Bluetti Elite 30 V2 review: top-performing, small-form portable power at a knock-down price

My search for the best portable power station for both camping and home backup use continues, but for my money, the new Bluetti Elite 30 V2 is the closest yet to power-station heaven, especially given its power-to-weight ratio and very low price.

Available in several colours other than just dark grey – a first for power stations – this bargain-priced 600W titan is easily light enough to carry to the beach or picnic area, take car camping or motorcycle touring; even use its 1,500 power lifting mode to run the thirstiest of appliances.

And when you’re at home, it serves as a fail-safe UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) backup system for your internet, desktop computer or an entire TV system. What’s not to like? Nothing, as it happens.

Let’s look at this new 5-star contender in detail.

Bluetti Elite 30 V2 review

Price and availability

In the UK the Bluetti Elite 30 V2 retails at a very reasonable £189 and is available direct from Bluetti or Decathlon, Amazon and B&Q.

If you’re shopping in the US, head to Bluetti where it’s available in all six colours and sells for $239. Alternatively, try Amazon and Best Buy where it retails at $219.

Specifications

• Power output: 600W
• Battery capacity: 288Wh
• Max surge power: 1,500W
• Battery cell chemistry: LiFePO₄ (Lithium Iron Phosphate)
• Battery cycle life: 3,000
• UPS auto switch: 10ms
• AC outputs: 1 x 230V, 16.7A
• USB outputs: 2 x USB-C 140W + 100W; 2 x USB-A 15W
• DC outputs: 1 x 12v 10A
• DC5521 outputs: 2 x 12V/8A
• AC input: 1 x 230V, 10A
• DC/Solar input: 12-28V/10A/200W
• Charging time: Around 50 mins
• Dimensions: 250 x 178 x 167.5mm (9.8 × 7 × 6.6in)
• Weight: 4.3kg (9.48lbs)
• Storage Temperature: -20℃ to 40℃ (-4℉ to 104℉)
• Warranty: 5 years

Design and features

If you’ve read any of my other portable power station reviews, you’ll know how much I love the smaller models, mostly because of their size and lightness for easy transport and convenience as a local backup system for important home devices like routers, desktop computers, TVs and lighting.

For me, the Bluetti Elite 30 V2 is right in the centre of the sweet spot when it comes to balancing power, functionality and capacity with portability, size and price. At just 4.3kg (9.48lbs) in weight, it’s light enough for a child to carry using the unit’s moulded handle and, at 25 x 17.8 x 16.7cm (9.8 × 7 × 6.6in), it’s a perfect size for use as an emergency UPS backup system right where you need it (the moment mains power ceases, the Elite 30 V2 kicks in in just 10 milliseconds).

The fact that this clever little sausage costs just £189 ($239) and ships in a range of pastel colours is further cause for celebration. For instance, in the UK this unit is available in the obligatory dark grey as well as pastel green and pale grey, while in the States you get a full smorgasbord of six colours – dark and light grey plus pastel green, purple, pink and blue.

The Elite 30 V2 boasts 600W of pure sine wave oomph, which is quite remarkable given how small it is. Furthermore, its sorcery-like power-lifting feature can handle up to 1,500W by artificially lowering the voltage of high-power devices, allowing them to continue running at around 600W with barely any noticeable drop in performance.

However, its safe-as-houses LiFePO4₄ battery’s capacity is only 288 watt hours, which means it won’t run power-intensive appliances for as long as most larger, heavier models on the market. The phrase ‘swings and roundabouts’ springs to mind, and I’m okay with that.

You only get one 230V AC output with this model (two 120V outputs in the US), but I think that’s perfectly acceptable, since you can simply plug in an extension cable. As to be expected, the Elite 30 V2 also has a full compliment of DC outputs, including a 12V 10amp car lighter port for powering camping fridges, air pumps, etc, and four USB-C inputs for small devices.

These are comprised of one USB-C at 140W (a big bonus), one USB-C at 100W, and two prehistoric USB-A ports at 15W apiece. And for those with a Starlink internet system, LED strip lights or surveillance equipment, this model also ships with two 12V/8A DC5521 barrel connectors.

On the input front, the Elite 30 V2 comes with a side-mounted AC port under a protective rubber flap for charging it via the mains (up to 380W in Turbo mode), and on the front a DC/PV XT60 input (12V-28V, 10amp, 200W) for charging the power station via an optional solar panel (up to 200W) or the car’s inverter (around 110W) when the engine is running (the product comes with a 12V-to-XT60 cigarette charging cable for this purpose).

Bluetti always produces great interfaces, and this one is no different. At 3-inches corner-to-corner, the Elite 30 V2’s bright blue display is easy to read and includes the key prerequisites – input and output in watts, frequency in Hertz, battery percentage, and remaining runtime. It also lets you know if the system is in power lifting, and/or Eco, or Silent mode.

In a minor stroke of genius, you can also change some power functions like silent/turbo charging and power lifting directly on the interface without using the Bluetti app. Simply push and hold the AC and DC buttons together and select the function you need. It’s obviously much easier just using the app to make these changes, but it’s also great to have the option to perform such tasks at the source.

Bluetti also sent me its 100W solar panel, though you will need to purchase the AT60 adaptor to use it (around £8). Unfortunately, the cloudy doldrums we're experiencing in the UK have made it impossible to evaluate the solar panel, as there’s been so much cloud cover that its output hasn’t even registered. I double-checked this using a different panel, but the input remained at zero. Once the sun starts shining again, I’ll perform another test and update the information in this review.

Bluetti app

The Bluetti app is a convenient mobile companion for managing the Elite 30 V2 and other Bluetti power stations, offering real-time monitoring of battery status, power input/output and remote control features.

The interface also lets you check remaining running time and modify settings like screen timeout, Power Lifting, ECO mode (the processor shuts off the AC and/or DC outputs after a period of very low or no load) and how you want its UPS feature to work – I use it in Standard mode which means it’s on all the time as emergency backup in a power cut.

Performance

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I’ll cut to the chase and say that this is one of the most versatile and convenient portable power stations I’ve so far reviewed. Its weight is spot on for outdoor use – you can carry it for hundreds of metres without your shoulder dislocating – and its size is perfect for localised emergency backup without the need for any trailing cables.

I’ve tried it with a number of home appliances and have been extremely impressed by its performance and overall silence, even when pushed to the limit. Running an internet system, a desktop computer, or an entire TV system with a Sky Q box, PlayStation 5 and sound bar is fiddlesticks to this diminutive powerhouse, so I enlisted a couple of big hitters to see if I could trip it up.

I first tried an 800W/1,800W Meaco heater on low. With the Power Lifting option engaged, it balanced the heater’s low setting of 800W to around 595W, and it kept on running with no discernible drop in warmth or fan speed.

But when I switched the heater to high heat (1,800W), the heater’s fan dropped to a useless trickle, but the heater strangely remained on with only a smidgen of warmth still emanating an inch from the grille. The upshot is that this little 600W powerhouse actually worked wonders with the Meaco’s 800W setting, and that’s a pretty magical outcome if you ask me.

I then tested it using a Smeg Lavazza coffee pod machine, which, at between 1.25kW and 1.45kW, would trip many power-lifting functions on other power stations and, again, it throttled back the voltage in the Smeg so it could produce an espresso as if plugged into the mains – and with another hour of use still on tap. Despite it lowering the voltage, I detected no difference in the taste or heat of the coffee. Given my penchant for a good espresso, that’s a five-star result in my book.

What devices will the Bluetti Elite 30 V2 handle?

With 600 watts of output and up to 1,500 watts of power lifting on tap, the Elite 30 V2 can handle a myriad of devices, both indoors and out. Here’s a list of some examples:

HOME UPS BACKUP:

WiFi router (around 12W) = 14.5 hrs

iMac M4 = 2 to 2.5 hrs depending on usage

Samsung 49” LCD TV, Sky Q box and sound bar with sub woofer (around 127W) = up to 1.9 hrs

Electric kettle (500W) = 0.5 hrs

Smeg Lavazza coffee pod machine (1.25kW to 1.45kW) = 1.1 hrs in Power Lifting mode

CPAP machine for sleep-related breathing disorders (around 15W) = 12.3 hrs

Small hair dryer (600W) = 24 mins

Hue A60 white and colour ambiance bulb (10W) = 24 hrs

Fan heater (500W) = 30 to 40 mins

Dyson hushJet air purifier (17W) = 8.8 hrs

CAMPING & OUTDOORS:

Diesel heater (around 30W) = 7 hrs

Ecoflow Glacier 35L fridge (55W) = approx 5 hrs

Starlink satellite internet (30W) = 7 hrs

Bluetooth speaker (12W) = 14.5 hrs

Charge a smartphone 16 times

Charge a 60Wh laptop computer 4 times

Charge a drone 4 times

Charge a Brevoy portable espresso machine twice

Charge a DeWalt 6.0Ah power tool battery twice

Verdict

The Bluetti Elite 30 V2 delivers excellent portable power in a remarkably compact and lightweight package, making it ideal for camping, road trips and emergency UPS backup. With 600W on tap and a low UK price of just £189, this versatile standalone power solution is one of the best new models on the market and well worth investigation.