Power banks are a dime a dozen, but this one caught my eye with a feature I haven’t seen before: a built-in solar panel to recharge it using the power of the sun.
The Solly actually ticks a lot of boxes. Its 20,000-mAh capacity is enough to recharge your iPhone 17 Pro Max four times, and it’s got two Type-C ports capable of 140-W output for really quick charging. As you’d expect with these specs, it can also power laptops.
The battery itself is a solid-state affair, which means it uses a solid electrolyte instead of a flammable liquid one – so it should be safer to use in the long run, and won’t burst into flames when it’s damaged or even drilled into. The company also says this is housed in a shock-proof, water-resistant exterior.
We’ve only just started to see these arrive in the market; one of the first options I came across appeared last August. Solly says you can expect the battery in this one to retain over 80% of its performance and charge capacity over at least 3,500 cycles, or roughly three years of regular usage.
The device itself can be fully charged in just 26 minutes when plugged into a wall outlet. It can also serve as a travel adapter, with US, UK, and EU plugs available. An optional accessory makes it compatible with other outlet types for the rest of the world.
In addition, it supports pass-through charging, so it can simply power your devices when plugged in without charging the internal battery and deliver maximum output to your demanding gear, like a workstation laptop or gaming handheld.
If you’re outside, the solar panel wrapped around the exterior can top it off at a rate of 800-mAh per hour. That means you’ll need more than a full day of sunlight to fully recharge it, but if you’re in the middle of nowhere, that’s a whole lot better than nothing.
While there are solar power banks out there, I haven’t found any other model that also handles travel adapter duties, or features a solid-state battery. Plus, the Solly includes a third USB-A port to fast charge other devices, and a protective layer to keep the solar panel from getting scratched.
This model measures 3.15 x 2.36 x 1.38 in (8 x 6 x 3.5 cm), which is fairly compact – and the wall outlet prongs fold into the body to make it easier to slide into a pocket or bag.
The Solly is currently being crowdfunded on Kickstarter, where it can be had for as little as US$79 – discounted from its $115 expected retail price. You can get it in three different colorways, and add on neat accessories like a short Type-C cable that can double as a lanyard, and a charging dock to top off five Sollys at once.
All crowdfunding campaigns carry an element of risk, and this appears to a new brand’s first product – so you’ll want to keep that in mind if you choose to back this campaign. However, if all goes to plan, orders are slated to ship worldwide in August 2026, and delivery costs will be calculated later in the year.
Find the Solly on Kickstarter.
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