Anker Solix EverFrost 2 review: Do you need a cooler that can charge your phone?

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Anker Solix makes some of the best portable power stations. The brand consistently combines top-notch functions with thoughtful design, and they continue to get more compact and lightweight with each new model. Anker also offers some of the best value-to-features ratios throughout the lineup of portable power stations and smaller electronic charging devices. The brand also makes a lineup of electric coolers, with the latest model being the Anker Solix EverFrost 2.

What’s to love about the Anker Solix EverFrost 2

Opting for an electric cooler over your standard model comes with some awesome advantages. For starters, you don’t have to mess around with ice. That means no more soggy food or packaging or general mess that comes with everything being wet. An electric cooler also gives you precise temperature control, and on the Anker Solix Everfrost 2, you can select a specific temperature between -4 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Use it as a portable freezer for the drive to the campground and then switch it to a refrigerator temperature for beverages after cooking up the frozen goods.

Anker says the EverFrost 2 has 2.4-inch walls designed for optimal cooling, and it has the brand’s FrostFlow technology. This mixes coil-wrapped evaporator walls with the lid-mounted fan that helps with the circulation of chilled air, aiming to remove temperature differences within the cooler.

There are also all-terrain wheels, a prep table that doubles as a roller handle, and measurements on the lid that’ll be handy when fishing. Here are some important specs for the Anker Solix EverFrost 2:

• Sizes available: 23, 40, and 58 liters

• Holding temperature range: -4 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit

• Ambient temperature range: 32 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit

• Battery capacity: 288Wh each (option to use two)

• Battery output: 60W USB-C and 12W USB-A

• Recharging options: solar panel (max 100W), car socket, wall outlet, or USB-C

• Weight: 37 pounds (23 liters), 50.7 pounds (40 liters), 63.7 pounds (58 liters)

One battery or two; charge the cooler or charge your phone

Each of the three EverFrost 2 sizes comes with one 288Wh battery. You can double this by purchasing an additional 288Wh battery to fill the additional built-in battery slot on the electric cooler. This’ll double the run-time on the cooler, which will be great for longer trips or if you’ll be in conditions that don’t work well for recharging. At the time of writing, the additional battery goes for $249. 

One of my favorite aspects of the EverFrost 2 is the ability to use the cooler’s battery to recharge electronics. Each battery has a USB-A and a USB-C port that can be used to recharge phones or small tech devices while camping. In a way, this means the EverFrost 2 is both an electric cooler and a small portable power station.

The chill sets in quickly

When testing the EverFrost 2, I was wowed by its ability to get cold quickly. Anker says it can go from 77 degrees down to 32 in 15 minutes in Max mode. At one point, I was transporting important frozen goods in the EverFrost cooler — six pints of Graeter’s ice cream. I’ve never felt confident transporting ice cream on long car rides in a standard cooler, but given the promises of the EverFrost 2, I was willing to take the chance on this crucial ice cream cargo. I kept a close eye on the cooler’s internal temperature through the app and was shocked by how quickly it cooled.

I didn’t bother with Max mode and instead kept it on Smart mode. Within 10 minutes, the cooler went from its ambient garage temperature of 55 degrees down to 23. After that initial chill, I kept the app open and noticed it continued to drop by one degree about every minute. All of that checks out with Anker’s initial claims of taking 26 minutes to drop from 77 to 32 degrees in Smart mode. But if you’re in a super hurry, you can speed that up to just 15 minutes. I packed up my ice cream and set off for a three-hour car ride, and found the ice cream to be in perfect frozen condition after those three hours.

This is great news for forgetful people who will be using the EverFrost for frozen goods and can’t remember to pre-chill the cooler. It’ll take under half an hour to get it down to optimal temperature. In addition to setting the temperature on the Anker app, you can also use the controls on the cooler itself.

Recharging options aplenty

One of the nicest elements about the Anker Solix EverFrost 2 is its recharging versatility. You have standard AC wall recharging thanks to the included charger, but you can also recharge with a solar panel or even USB-C. While testing, I haphazardly removed an Anker cable from my camping backpack, assuming it was for a portable power station I wasn’t bringing. Of course, it was the AC recharging cable for the EverFrost 2, which made my heart sink once I realized my mistake. But once I remembered I had a USB-C cable and my beloved Anker GaN charger that I use to charge my phone and laptop, I was set to recharge the cooler. That also made me realize how awesome it is to have a single cable and charger that works for my important tech devices and the electric cooler.

You can also recharge the Solix EverFrost 2 with solar. There’s something especially satisfying about using something as hot as the sun, which measures 10,000 degrees on its coldest point, to keep food cold. And it always feels like using a cheat code to get free power from the sun, minus the initial cost of a solar panel. But keep in mind the EverFrost 2 only likes a little bit of solar power, and it maxes out with a relatively small 100W solar panel. 

If you’re having an extra forgetful day and take off for a camping trip with a dead electric cooler, you can recharge it while you drive, thanks to the car socket. Anker kindly includes that charging cable with the cooler.

Recharging times for the EverFrost are pretty slow, though, especially considering Anker’s focus on whizzing-quick recharging on the brand’s portable power stations. These are Anker’s listed recharging times for all sizes of the EverFrost 2:

• 100W solar panel: 3.6 hours

• AC wall outlet: 3.6 hours

• Car charger: 3.6 hours

• USB-C: 5.5 hours

Sizing versatility is great

The Anker Solix EverFrost 2 comes in three size options: a 23-liter, 40-liter, and a 58-liter. Both the 23- and 40-liter options have a singular cooling compartment, so you’ll need to decide if you want it to serve as a freezer or a refrigerator and set the temperature accordingly. The 58-liter comes with the major benefit of having dual compartments. That means you can head off with one side serving as a refrigerator for fresh foods and drinks, and the other working as a freezer.

Anker’s app is a joy to use

Every portable power station I’ve ever tested syncs up to an associated app. These tend to be awesome if you love looking at data and stats. Anker’s app is one of my favorites because it allows you to skip all account setup and simply connect the app to nearby Anker portable power stations or coolers with Bluetooth. 

After finding the EverFrost 2 cooler, the app allows users to control the temperature and settings of the cooler. I found using the Anker app with the electric cooler to be especially useful during road trips, since the cooler is usually packed into the back of the car and inaccessible. I could quickly check on the temperature from the passenger seat to make sure my ice cream was safely chilled. It’s also convenient to peek at remaining battery life and adjust the temperature on the sliding dial.

An awkward lift, but the wheels are plenty capable

In a sense, it’s unfair to say lifting the Anker EverFrost 2 is a chore because all coolers of this size are weird to carry. The inherent shape makes lifting and carrying a less-than-perfect experience. The EverFrost 2 has some extra inconvenience since there’s extra weight compared to a standard cooler. Each EverFrost 2 battery weighs about 5.5 pounds, and they slot into the electric cooler on the same side, which means the cooler is heavier on one side. It’s not an unmanageable lift, but it’s not great fun. I made sure to open doors, pop the car trunk, and clear the path before I needed to relocate the cooler. 

Anker’s designs tend to be thoughtful, so of course, they added some elements of respite to the awkward nature of carrying and lifting the cooler. The six-inch wheels are, in fact, all-terrain, and they do a great job on pavement, trails, and even deep gravel. In my testing, I always found the wheels could roll along well on any terrain.

Is the Anker EverFrost 2 worth buying?

If you rely on a cooler to keep your food safely chilled, the Anker EverFrost 2 is an awesome electric model. It’s better suited for long trips or off-grid adventures compared to your standard cooler. It can also be used as a substitute for a full-on van refrigerator. Pair it with solar power, and you have a mini portable refrigerator and/or freezer.

I also think it’s great for campers who don’t love dealing with the mess of ice, and it can also be useful during power outages if you don’t feel like using juice from your portable power station to keep the refrigerator running. 

Anker loves a sale as much as we do, and if your schedule allows for it, consider waiting to buy until the Anker Solix EverFrost 2 goes on sale. We’ve seen sale prices that shave several hundred dollars off the list price, so it might be worth waiting for a sale (like Black Friday or Prime Day).