Head-to-head test
EcoFlow DELTA 3 1000 Air vs DJI Power 500
The Air has been discontinued, and the Power 500 isn't its replacement so much as its mirror image: twice the output, a little over half the energy, so it's the right buy only if watts, not watt-hours, were what you needed.
Full profiles: DJI Power 500 →
Written by Ian SchneiderUpdated
Solar & Off-Grid Tester, Station Arena Test Desk
Spec deltas
EcoFlow has discontinued the DELTA 3 1000 Air. It's gone from EcoFlow's own store and from our price tracking, which leaves the DJI Power 500 as the only unit on this page you can buy from its maker, and the one we recommend. If what you wanted was the Air itself, our suggested replacement is EcoFlow's DELTA 3 Classic.
The comparison still earns its place, because the two are mirror images. The Air puts 960Wh behind a 500W inverter; the Power 500 puts 512Wh behind a 1,000W one. One is a big tank with a small tap, the other a small tank with a big one. Anyone who owns an Air, or has spotted leftover retailer stock, should know which kind they're looking at.
So the DJI is the right buy for a specific job, not a like-for-like swap. It runs loads between 500W and 1,000W that the Air was never built forA3, charges a laptop at 100W over USB-C where the Air manages 18W, and carries up to five years of cover against two. What it can't do is store as much. If the Air's 960Wh was the point, its replacement is the DELTA 3 Classic, not this.
What the Numbers Reveal
Each conclusion stated first — the numbers behind it on one line, the full analysis below.
continuous output
Its extra watts are for short, hard jobs, not long ones. The Air, held to 500W, could run about an hour and a half at its own ceiling (816 ÷ 500) and far longer on light loads. Moving from one to the other trades endurance for punch, and that's a good trade only if your heavy loads are brief.
DJI Power 500: 1,000W continuous, 512Wh rated, 435Wh usable at the 85% derateDELTA 3 1000 Air: 500W continuous, 960Wh rated, 816Wh usableIn review testing the Power 500 ran a 905W loadB3
Why it mattersIf you need a few minutes of 500W-plus, buy the DJI; if you wanted long hours of light loads, the DELTA 3 Classic is the Air's real replacement, not this.
That splits desks in two. A laptop rides out any switchover on its own battery, so for a laptop, router and monitor the DJI is the better desk unit, with the laptop off the inverter entirely. A desktop tower with unsaved work is the exception: ≤20ms is the line the fussiest PC power supplies sit on, and protecting that tower is exactly the job the Air was built forA2.
DELTA 3 1000 Air: switchover rated ≤10ms, built to keep a computer, monitor and router running through outagesA2DJI Power 500: switchover rated ≤20msUSB-C: 18W on the Air, 100W on the Power 500
Why it mattersLaptop desks should take the DJI without a second thought; desktop-tower owners replacing an Air should treat the ≤20ms rating as the open question before buying.
rated cycles
That lead belongs to people who already own an Air. For anyone buying now, a two-year term and no EcoFlow service after it leave most of those 3,000 cycles unbacked, while the DJI's term, bought from DJI's own store, covers five years of finding out whether its cells hold up.
Power 500: 4,000 rated cycles × 512Wh = 2,048 kWh over rated lifeDELTA 3 1000 Air: 3,000 rated cycles × 960Wh = 2,880 kWhWarranty: up to 5 years on the Power 500 (bought from DJI's own store), 2 years on the Air; EcoFlow offers no parts or service out of warranty
Why it mattersAir owners shouldn't sell theirs for a Power 500 on longevity grounds; new buyers should weigh the five-year term, not the lifetime-energy figure.
solar input
Solar doesn't separate them on time. It separates them on parts: the DJI needs DJI's own adapter before a panel does anything, and one reviewer noted it isn't in the boxB4.
Solar input: 500W on the Air against 960Wh; 300W on the Power 500 against 512WhDJI has no built-in solar charge controller; panels need its separate proprietary adapterOne reviewer noted the Power 500 ships with only a wall plug, no solar adapter or car cableB4
Why it mattersPanel buyers choosing the DJI should put the adapter in the same order.
The specific dimensions that decide these two units — everything else is a tie.
Runtime: Will It Power Your Gear?
Selected because: The live unit holds 512Wh to the retired one's 960Wh behind twice the inverter, and that swap decides who the DJI suits.
continuous output
Switching to the DJI means living on a little over half the energy. At the flat 85% derate the Power 500 gives up 435Wh usable to the Air's 816Wh, and that gap is exactly the size of a tailgate: the Air finishes a 670Wh afternoon with 146Wh spare, the DJI runs 235Wh short.
Double the output doesn't stretch the tank. It empties it faster. Run the DJI at its 1,000W rating and the whole usable charge is gone in under half an hour, which makes it a sprinter: it carries a load the Air can't, just not for long. Size it by watt-hours first and watts second.
What the Specs Don't Tell You
Selected because: Five flags fire, and three of them (USB-C at 18W against 100W, switchover at ≤10ms against ≤20ms, two years of cover against five) split the desk buyer.
rated cycles
Three of the five flags settle the desk question. USB-C runs to 100W on the DJI against 18W on the Air, which puts a laptop straight on the port instead of back through a brick and a 500W inverter. Cover runs up to five years on the DJI against two. The switchover is the honest catch against our pick: the Air is rated no worse than 10ms, the DJI no worse than 20ms, and the Air was designed around exactly that number.
The other two are about reading specs straight. Both peak at the same 1,000W, so the Air's higher surge ratio is a smaller continuous rating, not extra starting power. And the DJI's 4,000 cycles sound like the longer life until you multiply by capacity, at which point the Air stores more over its rated life.
Your Life, Your Pick
Selected because: Four of the six modeled loads overrun both units; the two that split, tailgate and CPAP, show where 960Wh against 512Wh actually bites.
Four of the six modeled loads overrun both units, and that's the most useful thing this section says. A 2,100Wh camping weekend, an eight-hour outage at 1,645Wh and a 4,685Wh van day are multiples of either tank, not near misses.
The two that split run in opposite directions. Tailgate goes to the Air, the one row where an owner gets to feel smug. CPAP goes to the DJI, with a margin worth reading: one night leaves it 115Wh, so a second night off-grid needs a recharge in between. The remote workday is the miss that stings, with the Air 94Wh short of 910Wh and the DJI covering about half.
Brand Trust
Selected because: One maker has discontinued its unit and offers no out-of-warranty service; the other is a 2024 entrant offering the longer term.
EcoFlow has moved on from the Air, and it offers no parts or service out of warranty. On a discontinued model with two years of cover, the warranty window is the whole support story; after it, an Air is its owner's to look after. EcoFlow's current range is where the replacement lives, and the DELTA 3 Classic is the one we point to.
DJI is the newer power-station maker, a 2024 entrant with a support and repair network built for drones and less power-station track record than EcoFlow. Untested isn't the same as bad, and up to five years of cover, bought from DJI's own store, is the most concrete support promise on this page.
Strengths & trade-offs
EcoFlow DELTA 3 1000 Air
Strengths
- +Larger battery capacity
- +Faster solar charging
Trade-offs
- –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
- +Lighter by 5.9 lb
- +Higher AC output
- +Longer warranty
- +Rated for 4,000 charge cycles — much longer battery lifespan
Trade-offs
- –No major technical downsides compared to rival.
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 covers this scenario's 2,100Wh: the DELTA 3 1000 Air comes up 1,284Wh short (about 39% covered), the Power 500 1,665Wh (21%). This is well outside what either unit is for; the right answer here is a larger station, not a choice between these two.
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 carries the 1,645Wh night. The Air covers about half of it and the Power 500 about a quarter, 1,210Wh short. Either one keeps the essentials going, not the whole list, so treat this as a partial-cover kit and size up if the house is the job.
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
The Power 500 takes this one, and it's the one you can buy. A 320Wh night uses 74% of its usable charge and leaves 115Wh, so a second night off-grid needs a wall or a panel in between; the Air would have finished with 496Wh. The makers publish noise on different terms, so look for hands-on reports before either goes beside a bed.
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 makes it through a 910Wh day. The Air misses by 94Wh, a gap its 960Wh nameplate would clear before the flat 15% derate; the Power 500 covers about half and runs 475Wh short. With the DJI, plan a wall top-up around midday.
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
DELTA 3 1000 Air
The Air's row, and the one place its bigger tank decides anything: a 670Wh afternoon takes 82% of its usable charge and leaves 146Wh. The Power 500 covers about 65% and runs 235Wh short. If you own an Air, this is its job. If you're buying new, plan a recharge break or a bigger station.
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 covers this scenario's 4,685Wh: the DELTA 3 1000 Air comes up 3,869Wh short (about 17% covered), the Power 500 4,250Wh (9%). This is well outside what either unit is for; the right answer here is a larger station, not a choice between these two.
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: DELTA 3 1000 Air runs 4h vs 2.1h.
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 0–54.4hComfort & Convenience
Makes off-grid life actually enjoyablescale 0–10.9hHigh-Draw Appliances
These reveal the real limitsscale 0–0.4h¹ 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
October 11, 2026
Verdict: the Power 500
Buy the Power 500. EcoFlow has discontinued the DELTA 3 1000 AirA4, so the DJI is the only unit here still sold by its maker, and our recommended replacement for the Air itself is EcoFlow's DELTA 3 Classic. On specs the DJI is the Air's mirror image. It doubles continuous output to 1,000W, charges laptops at 100W over USB-C against 18W, carries up to five years of cover against two, and weighs 16.1 lbs to the Air's 22. What it gives back is capacity, 512Wh to 960Wh, and the Air's ≤10ms rated switchover becomes ≤20ms. If your load list fits in 512Wh, buy the DJI. If the Air's 960Wh was the point, the DELTA 3 Classic, not the DJI, is the replacement to look at.
Editor-assigned confidence, based on cited owner research and spec analysis.
List prices as of October 11, 2026. The links below open DJI's current price.
$299.00 · direct from DJI
Last checked 28 days ago. Prices move — check before you buy.
Written by Ian Schneider, Solar & Off-Grid Tester · Station Arena Test Desk · Updated October 11, 2026
Black Friday · 26 days out
Price to beat:Power 500 $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): Tailgating.
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, DELTA 3 1000 Air rates 5.0/5 (99th percentile of 20 Compact-class units), and Power 500 rates 4.6/5 (74th percentile of 20 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.
18W is a phone port
The Air's USB-C tops out at 18W; the Power 500's runs to 100W. A phone won't notice the difference. A laptop will: on the Air it goes back to the AC outlet and its own brick, through a 500W inverter, while on the DJI it charges straight off the port.
Surge Power: Same Ceiling, Different Ratio
Both units surge to the same 1,000W. The DELTA 3 1000 Air shows a higher surge-to-continuous ratio (2× vs 1×) only because its continuous rating is lower — the ratio is the same ceiling divided by a smaller number, not extra starting ability. On what either can actually start, they are identical; the difference is what they can hold afterwards.
The switchover the Air was built around
The Air is rated to switch over in no more than 10ms, the Power 500 in no more than 20ms. Routers and laptops ride through either on paper. A desktop tower is the case to think about: the fussiest PC power supplies sit right at the 20ms line, and the Air was built for exactly that desk. Neither figure is a lab result.
Five years against two, and what happens after
The Power 500 carries up to five years, with the full term tied to buying from DJI's own store. The DELTA 3 1000 Air carries two, and EcoFlow offers no parts or service once they end. On a unit EcoFlow has discontinued, those two years are the whole support story. If you're buying the DJI to keep, buy it where the five years applies.
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. One caution reading years across different sizes: a cycle is 512Wh on the Power 500 and 960Wh on the DELTA 3 1000 Air, so count lifetime energy — roughly 2,048 kWh against 2,880 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.
Full record above — the Test Desk pick is the Power 500.
Check Power 500 price →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 DELTA 3 1000 Air is no longer sold, so there is no price to work its cost per kWh from, and this comparison doesn't quote one. On what you can actually buy today, the Power 500 works out at $0.15/kWh over its rated life. If you already own the DELTA 3 1000 Air, the hardware comparison still holds: over its rated life the DELTA 3 1000 Air delivers about 2,880 kWh and the Power 500 about 2,048 kWh. One caution on the lifespan row: the Power 500 takes longer to reach its cycle rating, but a cycle moves a different amount of energy on each unit — the DELTA 3 1000 Air still delivers more over its shorter horizon. Years measure wear, not usefulness.
Brand trust
EcoFlow
Ecosystem
Largest in portable power — 12-15 models across DELTA Pro, DELTA 3, and RIVER 3 series, plus solar panels and smart home panels
Support
US-based phone/email/chat support (1-800-368-8604). Experiences are polarized — many report hassle-free prepaid-label replacements, but others report long waits and refurbished units sent for new claims. Pro tip: buying from Costco or Amazon gives you a stronger return safety net.
Community
Largest community in the space — Reddit r/Ecoflow_community (~31K members), multiple Facebook groups, and an official community forum
App experience
Rated 4.6/5 iOS (~8,400 ratings) · 4.2/5 Android (~17,000 ratings)
Unique strength
Fastest-charging technology (X-Stream), deepest product ecosystem, and most active innovation cadence. At the top of the range sit two whole-home paths: the TITAN line, one 5 kWh unit that grows to 30 kWh, and the DELTA Pro Ultra platform, which stacks batteries and inverters further — flagship paths, not line-wide features.
Worth knowing
EcoFlow offers no parts or service out of warranty, and the Air's cover is two years. On a model EcoFlow has discontinued, the warranty window is the whole support story; after it, the unit is its owner's to look after.
DJI
Ecosystem
New entrant (2024) — five power station models to date: Power 500, Power 1000 (since superseded by the V2 but still sold), Power 1000 V2, Power 1000 Mini, Power 2000. Buying a "Power 1000" listing? Check which revision it actually ships.
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 on most of the range (manufacturer best-case figures), at the quiet end of the category; our record carries no figure for the Power 1000 V2. Fast wall charging, quickest on the Power 1000 V2 at ~56 min — that figure is the V2's, not the whole line's. 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
No built-in solar charge controller: panels need DJI's own adapter, bought separately. The SDC fast-charging ports are proprietary, so they pay off mainly if you already own DJI gear.
Analyst note
EcoFlow brings the deeper range and the bigger community, and it has already moved past this unit: the DELTA 3 Classic is where we point Air buyers. DJI brings a younger power-station line, a support network built for drones, and the longer term on the one unit here you can still buy from its maker.
Growth path
DELTA 3 1000 Air
FIXED CAPACITYFixed at 960Wh, with no expansion — so size it for your needs up front rather than planning to add capacity later.
Accepts up to 500W of solar. Suitable for a 1-2 panel setup.
Limited ports. You'll likely need a power strip or splitter.
Power 500
FIXED CAPACITYFixed 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.
Realistic full solar rechargeat 70% of rated panel output — see methodology
Analyst note
Growth only counts if you can still buy in, and the DELTA 3 1000 Air is no longer sold (EcoFlow points owners to the DELTA 3 Classic). That leaves the Power 500: it is sealed at 512Wh, so buy the size that covers you now. The DELTA 3 1000 Air's fixed 960Wh still matters if you already own one, but it isn't a reason to pick it over the Power 500.
What Owners Report
Patterns from published owner reports and long-term reviews — every claim cited to its source below.
EcoFlow DELTA 3 1000 Air
What exists on the Air comes from reviewers rather than long-term owners, and it's consistentA1A2A3. It's a 960Wh LFP unit at 22 lbs with a 500W inverter and an 800W X-Boost mode, deliberately light on ports and featuresA1. One review framed it as a power-protection device, built to keep a computer, monitor and router running through an outageA2. The caution is the one the spec sheet already implies: at 500W continuous it won't run a space heater or a hair dryerA3.
The newest entry is about catalogue status, not hardware: EcoFlow no longer sells itA4.
“A 960Wh LiFePO4 unit with a 500W inverter (800W X-Boost) weighing only 22 lbs — a focused, minimalist design with fewer ports and features.”
Sources
thesolarlab.com · batteryskills.com · backuppowerhub.com · matanich.com
DJI Power 500
The Power 500 tests above its own label. In review testing it ran a 905W load, briefly rode a 1,500W surge past its 1,000W rating, and beat DJI's larger Power 1000 on efficiencyB3. Reviewers describe an easy carry at about 7.3 kgB2, and its automotive-grade LFP cells are rated for roughly a 10-year lifeB1.
The one complaint isn't about the hardware: one reviewer noted it ships with only a wall plug, with no solar adapter or car cableB4. The material here is review-led too, so long-term owner reports are still thinB0.
“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.”
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
- A focused home-office UPS unit — LFP, 10ms UPS, quiet and light — but low 500W output; now discontinued in favor of the DELTA 3. [DELTA 3 1000 Air · 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
“A 960Wh LiFePO4 unit with a 500W inverter (800W X-Boost) weighing only 22 lbs — a focused, minimalist design with fewer ports and features.”
thesolarlab.com / batteryskills.com — DELTA 3 1000 Air review · 2026 · [mixed]
- A2
“Built as a power-protection device with a 10ms UPS switchover to keep a computer, monitor, and router running through outages.”
backuppowerhub.com — DELTA 3 1000 Air review · 2026 · [positive]
- A3
“With only 500W continuous output, it won't run a space heater or hair dryer — it's built for low-to-moderate draw devices.”
backuppowerhub.com / matanich.com — DELTA 3 1000 Air review · 2026 · [mixed]
- A4
“EcoFlow no longer sells the DELTA 3 1000 Air; the closest successor is the standard DELTA 3 (1,024Wh LFP, 1,800W output, ~$549).”
backuppowerhub.com — DELTA 3 line · 2026 · [mixed]
- B1
“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 · [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 October 11, 2026.
Who Should Buy Which
Buy the DELTA 3 1000 Air if you…
- →You already own an Air and it holds up a router, modem and monitor through outages. Keep it: a ≤10ms rated switchover is the job it was built forA2, and the DJI isn't an upgrade there.
- →You've found leftover stock and you're tempted. Know the terms first: two years of cover, and EcoFlow offers no parts or service after that.
- →You wanted the Air's 960Wh new from EcoFlow. That job belongs to the DELTA 3 Classic now, our recommended replacement, not this unit.
Buy the Power 500 if you…
- →Something on your list draws between 500W and 1,000W, briefly. The DJI carries it and the Air never could, as long as you remember that full output empties it in under half an hour.
- →Your desk runs on USB-C. A 100W port charges the laptop directly, with no brick and no inverter in between.
- →You want the longest cover on this page: up to five years, bought from DJI's own store.
- →You carry it to the car or the campsite: 16.1 lbs against the Air's 22.
- →You already fly DJI. Its SDC ports fast-charge DJI drone batteries, which matters a lot if you own them and not at all if you don't.
If neither fits
If the list is a camping weekend, a whole house through an outage, or a van, close this tab cheerfully. The 2,100Wh weekend alone is more than double the Air's 960Wh nameplate and over four times the DJI's 512Wh, and a 4,685Wh van day is in another class entirely. Shop a much larger station.
The Bottom Line
Buy the Power 500. The Air has left EcoFlow's range, and the DJI that remains does three things the Air never did: 1,000W continuous, laptop-speed USB-C, and up to five years of cover. What it pays for that is the tank, a little over half the Air's, and at full output that tank runs out in under half an hour.
So check your list against 512Wh before you order. If it fits, go get the DJI. If it doesn't, the Power 500 was never the Air's replacement; the DELTA 3 Classic is, and that's the tab to open next.
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers drawn from the spec record and cited owner research.
Is the EcoFlow DELTA 3 1000 Air discontinued?
Yes. EcoFlow has discontinued it and it has left EcoFlow's own store, though leftover retailer stock may still turn up. Our recommended replacement is EcoFlow's DELTA 3 Classic. If you do buy a leftover Air, cover is two years and EcoFlow offers no parts or service after that.
Is the DJI Power 500 a good replacement for the DELTA 3 1000 Air?
Only if you didn't need the Air's capacity. The Power 500 doubles continuous output to 1,000W, charges laptops at 100W over USB-C against 18W, and carries up to five years of cover against two. It stores 512Wh to the Air's 960Wh and is rated to switch over in no more than 20ms against 10ms. If the Air's 960Wh was the point, EcoFlow's DELTA 3 Classic is the replacement to look at.
Can the DJI Power 500 run things the DELTA 3 1000 Air can't?
Yes: anything that draws between 500W and 1,000W continuously. The Air is rated 500W continuous and won't run a space heater or hair dryer; the DJI is rated 1,000W and ran a 905W load in review testing. The catch is its tank, since at full output 435Wh usable lasts under half an hour.
Which is better for a CPAP, the DELTA 3 1000 Air or the DJI Power 500?
Our scenario model gives it to the Power 500, and it's also the one you can buy. Both cover a 320Wh night, but the DJI uses 74% of its usable charge and finishes with 115Wh, so a second night needs a recharge; the Air would have finished with 496Wh. The DJI carries the quieter published noise rating, but the makers don't measure the same way, so check hands-on reports before it goes beside a bed.
How fast does the DJI Power 500 charge from solar?
It accepts up to 300W of solar, so its 512Wh refills from empty in under two hours at full rated input, and real panels rarely hold their rating all day. It has no built-in solar charge controller, so panels need DJI's separate adapter, and one reviewer noted it ships with only a wall plug. Put the adapter in the same order.
Brand matchup
EcoFlow vs DJI: measured across every matchup →Related comparisons
Where to buy
EcoFlow DELTA 3 1000 Air
No longer sold
DJI Power 500Pick
$299.00
$299.00 · direct from DJI
Last checked 28 days ago. Prices move — check before you buy.
Prices may vary by retailer and are subject to change.