AFERIY P210 Power Station Review: A Practical and Dirt-Cheap Power Station… Or a Dud?

Aug 30

With today’s economy, we’re always on the lookout for affordable power stations. However, finding a budget-friendly power station that we actually feel comfortable recommending is a bit like searching for a needle in a haystack—something that’s even more difficult given that this particular haystack is full of unreliable, overpriced options.

We thought we struck gold when we stumbled upon OUPES (pronounced “Oops!”), a brand that currently leads the pack as the only super affordable option that gets our stamp of approval. But our quest for budget-friendly power stations continues.

Enter the AFERIY P210 Portable Power Station—a unit that has us scratching our heads and asking, “Is the P210 the real deal, or just another cheap dud?” So, to answer this question, we took an in-depth look at this oddly named power station and put it through a series of tests.

Learn everything you need to know about this low-cost and somewhat strange power station.

Our First Impressions and Breakdown of the Specs and Features

When AFERIY (which we’ve nicknamed “Air Fryer”) sent us the P210, we wanted to make sure that we gave it a fair shot. After all, this thing looks like a thoughtfully designed power station, even if it does feel a bit like an heavyweight kitchen appliance.

Weighing in at 48.5 pounds, the P210 might pass the “Tiny Baby Lift Test”, but it’s right on the edge of what we would consider to be an awkward weight. Sure, you can lift it, but carrying it any distance is going to be a pain.

As for the actual specs, it boasts a 2,048Wh battery and a 2,400W pure sine wave inverter, which supposedly has a 4,800W peak surge rating. Weirdly, the name P210 doesn’t seem to correlate with any of these specs, so your guess is as good as ours. Maybe they just plucked it out of thin air because they thought it sounded cool?

Once we dug a little deeper, we quickly noticed the P210’s suspiciously low AC input rating of just 1,100W. While it can be plugged directly into a standard wall outlet to charge, this input is about 700W slower than most of the P210’s competitors.

The solar input is also capped at 500W, which, while functional, left us wishing it was higher. On the positive side, the port selection is actually pretty decent: six 120V AC outlets, two standard USB ports, four USB-C ports, and an XT60 solar connection. Additionally, there are two barrel connectors and, surprisingly, a cigarette lighter socket—that’s right, a legit old-school-style cigarette lighter port.

Something that set alarm bells off for us was the fairly prominent warning label next to the solar input that reads, “Do Not Exceed 50 Volts”. This immediately makes us question the quality of the MPPT charge controller inside the P210.

Our Performance Tests

Now that we’ve ran you through our first impressions and the specs according to “Air Fryer” themselves, let’s take a look at the results of our own in-house testing:

Efficiency and Output Power Tests:

Efficiency is incredibly important whenever you're talking about any power station. Basically, if a power station claims to have a 2,048Wh battery, like this one from AFERIY, you’d expect it to be able to power a 1,000W device for roughly two hours. Spoiler Alert: This is rarely the case.

To test out the P210’s efficiency, we ran a 2,245W load, pushing the inverter close to its limit. The P210 should have lasted 55 minutes under these conditions, but it only managed 43 minutes, giving it an efficiency of about 78%. This type of efficiency rating is fairly standard, even for the more reputable brands, so it’s not exactly impressive, but it’s not terrible either.

One feature that we did appreciate was the unit’s ability to keep its fans running even after it had powered down. This little feature can really help when it comes to preventing overheating issues, which are really common with most of the budget power stations.

Surge Testing:

Although the efficiency was fairly solid, the P210’s surge capabilities left much to be desired. Instead of handling sudden power spikes as advertised, it limits voltage, which is not only annoying, it’s potentially harmful to your devices.

For instance, we saw the voltage drop from 120V to as low as 85.2V under a load test—a massive red flag. Most of the high-quality power stations that we test will simply trip and shut off when we overload them, but the P210 seems content to let your devices suffer.

AC Charging Tests:

When it came to AC charging, the P210 also performed reasonably well, going from 0% to 100% charged in about 2 hours and 17 minutes—fairly close to the expected 2-hour mark. It may have an uninspiring 1,100W AC input rating, but all in all, a little over two hours to fully charge it with AC power isn’t too big of an issue.

Testing the Noise Levels:

When we first powered up the P210, it emitted a noise that sounded more like an old-school computer that had been left in a dusty basement for a couple decades than a power station. We braced ourselves for the worst, but surprisingly, it didn’t get much louder. In fact, the noise levels stayed within a tolerable range, even under our load tests. It’s far from whisper-quiet, but it’s not horrendous.

Solar Input Testing:

We tested the P210’s solar input using a 400W solar panel array, which allowed it to perform adequately. However, with a maximum input of 500W, you’re looking at about 4.5 hours to fully charge the unit under ideal conditions, which isn’t great.

On top of that, during our tests, we were only able to push 300W into the unit due to the position of the sun, so keep in mind that real-world performance is almost always going to be worse than the rating on the box. With this in mind, a 500W solar input rating really isn’t great.

Pass-Through Charging Test:

On a brighter note, the P210 does support pass-through charging, allowing you to power devices while simultaneously charging the unit’s internal battery via the AC or solar inputs.

Pass-through charging is becoming the standard for most power stations, but it’s always something we like to test and point out because it’s such a useful feature.

Our Overall Impressions of the AFERIY P210

Now that we have run through the specs and the results of our own testing, it’s time to discuss what we consider to be the main pros and cons:

What We Liked About the P210: The Surprising Variety of Perks

Despite its flaws, the AFERIY P210 has a few redeeming qualities. For starters, it beeps when the battery hits 10%, giving you a heads-up before you run out of power. This small, but thoughtful feature is something we wish more power stations offered. It gives you plenty of warning to either reduce the load you're running, or consider getting some more juice into your power station’s battery bank.

Another highlight is the unit’s physical design. It’s not going to win any beauty contests, but it’s really functional. The handles are sturdy, the ports are plentiful, and the layout is much more convenient than what we’ve seen with some of the other budget-friendly power stations. There’s even a small compartment on top for storing cables, power cords, and anything else you want to put in there.

We also appreciated the attention to detail with the design of the port doors. Unlike many other units, the port covers on the P210 actually stay up when you open them, so you’re not constantly battling erectile dysfunction… of the port door variety. Some of the budget power stations we’ve looked at just have flimsy flaps to conceal input and output ports, which are extremely annoying.

Finally, it also comes with a built-in light, which is always a huge plus in our book, especially if you’re using it for off-grid adventures or backup power.

What We Didn’t Like About the P210: Not Enough to Set it Apart from the Big Brands

Now, for the not-so-great qualities. The biggest issue we had with the P210 is its lack of originality. It feels like AFERIY is trying to be EcoFlow, right down to the font they use on the unit and in their other branding.

The website is filled with photos that look suspiciously similar to those you see displayed on the EcoFlow and Jackery websites. This lack of originality doesn’t inspire confidence, especially when you’re considering dropping a significant amount of cash on a product.

Another major red flag is the phone number listed on AFERIY’s website—a Hong Kong number that, when called, doesn’t connect to anyone. We tried it ourselves and got absolutely nowhere. It’s hard to trust a company that can’t even get their contact information right. It also doesn’t give us much faith that their supposed 7-year warranty is worth a damn.

And then there’s the voltage limiting issue. We’ve already touched on this, but it’s worth repeating because this is a major problem. The fact that the P210 will pull voltage down to unsafe levels just to keep within the inverter’s limits is unacceptable. It’s bad for your equipment and could even damage devices that are worth more than the power station itself!

Finally, while this particular issue is not a deal breaker, the P210 doesn’t come with any type of smart app. Many of the newer power stations offer apps that allow you to monitor and control your unit remotely. The P210 lacks this feature, which feels like a missed opportunity.

Our Final Verdict: Should You Buy the AFERIY P210?

At the end of the day, the AFERIY P210 isn’t the worst budget power station we’ve tested, but it’s far from the best. It never overheated or failed catastrophically during our testing, which is more than we can say for some other budget brands. However, the issues we encountered—especially the voltage limiting—make it hard for us to recommend it.

If you’re on a tight budget and need a power station, we’d still steer you towards something from OUPES, like the Mega 2 Power Station. It’s a brand we trust more and feel more comfortable recommending. Plus, when we tested it, their power station offered better performance and reliability than the P210.

If your budget allows it and you’re willing to spend a bit more, we would highly recommend considering something better instead, like the Anker F1500 or the EcoFlow DELTA 2 MAX. Both units are more expensive, but we think they’re well-worth the added investment for their superior quality and features.