Portable power stations are increasingly popular investments and with good reason. We have come to realize that electricity isn’t necessarily something we can take for granted. Natural disasters like wildfires, hurricanes and ice storms can knock out power for days. Accidents, construction and a decent thunderstorm can leave your home without power for hours. When the outlets go dead, it is reassuring to know that you can power an essential or two and charge all your devices. That’s where a portable power station like the Raptic Titan XL comes in.
You could be forgiven for mistaking the Titan XL for a large Bluetooth speaker.
Compact Power Source That Can Be Used Indoors
At the moment there are what I would consider four different classes of self-contained power supplies available for consumers when the power goes out.
The most common is the portable power bank. Many people have a compact battery pack that can top up a smartphone charge. These are basically limited to getting one extra day of use out of your smartphone. There are the integrated home solutions like Tesla’s Powerwall — awesome for keeping the home running during a blackout, but very expensive and not portable. There are gas-powered generators. These can have the power to keep full-sized appliances running, but... They can’t be used indoors, they’re not really portable (even if some are on wheels), they require maintenance and you have to keep them fuelled up — and have fuel stored for use.
This portable power station actually is portable.
That leaves portable power stations. Thanks to the latest generation of lithium-ion batteries, these are portable, they can be used indoors, they typically have an AC outlet, their battery capacity is high enough to be useful in an extended power outage, and they’re affordable — at least in comparison to a gas generator. This combination has made portable power stations increasingly popular for emergency, outdoor and camping use.
The Raptic Titan XL, which was released on September 1, is the latest portable power station to come my way for evaluation.
Modern Design
One of the standout features of the Titan XL is its modern design. This includes the incorporation of modern charging options in the form of a USB-C port. But it also stands out from other portable power stations in its design aesthetic. Instead of looking rugged in a bulky, outdoorsy fashion, the Titan XL uses a sleek, almost military-inspired design. That means matte black plastic surrounding aluminum panels with exposed cooling vents, exposed bolts on the ends, rubber bumpers, and an integrated cloth carrying handle. If you want a portable power station that looks more sleek and modern than aggressively rugged, the Titan XL has your number.
The minimalist display is informative at a glance, but perhaps a little too minimalist...
The one thing missing was an integrated LED light. That’s far from a must-have, but most power stations I’ve tested include this potentially handy feature. The display takes a minimalist approach. Some manufacturers get carried away with constant distracting animation, but Raptic could have included a little more information. The battery icon shows a graphical illustration of the amount of charge left, but having an actually percentage and/or time remaining would be useful.
The first time I saw the Titan XL, I could have sworn it was a large Bluetooth speaker. It’s perfectly functional — the end with the various output ports and battery level display is all business — but there’s nothing wrong with having a bit of style as well.
Titan XL Key Specs
- 497Wh (134,400 mAh) Li-ion NMC battery
- 120V AC outlet (pure sine wave) at 200W continuous, 250W maximum
- USB-C PD 60W port
- 3 x USB Type-A ports (5V/2.4A)
- 12V car port
- Battery management system with temperature control, over voltage and short circuit protection
- LCD display showing battery level and charge/discharge status
- 14.5 x 5.7 x 6-inches, weighs 14 pounds
- Includes AC adapter
- MSRP $499.99
Solar-Compatible for Self-Sustained Power
During my evaluation, Raptic also sent its Titan 100X folding solar panel ($299.99). This 59.5 x 20.5-inch, 100W solar panel has integrated adjustable kickstands, and folds down into a compact, water-resistant package with a built-in handle. It can be used to charge the Titan XL, but also has a built-in controller with two USB-A and USB-C output, to directly charge devices.
Raptic offers solar panels that can recharge the Titan XL.
Raptic says the Titan 100X can fully charge the Titan XL in 9-10 hours. By the time I was able to try it out, sunlight wasn’t optimal. I’m based in Canada which means reduced sunlight hours and intensity in the fall, and conditions were also hazy, so I was seeing more like a 20% charge during a day in the sun. I also didn’t take the time to run out and frequently change the orientation of the panel for maximum effectiveness. I’m sure that in Arizona, you’d be seeing far more impressive numbers...
Raptic's 100X solar panels fold neatly for storage and easy carrying.
Even the 20% is respectable, though. If you were using the portable power station to recharge small devices, you’d be able to easily keep the Titan XL fully charged, even with minimal sunlight.
What Can the Titan XL Charge/Power?
Here’s what Raptic says the Titan XL is rated to deliver:
- 40 smartphone charges
- 12 tablet charges
- 10 laptop charges
- LED light running for over 600 hours
- Keep a CPAP machine running for over 14 hours
Your mileage will vary of course, depending on the specifics of the device you charge or run using the Titan XL, but you can count on this power station delivering.
The Raptic XL can charge this smartphone 40 times over.
During my evaluation, I used one of my standard tests — plugging in a 14-inch fan. Something a typical user might do if their home lost power during the summer heat. The Raptic Titan XL’s big battery kept the fan running for an entire day, and well into the night.
No power, no problem, you can run small AC appliances using the Raptic XL.
In terms of recharging the Titan XL itself, using the included power charger took about 12 hours. You could cut that slightly by using the USB-C PD port. I’ve already talked about recharge time using a solar panel. The 12V port is output only, so you can’t charge the power station using a vehicle.
Raptic Titan XL Recommendation
The Titan XL is a pretty solid choice if you’re looking for a portable power station. Despite the name, it is more a mid-range range model in terms of capacity (1,000Wh options are becoming more common). However, at 497Wh you still have reasonably high capacity plus charge/run flexibility, with a significantly lower price and a more compact form factor than those super-sized units. I would have liked to see a little more info on the display, and an integrated LED light would have been useful, but neither is a deal breaker.
Raptic's Titan XL offers a sleek and less aggressively rugged look in a portable power station.
You get a wide range of charge ports, the ability to plug in an AC-powered device, and you can keep your smartphone running for a month or more. Invest in a solar panel, and you would have a nice little setup for keeping your devices charged off-the-grid for pretty much as long as you’d like.
Throw in its modern look, and the Raptic Titan XL is going to appeal to a lot of people who are looking to invest in a portable power station for their home emergency kit or camping gear.
Disclosure: Raptic provided a Raptic Titan XL and Titan 100X solar panel for evaluation but had no input into this review.
