Head-to-head test
Anker SOLIX E10 vs Anker SOLIX F3800
You're not picking the better battery here — you're deciding whether you're wiring one into your breaker panel or lifting one into a truck, and that answers the question before capacity or price gets a vote.
Full profiles: Anker SOLIX E10 → · Anker SOLIX F3800 →
Written by Gunner GustafsonUpdated
Whole-Home Backup Tester, Station Arena Test Desk
Spec deltas
The Anker SOLIX E10 bolts into your electrical panel and never leaves the house. The SOLIX F3800 has outlets, a handle, and half the price tag. Same brand, same LiFePO4 chemistry, nearly identical cost per lifetime kilowatt-hour — and two completely different jobs. One is home infrastructure. The other is a very large power station that moves if two people lift it.
That fork lands before you reach a single capacity spec. The E10 holds 6,144Wh behind your breakers with nothing to plug into; the F3800 holds 3,840Wh you reach with a cord and 100W of USB-C. Want automatic whole-home backup? Only one of these is built for it. Want power you can move or plug straight into? Only the other.
So this page sorts the two by the job. Where each one belongs, where the specs actually diverge — solar intake and lifespan, mostly — and who should skip both for a box small enough to lift alone.
What the Numbers Reveal
Each conclusion stated first — the numbers behind it on one line, the full analysis below.
Capacity
The E10's 6,144Wh lives behind your panel — you can't run an extension cord to it at a jobsite or carry it out to the garage. The F3800's smaller 3,840Wh comes with the sockets and USB-C you actually touch. Capacity is the wrong axis; access is the axis.
SOLIX E10 is hardwired at the electrical panel with no sockets and 0W USB-CSOLIX F3800 has outlets on the box and 100W USB-C at 132.3 lbsSOLIX E10 holds 6,144Wh; SOLIX F3800 holds 3,840Wh
Why it mattersIf you'll ever want to plug a device straight into the unit or move it at all, the E10 is out no matter how well its specs read.
cost / lifetime kWh
The E10 costs roughly double and delivers more than double the lifetime energy — 24,576 kWh against 11,520 — so the premium is proportional, not a markup. Neither is the per-kWh value pick; they meet in the middle.
SOLIX E10 costs $0.17 per lifetime kWh; SOLIX F3800 costs $0.19SOLIX E10 is $4,299 up front vs the F3800's $2,200Lifetime energy: 24,576 kWh (E10) vs 11,520 kWh (F3800)
Why it mattersDon't buy the E10 hoping to save per kWh, and don't buy the F3800 expecting lifetime thrift — decide on how much battery you need and what shape it comes in.
solar input
The F3800's 2,400W input isn't just lower on paper; owners consistently report it's finicky enough to force pricier Anker panelsB1B2B13B14, while the E10's 9,000W intake scales with a growing array instead of fighting it.
SOLIX E10 accepts up to 9,000W of solar; SOLIX F3800 tops out at 2,400WBoth accept Anker expansion batteriesF3800 owners report the solar input is restrictive and pushes them onto Anker's own panelsB1B2B13B14
Why it mattersIf solar is central and the array will grow, the E10's intake is the deciding feature; the F3800 buyer should budget for Anker panels and accept the cap.
The specific dimensions that decide these two units — everything else is a tie.
Portability & Form Factor
Selected because: The single fork in this matchup: the E10 wires into your panel with no outlets, the F3800 has sockets and moves with two people. That decides more than any spec.
weight
Weight is where these two stop pretending to be the same product. The F3800's 132.3 lbs is the familiar power-station problem — a two-person, bent-knees lift you repeat every time it moves. The E10's 190.6 lbs is a one-time problem that belongs to the installer on mounting day; after that it's a fixture on the wall you never lift again.
But the number isn't the real split. The E10 has no sockets and no USB-C — you don't plug into it, you wire into it. The F3800 has outlets and 100W USB-C you reach with a cord. If your plan involves ever touching the unit's own ports, only one of these qualifies.
Lifetime Value
Selected because: Per lifetime kWh they're two cents apart ($0.17 vs $0.19), so cost efficiency can't break the tie — worth showing why the near-2x sticker gap isn't what it looks like.
cost / lifetime kWh
Here's the figure that should end the value argument before it starts: seventeen cents per lifetime kilowatt-hour for the E10, nineteen for the F3800. Over their rated lives they cost essentially the same to run. The E10's near-double sticker — $4,299 against $2,200 — buys more than double the lifetime energy (24,576 kWh vs 11,520) and a permanent install, not a discount per unit of power.
So the F3800's lower price isn't lifetime thrift, and the E10's lower per-kWh figure isn't a value win. They cost the same where it counts; the sticker gap is simply how much battery and permanence you're paying for.
Your Life, Your Pick
Selected because: The load table doubles as a class map — neither scores at a campsite, the E10 takes the blackout and workday on headroom, and van life defeats both.
The load table doubles as a class map. At a campsite or a tailgate, neither unit scores — one is wired to your house and the other rolls off a truck bed at best, so a 2,100Wh camp load or a 670Wh tailgate is beside the point. Where both physically apply, the E10 wins on headroom: it finishes an eight-hour blackout at 31% used against the F3800's 50%, meaning the outage has to run well past one night before the smaller unit even feels it.
Van life defeats both. The E10 has the energy but can't leave the building, and the F3800 covers only about 69% of a heavy 4,685Wh day. Read the grid as a map of which box belongs where, not a scoreboard.
Growth Path
Selected because: Both expand, so the separator is solar intake: 9,000W on the E10 against 2,400W on the F3800, the latter a documented owner headache.
solar input
Both take Anker expansion batteries, so raw capacity isn't a wall for either — you can bolt on more later. The real separator is intake. The E10 accepts up to 9,000W of solar; the F3800 stops at 2,400W, and that input is the unit's best-documented sore spot: owners consistently report it's restrictive enough to push them onto Anker's own pricier panelsB1B2B13B14.
As a growing off-grid bank, the E10 pours power back in almost four times as fast and doesn't box you into one panel catalog. If the array is going to expand, that's the tiebreaker.
Strengths & trade-offs
Anker SOLIX E10
Strengths
- +Larger battery capacity
- +Higher AC output
- +Faster solar charging
- +Rated for 4,000 charge cycles — much longer battery lifespan
Trade-offs
- –Substantially more expensive (+$2,099) than the SOLIX F3800.
- –Significantly heavier (+58.3 lbs), making it harder to move.
- –Very heavy unit that may be difficult for one person to lift.
Anker SOLIX F3800
Strengths
- +Costs $2,099 less
- +Lighter by 58.3 lb
Trade-offs
- –Weaker inverter (-1,680W) limits appliance compatibility.
- –Very heavy unit that may be difficult for one person to lift.
- –Shorter-lived battery — rated for 3,000 charge cycles vs the SOLIX E10's 4,000, so it wears out sooner.
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
Scoring these two at a campsite is a category error: the SOLIX E10 is installed at the electrical panel — it backs up the building and doesn't leave it, and the SOLIX F3800 at 132.3 lbs is not a take-along — it rolls off a truck bed if it travels at all. The 2,100Wh here is trivial for either — it's the going that doesn't happen. If you need power away from the building, you're shopping the wrong class.
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
SOLIX E10
Both survive the night. The SOLIX E10 finishes at 31% used with 3,577Wh left — 2.2 more nights like it. The SOLIX F3800 finishes at 50% with 1,619Wh, 98% of a second night. If your outages tend to run past one evening, that difference is the whole argument between them.
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
Either unit
A CPAP is about 40W for eight hours, so both of these cover the night several times over — capacity isn't the question here. What would separate them is fan noise, but neither maker publishes a fan-noise figure, so there's nothing to hold either of them to. Buy on price, weight, and whether you can live with a fan you haven't heard.
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
SOLIX E10
The SOLIX E10 clears the workday at 17% used, banking 4,312Wh — late work, extra calls, or a second laptop charge without arithmetic. The SOLIX F3800 at 28% also finishes, with 2,354Wh of slack for the unplanned.
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
Scoring these two at a tailgate is a category error: the SOLIX E10 is installed at the electrical panel — it backs up the building and doesn't leave it, and the SOLIX F3800 at 132.3 lbs is not a take-along — it rolls off a truck bed if it travels at all. The 670Wh here is trivial for either — it's the going that doesn't happen. If you need power away from the building, you're shopping the wrong class.
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 gives you a powered van: the SOLIX E10 has the energy but is wired to the building, and the SOLIX F3800 covers about 69% of the 4,685Wh. One can't go; the other can't finish.
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 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
For this load: SOLIX E10 runs 25.5h vs 15.9h.
$4,299 list · direct from Anker
Planning for more than this? Describe your whole setup and get it sized →
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 0–348.2hComfort & Convenience
Makes off-grid life actually enjoyablescale 0–69.6hHigh-Draw Appliances
These reveal the real limitsscale 0–5.2h¹ 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
August 30, 2026
Verdict: the SOLIX E10, on Power Score margin
This is a class split, not a spec race. The E10 is a hardwired, panel-integrated whole-home system — silent, 6,144Wh, 4,000 cycles — while the F3800 is a movable 3,840Wh box with outlets and 100W USB-C for roughly half the price. Where both physically apply, like a blackout or a workday, the E10 wins on headroom, and per lifetime kWh the two land within two cents of each other, so cost can't break the tie. Buy the E10 if you're wiring backup into a house at the panel; buy the F3800 if you want ports you can plug into or a unit you can move, and to spend about $2,099 less. Neither is a portable in the everyday sense, so if that's what you actually need, shop a class smaller.
Editor-assigned confidence, based on cited owner research and spec analysis.
Written by Gunner Gustafson, Whole-Home Backup Tester · Station Arena Test Desk · Updated August 30, 2026
Black Friday · 38 days out
Price to beat:SOLIX E10 $4,299
We have never seen it discounted, so any real cut would be a first.
Measured Data
Benchmark scores and the full spec record, side by side.
Benchmark scores
Not rated for both units (minimum threshold unmet): RV Living, Solar Generator.
Full specifications
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 E10 rates 5.0/5 (99th percentile of 20 Home Backup-class units), and SOLIX F3800 rates 4.5/5 (68th percentile of 20 Home Backup-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.
Two different weight problems
132.3 pounds versus 190.6, but the number isn't the point — the frequency is. You lift the F3800 every time it moves, a two-person bent-knees job. You lift the E10 once, on install day, and then it's a fixture on the wall you never touch again.
Warranty: No Difference
Both units carry the same 5-year warranty, so coverage isn't a tiebreaker here. Worth saying because the per-dollar framing can suggest otherwise: the SOLIX F3800 works out at 2.3 years of cover per $1,000 spent against the SOLIX E10's 1.2, but that spread is the price gap, not the terms.
Battery Lifespan in Real Years
The SOLIX E10 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. One caution reading years across different sizes: a cycle is 6,144Wh on the SOLIX E10 and 3,840Wh on the SOLIX F3800, so count lifetime energy — roughly 24,576 kWh against 11,520 kWh over the rated life. After hitting the cycle limit, the battery doesn't die — it drops to ~80% of original capacity, which is still very usable.
Ownership Analysis
What happens after you buy — true cost of ownership, brand trust, and growth potential.
Lifetime value
Service lifeyears at one full cycle per day
Lifetime energy delivered
Cost per delivered kWh
│ warranty ends · Reaching the cycle rating means ~80% capacity remains — degraded, not dead.
Analyst note
The SOLIX F3800 is cheaper to buy, but the SOLIX E10 is cheaper to own. At $0.17/kWh over its lifetime vs $0.19/kWh, the SOLIX E10's higher cycle life and capacity make each dollar go further over the years.
Growth path
SOLIX E10
EXPANDABLESupports Anker expansion batteries, so you can add capacity later without replacing the base unit — useful if your needs may climb past 6,144Wh.
Accepts up to 9,000W of solar. Enough for a serious multi-panel array.
Limited ports. You'll likely need a power strip or splitter.
Expansion batteries are Anker-specific. You're investing in the Anker ecosystem.
SOLIX F3800
EXPANDABLESupports Anker expansion batteries, so you can add capacity later without replacing the base unit — useful if your needs may climb past 3,840Wh.
Accepts up to 2,400W of solar. Enough for a serious multi-panel array.
Generous port selection supports complex multi-device setups.
Expansion batteries are Anker-specific. You're investing in the Anker ecosystem.
Realistic full solar rechargeat 70% of rated panel output — see methodology
Analyst note
Both expand, but the SOLIX E10's higher solar ceiling (9,000W vs 2,400W) gives it the stronger off-grid growth path — more panels can feed a bigger bank as it grows.
What Owners Report
Patterns from published owner reports and long-term reviews — every claim cited to its source below.
Anker SOLIX E10
The E10 launched with an unusually full field record for a new SKU — hands-on reviews from several outlets plus a live install threadA0. The recurring knock is software: reviewers across outlets call the Solix app basic and thin on depth next to a Tesla Powerwall'sA1A2A3, which stings more on a system this expensive that leans on the app for control.
What earns praise is the part that matters in an outage. One reviewer only realized the power had gone out by checking the app's history afterwardA4, and an owner in rural Ohio with frequent storms reports the brownouts and flickers simply stoppedA5. It runs dead silent on passive cooling with no fansA9. The nitpicks are physical: a plastic battery handle broke during normal useA7, and a firmware-update bug can strand setup with no clean recovery pathA11.
“The Solix app is cleanly laid out and has most of what I need, but it isn't as robust as some of the others out there — Tesla Powerwall and EcoFlow's Smart Home Panel offer richer data, graphs, and integrations.”
Sources
appleinsider.com · gizmodo.com · thesolarlab.com · diysolarforum.com
Anker SOLIX F3800
Long-term, standard-F3800 owner data is genuinely thin, and several sources blur the F3800 and the F3800 PlusB0, so read the field record with that caveat. The one consistent theme is the solar input: owners call it restrictive enough that it effectively locks you into Anker's own pricier panelsB1B2B14, and one notes the workarounds require a secondary charge controller most buyers won't addB13.
The rest is a mixed but livable picture. One owner backed the AC charge rate down from 1,800W to 600–800W because the line cord got very hot at full tiltB3, and the unit won't charge while discharging — no passthroughB4. Set against that, an owner ran a whole setup including a water pump through a reliance transfer switch for weeks with no troubleB5. Support runs hot and cold: fast advance-replacements for someB9, and one report of being ghosted after a big order — though on a sibling pack whose model we couldn't confirmB8.
“I have been using the F3800 for a couple weeks now, using only a single 120V outlet into a reliance transfer switch and it runs everything I throw at it including a water pump.”
Sources
diysolarforum.com · thesolarlab.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
- Reviewers across multiple independent outlets and a live install thread consistently flag the Solix app as the E10's weakest link — serviceable for basic setups but short on the depth, clarity, and configurability of rivals like Tesla Powerwall. [SOLIX E10 · 4 entries]
- UPS switchover is repeatedly praised as imperceptible, holding up across multiple reviewers and real storm events in different climates. [SOLIX E10 · 2 entries]
- Build-quality and setup nitpicks — a broken plastic handle on a 130lb battery module and a firmware-update bug with no recovery path during install — surfaced despite otherwise smooth day-to-day operation. [SOLIX E10 · 2 entries]
- Owners consistently complain that the solar/DC input is restrictive, effectively locking users into pricier Anker-branded panels rather than generic arrays. [SOLIX F3800 · 4 entries]
- Fan/inverter noise is generally reported as quiet at idle but with occasional intermittent buzzing/rattling under load or fault conditions. [SOLIX F3800 · 3 entries]
- Anker support experiences are polarized — some owners report fast, responsive replacements while at least one reports being ignored after a major purchase. [SOLIX F3800 · 3 entries]
- A1
“The Solix app is cleanly laid out and has most of what I need, but it isn't as robust as some of the others out there — Tesla Powerwall and EcoFlow's Smart Home Panel offer richer data, graphs, and integrations.”
appleinsider.com — "Anker Solix E10 review: Whole home battery backups finally come within reach" · 2026-07 · [mixed]
- A2
“Anker's Solix app home screen looks a lot like the Tesla Powerwall app's, but the Time-of-Use scheduling section is confusing — only the Super Off-Peak setting actually charges the batteries from the grid; the other two off-peak options only use solar, and the app doesn't explain that upfront.”
gizmodo.com — "Anker Solix E10 review: No Power? No Problem" · 2026 · [mixed]
- A3
“The app experience isn't great — it's really basic and just not where it needs to be for a system this expensive that requires the app for control.”
thesolarlab.com — "Anker SOLIX E10 Review: Best Whole-Home Battery Backup?" · 2026 · [negative]
- A4
“I didn't see any evidence — no lights flickering, no fans slowing down, nothing — when the system moved to battery-only power and back to the grid; I only found out outages had happened by checking the app's history.”
gizmodo.com — "Anker Solix E10 review: No Power? No Problem" · 2026 · [positive]
- A5
“In rural Ohio with frequent outages, the system reliably kicked in during every storm — my brownouts are completely gone, the lights no longer flicker, and smart home devices stopped rebooting from brief power dips.”
appleinsider.com — "Anker Solix E10 review: Whole home battery backups finally come within reach" · 2026-07 · [positive]
- A7
“We actually broke one of the battery handles during normal use — they're plastic with cheap riveted hardware, which feels under-built for a 130lb battery module.”
thesolarlab.com — "Anker SOLIX E10 Review: Best Whole-Home Battery Backup?" · 2026 · [negative]
- A9
“This is a high-voltage system with passive cooling — it runs completely silent. Large heat-dissipation fins eliminate the need for cooling fans entirely.”
thesolarlab.com — "Anker SOLIX E10 Review: Best Whole-Home Battery Backup?" · 2026 · [positive]
- A11
“There's a known bug where the firmware update required to complete setup can fail on the E10 while the Power Dock's update completes — the setup flow has no way to recover, so you have to unplug the E10 from the combiner box, pair to it directly, finish its firmware update, then reconnect it to the dock.”
diysolarforum.com — "Anker Solix E10 - Install" · 2026 · [negative]
- B1
“The solar input for charging is a pain, so much so that I'm only using it if there is no other way to charge the F3800.”
diysolarforum.com — 'Anker F3800 user reviews and opinions welcome' · 2024-07 · [negative]
- B2
“The limitations of the inputs make it very difficult to use solar panels other than Anker's panels, which are pricey for a "full up" config.”
diysolarforum.com — 'Anker F3800 user reviews and opinions welcome' · 2024-07 · [negative]
- B3
“if you charge the F3800 from a 120VAC wall outlet at full rate (1800 watts), the line cord gets very hot. I've backed off the charge rate to 600-800 watts.”
diysolarforum.com — 'Anker F3800 user reviews and opinions welcome' · 2024-07 · [negative]
- B4
“the lack of passthru mode, you cannot charge via the 120VAC input while discharging.”
diysolarforum.com — 'Anker F3800 user reviews and opinions welcome' · 2024-07 · [negative]
- B5
“I have been using the F3800 for a couple weeks now, using only a single 120V outlet into a reliance transfer switch and it runs everything I throw at it including a water pump.”
diysolarforum.com — 'Anker F3800 user reviews and opinions welcome' · 2024-07 · [positive]
- B8
“Anker support is ghosting me after I spent over 20k on their solix line and solar panels within a month... they are not answering/returning my calls or emails.”
diysolarforum.com — 'Big issue with Anker Solix F3800 plus battery pack' · 2025-08 · [negative]
- B9
“I've called them and submitted tickets via their portal, always very responsive. They've even done advanced replacement for me.”
diysolarforum.com — 'Big issue with Anker Solix F3800 plus battery pack' · 2025-08 · [positive]
- B13
“no one on Youtube is addressing the solar input problem directly. But People smarter than myself with secondary charge controllers... are able to navigate around the problem.”
diysolarforum.com — 'Anker F3800 user reviews and opinions welcome' · 2024-07 · [negative]
- B14
“other than the solar input problem having limited panel array choices to max out it's input capability it's a great unit so far.”
diysolarforum.com — 'Anker F3800 user reviews and opinions welcome' · 2024-07 · [mixed]
Research compiled August 30, 2026.
What Owners Actually Report
Drawn from 111 comments on independent review channels — not from retailer reviews, which skew to the first week of ownership. Each line is our summary of one commenter's claim, linked to the original. We record what they said, including where it contradicts the spec sheet.
Anker SOLIX E10
37 claims from 20 comments · 16 from owners · 4 with figures
- Price & value
- 12 · 8% negative
- Warranty & support
- 4 · 50% negative
- App & firmware
- 3 · 96% negative
- Other
- 5 · 6% negative
- Runtime
- 2 · 0% negative
What owners complain about
Support took over 2 days to reply; he solved the setup bug himself first.
Warranty & supportmeasuredowner43 agreedsource →
Firmware update failed on the combined E10 + Power Dock setup; had to separate units to update.
App & firmwareowner43 agreedsource →
Inverter slowly discharged on standby load while setup was stuck.
Idle drainowner43 agreedsource →
What owners praise
12kWh/10kW E10 setup cost about $7,300 versus over $10k for equivalent DPUX.
Price & valuemeasuredowner9 agreedsource →
Supports his 20-panel roof array, unlike the DPU's 5kW solar limit.
Solar inputmeasuredowner5 agreedsource →
Has run their house for the last month and it is amazing despite lower specs than the Ultra.
Runtimeownerafter 1 months23 agreedsource →
Anker SOLIX F3800
137 claims from 91 comments · 76 from owners · 26 with figures
- Charging
- 19 · 46% negative
- Price & value
- 16 · 47% negative
- Runtime
- 8 · 15% negative
- Other
- 19 · 50% negative
- Expandability
- 12 · 36% negative
What owners complain about
Sarcastic about the $1600 price of each official expansion battery versus cheaper alternatives.
Price & valuemeasuredowner20 agreedsource →
A single Chargeverter only gives ~1200W due to the no-common-ground XT-60 DC inputs.
Chargingmeasuredowner12 agreedsource →
AC charging kills 240V and caps output to one bank at ~1200W of the 6000W inverter.
Inverter & surgemeasuredowner7 agreedsource →
What owners praise
Ran 2 fridges, 2 freezers, lights, pellet stove and Starlink for 6.5 hours using only 32%.
Runtimemeasuredowner61 agreedsource →
Recharged in 1 hour 15 minutes at just under 3000W from the grid.
Chargingmeasuredowner61 agreedsource →
Uses an F3800 for peak shaving on a 6c off-peak / 25c on-peak time-of-use plan.
Price & valueowner10 agreedsource →
Claims are weighted by how specific they are, whether the commenter owns the unit, and how many readers agreed. Comments that mention a product under a rival's review count for more, because the commenter had no reason to be there. This is what buyers report, not our test results — for measurements we ran ourselves, see the methodology.
Who Should Buy Which
Buy the SOLIX E10 if you…
- →You're backing up a whole house at the panel and want it automatic — the E10 wires in, holds up through real stormsA4A5, and runs silent on passive coolingA9.
- →You want the bigger, longer-lived bank: 6,144Wh, 4,000 cycles, and a 9,000W solar ceiling to feed a growing array.
- →You'd rather never think about the battery again — no fans, no outlets to fuss with, installed once and forgotten.
Buy the SOLIX F3800 if you…
- →You want outlets and USB-C you plug straight into, or a unit you can put on a manual transfer switch — one owner ran a whole setup including a water pump that way for weeksB5.
- →You want to spend about half as much for a 3,840Wh unit that two people can still move.
- →You can live with the solar quirk and plan to buy Anker's panels anywayB1B2.
If neither fits
If you're shopping for something to carry to a campsite or a tailgate, close this tab — both are stationary-class boxes (132 to 191 lbs), and a genuinely portable unit a class smaller, like Anker's own C-series or a mid-size EcoFlow or Bluetti, will actually fit in the car.
The Bottom Line
These two share a badge and almost nothing else. The E10 is house infrastructure: wired behind your breakers, silent, 6,144Wh, built for automatic whole-home backup. The F3800 is a 3,840Wh box with outlets and a handle you can wrestle into a truck for half the sticker. Per lifetime kilowatt-hour they cost the same seventeen-to-nineteen cents, so the price gap buys more battery and permanence, not cheaper power.
So don't ask which is better — ask what you're doing. Wiring a panel for whole-home backup? The E10, and it isn't close. Want outlets you can plug into, a unit you can put on a transfer switch, or one you can ever relocate, for about $2,099 less? The F3800. The only buyer who should walk away from both is the one picturing a power station carried to a campsite — neither of these is going anywhere without a second person and a hand truck.
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers drawn from the spec record and cited owner research.
Is the Anker SOLIX E10 portable?
No. It's a hardwired whole-home system that installs at your electrical panel, and at 190.6 lbs with no outlets on the box, it isn't something you move or plug devices directly into. If you want a unit you can carry or set on a bench, the F3800 or a smaller portable is the class to shop.
Can the F3800 back up my whole house like the E10 does?
Indirectly. The F3800 isn't a panel-integrated system, but owners run household essentials through a manual transfer switch — one reports powering a whole setup including a water pump that way for weeks. For seamless, automatic whole-home backup wired straight to your panel, the E10 is built for it and the F3800 isn't.
Which one is cheaper to own over its lifetime?
They're essentially even: about $0.17 per lifetime kWh for the E10 and $0.19 for the F3800. The E10 costs nearly double up front ($4,299 vs $2,200) but delivers more than double the lifetime energy (24,576 vs 11,520 kWh), so the per-kWh math lands in the same place. Decide on capacity and what shape it comes in, not lifetime cost.
Why do people say the F3800's solar charging is a problem?
Its solar input tops out at 2,400W, and owners consistently report the input is finicky enough to push them toward Anker's own pricier panels rather than generic arrays. The E10 accepts up to 9,000W and is the far better base for a large or growing solar setup. If solar is your main charging source, that gap matters.
Will these last? What's the real lifespan?
On paper, both are LiFePO4 rated well into the thousands of cycles — 4,000 for the E10 (about 11 years of daily use) and 3,000 for the F3800 (about 8.2 years) — and neither dies at the limit; they settle to roughly 80% of original capacity. Long-term owner proof is still thin, though: the E10 is newly launched with no 6-plus-month reports yet, and standard-F3800 field data is limited and sometimes blurred with the Plus model.
Where to buy
Anker SOLIX E10
$4,299.00
$4,299.00 · direct from Anker
Last checked 16 days ago. Prices move — check before you buy.
Anker SOLIX F3800
Sold on Amazon · today’s price is on the listing
Prices may vary by retailer and are subject to change.