Bluetti AC70 Review: affordable and reliable power buddy
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Introduction
Power stations are on the rise! There’s a trend of going increasingly off the grid, especially during holidays or long cross-country trips. One of the major players in this industry is Bluetti.
We tested its affordable power station, the Bluetti AC70. This relatively compact device claims to offer up to 2000W of lifting power for a short period of time, have a battery with a long lifespan, which can be charged from 0 to 80% in 45 minutes, and stay quiet even at peak performance levels.
Are all of Bluetti’s claims justified when used in real life? Let’s find out what this 768Wh of capacity power station is all about. Feel free to also check out our review of the even more affordable Bluetti EB3A.
Design, size, and first impressions
The Bluetti AC70 has a simple, yet elegant design for a power station. The casing is plastic, while the buttons are rubberized and very nice to the touch, with good click response. There’s a screen that measures roughly 4 inches. It doesn’t have the best viewing angles, but it gets bright enough for outdoor use.
North America’s version of the AC70 has a maximum AC input of 850W. When it comes to DC input, it can take both 12V and 24V power from either a vehicle or a solar panel. Speaking of solar, its maximum input of solar energy is rated at 500W, which is a pretty healthy figure.
Regarding its outlets, the Bluetti AC70 features two 230V AC outlets with a total power of 1,000W, and surge power of 2,000W. The AC outlets are less compared to its rivals. There are also two 100W USB-C ports and two 12W USB-A ones. There’s a 12V 10A car outlet as well, which has a rubber cover for better dust and water resistance. Both DC and AC inputs of the power stations also feature rubber covers.
How about the AC70’s weight? You’ll be glad to hear that this power station isn’t impossible to carry around for short periods of time, especially thanks to its pretty ergonomic handle. It weighs in at 22,4 lbs or 10,2 kg. It measures at 12,36“ ｘ8,18“ ｘ10,07“, or 314mm ｘ208mm ｘ255.8mm. This is comparable to the size of most beach coolers.
In the box of the Bluetti AC70, you will find both AC and DC Solar input charging cables, and the power station itself. The product’s package is of an adequate quality, however, there’s nothing impressive about the unboxing experience to write home about.
There’s a missed opportunity to integrate a feature that we saw in the much cheaper EB3A model from the same brand. That is a wireless charging pad for your phone or headphones, and not having it on the AC70 is a bit disappointing.
Real-life testing and app controls
We’ve been using the Bluetti AC70 for almost a month now, and we are pleased to report we had no issues with it during testing. This device is great at recharging all the smartphones, laptops, and tablets you can possibly have multiple times.
According to our experience, the 768Wh battery capacity is enough to charge a MacBook Air 13 from 0 to 100% up to 10 times and for a total time of around an hour and a half. This translates to 10% of the Bluetti AC70’s battery capacity per charge. Topping an iPhone 15 from 0% takes 4% of the power station’s battery, while an iPad Air 5th Gen takes about 7%.
The 100W USB-C charging is the fastest and most reliable one to use for charging mobile devices. We don’t recommend using the USB-A ports for charging devices with more than 1,000mAh of battery capacity, as they are pretty slow in doing so.
The two 230V AC outputs are very helpful, especially when somewhere in the wild. You can easily power a TV, a radio, or a portable electric cooler for several hours. The 2000W surge power of the Bluetti AC70 was put to the test. In real life, the power station couldn’t handle more than 1500W of output, and that is for just a couple of minutes. When giving out 750W of power via AC, it took about 40 minutes for the battery to be completely empty. Also, these are the only times when the Bluetti AC70 made any noise from its fans, trying to cool itself down. Still, the noise wasn’t intrusive, it is comparable to the one an old laptop or a gaming PC makes when tackling heavy tasks.
Unfortunately, we weren’t able to test the AC70’s solar input capabilities, as the product didn’t come with a solar panel accessory.
With most Bluetti power stations on the market, you also get controls from the Bluetti app, which is available for both iOS and Android-powered devices. The app is pretty minimalistic, it shows you all of the important input and output information, just like the AC70’s display does. The app also lets you switch between power modes more easily. However, when testing the Bluetti AC70, we didn’t feel the need to open the app often. The default Eco mode of the power station is appropriate for most charging scenarios. Read more about the Bluetti app in our Bluetti EB3A review.
Pricing and availability
The Bluetti AC70 has a regular price of $699, but can often be found with a pretty nice discount, which makes it a great deal. It is available both at the Bluetti store and Amazon. But there are some alternatives you may want to consider before purchasing the AC70.
Should you buy the Bluetti AC70
This portable and affordable power station has proven itself pretty reliable, and easy on the eyes, and the pocket as well. Its surge power feature is the best in terms of power in its price category, the USB-C charging output is lightning fast, and the solar kit options are many.
However, its main rivals, the EcoFlow River 20 Pro, and the Anker SOLIX C800 Plus have twice as many AC outlets. Still, these have less maximum surge power and longer official recharging times via both AC and Solar inputs. But the AC70’s main competitors are also a bit cheaper when comparing regular pricing.
We recommend you be on the lookout for a good Bluetti AC70 deal, especially one that is for a solar panel kit. Snatch one of these and you’ll have a very capable off-the-grid helper in your hands. Also, the AC70 comes with a 5-year warranty, which should give you additional peace of mind after its purchase.
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