ALLPOWERS R600 Portable Power Station Review

The ALLPOWERS R600 Portable Power Station is a mid-sized unit offering a 600W inverter (1,200W surge) and 299Wh capacity. Built with a newer LiFePO4 battery, an onboard charger for quicker charge speeds, and Bluetooth connectivity for app control, the R600 has a lot to offer in a smaller power station form factor.

The ALLPOWERS R600 Portable Power Station is a mid-sized unit offering a 600W inverter (1,200W surge) and 299Wh capacity. Built with a newer LiFePO4 battery, an onboard charger for quicker charge speeds, and Bluetooth connectivity for app control, the R600 has a lot to offer in a smaller power station form factor.

In terms of charge performance, the R600 can be fully recharged from 0 to 100% in just 1 hour using an AC wall outlet, with a maximum fast charging output of 400W. Additionally, the R600 supports fast solar charging, allowing you to recharge the power station in as little as 1.5 hours with a 300W solar input, sunlight depending.

The R600 also includes a long-life LiFePO4 battery, which can be used and recharged over 3500+ times before hitting 80% of its original capacity, providing about 10 years of regular use. The portable generator also includes advanced BMS protection, monitoring voltage, current, and temperature to ensure the battery remains in good condition over time.

The R600 also offers a pass-through or UPS mode, providing backup power in the event of a power outage, which can be handy to deploy during poor weather conditions when you want to keep certain devices online.

At the time of this review, the ALLPOWERS R600 has a street price of $269.

ALLPOWERS R600 Specifications

Build and Design

The ALLPOWERS R600 Portable Power Station offers physical buttons, which are quite useful compared to touchscreen-only interfaces that don’t always work well in all conditions. While touchscreen controls may be suitable for some applications, they can be less responsive when wearing gloves, which is often necessary for outdoor adventures in cold or wet environments. In addition, physical buttons are more durable and resistant to wear and tear over time compared to touchscreen controls.

The R600 features two DC output jacks, a car 12V socket, two 100W USB-C ports, two 18W USB-A ports, and two AC outlets. Each section includes its own control so you only need to power the circuits that you are using. A LED light is also included on the front as well as a very easy-to-read display.

App Control

The ALLPOWERS R600 Portable Power Station comes with an app that allows users to monitor the status of their power station and control settings without needing to be right next to it. While the inclusion of the app is appreciated, it is a bit rough around the edges, but it is still useful for local monitoring connectivity.

One of the most significant benefits of using a Bluetooth-connected app is the ability to monitor the status of your portable power station in real-time. This can include monitoring battery levels or device power draw. The downside we encountered though is the feature layout and information reporting left a bit to be desired.

The AC frequency mode is prominently positioned for easily changing, which should be hidden in a more advanced menu field. The estimated remaining time figure was also wildly off since it seemed to be designed for discharge times, not recharging times. During its charging stage, we had estimated times reporting at 10 hours at 6%, climbing to 335 hours at 97%. An app update moving the frequency selection and perhaps removing the estimated time stat would definitely improve the looks of the app.

Another part we didn’t enjoy is the app prompts to sign up with a personally-linked account (Apple, Google, etc), even though it is not web-connected. The purpose of this is likely to collect information about ALLPOWERS users, although with the device being limited to Bluetooth connections only this is a bit obtrusive.

In Use

One of the most important aspects of any portable power station is battery capacity and recharge performance. With a listed capacity of 299Wh on the R600, we conducted tests to measure actual discharge performance and found that the R600 was able to provide a total of 250Wh of power before the unit shut down with 5% remaining. This is a good indication of the battery’s capacity and provides a realistic expectation of the amount of power that can be used before needing to recharge.

Recharging the power station is a quick process with its onboard charger offering three different charging modes: standard, silent, and fast. The standard mode measures 285w and is the default charging mode. The silent mode measures 115w and is ideal for use when fan noise levels need to be kept to a minimum. Finally, the fast mode measures 429w and is the quickest way to recharge the power station, but it will also produce more fan noise during the process.

In our tests, we found that the R600 required a total of 370Wh to recharge fully. This is in line with expectations for a unit of this capacity. The charging time will depend on the charging mode used, with the fast mode providing the quickest charge time.

Conclusion

The ALLPOWERS R600 Portable Power Station is a compact and cost-effective solution for those in need of power out in the field. With a 600W AC pure sine wave inverter, 299Wh capacity, and 10 outputs for charging multiple devices at once, the R600 can easily handle smaller deployments out in the field without adding a ton of weight to your kit. The R600 is also equipped with a LiFePO4 battery with over 3500+ life cycles to 80%, providing users with years of use before needing a replacement.

The R600 is not without its limitations, however. While the Bluetooth-connected app offers local monitoring connectivity, it can be a bit rough around the edges and lacks advanced features. Additionally, certain features, such as switching the AC frequency, can be easy to accidentally hit. The app also requires users to sign up with a web account, which may not be desirable for those who prefer not to share personal information. With that said the unit did perform well in our testing, and offers the advantage of an onboard charger.

4/27/2023 Update: After longer-term testing, this model presented problems with calibration and power loss sitting off over a period of time. Similar to the larger ALLPOWERS S2000 Pro we don’t recommend readers purchase this unit at this time.

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