Jackery Portable Power Station Explorer 160 vs. 240 vs. 500

Jackery hasn’t been in the power station game for too long, but they’ve already managed to leave a pretty well-known impression to outdoorsmen across the country. In this comparison guide, we’re going to take a look at three of their portable power stations—the 160, the 240, and the 500—to see how they differ and which you should take with you on your next hiking or camping trip.

Jackery Explorer 160

150W Peak/100W Continuous

As the smallest power station of the bunch, it’s not packing a tremendously large battery. It spots an 11.6-ah battery and powers appliances of up to 150W peak power and 100W continuous power. Even though it’s not the beefiest power station, it works beautifully at powering the most essential electronics you might have at home during power outages or take on the road with you.

The paperwork included with the Jackery Explorer 160 will tell you the most common electronics that are NOT compatible with this power station, although you’ll have to know the exact wattage rating of your electronics to know for sure.

2 USB-A, 1 USB-C Ports

The 160 comes with three USB ports for charging your most delicate gadgets. There are two standard 5V 2.4A USB-A ports and surprisingly a 5V 3A USB-C port. Across this channel, you can use up to 30 watts on filling the battery of your smart gadgets, leaving roughly 70 watts to use on an appliance of your choice.

Ultra-lightweight

As you might have guessed, the smallest portable power station is the lightest in weight. Coming in at less than four pounds, keeping this device with you at all times in the wilderness shouldn’t be an issue, let alone leaving it at home for emergency use. In fact, all three of these Jackery portable power stations are lightweight considering how much power they provide.

Jackery Explorer 240

400W Peak/200W Continuous

The Jackery Explorer 240 provides more than double the power of the 160. With a peak and continuous wattage ratings of 400W and 200W respectively, you can expect to power considerably more appliances with the 240. Like the 160, it only has one outlet that supports both two- and three-prong plugs, but feel free to plug in a multi-terminal extension cord to power multiple devices at the same time. Like with any portable power generator, make sure you know the surge and running wattages of your devices before plugging them in at once.

2 USB-A Ports

You might be wondering why the larger 240 does not have a 5V 3A USB-C port. Well, we’re wondering the same thing. For some reason, Jackery decided to leave out lightning-fast charging capabilities in both the 240 and 500. At least you have two USB-A ports in the 240 and three of them in the 500.

LCD Display

Something that all three of these portable power stations have in common is a handy LCD display. What we absolutely love about the display, other than showing us the remaining battery life, is the accurate readings of the input and output levels. By paying close attention to the display, there’s very little guesswork involved when plugging in one or more devices simultaneously as to not cause an overload.

Jackery Explorer 500

1000W Peak/500W Continuous

Finally, we have the largest of the bunch. The Jackery Explorer 500 outshines the 240 in terms of power output by providing more than double its capacity. With peak and continuous ratings of 1000 watts and 500 watts respectively, this portable power station will be able to power numerous small gadgets at once or a handful of portable appliances.

Inverter Technlogy

Another feature that all three of these Jackery power stations share is Pure Sine Inverter Technology. This is the precise system that makes these power stations able to safely deliver power to delicate electronics such as smartphones, drones, and laptops. Without it, you’d be putting your most prized electronics at risk of voltage fluctuations which would permanently damage your goods.

Compatible with Jackery 60W/100W SolarSaga Panel

It would be remiss of us not to mention the true magnificence of Jackery portable power stations. All three of these units are compatible with both the 60W and 100W versions of their SolarSaga Panel. With these panels, you can keep your power stations fully charged while trekking through the middle of nowhere.

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160 vs. 240 vs. 500: Which Jackery Portable Power Station Do I Need?

Similar to shopping for a portable generator, your main consideration when choosing between three differently sized machines is how much power you actually need. That said, we feel it’s always better to go overboard than a shave under, so even though they’re missing a USB-C port, the 240 and 500 are perfect for emergency use as well as on the road.

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If you have any questions or comments, please add them below in the comment section. Similarly, please let us know if you spot any mistakes or omissions. Thanks!

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Last Update: 2024-04-23 | Affiliate links/Images from Amazon Product Advertising API