CES 2025: This Beach Umbrella Can Charge Your Phone
If your favorite thing to do at the beach is sit in the shade, sip a cold drink, and scroll through your phone, I have some exciting news for you: Anker Solix today announced at CES that it will soon release a new sun-protective beach umbrella, the Solar Beach Umbrella. and the EverFrost 2 electric refrigerator. When used together, these devices can literally keep you cool this summer.
Solar powered outdoor umbrellas are not entirely new, and the options currently on the market usually have a small solar energy capture panel that can power lights built into the frame. However, Anker is taking a different approach to integrating solar energy into its outdoor furniture. The panels span the entire crown of the umbrella, providing a maximum solar power input of 100W, which is the same as a standard solar panel. They also appear to be extremely efficient at producing power, with Anker promising 200% solar generation in low light (20,000 lux) and 130% in bright light (50,000 lux). This means that the umbrella will generate a large amount of solar energy even when it is cloudy.
What will you do with all this energy? Probably charge your phone or maybe your speaker. But Anker thinks you can also plug in any of the many power stations it sells to get even more power for your devices. Maybe you could connect it directly to the EverFrost 2 to keep your food and drinks frosty? (Even though the cooler is fully charged, it will last 52 hours using just the built-in battery, so you’ll only need the umbrella for power if you plan to spend a long time at the beach.) The umbrella is equipped with an XT-60 and USB. The ports are -C, and the battery on the cooler also acts as a power bank, providing 60W USB-C and 12W USB-A charging.
The umbrella is 84 inches tall and 74 inches in diameter, which is enough to provide shade for several people throughout the day. The solar panels are waterproof (IP67 rated) and use sun protection fabric to reduce heat under the umbrella. Anker didn’t indicate how much the cooler or umbrella weighs, an important omission considering that hauling these items to the beach can be a lot of work with all that battery on board. You’ll likely leave the umbrella on your patio, where it will provide an additional source of energy in your yard.
Anker Solix is a reputable battery company. They make amazing battery backups, from tiny laptop computers to whole-house backups . They have a whole line of solar generators and solar panels for them. While solar power has been used for years to power outdoor goods that you don’t have electricity for and has generally been unreliable, these days I actively prefer solar power to batteries because the technology has improved phenomenally. The solar panels on my outdoor security cameras work amazing even in cloudy weather for weeks at a time. While umbrella and cooler companies have previously tried to incorporate solar energy into their products, the results haven’t always been reliable, and the part they’ve struggled with—solar panels—is exactly the kind of technology Anker Solix is known for.
But more importantly, I think it speaks to where solar energy is going. Consider what smart plugs can tell us: For years now, we’ve been able to install smart plugs in our homes to turn ordinary objects into smart devices. Eventually, this connection reached the devices themselves. By adding solar panels to the devices themselves, Anker Solix reduces the need for its own power plants. Imagine a future where you don’t have to lug around a giant power bank, but only the devices you want to use, all with built-in solar power. It will be interesting to see how Anker uses solar energy to develop other projects. Why not garden furniture that warms in winter or cools in summer?
The Anker Solix Beach Umbrella will be available this summer, price to be announced. Everfrost 2 will be available February 21st in three sizes starting at $699.