DJI Power 2000 review: a lighter-than-average 3,000W powerhouse with ports galore

You wait ages for a high-output portable power station that even the most sylphlike of users can lift and carry from A to B without developing a hernia, and two come along at once. Following hot on the heels of the Jackery Explorer 3000 V2 – a high-ranking contender for T3’s guide to the Best Portable Power Stations – comes this sterling new 3kW model from market-leading drone virtuoso DJI.

Like the Jackery, the new DJI Power 2000 also packs massive grunt for its weight and size, and this facet alone makes it very difficult to choose between the two.

On the one hand, the Jackery packs 600W of extra punch – up to a lofty 3.6kW and a max surge peak of 7.2kW – while on the other, it can’t quite compete with the DJI model for overall size, weight, features and price.

And yet the Jackery is much more ready-to-go out of the box, while the DJI requires the extra cost of some specialised connection boxes, cables and adaptors to get more than just AC and USB use out of it.

On evidence of this newbie from DJI and the Jackery Explorer 3000 V2, it’s safe to say that we’re now entering an era of portable power stations that pack far more punch for their weight and dimensions than ever before, and that’s a blessing for prospective users who may have been put off by the weight and size of these beasts.

So what’s so good and not so good about the DJI Power 2000? You’d better dip in.

DJI Power 2000 review

Price and availability

You might not find a better-priced high-capacity power station on the market than this elegant beefcake. As of writing, in the UK, the DJI Power 2000 is available direct from the DJI Store, priced at a reasonable £1,099.

However, the same unit can also be bought as a Car Charging Combo with three SDC connectors (including a 12v DC port) for even less – £1,064. Very strange. Alternatively, try Amazon, where the Power 2000 is selling for the same price.

Incidentally, if you fancy including a solar panel at the DJI store, click on the 200W Flexible Solar panel option (a different model to the one mentioned in this review), which adds another £218 to the bill. USA buyers should head straight to the DJI Store or Amazon, where the Power 2000 sells for $1,299.

Specifications

Power output: 3,000W

Max surge peak: About 3,600W

Battery cell chemistry: LFP (Lithium FerroPhosphate)

Battery capacity: 2,048Wh

Battery cycle life: 4,000

AC outputs: 4 x 230V, 13.6A

USB outputs: USB-C (2 x 140W and 2 x 65W); USB-A (4 x 24W)

DC outputs: 2 x SDC (Software-Defined Charger) 12A

AC Input: 220V-240V, 10A max

Solar input: 2 x SDC (1,800W max)

Charging time: AC 75 mins

Dimensions: 44.8×22.5×32.4cm (17.6 x 8.8 x 12.7 inches)

Weight: 22kgs (48.5 lbs)

Warranty: 3 years (+2 years on registration)

Power to weight ratio

Don’t be confused by this model’s ‘2000’ moniker because it refers to its battery’s 2,048 watt hours capacity and not the inverter’s output at any specific moment, which is actually 3,000W.

I would personally prefer it if manufacturers concentrated on a power station’s output in watts rather than the battery’s capacity in watt-hours, since I’m not as interested in how long a battery will last as I am with the range of devices the power station is actually capable of running.

In this instance, 3,000 watts of continuous output is blooming magnificent, especially given this unit’s relative weight and size. And this has posed a bit of a conundrum for me because I only very recently gave a well-deserved five stars to the Jackery Explorer 3000 V2, mostly for its amazing power-to-weight ratio – a whopping 3,600W of power from a unit that weighs in at a very reasonable 27 kilograms.

Well, the Power 2000 weighs five kilos less (22kgs) than the Jackery while only being 600W shy of that model’s output. In other words, the DJI model has an even better power-to-weight ratio, and that’s at least one star in its favour before we even get to the juicy bits.

I can’t stress enough how much of a difference weight and size make in the portability of power stations. Some models are genuinely so heavy to lift that you can hardly get them to the car, let alone manage the slog to a camping or picnic spot.

But this 22-kilo model is relatively easy to lift and carry by one person without having to stop for a breather every twenty steps, and that, to me, is worth its weight in feathers.

Incidentally, if you find even 22kgs several kilos too far, you also have the option to purchase DJI’s proprietary two-wheeled Power Series Hand Truck, which fits this unit like a glove and makes the Power 2000 even easier to move around.

I’m not sure how DJI has managed to squeeze so much into this model, but at 44.8cm in width (17.6”), 32.4cm in height (12.7“) and a magnificently svelte 22.5cm (8.8”) in depth, this truly is one of the most compact – and handsome – big hitters I’ve ever come across.

And that means it’s easy to store at home and fit in the car for a camping trip with room to spare for the really important stuff, like tents, mattresses, sleeping bags and all the other camping accoutrements one inevitably takes on holiday. That’s another star in its favour.

Design

DJI is no stranger to battery tech, given that the Chinese company was one of the first consumer manufacturers to develop smart batteries for its roster of drones that cleverly maintain themselves.

So creating a range of portable power stations was clearly a natural progression for the Chinese company, which has a strong reliability record and an indubitable penchant for creating Apple-like products that just work.

Unlike other power station manufacturers that tend to put their output ports on the front and the inputs on the side, DJI has opted to place all inputs and outputs on the front.

At first, I thought it was an oversight having the Power 2000’s AC charging input on the front because the cable sticks out and spoils the unit’s appealing aesthetics.

But in hindsight, I can definitely see the value of having all ports on the front because it means you can slide the unit into tight spaces and never have to pull it out again to gain access for charging.

The DJI Power 2000’s 9cm LCD screen is easy to read and provides instant stats on input and output status, plus remaining running time. And that’s about it because all settings are performed in the not especially comprehensive DJI Home app, including optimising energy management, initiating firmware updates and enabling peak and off-peak charging periods so you can take advantage of cheaper overnight electricity charges.

Incidentally, DJI makes no reference to this model’s weatherproofness, but given that its AC and USB ports are not covered, I would definitely avoid leaving it out for more than a few seconds in even the lightest of rain. If you need something more suited to inclement weather, opt for an IP65-rated Bluetti model instead.

Features

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When it comes to output variety, this model truly excels. Firstly, you get four UK-spec AC outlets, and that’s one more than the Jackery Explorer 3000 V2. Yes, two of them are positioned upside down for cable convenience, which looks a bit ugly when fully plugged up, but I can live with that even though I’d have preferred to see the AC outlets run along the empty grey area below with more space between each for larger transformer-based plugs.

For mobile device and laptop charging, the Power 2000 ships with four USB-C ports and four USB-A ports. The two USB-Cs belt out an above-average 140 watts apiece (the other two are a more modest 65W each) while all four USB-As deliver an average 24W each. Enough diversity, in other words, to charge your phone, tablet, laptop, drone, drone controller, torch and two camping lamps all at once.

But there’s more because DJI has also provided its army of drone enthusiasts with a unique proprietary DC input-and-output option called SDC (Software-Defined Charger), and you get two of them.

This hugely innovative bidirectional port allows for efficient DC-to-DC charging of compatible devices – in this case, compatible DJI drone batteries for its Mavic 4 Pro, Mavic 3, Air 3S, Inspire and Matrice models – by eliminating the inefficient AC-to-DC conversion steps found in traditional power stations.

In essence, an integrated controller within the SDC port communicates with the connected device to precisely adjust voltage and current, enabling much faster charging.

However, the Power 2000’s SDC ports aren’t just for charging DJI drone batteries because, if you take a close look at the front of this model you won’t see any sign of a 12v car-style output or, for that matter, any solar inputs.

This is because the same SDC ports can be converted to 12v outputs and solar inputs by dint of some optional accessories. Yes, I know what you’re thinking: ‘this is getting a bit pricy’. Actually, it’s not too bad given the extra oomph that SDC provides, at least when it comes to car-style DC and solar inputs.

For instance, you can purchase the DJI Power SDC to Car Charger Plug Power Cable (12V) for just £20 (an essential accessory for a lot of camping equipment like air pumps and refrigerators) and the excellent DJI Power Solar Panel Adapter Module (MPPT) for an equally affordable £49.

However, there are many more SDC adaptors and modules in the DJI store, and some of them stretch to an eye-watering £255.

I personally find it all a bit confusing working out what some of these optional cables and adaptors do and what they’re used for. Also, I’ve never been a fan of bolt-on accessories that I needed to keep together in one place for fear of losing or forgetting them.

Likewise, unless you’re a pro drone flyer who goes through batteries like there’s no tomorrow, I can’t really see the benefit of spending more money just to speed up the drone battery charging process. But I digress.

The aforementioned MPPT solar module plugs into one of the SDC ports and ships with a bracket that mounts to the right-hand side of the main unit. This module comes with three standard XT60 solar inputs for running three panels at the same time.

And if you add a second module for the other SDC port (there's room on the side for two), you can use another three panels. That's six 200W panels amounting to an amazing 1,200W of solar charging ability (the unit boasts an industry-leading 1,800W of maximum solar capacity).

Crucially, this remarkably quiet model can also be used in the home as a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) and that means you can continue watching TV, playing computer games or surfing the internet in the event of a sudden power cut without a surfeit of fan noise.

Moreover, its 3,000W of juicy clout is more than enough to power a kettle, air fryer or portable induction hob with headroom to spare while its unadvertised 3,600W of surge peak power should be enough to start most heavy-draw power tools like buzz saws, pumps and compressors.

For those who require a lot more power, this model can be expanded to a frankly gobsmacking 22,528 watt hours by purchasing a few DJI Power Expansion Battery 2000s at £799 apiece.

The DJI Power 2000 ships with a Lithium FerroPhosphate that charges on mains from zero to 100% in under 100 minutes if you flick up the fast charge switch to the right of the AC input.

The chemistry of the battery is considered exceedingly safe, but DJI has increased safety even further to include flame-retardant materials and a surfeit of internal redundancy features that should make this model one of the safest and most reliable on the market. DJI’s 3-year (+2 years on registration) warranty bears this out.

IBCPOWER 200W Foldable Solar Panel

DJI also sent me its recommended 200W IBCPOWER Foldable Solar Panel and I’ve been very impressed with its performance. In fact I’ve never used a solar panel that’s been this efficient though some of this might be as a result of the faster SDC system. I love the way it all clips together into a flat tidy package and I love the three pull out stands even more because they’re able to adjust the angle of the panel at four different points, from nearly upright to almost flat.

Incredibly, the DJI Power 2000 accepts up to a magnificent 1,800W of solar input, which is achieved by using DJI's albeit very expensive 1.8kW Solar/Car Super Fast Charger. I used the panel with DJI’s standard £49 solar module instead and received 199 watts of solar power on average (in fact, at one point it jumped to 203W).

When I started the test, the power station showed a 95% charge, and during my test in full September sunshine, it registered between 190W and 203W, which equates to 39 minutes for a 5% charge. That’s good enough in my book.

However, as is the norm with solar power in general, when a cloud came over, the charge rate dropped to a lowly 15% or thereabouts.

Performance

Aside from its lower carrying weight and compact size, this power station is also an exemplary performer that’s super quiet, even when pushed to the limit. There’s not much point in going into too much detail regarding its performance and ability to run things when off-grid or surviving a power cut, because all portable power stations function in the same way.

What I will say is that the Power 2000 packs more than enough punch to run a small film set with lights and numerous other gubbins for a couple of hours, a full band setup with 700W PA, guitar amplification and LED stage lights for three to four hours, a power saw for around 80 minutes and a fridge for about 40 hours. Likewise, it will charge a drone up to 24 times, a laptop 18 times and a mobile phone more than 110 times.

Regardless of these stats, I still couldn’t resist plugging in some stuff, so this time I opted for a Philips air fryer, a KitchenAid kettle and a bank of DJI Air 3S drone batteries. This combo maxed out at around 2,796 watts, which was easily within the scope of this model, and that’s just about all you need to know.

Verdict

The keenly-priced DJI Power 2000 sets a new benchmark for portability in high-capacity power stations. At just 22 kg, it’s lighter than most of its competitors, while its svelte, compact frame makes transport and storage a relative doddle.

If you’re in the market for a streamlined 3kW power station with a full suite of AC, USB-C and USB-A ports, this one comes highly recommended. Just be aware that you’ll need to inject extra funds to enjoy the benefits of DJI’s proprietary SDC Direct Current system.