X-DRAGON Portable Solar Chargers 14W SunPower Solar Panel Waterproof Foldable Camping Battery Charger with Dual USB Port & SolarIQ Technology for iPhone 8/X/7, iPad Mini, Other Android Cell Phones

I have tried an x-dragon 40w and allpowers 80w solar panel, both claim they can charge a laptop. I have a netbook that has a power brick of 20v 2a. The 40w and 80w panels both have a plug that fits and claim 18v 3a output. For a second when plugging into the netbook it flashes that it's charging, about 10 seconds later it comes off. After leaving plugged in all day, no % increase, rather a decrease (slight due to turning on/off). I also tried to charge a guggha battery bank that has 2 inputs. Micro USB and DC (varying). With the micro usb it will charge at 2a or about 8.5-9.5w varying as shown on its lcd screen. When plugging the DC in, it does not charge at all, the backlight of the power bank flashes on and off, and the charge indicator on the screen goes on and off, and the wattage indicator never comes on to show any incoming amperage/wattage.In short, beyond getting a 20-30w rated USB only panel, solar is quite worthless unless you get 100w panels and hook up to a large heavy battery. I now have a few 21w solar panels with dual USB and those work just fine for charging power banks and cell phones at 5v 2a speeds. The 21w panels were around $29. Anything larger is just throwing money away.Hope this helps other people new to looking into solar like I was. My next step past the cheaper 21-28w panels (5v usb x2) is to go with a minimum of multiple 100w panels for ~$1 per watt.

This is a provisional review because I've had the 40W panel only a few hours, but it was already worth mentioning something fall / winter-related for those who are curious, like I was, whether or not this could do anything with a cloudy day in the northern half of the US. Apparently it can: It trickle-charged, at around 200 milliamps @ 12V (voltage controlled separately), a mostly-charged 12V 18Ah AGM battery I had lying around as a test.I know the instructions mention charging 12V batteries, but I used a small separate battery charge controller with this panel to make sure the voltage was appropriate for the battery. No comment yet on what the built-in controller does, but the instructions say it'll detect the device and deliver the proper voltage. Will test that out later.That trickle-charge took only a couple of hours, but the battery was nearly full already. The point being, this is apparently big enough to supply a little sip of juice for that kind of application even on a cloudy, wintry day. Which is what I was hoping. In cloudy parts of the US, this is the best time of year to put something like this to the test—if it can do this on a cloudy day while sitting on a table inside a dwelling by a window (no trees or other buildings obscuring most of the sky view), then it'll probably be just fine in full sun.It's also over two pounds, if that matters to you, but I suspect this will be useful enough for that to be worth it. Just keep it in mind. It's substantial.Will update after more testing. Five stars until it gives me a reason to dock any.

I have had only a few occasions when I really needed to have a solar charging panel, but on those occasions, this unit's performance was excellent. On a sunny summer day at the race track, it was capable of charging up my phone while I was using it for radio AND mobile data. My only quibble with it is that one of my work phones started overheating when plugged into it, though that might be just as easily explained by a possible fault in the phone's power regulation, not the solar panel's.When folded up, the outer case of the unit is comfortable to carry, and nice to look at. Cables for your devices may be easily stowed away in the outer mesh pocket. The Velcro closures are tough to open at first, but mine haven't fallen apart yet after heavy use, either.If you think you might have a need for a solar phone charger, this has been a great one for me, and I'd recommend it.

Used this charger on my recent camping trip through Colorado, Utah and Nevada. I went with the larger capacity with this unit and was very happy as to how fast it charged by Nexus 6P and kids Iphone 5s. It unfolds/fold quickly and had loops to hold it in place while your charging. During the day I left this charging my USB battery at camp while I was out. I would connect my phone to the unit when I got back as the USB battery would be fully charged. The unit would keep charging even when the sun was behind clouds or close to sunset. This has earned a permanent spot in my camp equipment and will come in handy during a power outage.

Your browser does not support HTML5 video.  recharges my laptop in half the time the 30 watt charges it (15v VS 18v) watch the video

This is a very nice panel and it exceeded my expectations. I took it to the beach and used bungies to secure it to the back of my canopy. I was able to power a Bluetooth speaker and my Samsung Galaxy S5 with no problems. The phone charged a little slow but it was running Spotify and the Bluetooth speaker was playing the whole time. Needless to say, I had no issues keeping the gadgets charged. Also had several people asking about my setup and they were impressed as well. I recommend you buy USB extensions if you want more flexibility with the panel. It will allow you to have the panel in the sun without overheating your Smartphone or devices being charged. I purchased these 10ft USB 3.0 extensions https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008219UMI/ref=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_26 and they worked very well. They are built well and I wanted to make sure they held bandwidth for the length (just in case I need to use them in the future for data instead of the charging application).

Used the panel in the prairies during winter, January 8th to be exact when solar output near its worst. It charged up my phone laughably fast while I was tethering. I'm kicking myself in the ass for buying 1 Jackery instead of 2 more of these. A Jackery isn't even water-resistant for christ's sake so in the rain you're screwed. With the Dragon, you need to cover up the junction box but any person with a bit of common sense can jury-rig a bag to fit over it so that's negligible. The design is sold, weighs roughly the same as a standard laptop. This is probably the best deal on Amazon for a portable solar panel, and it's so much more portable than the Jackery. Does anyone want to trade their Dragon for a Jackery?

I thought it would help me charge my Samsung Note II with ease but I was disappointed.It just didn't function. My money is gone down the drain.

Its great for vacations or like me going to the outdoors. It charges really well even when is not sunny

Nice produc. Not used much but charges 2 phones at a titime. Not bulky.

I like the idea, a foldable solar panel that can be taken backpack camping, but find that because of some construction issues it's just too burdensome to use for this purpose.I've used similar panels over the last couple of years and always found that for the size of package they didn't provide enough output, even in direct sunlight. This panel does provide a good amount of juice for the size. With bright sunlight, it can easily charge up even high capacity power banks never mind a phone.► It's simple to use, there is nothing really technical about it, unfold it, place in sunlight, and connect whatever it is you want to charge or power-up.Folding it up requires 5 motions (folds) and results in a relatively small package but it remains fairly thick at 3 inches. This is problematic when trying to pack it into a backpack which already never holds enough stuff as it is. There are loops on the folded package and the kit includes carabiners which are meant for hanging it from the outside of a pack but then with the size and weight it really flops around with every step I take.► The weight is a problem, it's fine if this is tucked into the boot (trunk) of a car or taken along with an RV but adding three pounds to a backpack is a lot.► With the included battery terminal connection this would be a good choice to keep in the boot in case the vehicle battery needs charging.The material used to hold the panels and connection box is great, its a heavy duty tight woven canvas that should last a long time. There is a small pocket inside the top flap but it has nowhere near enough room to hold the accessories that come in the kit. Things like different size jacks for connecting various equipment that doesn't use USB Type-A connectors.The actual solar panels are flexible and can easily handle a little bit of twisting or compression if something it piled on top of the assembly.► One thing to note, because of the way these panels are designed and connected - all of the panels must be exposed to the sun in order for this to work. If even one set of panels isn't unfolded, maybe because there isn't enough room, then it puts out no power at all. This is normal for a solar panel set up like this.While it works and is well made it really isn't a backpacking option and it's expensive for just keeping it in the trunk of a car in case it's needed at some point.