EcoFlow River Review: The Perfect Portable Power Station

This article is a rewrite of a post originally provided on our previous site.

Portable power stations are useful for leisure activities like camping, car camping, and disaster preparedness. In recent years, demand for them has been increasing steadily.

However, each portable power station has its own unique characteristics, such as capacity, input/output power, weight, and various other features.
If the capacity is too low, it won’t be useful, and if it’s too heavy, it becomes difficult to use.

The “EcoFlow River” we are introducing today may not have a massive capacity, but it is a convenient and cost-effective portable power station.

So, let’s take a closer look at the “EcoFlow River” in this review.

Basic Information on the “EcoFlow River”

Specifications

Basic Specs		Basic Specs
Weight	5kg	Battery Material	Lithium-ion (NCM)
Dimensions	288×185×194mm	Discharge Temp.	−20 to 60°C
Battery Capacity	288Wh (28.8V, 12.5Ah)	Charge Temp.	0 to 45°C

Output
AC Output	600W (Surge 1200W)
Pure Sine Wave	100Vac (50Hz/60Hz)
USB-A Output	5V DC, 2.4A, 12W
USB-A Fast Charge	5V DC, 9V DC, 12V DC, 2.4A, 18W
USB-C Output	5V DC, 9V DC, 15V DC, 20V DC, 5A, 100W
Car Port Output	136W, 13.6V DC, 10A
DC5521 Output	13.6V DC, 3A

Input
AC Charge Input Voltage	100–120V (50Hz/60Hz)
AC Charge Input Power	Max 250W
Solar Charge Input	Max 200W 10–25V DC 12A
Car Port Charging	Max 200W 12V/24V DC 10A

The most important factor when choosing a portable power station is, of course, the battery capacity.

At 288Wh, the “EcoFlow River” has a lower capacity compared to other portable power stations. However, it feels like this “EcoFlow River” wasn’t designed with massive capacity as its core concept, but rather focuses on compactness, ease of use, and cost-effectiveness.

Also, the type and number of output ports are very important for a portable power station.

The “EcoFlow River” is convenient and reliable as it supports a wide variety of output methods, including AC output (x3), USB-A output (x2), USB-A fast charge (x1), USB-C output (x1), car port output (x1), and DC5521 output (x2)!

Furthermore, the USB-C output supports 100W, making it comfortable to charge devices like laptops.

Included Items

• DC5521 to DC5525 cable
• 1.5m MC4 to XT60 solar charging cable
• 1.5m AC charging cable
• 1.5m car charging cable
• Manual

The manual was indeed provided in Japanese!

Exterior

It has a stylish design!

Usability

Output

The output ports are as follows:

• AC output (x3)
• USB-A output (x2)
• USB-A fast charge (x1)
• USB-C output (x1)
• Car port output (x1)
• DC5521 output (x2)

The USB-C port supports 100W. In the photo above, I am charging a smartphone.
It was able to charge at a fast speed without issues.
I also charged a laptop and other devices, and they charged at a sufficiently fast and satisfying speed.

Also, when outputting power, the display shows how much power is currently being used and how much time remains for power supply.

When the light is turned on, it similarly displays power consumption and estimated runtime.

The USB-A ports include two with a maximum of 12W and one with a maximum of 28W.
While it’s a bit weak for charging computers, I was able to charge my smartphone without any complaints.

The AC charging (wall outlet) ports are also plentiful at three; it normally provides up to 600W, but by turning on the “X-Boost” function—a proprietary EcoFlow feature—it can power up to 1200W! Furthermore, it provides safe power with a pure sine wave, just like a household wall outlet.

Input

As you can see, it displays how much power is being used for charging and how much time is left until it is fully charged.

Inputs include AC charging, solar charging, and car socket charging.

Like the output, due to EcoFlow’s proprietary technology, charging is at an industry-leading speed, reaching 80% in 1 hour and 100% in 1.6 hours.
Once you use it, you’ll realize it’s truly jaw-droppingly fast.

Also, as I will introduce later, you can select a “Quiet Mode” for charging via the smartphone app. In Quiet Mode, it operates at 40dB, which is as quiet as the inside of a library.

Size and Weight

The size is quite small for a portable power station, and the weight is light enough to be held with one hand.
It also has a handle, making it perfect for one-handed carrying.

App

The “EcoFlow River” can also be operated via the app shown in the photo above.

You can check the status of the portable power station and adjust settings from the app like this.

Since you can configure detailed settings that are difficult to understand or impossible to do with just the buttons on the unit, the app is quite useful.

However, you need to create an account to use the app, which is a bit of a hassle…
Well, even without this app, it fulfills its role as a portable power station just fine.

Summary

The ‘EcoFlow River’ is a convenient portable power station that offers great value and portability.

The manual is detailed, and the buttons are very easy to use.
I was particularly surprised by the speed of charging the unit itself due to EcoFlow’s proprietary technology.
The price is not too high among portable power stations, and I feel it is truly recommended for beginners.

Recommended for:

Thank you for reading until the end!

• Product prices and information are current as of the time of writing.
• Please note that this site cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies in this information.

This article was originally written in Japanese and has been translated.