Single-product deep dive
Anker SOLIX F3800 Review
The SOLIX F3800 is the point where a "portable power station" stops being portable and starts being a home: 3,840Wh of LiFePO4 storage, 6,000W of continuous output at both 120V and 240V, and an expansion path to 26,880Wh — enough, on paper, to run a well pump, a dryer outlet, or a small home's essentials through a multi-day outage. It is also 132 lbs on wheels, and its sale price swings by thousands of dollars. This is the unit for buyers who have outgrown the 1–2kWh class and want real whole-home capability without a permanently installed battery.
Full specifications
| Spec | Anker SOLIX F3800 |
|---|---|
| Battery capacity | 3,840 Wh |
| Battery chemistry | LiFePO4 (LFP) |
| Cycle life rating | 3,000 cycles to 80%+ capacity |
| Continuous AC output | 6,000W (pure sine wave, 120V/240V split-phase) |
| Surge output | 9,000W |
| Max solar input | 2,400W (dual MPPT, 11–60V) |
| AC recharge | 1,800W AC input — Anker publishes no single full-charge time; expect roughly 2 hours on wall power |
| Dual voltage | Yes — 120V/240V with NEMA 14-50 and L14-30 outlets |
| Backup switchover (UPS) | <20 ms (UPS mode) |
| Expandable | Yes — up to 6 × BP3800 batteries, to 26,880 Wh per unit (53,760 Wh with two units paired) |
| Weight | 132 lbs (60 kg), with wheels |
| Dimensions | 27.6 × 15.3 × 15.6 in (including wheels) |
| App | Yes (WiFi + Bluetooth) |
| Warranty | 5 years |
| Typical price range | $1,800–$2,200 on sale; $3,999 list |
Runtime estimates
Using our standard formula (3,840 Wh × 0.85 efficiency ≈ 3,264 Wh usable):
| Device | Estimated runtime |
|---|---|
| Full-size fridge (~60W average, cycling) | ~2+ days |
| Home essentials bundle: fridge + WiFi + lights + phones (~150W) | ~21 hours |
| Well pump, intermittent (~1,000W while running) | ~3 hours of cumulative run time |
| CPAP, no humidifier, DC mode (~40W) | ~10 nights (8 hours per night) |
| WiFi router + modem (~12W) | ~11 days |
| Microwave, 1,000W | ~3 hours cumulative |
| 240V electric dryer, 2,400W (via 14-50 outlet) | ~1 hour 20 minutes — possible, but it will eat the battery fast |
What the F3800 does best
- True 240V output. This is the headline feature. Most portable stations top out at 120V; the F3800's split-phase 120V/240V output with 14-50 and L14-30 outlets runs well pumps, 240V tools, and even a dryer — loads that simply don't exist for 1–2kWh boxes.
- 6,000W continuous is whole-home territory. A fridge, freezer, furnace blower, lights, and router running together stay well under this ceiling, with headroom for a microwave or power tool on top.
- 2,400W of solar input. On a good solar day, that returns roughly 9,000–12,000Wh — two to three full charges of the base unit. For multi-day outages, solar input matters more than the battery you start with, and the F3800's ceiling is among the best in the portable class.
- Expansion to 26,880Wh. Six add-on batteries turn this into a genuine multi-day whole-home system, and two paired units reach 53,760Wh — installed-battery territory without the installation.
- Sub-20ms UPS switchover. Fast enough that a desktop PC or router typically won't reboot through a flicker — the same class of protection as the smaller C1000.
Honest limitations
- 132 lbs is not portable in any real sense. It has wheels, and that's the whole plan — rolling it across a flat garage floor is fine, stairs are not. Treat it as a semi-permanent appliance, not a grab-and-go box.
- UPS mode has a catch. Per Anker's own FAQ, only the three 120V outlets labeled "UPS" work in UPS mode — the 240V outlets do not. If your UPS plan involves a 240V load, it won't work the way you expect.
- The price spread is enormous. List is $3,999; sale prices commonly land around $1,800–$2,200. Never pay list — and price the expansion batteries before treating "expandable later" as a plan, since six of them cost more than the base unit.
- Don't confuse it with the F3800 Plus. The newer Plus variant raises solar input to 3,200W. If a listing shows 3,200W of solar, you're looking at the Plus, not this unit — check the model before you buy.
- Anker's own AC recharge time is unpublished. With 1,800W of AC input, a full wall charge takes roughly 2 hours by our estimate, but Anker doesn't state a figure — third-party estimates range from ~1.5 to ~2.6 hours.
How it compares: F3800 vs the smaller Anker C1000
The F3800 is roughly 3.6× the capacity of the SOLIX C1000 (3,840Wh vs 1,056Wh) and more than 3× the output (6,000W vs 1,800W) — but it's also nearly 5× the weight and, even on sale, roughly 3–4× the price. The C1000 is the station you carry; the F3800 is the station you roll into place and leave. Buy the C1000 for apartment and home-office outages; buy the F3800 when the outage plan includes 240V loads, a well pump, or multi-day whole-home coverage. If the F3800 is more than you need, our home backup roundup covers the middle ground.
Verdict
The SOLIX F3800 is the most capable portable station Anker sells: the only one in its lineup with true 240V output, 6,000W of headroom, and an expansion path into installed-battery territory. Its weight and list price are real objections, but at sale prices around $1,800–$2,200 it's the cheapest route to 240V whole-home backup we've researched. Buy it if your outage plan includes 240V loads or multi-day coverage; otherwise the C1000 covers the same essentials for far less.
Check current price — Anker Check price on Amazon — Anker SOLIX F3800