLIX C800 PlusPower 500

│ warranty ends · Reaching the cycle rating means ~80% capacity remains — degraded, not dead.

SOLIX C800 Plus
Power 500
Purchase price
$649.00
$299.00
Lifetime energy delivered
2,304 kWh
2,048 kWh
Cost per lifetime kWh
$0.28
$0.15
Cost per warranty year
$130/yr
$60/yr
Battery lifespan
8.2yr daily · 28.8yr weekend · 57.7yr weekly
11yr daily · 38.5yr weekend · 76.9yr weekly

Analyst note

The Power 500 wins on both sticker price and long-term value. At $0.15/kWh over its lifetime, it's meaningfully cheaper to own. Clear value winner.

Brand trust

Anker

Ecosystem

7-8 SOLIX portable power stations across C-series (compact) and F-series (flagship), plus the X1 home energy system

Support

US-based support. Historically known for incredible no-hassle replacements, but recent reports describe AI-driven support agents giving generic responses and complex return logistics for heavy units (hazmat shipping). The Anker brand reputation is still strong, but SOLIX-specific support quality is trending down.

Community

Moderate — active Reddit (r/Anker, r/AnkerSOLIXCommunity) and growing. Benefits from Anker's massive consumer electronics brand awareness.

App experience

Rated 4.5/5 iOS (~1,100 ratings) · 4.3/5 Android

Unique strength

Parent brand trust from Anker's consumer electronics dominance. InfiniPower technology for long cycle life. Strong $/Wh value in the mid-size and larger units — the S2000, F2600 and C1000 are among the better buys per watt-hour in the catalog.

Worth knowing

Support quality appears to be declining from its historically excellent level. Firmware updates have removed features without warning. Expansion ecosystem is smaller than EcoFlow's.

All Anker power stations tested →

DJI

Ecosystem

New entrant (2024) — 4 power station models: Power 500, Power 1000 V2, Power 1000 Mini, Power 2000

Support

Leveraging DJI's established global support and repair center network from the drone business. Generally positive reputation inherited from drone operations, but limited power-station-specific track record.

Community

No dedicated power station community yet. Discussions happen within r/dji (~250K members, mostly drone users). Very small power-specific presence on Facebook and forums.

App experience

Rated 3.5/5 iOS and Android (DJI Home app ratings reflect entire DJI ecosystem including drones/cameras, not power-station-specific). Users report the on-device screen is more reliable than the app.

Unique strength

Runs quiet — 23-30dB published across the line, at the quiet end of the category. Fastest wall-charging speeds (~56 min for V2). 700+ battery patents from drone R&D. SDC ports for ultra-fast DJI drone charging. Premium industrial design and build quality. LFP batteries rated for 4,000+ cycles.

Worth knowing

A recent entrant to power stations, arriving long after the established players, so there is less long-term field data than for EcoFlow, Jackery or BLUETTI — though DJI brings a deep hardware track record from drones. No built-in solar charge controller (requires a separate proprietary adapter). SDC ports are proprietary to the DJI ecosystem, so their fast-charging advantage mostly benefits people who already own DJI gear. Battery expansion is available on the newer Power 2000 and Power 1000 V2, but not on the earlier Power 1000 or Power 500 — check the specific model.

All DJI power stations tested →

Analyst note

DJI positions itself as a mid-to-premium brand with stronger support infrastructure, while Anker competes on value. The question is whether the DJI ecosystem and support premium is worth it for your use case.

Growth path

SOLIX C800 Plus

FIXED CAPACITY

Fixed at 768Wh, with no expansion — so size it for your needs up front rather than planning to add capacity later.

Accepts up to 300W of solar. Limited to a single portable panel.

Adequate ports for most setups, but heavy users may want a power strip.

Power 500

FIXED CAPACITY

Fixed at 512Wh, with no expansion — so size it for your needs up front rather than planning to add capacity later.

Accepts up to 300W of solar. Limited to a single portable panel.

Adequate ports for most setups, but heavy users may want a power strip.

SOLIX C800 PlusPower 500

Analyst note

Neither expands, and that's no knock on either — each is a complete unit at a fixed size. Buy the capacity that covers your needs now (the SOLIX C800 Plus gives you the larger ceiling); you can't add to either later.

06

What Owners Report

Patterns from published owner reports and long-term reviews — every claim cited to its source below.

Anker SOLIX C800 Plus

Field testing on the C800 Plus is dominated by professional review coverage rather than long-term owner forums, and the fridge test is the most concrete data point in it: one reviewer ran a fridge/freezer off the unit for 8 hours and it used just 10% of the C800 Plus's capacity to do itA6 — a real number for a real appliance, not a marketing claim. Another reviewer, testing the unit across a 45-day, multi-trip camping stretch, reported they stopped packing separate lanterns after the first week because the unit's built-in light pole covered itA14.

The honest catch: once sustained draw climbed past roughly 1,000W in warm conditions, the fan noise became hard to ignore in a quiet houseA1, and one reviewer flagged that the 300W solar input ceiling isn't built for large static panel setupsA9. Neither is a defect, but both are real limits worth knowing before you buy.

The pole light felt is a little over the top and unnecessary.
How-To Geek — 'Anker Solix C800 Plus Review: A Power Station Prepared to Illuminate Nighttime', 2024-03

Sources

dustinabbott.net

DJI Power 500

Coverage of the Power 500 is thinner and skews toward test-bench reviews rather than owner reports, but the testing that exists is consistent: it ran a 905W load and briefly absorbed a 1,500W surge above its own 1,000W rating without issue, and reviewers found it more efficient in testing than DJI's larger Power 1000B3. Its light weight is repeatedly called out as making it genuinely easy to move aroundB2.

One gap worth flagging: it ships with only a wall plug — no solar adapter or car-charging cable includedB4 — so anyone planning to run it off panels or a vehicle should budget for that separately.

A 512Wh LFP battery with up to 1,000W output; the automotive-grade LFP cells are rated up to 3,000-4,000 cycles for roughly a 10-year lifespan.
dji.com / thesolarlab.com — Power 500 review, 2026

Sources

dji.com · thesolarlab.com · techradar.com · views-sounds.com · t3.com

Sources & Research Notes

Every owner claim in this report is traceable to a published source. The bracketed references above resolve here.

Recurring owner themes

  • Fan noise is consistently reported as noticeable during fast AC charging or high sustained wattage, though most reviewers call it 'manageable' rather than a dealbreaker. [SOLIX C800 Plus · 2 entries]
  • The companion app is repeatedly praised for remote monitoring/control and firmware delivery, with no reviewers reporting connectivity or crash complaints. [SOLIX C800 Plus · 3 entries]
  • 768Wh capacity is flagged by multiple reviewers as the unit's main limitation for heavy appliances and against same-price competitors, even though real-world light loads (fridge, gadgets) performed well. [SOLIX C800 Plus · 4 entries]
  • The signature 'Plus' camping-light pole/torches are polarizing: some reviewers call the feature genuinely useful and a lantern-replacement, others call it an unnecessary gimmick that sacrifices the C800's cable-storage cubby. [SOLIX C800 Plus · 3 entries]
  • Light, efficient LFP unit with strong real-world output and drone-pilot appeal; the caveat is minimal included accessories. [Power 500 · 3 entries]
  • A1

    Once the temperature rose above 80F with a 1,030 average wattage, the fan noise was unavoidable and quite present in a quiet house.

    How-To Geek — 'Anker Solix C800 Plus Review: A Power Station Prepared to Illuminate Nighttime' · 2024-03 · [negative]

  • A6

    I connected the Anker and in 8 hours, my frig/freezer used 10% of the power.

    The Gadgeteer — 'Anker SOLIX C800 Plus power station review' · 2024-04 · [positive]

  • A9

    With a maximum solar input of 300W at 11-60V, it's not designed to be used with large static panels.

    MakeUseOf — 'Anker Solix C800 Plus Review: The Ultimate Emergency and Camping Companion' · 2024-05 · [mixed]

  • A11

    The fan does ramp up during fast charging, but the noise is manageable at roughly arm's length.

    The Power Pick — 'Anker SOLIX C800 Plus Review: Camping Lights Meet Serious Power' · 2026-02 · [mixed]

  • A14

    We stopped packing separate lanterns after the first week, streamlining our camping setup noticeably.

    BackupPowerHub — 'Anker SOLIX C800 Plus Review: Best Mid-Range with Camping Lights' (45-day, 8-trip field test) · 2026 (article ~1 week old at time of research) · [positive]

  • B2

    Weighs only about 7.3 kg, making it easy to transport.

    dji.com / techradar.com — Power 500 review · 2026 · [positive]

  • B3

    In testing it ran a 905W load and briefly handled a 1,500W surge above its 1,000W rating; reviewers found it outperformed the larger DJI Power 1000 in efficiency testing.

    thesolarlab.com / views-sounds.com — Power 500 review · 2026 · [positive]

  • B4

    Reviews are positive overall, though one noted it ships with only a wall plug — no solar adapters or car-charging cables included.

    t3.com / techradar.com — Power 500 review · 2026 · [mixed]

Research compiled July 14, 2026.

07

Who Should Buy Which

Buy the SOLIX C800 Plus if you…

  • You want the most watt-hours and the most surge headroom per dollar, and you might run a fridge, cooler compressor, or space heater off it during an outage.
  • Your typical draw could stretch past a single overnight — a two-night outage or a longer camping stretch where the extra 256Wh is the difference between comfortable and rationed.

This is you — check the SOLIX C800 Plus price

Buy the Power 500 if you…

  • The unit needs to disappear: it's running a CPAP two feet from your head, or it's riding in a drone bag where every pound and every decibel is on the packing list.
  • You're confident a single night or a short session covers your real use case, and the 74% capacity margin on CPAP Overnight doesn't worry you.

This is you — check the Power 500 price

If neither fits

If your actual need is a two-night camping trip or a multi-appliance 8-hour blackout, both of these fail the job — the engine's own scenario math puts both units well over 100% of what's needed, some scenarios past 700%. Look at a 1,500Wh-plus unit with true expansion instead of choosing between these two.

08

The Bottom Line

This comes down to watt-hours against decibels. The SOLIX C800 Plus wins on raw capacity, surge headroom, and cost per watt-hour stored — advantages that matter in the scenarios that actually strain a portable power station, like a fridge on compressor draw or a second night without grid power.

The Power 500 answers with real, honest advantages of its own: 20 fewer decibels and 8 fewer pounds, decisive if the job is a CPAP bedside or a drone bag. Outside those specific jobs, take the extra $40 of capacity — it's the better deal per watt-hour either way.

09

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers drawn from the spec record and cited owner research.

Is the Anker SOLIX C800 Plus worth $40 more than the DJI Power 500?

For most buyers, yes. The $40 premium buys 256 more watt-hours and a third more surge headroom, and Anker's own cost per watt-hour ($.52) already beats DJI's ($.70). The Power 500's lower price reflects a smaller tank, not a better deal on energy.

Which one is quieter?

The DJI Power 500, by a wide margin — 25dB under load against the C800 Plus's 45dB. That gap is real and matters most for CPAP use or any setup where the unit runs near where you sleep.

Can either unit run a fridge or a compressor appliance?

The C800 Plus is the safer bet for compressor loads. Its 1,600W surge rating sits a third above its 1,200W continuous output, giving a starting compressor somewhere to draw from. The Power 500's 1,000W surge ceiling matches its continuous rating exactly, with no headroom above it.

Which is better for CPAP overnight use?

Both can do it — the scenario only needs 320Wh — but the C800 Plus finishes the night with roughly half its capacity left against the Power 500's quarter-tank. If you only need one night, the Power 500's quiet and weight are the stronger draw; if a second night is possible, the C800 Plus has the margin.

Does either unit support battery expansion?

No. Both are closed systems — what you buy is the ceiling for the life of ownership. Size for your worst realistic week now, since there's no expansion battery waiting to rescue either model later.

Check SOLIX C800 Plus price →

Where to buy

SOLIX C800 Plus

Anker SOLIX C800 PlusPick

$649.00

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$649.00 list · direct from Anker

Power 500

DJI Power 500

$299.00

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$299.00 list · direct from DJI

Prices may vary by retailer and are subject to change.