Page 2 - A Closer Look - Hardware and Software
The BLUETTI AC50B, like the AC70, comes in the form of a rectangular prism with rounded corners and edges. Maybe I am not very creative, but I cannot imagine a portable power station to take any other shape. The matte gray plastic enclosure is simple and practical, being reasonably scratch and fingerprint resistant. The dimensions come in at 28cm in width, 22cm in height, and 20cm in depth. It tips the scales at 14.8 lbs, where most of the weight comes from its internal 448Wh LiFePO4 battery. It is certainly neither compact nor light, although lighter than the AC70, but it is still a big battery, so it is reasonable in my opinion.
The front of the AC50B is logical and functional. In the top center is a screen, which shows information like its power output in different channels, internal battery charge status, and estimated remaining battery life. Three buttons underneath it, labeled DC, power, and AC, turn on or off the DC output, power station main, and AC output, respectively. They also double as controls for navigating the screen, which allows you to toggle features like charging mode, Power Lifting mode, AC frequency, ECO mode, and Bluetooth on/off. Power Lifting mode allows the portable power station to handle high power resistive loads like your hair dryer up to 1000W, but caps the output at 700W. ECO mode shuts down the AC50B automatically after a period of time when there is little to no load. I find the user interface to be a bit unintuitive, as what the icon represents may not be clear at first, and navigating the menu takes some time to get used to.
Connections in the front include a DC input to charge the BLUETTI AC50B using your car or solar panels, not included. Outputs include a 12V/10A DC automobile auxiliary power outlet, two 65W USB Type-C, one 15W USB Type-A, and two 120V/700W NEMA AC outlets. This is plenty of outlets for most use cases in my opinion.
Rotating the BLUETTI AC50B around, and we see the integrated handle at the top. It is located towards the back, so when lifting it, the weight distribution will be a little bit uneven. That said, it grips well and feels solid.
On the side is an AC input for charging the portable power station's internal 448Wh LiFePO4 battery that claims to maintain 80% of its original capacity after 3000 cycles. You can interface it with expansion batteries from BLUETTI to extend its operating time. The AC charging time is given at 2 hours in Standard mode, 45 minutes to 80% and 1.5 hours to 100% in Turbo mode, and 4 hours in Silent mode. You can charge and run devices off the AC50B at the same time, and its 20ms response time gives it UPS capabilities. We will test the performance of this device in just a moment.
There is also a connector for a grounding pole. Additional venting allows heat to exhaust out the side either passively or using its internal fan.
Here is a look at the bottom of the BLUETTI AC50B. There are four rubber feet at the bottom to keep the portable power station in place. On one side, there are more cooling vents, while a specifications label is placed on the back.
The BLUETTI AC50B has Bluetooth support, where you can connect your smartphone with an app to configure the system. The app is much more intuitive to use than the onboard LCD screen, since you do not need to guess which icon represents what.
Once you are connected to the portable power station, you will be greeted the main screen, shown on the left screenshot. Here, you can monitor all the inputs and outputs as well as the battery state of charge. The AC and DC outputs can be toggled as well.
Settings can be configured by pulling up a second screen, shown on the right screenshot. You can toggle features like charging mode, Power Lifting mode, AC frequency, and ECO mode, just like the onboard LCD screen. The only thing you cannot do in the app is turn Bluetooth off, which can only be done on the system itself. This is a logical design choice in my opinion.
Some features I wish the BLUETTI AC50B has are the option to limit the battery charge to 80% and additional Bluetooth connection security. Having an option to cap the battery charge at 80% will extend the battery life, especially when used as an UPS. The current Bluetooth design allows anyone with an app to connect and control the portable power station, which is very insecure. Requiring the user to confirm a new device on the AC50B is necessary in my opinion. Currently, I just have it turned off entirely, so random people like my neighbors cannot gain unauthorized access to it.
With all these things accounted for, how will the BLUETTI AC50B perform? Let us take a look at it on the next page.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. A Closer Look - Hardware and Software
3. Test Results
4. Conclusion
