Recommendation on iPhone 4 Solar Charger?

B

bella92108

macrumors 68000
So I'm interested in charging options for situations where I don't have a plug. I have a battery pack that charges the phone, but it's not ideal as then I always have to manage keeping it charged... and I see solar chargers, but I tried one last year on my 3GS and they're just not great, and most don't work. I've heard from some that there are some that work, but nobody seems to know what brand. Any suggestion would be appreciated.
 
I would say that even a well-built solar charger for the iPhone would be pointless. The surface area is just not enough to produce any sort of significant charge.

Even backpacks with large solar panels on them are hardly able to charge/power cell phones and similar accessories.

I guess an iPhone solar charger might charge your phone up to 20-30% if you laid it out in the sun ALL day, but who would want to do that?
 
james92se said:
I would say that even a well-built solar charger for the iPhone would be pointless. The surface area is just not enough to produce any sort of significant charge.

Even backpacks with large solar panels on them are hardly able to charge/power cell phones and similar accessories.

I guess an iPhone solar charger might charge your phone up to 20-30% if you laid it out in the sun ALL day, but who would want to do that?
Click to expand...

Hmm, I hadn't really thought of it that way... kinda like the people who coat their entire house's roof with solar panels for $10,000 to be able to generate enough electricity to run their refrigerator ... lol, good point. Guess I stick to the old ball and chain wall charger and battery pack :)
 
bella92108 said:
Hmm, I hadn't really thought of it that way... kinda like the people who coat their entire house's roof with solar panels for $10,000 to be able to generate enough electricity to run their refrigerator ... lol, good point. Guess I stick to the old ball and chain wall charger and battery pack :)
Click to expand...

Exactly.

I see even from that iphonesolarcharger.com website that a full 2 hours of DIRECT sunlight only offers 30 minutes of talk time.

It's really just kind of useless/impractical on several levels IMO

But I'd still love to see some actual tests of it just out of pure curiosity so maybe you should get it and let us know how it works :p
 
james92se said:
Exactly.

I see even from that iphonesolarcharger.com website that a full 2 hours of DIRECT sunlight only offers 30 minutes of talk time.

It's really just kind of useless/impractical on several levels IMO

But I'd still love to see some actual tests of it just out of pure curiosity so maybe you should get it and let us know how it works :p
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I'll fly if you buy :)
 
If I was out in the middle of nowhere, even only 30 minutes of talk time from a two hour solar charge would be useful. If you're not a camper or someone who doesn't have regular access to electrical outlets, you probably wouldn't need this.
 
Every phone you buy seems to have a different charger with a different phone interface. Energizer has found a way to streamline this.

The marketing company I work for recently entered into a campaign with Energizer for their new Qi (pronounced chee) line of charging stations. Energizer Inductive Charging Stations brings consumers the freedom to charge their smartphones, MP3 players, cameras – any device 5W or less – on a single charging station, regardless of manufacturer.

The charging pads were designed in cooperation with Wireless Power Consortium co-founder Convenient Power and became available in October at Target and Target.com to start.

Check out the site for more info:
Energizer Qi
 
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Seedling said:
Every phone you buy seems to have a different charger with a different phone interface. Energizer has found a way to streamline this.

The marketing company I work for recently entered into a campaign with Energizer for their new Qi (pronounced chee) line of charging stations. Energizer Inductive Charging Stationers brings consumers the freedom to charge their smartphones, MP3 players, cameras – any device 5W or less – on a single charging station, regardless of manufacturer.

The charging pads were designed in cooperation with Wireless Power Consortium co-founder Convenient Power and became available in October at Target and Target.com to start.

Check out the site for more info:
Energizer Qi
Click to expand...

Yeah, until real manufacturers decide they'll support it (right now they laugh at it's inefficiency), it'll never become popular. Nobody wants to have to put their phone in a tacky sleeve to charge it. That's ridiculous.
 
iPhone Solar Charger

I do a lot of hiking and I have owned a few solar chargers for my iPhone in the past. My most recent and also my favorite is the SunLeaf. It has six collapsible panels so it doesn't take up much room in my pack, but it folds out to be pretty big so it always charges my phone quickly. It offers a good amount of power output (up to 1,000 mAh) in bright sunlight.

I find if I leave my phone off while it is charging, I can get about 60 minutes of talk time or over three hours of music playback(in airplane mode) from about an hour in the sun.

They gave me a coupon for $15 off for friends. Code: PROMOAA

you can find it at the website: thesunleaf.com
 
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iPhone solar charger

Has the phone has to be connected all time to charge or can its collect energy for when i need it. Maybe charge on sun during day and use it if needed during the night?
 
bella92108 said:
kinda like the people who coat their entire house's roof with solar panels for $10,000 to be able to generate enough electricity to run their refrigerator
Click to expand...
An entire roof of solar panels would run much more than just a refrigerator. Depending of course on the size of the roof and type of panels.
 
MacRumors geeks - time for 2014 update:
We are going on vacation this summer, including Yellowstone, camping w/o power. Therefore we are looking for a good quality solar USB charger for our devices. Any suggestions based on real world experience/usage?
Budget say $40 or so?

Note:
I did a search and came across this thread, so instead of creating my own posted in it, forum etiquette 101

We have 2 iPhone 5s's, and kids use our old iPhone 4 as iPod's
 
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Recommendation on iPhone 4 Solar Charger?

bella92108 said:
So I'm interested in charging options for situations where I don't have a plug. I have a battery pack that charges the phone, but it's not ideal as then I always have to manage keeping it charged... and I see solar chargers, but I tried one last year on my 3GS and they're just not great, and most don't work. I've heard from some that there are some that work, but nobody seems to know what brand. Any suggestion would be appreciated.
Click to expand...


If you charge your iPhone 4 nightly, you should get a battery case. It charges by micro usb and both, the iPhone and battery case, will be full by morning and you will be set for the day.
uNu Power DX External Protective Battery Case for iPhone 4S & 4 - MFI Apple Certified (Matte Black, Fit All Models iPhone 4 & 4S)
http://amzn.com/B00409E4JK

----------
mtbdudex said:
MacRumors geeks - time for 2014 update:
We are going on vacation this summer, including Yellowstone, camping w/o power. Therefore we are looking for a good quality solar USB charger for our devices. Any suggestions based on real world experience/usage?
Budget say $40 or so?

Note:
I did a search and came across this thread, so instead of creating my own posted in it, forum etiquette 101

We have 2 iPhone 5s's, and kids use our old iPhone 4 as iPod's
Click to expand...


How long is the camping trip?

If money was no problem, I would get this package to last me a week (based of the devices you listed)

Anker® 14W Solar Panel Foldable Dual-port Solar Charger for 5V USB-charged Devices Including GPS Units, iPhone, iPad, Android Phones and Android Tablets
http://amzn.com/B00E3OL5U8

Anker® 2nd Gen Astro3 12000mAh External Battery Charger with PowerIQ Technology for Smartphones and Tablets such as iPhone 5s, Galaxy S5, iPad Air, Mini, Galaxy Tab and More
http://amzn.com/B00CEZBKTO
OR
Anker® Astro E5 15000mAh Dual USB Portable Charger Ultra-High Density External Battery Pack for iPad Air, Mini, iPhone 5S, 5C, 5, 4S, Galaxy S5, S4, S3, Note 3, Galaxy Tab 3, 2, Nexus 4, 5, 7, 10, HTC One, One 2 (M8), Motorola Droid, MOTO X, LG Optimus and more (Apple 30 pin and lightning, Samsung 30 pin adapter, not included) - White
http://amzn.com/B00D5VAYRU


During the day use the solar charger to charge the battery pack and at night use the battery pack to fully charge the devices.

I have both of the battery packs listed but not the solar charger. I recommend both.
 
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bella92108 said:
So I'm interested in charging options for situations where I don't have a plug. I have a battery pack that charges the phone, but it's not ideal as then I always have to manage keeping it charged... and I see solar chargers, but I tried one last year on my 3GS and they're just not great, and most don't work. I've heard from some that there are some that work, but nobody seems to know what brand. Any suggestion would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

i have tested 4 solar charger non work fast very low
did not find one good :confused: :(:(:(
 
I got one question---Does solar charger works the same with original cellphone charger?
I mean the cellphone shows that it is full charged, but the battery can't last for a long time.
Is that the case?
 
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