Verdict
An absolute unit of a power station, the Anker Solix F3800 has a huge 3.84kWh capacity (upgradeable to 26.9kWh), and a true 6000W output, letting it handle any traditional appliance. Used to its maximum, it’s powerful and capable; it is a little expensive and not that efficient at lower loads, so this is a power station for those who need and will use its full capabilities.
Pros
- Huge capacity (and expandable)
- True 6000W AC output
- Massive array of ports
Cons
- Heavy
- Relatively expensive
-
CapacityThe integrated battery has a large capacity of 3.84kWh, and is upgradeable to 26.9kWh. -
Power outputHas a true power output of 6000W on the AC sockets, allowing this power station to manage any standard device.
Introduction
Most power stations have fairly strict limits on what they can power, with special modes that meddle with voltage to support some higher-power devices. With the Anker Solix F3800, you get straight-up raw power, with a massive 6000W AC output, a 3.84kWh battery, and plenty of expansion options.
For those needing the maximum power backup, nothing else quite like it, but it does achieve the best results when put under considerable load.
Design and Features
- Car charging port
- Useful app
- Easy to wheel around
There’s no getting around the fact that the Anker Solix F3800 is a beast of a power station. With its high power inverter and 3.84kWh battery (that’s almost half an average home’s daily power consumption), this power station is huge at a considerable 60kg.
Measuring 702 x 388 x 395mm, it’s also quite tall and bulky, using a similar design to the Anker Solix F2000. Despite all of this, the power station isn’t too hard to move around, as it has built-in wheels and slides easily on a flat floor.
For longer moves, there’s a telescopic handle, which lets you move the power station as though it were a very large suitcase.
On the occasions where you may need to load the Anker Solix F3800 into the car, there are carry handles at the top and underneath, so it can be lifted into the boot of a car, although you’ll want two people for that job.
Ultimately, the Anker Solix F3800 is designed for people with the highest power requirements: high-power devices, such as air-con units while camping, for example; or for whole-home backup or running power tools.
The integrated battery provides plenty of power for most jobs, but you can add up to six expansion batteries for a total of 26.9kWh of power. That’s easily more than a couple of days’ worth of power for an average home; for a camper van or the like, it’s probably closer to a week’s worth of use.
Having the capacity is one thing, but Anker has also ensured it’s easy to use all this power. There are three 100W USB-C ports on the front, which can easily handle phones, tablets, laptops and the like, plus two 12W USB-A ports. And, a 120W car socket output means you can power traditional portable devices, such as travel fridges.
On the side are the five UK power sockets, which work at up to 6000W, with a surge of 9000W, meaning that spikes of power, such as a heater initially turning on, won’t cause the power station to shut down.
The alignment of the power sockets may mean that larger plugs will block some sockets; it could be worth travelling with some extension leads if you have this issue.
There’s also a car charging socket for your EV. Given that an average car will do at least 3 miles per kWh of power, the Anker Solix F3800 would provide enough power (without expansion batteries) for around 12 miles of travel. That’s not going to change the world, but if you’re in a bind and need to get to a dedicated charger, you’ve got the means.
Just be aware that with the F3800 plugged into mains power, the top power socket (next to the car charging port) doesn’t work. The other four UK power sockets are available, and the F3800 acts as a UPS, able to hand off from mains power to battery power without my test PC crashing.
There’s a screen on the front, which shows the remaining battery percentage, plus the output load (and battery time remaining) and/or the input load (and time to charge).
Charging is available via the ports on the side, with mains input, dual XT-60 solar inputs and a car input.
As with most of Anker’s power stations, there’s also an app that connects via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. This provides the same monitoring information as the Anker Solix F3800’s front screen, control over each set of ports, plus an option to adjust the charging input voltage.
Charging and Solar
- 2990W charging
- Up to 2400W solar
Via a mains plug, the Anker Solix F3800 is set to charge at 2990W by default, drawing the maximum through a standard 13A UK power socket. That means you can get a full charge in just under 1.5 hours, which is handy if you need portable power fast.
Charging at this rate, I found that the Anker Solix F3800 consumed 4388Wh of power, which made the charging just 87.51% efficient. Dropping the charging rate down to 1000W, efficiency improved to 91.8%; if you’ve got lots of time, then setting the charging rate to 200W improves efficiency to an excellent 95.55%.
Dual XT-60 inputs on the side allow for up to 2400W of solar input, which is immense. If you’ve got the solar panels to support this, and a nice sunny day, the Anker Solix F3800 can be recharged in just a few hours.
There’s also a 120W car input, although that’s going to be exceptionally slow to use, so I see it as a backup when there aren’t alternatives.
Performance
- Most efficient at mid-power loads
- Relatively expensive per kWh
I tested the Anker Solix F3800 under various loads. Typically, power stations perform best when placed under a load of around half the maximum output. Testing with a 2000W load, I found that the Anker Solix F3800 delivered a total of 3269Wh, which made it 85.13% efficient: that is similar to most of the competition.
Some power is lost to run the internal systems and through the inverter, which converts DC power from the battery to AC power for standard devices.
Dropping the load to 1000W, I saw efficiency drop to 71.61%, falling to just 65.23% efficiency under a 200W load.
Testing the Anker Solix F3800 at close to its full capacity proved much harder here. Most power stations top out at around 2000W, but with its 6000W output, the Anker Solix F3800 can handle a lot more than most.
To get close to this, I ran two air conditioning units, a fan heater, and a kettle on repeated boiling cycles; that’s a crazy amount of power usage and shows how powerful the Anker Solix F3800 is. Even so, under this load, I managed a total output of 3144W, which is a decent 81.09% efficient.
Anker says that the F3800’s LFP battery will last for 3000 charge cycles until it’s at 80% capacity. Assuming that there’s a linear degradation of the battery, over this time, the power station will cost 36p per kWh, which is a little high; the Anker Solix F2000, for example, costs 33p per kWh.
However, the F3800 can be found on offer from time to time, including a £500-off discount, which brings the cost down to 31p per kWh. That’s not the cheapest that I’ve seen, but here you’re also paying for the extremely high maximum output.
Latest deals
Should you buy it?
You need a lot of backup power
If you’ve got high demands, both in terms of capacity and output, this is a great power station.
You’ve got more modest needs
If you need a power station that’s easier to transport or you don’t need as much power on the move, there are cheaper alternatives.
Final Thoughts
The Anker Solix F3800 is an absolute beast of a power station. If you can use its large capacity and high 6000W AC output, then it will give you all of the power you need.
If you’ve got lighter use requirements, this power station is probably overkill and it is not that efficient under low loads, making the F2000 a better buy.
How we test
We test every battery station we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
We test with a variety of devices to see how long the battery will last.
We test different charging methods to see how quickly the battery can be topped up.
FAQs
The internal battery is 3.84kWh, but you can add expansion batteries up to a maximum of 26.9kWh.
It’s AC ports are rated at 6000W, with a surge of 9000W.
Verdict
An absolute unit of a power station, the Anker Solix F3800 has a huge 3.84kWh capacity (upgradeable to 26.9kWh), and a true 6000W output, letting it handle any traditional appliance. Used to its maximum, it’s powerful and capable; it is a little expensive and not that efficient at lower loads, so this is a power station for those who need and will use its full capabilities.
Pros
- Huge capacity (and expandable)
- True 6000W AC output
- Massive array of ports
Cons
- Heavy
- Relatively expensive
-
CapacityThe integrated battery has a large capacity of 3.84kWh, and is upgradeable to 26.9kWh. -
Power outputHas a true power output of 6000W on the AC sockets, allowing this power station to manage any standard device.
Introduction
Most power stations have fairly strict limits on what they can power, with special modes that meddle with voltage to support some higher-power devices. With the Anker Solix F3800, you get straight-up raw power, with a massive 6000W AC output, a 3.84kWh battery, and plenty of expansion options.
For those needing the maximum power backup, nothing else quite like it, but it does achieve the best results when put under considerable load.
Design and Features
- Car charging port
- Useful app
- Easy to wheel around
There’s no getting around the fact that the Anker Solix F3800 is a beast of a power station. With its high power inverter and 3.84kWh battery (that’s almost half an average home’s daily power consumption), this power station is huge at a considerable 60kg.
Measuring 702 x 388 x 395mm, it’s also quite tall and bulky, using a similar design to the Anker Solix F2000. Despite all of this, the power station isn’t too hard to move around, as it has built-in wheels and slides easily on a flat floor.
For longer moves, there’s a telescopic handle, which lets you move the power station as though it were a very large suitcase.
On the occasions where you may need to load the Anker Solix F3800 into the car, there are carry handles at the top and underneath, so it can be lifted into the boot of a car, although you’ll want two people for that job.
Ultimately, the Anker Solix F3800 is designed for people with the highest power requirements: high-power devices, such as air-con units while camping, for example; or for whole-home backup or running power tools.
The integrated battery provides plenty of power for most jobs, but you can add up to six expansion batteries for a total of 26.9kWh of power. That’s easily more than a couple of days’ worth of power for an average home; for a camper van or the like, it’s probably closer to a week’s worth of use.
Having the capacity is one thing, but Anker has also ensured it’s easy to use all this power. There are three 100W USB-C ports on the front, which can easily handle phones, tablets, laptops and the like, plus two 12W USB-A ports. And, a 120W car socket output means you can power traditional portable devices, such as travel fridges.
On the side are the five UK power sockets, which work at up to 6000W, with a surge of 9000W, meaning that spikes of power, such as a heater initially turning on, won’t cause the power station to shut down.
The alignment of the power sockets may mean that larger plugs will block some sockets; it could be worth travelling with some extension leads if you have this issue.
There’s also a car charging socket for your EV. Given that an average car will do at least 3 miles per kWh of power, the Anker Solix F3800 would provide enough power (without expansion batteries) for around 12 miles of travel. That’s not going to change the world, but if you’re in a bind and need to get to a dedicated charger, you’ve got the means.
Just be aware that with the F3800 plugged into mains power, the top power socket (next to the car charging port) doesn’t work. The other four UK power sockets are available, and the F3800 acts as a UPS, able to hand off from mains power to battery power without my test PC crashing.
There’s a screen on the front, which shows the remaining battery percentage, plus the output load (and battery time remaining) and/or the input load (and time to charge).
Charging is available via the ports on the side, with mains input, dual XT-60 solar inputs and a car input.
As with most of Anker’s power stations, there’s also an app that connects via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. This provides the same monitoring information as the Anker Solix F3800’s front screen, control over each set of ports, plus an option to adjust the charging input voltage.
Charging and Solar
- 2990W charging
- Up to 2400W solar
Via a mains plug, the Anker Solix F3800 is set to charge at 2990W by default, drawing the maximum through a standard 13A UK power socket. That means you can get a full charge in just under 1.5 hours, which is handy if you need portable power fast.
Charging at this rate, I found that the Anker Solix F3800 consumed 4388Wh of power, which made the charging just 87.51% efficient. Dropping the charging rate down to 1000W, efficiency improved to 91.8%; if you’ve got lots of time, then setting the charging rate to 200W improves efficiency to an excellent 95.55%.
Dual XT-60 inputs on the side allow for up to 2400W of solar input, which is immense. If you’ve got the solar panels to support this, and a nice sunny day, the Anker Solix F3800 can be recharged in just a few hours.
There’s also a 120W car input, although that’s going to be exceptionally slow to use, so I see it as a backup when there aren’t alternatives.
Performance
- Most efficient at mid-power loads
- Relatively expensive per kWh
I tested the Anker Solix F3800 under various loads. Typically, power stations perform best when placed under a load of around half the maximum output. Testing with a 2000W load, I found that the Anker Solix F3800 delivered a total of 3269Wh, which made it 85.13% efficient: that is similar to most of the competition.
Some power is lost to run the internal systems and through the inverter, which converts DC power from the battery to AC power for standard devices.
Dropping the load to 1000W, I saw efficiency drop to 71.61%, falling to just 65.23% efficiency under a 200W load.
Testing the Anker Solix F3800 at close to its full capacity proved much harder here. Most power stations top out at around 2000W, but with its 6000W output, the Anker Solix F3800 can handle a lot more than most.
To get close to this, I ran two air conditioning units, a fan heater, and a kettle on repeated boiling cycles; that’s a crazy amount of power usage and shows how powerful the Anker Solix F3800 is. Even so, under this load, I managed a total output of 3144W, which is a decent 81.09% efficient.
Anker says that the F3800’s LFP battery will last for 3000 charge cycles until it’s at 80% capacity. Assuming that there’s a linear degradation of the battery, over this time, the power station will cost 36p per kWh, which is a little high; the Anker Solix F2000, for example, costs 33p per kWh.
However, the F3800 can be found on offer from time to time, including a £500-off discount, which brings the cost down to 31p per kWh. That’s not the cheapest that I’ve seen, but here you’re also paying for the extremely high maximum output.
Latest deals
Should you buy it?
You need a lot of backup power
If you’ve got high demands, both in terms of capacity and output, this is a great power station.
You’ve got more modest needs
If you need a power station that’s easier to transport or you don’t need as much power on the move, there are cheaper alternatives.
Final Thoughts
The Anker Solix F3800 is an absolute beast of a power station. If you can use its large capacity and high 6000W AC output, then it will give you all of the power you need.
If you’ve got lighter use requirements, this power station is probably overkill and it is not that efficient under low loads, making the F2000 a better buy.
How we test
We test every battery station we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
We test with a variety of devices to see how long the battery will last.
We test different charging methods to see how quickly the battery can be topped up.
FAQs
The internal battery is 3.84kWh, but you can add expansion batteries up to a maximum of 26.9kWh.
It’s AC ports are rated at 6000W, with a surge of 9000W.
