PowerFreakz Evolution 2500 Solar Charger review

Solar power is all the rage at the moment, in a quest for saving the universe with electronic charging.

The PowerFreakz Evolution 2500 Solar Charger is the eco-friendly version of PowerFreakz's Evolution 2500 battery-powered device and is a slim solution for charging on the move.

The charger is about the size of an iPhone - not massive, but not tiny either when you have your phone and charger on your body.

On the front is the solar panel, protected by a clear plastic cover to prevent scratches or damage to the delicate panel.

Below the solar panel, there's the inevitable PowerFreakz logo, part of which lights up according to how much juice you have left in the charger. If it's full, the logo will be completely lit up. If it's half, less of the logo will be lit up.

The PowerFreakz Evolution 2500 Solar comes with a USB adaptor and a number of tips, including iPhone, mini USB and micro USB that'll charge most electronic devices.

These adaptors are inserted at the bottom of the charger, in the USB 'out' port. The mini USB 'in' port is for charging the PowerFreakz Evolution 2500 Solar if it runs out of juice or there isn't enough sunlight to keep it going.

Although the PowerFreakz Evolution 2500 Solar won't charge your electronic item as fast as if you were charging it via the wall socket, it will still power up a device (we tested with the iPhone and a BlackBerry) to give you enough juice to make a call, pretty soon after plugging it in.

However, the power does run down quickly compared to non-solar chargers (ie., ones that you charge through the mains), but that's to be expected, so you'll have to allow more time between charging the Evolution 2500 Solar and charging your device up.

Included in the box, alongside the various adaptors, there's a carry case for the whole gubbins. We didn't use this, preferring to slip the device into our pocket rather than having to store the bulky carry case and accessories in our bag.

The PowerFreakz Evolution 2500 Solar is a useful, pocketable charger. The fact that it can be charged up by sunlight is a bonus, albeit a slow process.

For £40 it's a little pricey compared to conventional chargers, but we'll let that one lie as eco-friendly products do tend to cost more than their environmentally damaging counterparts.