Bluetti AC50B review: a compact powerhouse for outdoor adventures and home emergency backup

Welcome to our review of the Bluetti AC50B, a sensational small-form 700-watt portable power station that’s dinky enough for storage, light enough to carry and potent enough to charge or power the majority of camping gear. It also just so happens to be a perfect size and capacity to be used as a localised UPS backup system in the home.

Incidentally, Bluetti also sent us its sunlight-sipping four-panel PV200D Solar Panel – a perfect companion for this little unit – so I’ll be looking at that, too.

Is the Bluetti AC50B a worthy contender for an upper-echelon spot in our guide to the best portable power stations or are there better models out there that outperform it for power capacity, features and price? Here we go…

Bluetti AC50B review

Price and availability

The Bluetti AC50B can be purchased solo or as part of a Solar Kit combined with the company’s 120W SP120L solar panel, which happens to be one size smaller than the 200W press sample Bluetti sent for this review.

If you live in the UK, you can purchase the Bluetti AC50B direct from Bluetti for a very reasonable £269. Or combine it with a 120W solar panel for £468. Alternatively, try Decathlon (£269), B&Q (£269) or Amazon (£399).

If you live Stateside, head straight to Bluetti where you can nab one for $279 or the full Solar Kit with 100W panel for $449. Otherwise, consider Walmart ($279) or Amazon ($399).

Design and features

Portable power stations come in a variety of sizes and power capacities but I happen to think that smaller is best when it comes to camping and localised home electricity backup in the event of an unexpected power cut. In fact, I’m so enamoured of smaller models like this little Bluetti A50B that I recently penned a feature on why I think smaller portable power stations are best.

Take this little tyke for instance. At 6.7 kilos in weight, 26cm in width, 21.5cm in height and 19.5cm in depth, it’s easy to transport and store, and even easier to position next to your most vital household appliances and used as a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) in the event of a sudden power cut.

All portable power stations feature the same type of interface only some models have more outputs than others. In this case you only get a single AC outlet which is a bit disappointing given that the not much bigger Jackery Explorer 1000 V2 has two and the Anker SOLIX C1000 has four. Americans are luckier in this regard because they get two AC outlets, mostly because their plugs are much smaller than those in the UK. However, there is no capacity for expansion with this model so opt for another if you think you may wish to increase its power threshold going forward.

For camping and general outdoor use, you get a cigarette lighter-style 12V/10A DC output for camping fridges, kettles, etc, plus three USB outputs – two 65W USB-C and one 15W USB-A – for charging laptops, phones, drones, cameras, torches and LED camping lights. In other words pretty much everything you need for a lengthy outdoor adventure – no matter where it is. The AC50B also comes with a 12V DC input for charging from a car (obviously while the engine’s running) and solar panels up to 200W capacity, but more on that later.

The Bluetti AC50B’s safe and reliable LiFePO₄ battery has a capacity of 448Wh and a power output of 700 Watts with Power Lifting up to 1,000W (1kW). This is more than enough oomph for a wide variety of appliances and mobile devices. According to the blurb, it’ll charge a drone 11 times, a phone 14 times, a Nintendo Switch 13 times and run an outdoor projector for a smidge over three hours, a coffee maker six times, a 520W fridge for .0.6 hours, a Wi-Fi router for 17 hours, a 50” TV for about three hours and a CPAP sleep apnea machine for about 4.8 hours. Bear in mind that, while the AC50B’s Power Lifting feature is very good at handling the initial power boost required by some devices – especially those with a heating element – it may not run continuously if the load remains too high.

Bluetti’s LCD interfaces are among the clearest and most informative on the market. This model shows input draw in Watts when charging from the mains or solar panel and, similarly, the output when attached to a mobile device or larger appliance. It also provides a rough running time for any specific device that’s plugged into it.

Although not vital, I would suggest downloading the Bluetti app which provides a host of stats including current battery percentage – whether it’s in DC or AC mode, or both at the same time – plus access to its Power Lifting function, Eco mode, Auto Sleep and Charging Mode which can be set to three different levels – Standard, Silent (takes longer) and, for occasional use, Turbo mode which charges the battery in about 45 minutes to 80% charge and 70 minutes to full.

The Bluetti AC50B ships with a mains kettle-style plug for charging it up, a cigarette lighter-style 12V car charging cable and a decently long XT60 solar charging cable that will need to be connected to the solar panel’s own hard-wired MC4 cable connectors.

Solar panel

Although the Bluetti website lists the 120W SP120L solar panel as part of the Bluetti AC50B Solar Kit, the company sent me the larger 200W PV200D instead. This four-panel model measures a whopping 2.1m in length when unfolded and 60.8 x 60.8cm when folded. At 7.8kgs, it’s hefty, too, and perhaps overkill for a weekend camping trip.

However, this larger model most certainly kicks a lot of bottom when it comes to juicing up the AC50B, and any other compatible portable power station for that matter. Despite the weight, it folds and clips together easily for relatively fuss-free transport (it’s just 7.5cm in depth), though you will need a decent amount of boot height to accommodate it.

Like all portable solar panels, the PV200D provides between 10˚ and 45˚ of trajectory adjustment using three flat legs on the rear. However, it would have been nice to have had a little sun angle indicator like that fitted to the Jackery SolarSaga model I covered as part of a Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 review. Having something like that would have made it easier to angle the panels correctly for maximum efficiency.

If you’re going to be using the Bluetti AC50B for camping and general outdoor use, I would wholeheartedly recommend going for one of its Solar Kit packages, especially if you plan to be away for more than three days. That way you can keep the AC50B topped up with sunlight power during the day for efficient use at night and the following morning.

Performance

This model easily powered my TV system comprising 60” flatscreen TV, Sky box, games console and soundbar with plenty of juice to spare for a raft of low-voltage Hue lights. It also proved to be a perfect size for my Wi-Fi system and all its attendant internet hubs. And that makes it a perfect model for localised UPS use. Simply plug a four-way extension lead into the Bluetti’s single AC socket and connect your entire TV system plus maybe a standard lamp or two. That way your TV watching won’t be interrupted in the event of a power cut and, if it’s at night, you won’t have to fumble about in the dark looking for a torch and candles.

However, it’s true to say that the Bluetti AC50B shows its limitations when partnered with anything that exceeds its 700W output ceiling. For my extreme test, I used a 1.8kW Meaco blow heater on the low setting (about 800W of draw), and, as expected, the AC50B’s Power Lifting function allowed it to remain functional even when the unit was drawing up to 832W.

However, it proved to be short-lived because, even when the power load was automatically throttled back to around 748W (just 48W above the Bluetti’s running capacity), the whole lot shut down after 1 minute and 45 seconds. I tried it again, and it did the same thing, so it just goes to show that powerlifting is only designed for short bursts of high-output activity – normally during a device’s initial startup procedure.

If you stick to this model’s recommended capacity and avoid any appliances that draw a higher output than 700W, you’ll be absolutely fine with this compact little powerhouse though I should add that there is a soft fan hum that kicks in when running high output devices. Indeed, this fan noise seemed most apparent when I positioned the unit directly behind the TV system in an alcove where there wasn't much air circulation. It wasn't distracting, though it was faintly audible during quieter moments while watching a movie.

Although I couldn’t test this model on a camping trip – it’s been far too cold for that – I can see it being an invaluable addition to one’s camping paraphernalia. It’s easily small enough to transport in a car or even a motorcycle pannier, and it’ll happily power almost all of one’s camping devices. However, I wouldn’t rely on it to boil an electric kettle unless it was travel-specific with a load no more than 700W. But then, I’d never use an electric camping kettle in the first place when a simple gas burner and a whistling kettle are so much more convenient – and more authentic.

As mentioned above, this model came with a 200W Bluetti PV200D solar panel and, despite being tested in midwinter with a low hazy sun, it produced up to 125W of juice, which was enough to see the battery percentage climb by about one per cent a minute. According to the specs, in full summer sunlight, the PV200D should charge the AC50B from zero to 100% in about 2.5 hours, and that makes it a very worthwhile consideration if camping for longer than a weekend. The fact it also features pass-through charging to allow the user to run or charge devices while the power station is connected to the solar panel is an added bonus.

However, I would opt for the cheaper four-panel SP120L model if going on a shorter trip. This 120W panel is nearly three kilos lighter than the PV200D and should charge a flat Bluetti AC50B in about 4.5 hours.

Verdict

The Bluetti AC50B strikes an excellent balance between portability, versatility and price and is particularly well-suited for users looking for a svelte power station for light to medium duties, whether it’s for camping or UPS use at home. However, for those needing higher output capacities, it may be worth considering other models in Bluetti's lineup or some of its competitors with larger capacities.

Alternatives to consider

Although the Bluetti AC50B is excellent value and very well-specced for its size, you might still want to know about some other sterling models we’ve looked at in the past.

Chief amongst these is the slightly larger Anker SOLIX C1000, which boasts 1.8kW of power output, four UK-spec AC plug sockets and a host of DC outputs to boot. Or maybe go for the Jackery Explorer 1000 V2, a 1.5kW portable power station with two UK AC sockets and a fold-handle for easy carrying and storage.

Alternatively, consider the DJI Power 500, which kicks out 1,000W and sports two UK plugs and a special SDC Lite port for charging a multitude of different DJI drones.