Ecoflow River 3 review: The latest compact power station has finally gone on sale
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I've been waiting a long time to review this power station. Having owned a few of the previous River series, from the original to the River 2, I've been keen to see how EcoFlow can top what is perhaps a winning formula. Does the EcoFlow River 3 have what it takes to move the game on though?
Packing a decent amount of power into a compact size, and still offering an AC inverter and healthy recharging times is becoming a bit of a holy grail for companies as they cash in on the portable power station boom.
Not everyone wants or needs a power station that can run their kettles, toasters, or air fryers. Some of us just want a compact unit we can take camping with us that will keep phones, drones, tablets, cool boxes and maybe a laptop or e-bike topped up.
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To perform these tasks efficiently and effectively, a portable power station needs to have decent batteries that will cope safely with repeated use, and a decent inverter to cope with the appropriate loads, and then they need to be compact enough to be carried around easily.
At the same time, digital technology is bundled in to help users monitor inputs and outputs, and there's a new standard forming in charging times, which means any new power station needs to be able to take on power as quickly as possible.
The River 3 series will eventually be launched as a triptych of units, following on from the River 2 series. So there'll be the standard version, a River 3 Plus, and a River 3 Max.
For now, in the UK at least, all we can buy is the standard River 3, but it has a 245Wh battery, a 300w inverter, and it's capable of pumping out 600w on boost.
That means it's good enough for light loads, like charging laptops, running games consoles, or even small refrigerators - but for anything else you'll need to wait for one of the bigger units.
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The River series packs in the all-important LiFePO4 battery cells, which give it a 10-year lifespan and make the whole thing safer and more robust.
There's also an upgraded app with more controls, a smart LCD display, and the welcome addition of 320w charging, which means the River 3 can be topped up on AC from 0% in just one hour.
EcoFlow has a lot of competition now. And one of the devices the River 3 will no doubt have its sights on is the Jackery Explorer 300 Plus. As the name suggests, it also has a 300w inverter, but it has slightly more battery capacity at 288Wh.
The River 3 trumps the Jackery in just about every other respect, though. It's a few hundred grams lighter, it can cope with double the number of battery cycles, and it can charge up in half the time.
And here's the other thing, it's cheaper. The launch price of the River 3 is £239, and the first buyers get a free camping light thrown in. The Jackery Explorer 300 Plus costs £319.
There is a small part of me that prefers the iconic shape of the Jackery. Its retractable handle is useful, and the extra weight isn't all that noticeable.
The Jackery also has a built in light, and an extra USB-C port. I've no idea why EcoFlow only put one in alongside two USB-A ports, but it's not a deal breaker. Just a bit of a shame.
In just about every other respect, though, the EcoFlow River 3 is a superb bit of kit. The new design is nice, the upgrades are significant and very welcome, and it really does move the game on. Not by an Olympic length, but enough to keep it at the top of its game.