The Anker Solix Solarbank 4 Pro aims to solve a key problem with traditional balcony power systems: 800 watts of grid-feed power and a small battery are no longer nearly enough for many households. With a capacity of 5,024 watt-hours, four independent MPPT trackers for up to 5,000 watts of solar input, and a bidirectional inverter with up to 2,500 watts of output power, the device is technically closer to a full-fledged photovoltaic system than to a traditional plug-in solar unit. We ran the Solarbank 4 Pro continuously for four weeks and will show you what the storage system really delivers in everyday use—beyond the marketing figures.
What is the Anker Solix Solarbank 4 Pro? The Solarbank 4 Pro (Model E5000) is a plug-and-play storage system for balcony power plants and smaller photovoltaic systems, featuring a 5,024 Wh LiFePO4 battery, four independent MPPT inputs for up to 5,000 watts of solar power, and a bidirectional inverter with up to 2,500 watts of output. It can be expanded with additional batteries up to 30 kWh and has a MSRP of 1,999 euros.
Technical Specifications & Package Contents
| Specifications | Value |
|---|---|
| Capacity (main module) | 5,024 Wh, LiFePO4 |
| PV Input | 4 × MPPT, up to 1,250 W each, total up to 5,000 W |
| AC output | 800 W standard, up to 2,500 W with PluginPower 2.0 |
| Emergency Power (Off-Grid) | up to 2,500 W (previous model: 1,200 W), switchover time approx. 10 ms |
| Expandability | Up to 5 × BP5000 (5,024 Wh each), max. approx. 30 kWh |
| Protection class | IP66, operating temperature -20 °C to +55 °C |
| Cycle life | Up to 10,000 charge cycles, 15-year service life |
| Warranty | 10 years |
| Dimensions / Weight | 460 × 305 × 355 mm, approx. 50 kg (over 100 kg with additional battery) |
| MSRP | €1,999 (introductory offers may be lower) |
The package includes the main module, a new, thicker power cord for the AC plug, and a quick start guide. If you only want to operate the solar bench in the factory-set 800-watt mode via a standard Schuko outlet, you won’t need any additional accessories—setup and commissioning in this mode take less than 10 minutes; it’s truly plug-and-play. To achieve the full 2,500-watt output, however, a permanently installed Wieland outlet is required, which generally must be installed by a licensed electrician; the appropriate connection cable is not included and costs approximately 40 euros separately. Additionally, a Smart Meter Gen 2 is required; compared to the first generation, it is significantly more compact (19 instead of 38 mm), faster (response time under 3 seconds instead of 5–10 seconds), and safer—with active circuit protection, automatic detection of installation errors, and dual-circuit monitoring for two circuits simultaneously. Anker offers an electrician installation service for the Wieland outlet and utility connection for 499 euros. However, the smart meter is not included in this service. It can’t hurt to check with a local electrician, though.
Design & Build Quality of the Solarbank 4 Pro
Measuring 460 × 305 × 355 millimeters and weighing about 50 kilograms, the Solarbank 4 Pro is significantly more compact than the Max AC, which is available at the same time, but given its capacity and input power, it’s still no lightweight—with an additional battery, the total weight exceeds 100 kilograms, making spontaneous repositioning practically impossible. For transport and installation, a second person or tools such as a hand truck are definitely recommended. Once it’s set up, it hardly moves at all due to its weight. However, if you place additional battery modules underneath it, you should definitely secure it to the wall using the included brackets to prevent it from tipping over. The housing is made of solid aluminum and is IP66-rated for protection against dust and water jets, making it suitable for long-term outdoor use. A new feature is an LCD display on the front, which significantly enhances the unit’s appearance compared to its predecessor and makes it presentable even when set up in a living room. Given the guaranteed 10,000 charge cycles and 15-year lifespan—backed by a 10-year warranty—the build quality is designed to withstand years of continuous outdoor use.
On the back, a large heat sink ensures heat dissipation under high continuous load—a factor that’s certainly relevant given so much power packed into such a small space. However, it still shouldn’t be left in direct sunlight: When temperatures reached 35 °C, the output was throttled—which is hardly surprising.
Solarbank 4 Pro in a Real-World Test: Solar Yield Over Several Weeks
Our test focused on usage over several weeks under everyday conditions. The results cannot be generalized, as the number of panels, orientation, location, and weather all influence the yield. We tested the Solarbank 4 Pro both individually via a Wieland connector and in combination with two Solarbank 3 Pro units in the Powerdock.
A particularly interesting question is how much the actual level of self-sufficiency can be increased. A larger battery and more solar input are only beneficial if the additional output is actually consumed in the household or sensibly stored temporarily. We also installed a wallbox on our Powerdock, which is designed to feed the excess PV power to the car. Due to the Solarbank 3 Pro’s lower output power, charging wasn’t always fast enough. Here, the Solarbank 4 Pro takes a significant step forward and can feed in considerably more power. This also allows for better powering of appliances like ovens or other high-power devices.
According to Anker, the four independent MPPT trackers are designed to offer advantages especially when module arrays are oriented in different directions, because each tracker is optimized individually—unlike with a single MPPT input, where the weakest string limits the overall output. In practice, this is particularly evident under changing cloud cover or with east-west orientations, where individual module strings deliver varying amounts of power at different times of the day. Zero feed-in—that is, precisely regulating the feed-in to match actual household consumption—also works noticeably fast and responds to load peaks almost in real time.
To put the Solarbank’s actual efficiency into perspective: The usable storage capacity is around 90 percent of the rated capacity, and the combined charging and discharging losses range from about 15 to 20 percent —a figure considered average by market standards, while some competing systems achieve noticeably higher efficiency levels.
Other application areas: mobile apps, emergency power, and smart home
App Control and AI Energy Management
Control is handled entirely through the Anker Solix app via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The app runs smoothly and without noticeable delays. An AI-powered energy management system (“Smart Mode”) is designed to automatically adjust charging and discharging cycles based on weather forecasts and dynamic electricity rates; the app also provides a real-time visualization of energy flows as well as daily, weekly, monthly, and annual statistics. However, Smart Mode could be a bit smarter: It should increase power feed-in before the batteries are completely empty to enable a higher feed-in tariff. Convenient for users with dynamic electricity rates: Anker has integrated interfaces with over 830 electricity providers in 32 countries, including major names like E.ON, Vattenfall, and Eprimo, which can be selected directly in the app without having to manually enter rate data. In addition, a pure self-consumption mode, a user-defined schedule mode, and a time-based usage mode for fixed peak/off-peak rates are available—for users without a smart meter, only the user-defined mode is available. It’s also great that there’s now an adjustable schedule for the off-grid outlet—hopefully this feature will be added to the other Solarbanks as well.
Also new is “Anka,” a voice assistant integrated into the app that understands your system and is designed to help with questions about optimization—such as which operating mode makes the most sense for your specific setup.
Emergency Power Function in Everyday Use
According to the manufacturer, in the event of a power outage, the Solarbank switches to emergency power within about 10 milliseconds, providing up to 2,500 watts (previous model: 1,200 watts)—fast enough that connected devices usually don’t even need to restart. In practice, this allows even power-hungry devices such as electric kettles or multiple refrigerators to be powered simultaneously, as long as no appliances with very high inrush current (e.g., some garden pumps with inrush currents exceeding 3,000 watts) are connected. Provided there is no power outage, up to 3,600 watts can also be supplied via the AC bypass through the outlet.
One point of criticism that comes up repeatedly in practice: Switching the feed-in power from 800 to 2,500 watts can be done in the app with just a few clicks, even though this actually requires a licensed electrician and formal registration as a photovoltaic system. Although a warning message appears when the setting is activated, there is no real technical barrier—such as requiring the electrician to perform the activation personally. From a consumer protection perspective, this poses a certain risk to inexperienced users who change the app setting without being aware of the legal consequences.
Smart Home Integration and Battery Compatibility
Of interest to smart home users: Via an open interface (Modbus TCP), the Solarbank 4 Pro can be integrated locally into Home Assistant without requiring a cloud connection, with currently around 19 available data points for automation—such as incorporating charging power, battery level, or grid consumption into custom dashboards. Additionally, Shelly and EverHome devices can be integrated. This is particularly relevant for users who don’t want to lose control in the event of an internet or Wi-Fi outage; however, once Home Assistant takes over, the mode can no longer be changed in the Anker app itself without first switching back to app control. One downside: The official Home Assistant integration is currently being rolled out only for the latest models—users who already own older Anker Solix devices cannot integrate them into this same system.
If you already own an Anker Solix Solarbank Max AC or older Solarbank models, you can combine the Solarbank 4 Pro with your existing expansion batteries: The old BP1600 and BP2700 expansion batteries can still be used to their full capacity, though only in a specific stacking order—from the smallest to the largest battery. Compared to systems like Zendure, where older expansion batteries are often phased out when switching to a new main module, this is a significant competitive advantage for existing users.
Compared to its predecessor, the biggest leap forward is in storage capacity and solar input: The Solarbank 3 Pro offered 2.7 kWh of base capacity and up to 3,600 watts of PV input, while the Solarbank 4 Pro delivers 5 kWh (almost twice as much) and up to 5,000 watts of solar input.
Value for the money: How much does the Anker Solix Solarbank 4 Pro cost?
At the time of testing, the Anker Solix Solarbank 4 Pro had a MSRP of 1,999 euros; at times, introductory discounts were available, bringing prices significantly below that. The high purchase price for the base unit, expansion batteries, and necessary accessories—such as Wieland cables and a smart meter—is the biggest criticism of the overall system. Anker itself advertises potential savings of over 2,000 euros per year and a payback period of about 3 years. This manufacturer’s estimate depends heavily on individual factors—electricity rates, panel orientation and output, household consumption patterns, and, not least, the chosen feed-in option (800 or 2,500 watts) all significantly influence the actual savings.
For small setups—such as those with just four solar modules, where the main goal is simply to save a little money—we believe the Solarbank 4 Pro is simply oversized: too much storage capacity and too much solar input for actual needs. On the other hand, if you’re planning a larger system with higher self-consumption, the price per kilowatt-hour—including the emergency power function—is quite reasonable compared to smaller balcony power plant storage systems. However, actual cost-effectiveness depends heavily on the actual PV yield, self-consumption, and individual electricity rates—those who capture little sunlight or are rarely home in the evenings will be less likely to fully utilize the storage capacity.
Those who need less storage capacity and a smaller solar input will find the Jackery SolarVault 3 Pro to be a more affordable alternative from our test lab. Anyone who has been following the announcement of the Solarbank 4 Pro for some time can find the background information in our news article on pre-orders.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Anker Solix Solarbank 4 Pro
How much solar power can the Anker Solix Solarbank 4 Pro handle? Via four independent MPPT trackers, the Solarbank 4 Pro can handle up to 5,000 watts of PV power, distributed across up to 12 solar panels, each with a capacity of up to 500 watts.
Can it be installed without an electrician? Yes, in the factory-set 800-watt mode—itcan be set up via a Schuko outlet in under 10 minutes and without any structural modifications. To achieve the full output of up to 2,500 watts, a licensed electrician is required, as well as standard registration as a photovoltaic system.
How can the capacity be expanded? With up to five BP5000 expansion batteries, the total capacity can be expanded to around 30 kWh; older Anker Solix expansion batteries (BP1600, BP2700) are also compatible when stacked in a specific order.
Can the Solarbank 4 Pro be integrated into a smart home? Yes, an open Modbus-TCP interface allows for local connection to Home Assistant, Shelly, and EverHome, independent of the Anker Cloud. However, older Anker Solix devices cannot currently be integrated into the same system.
What happens during a power outage? The built-in emergency power outlet switches to battery power within about 10 milliseconds and delivers up to 2,500 watts, as long as no devices with very high inrush current are connected.
Conclusion
The Anker Solix Solarbank 4 Pro clearly stands out from the competition in technical terms: more solar input, nearly twice as much storage as its predecessor, and an emergency power feature that is otherwise reserved for large home storage systems. It also features a high-quality aluminum housing, an upgraded display, and—for the first time—native Home Assistant integration. At the same time, thanks to its plug-and-play approach in basic mode and compatibility with older Anker Solix components, the system remains accessible to beginners who want to start small and upgrade later. The main concerns remain the high purchase price, the additional costs for Wieland cables and a smart meter when operating at full power, as well as the simple app-based activation of the higher feed-in power, which can lead users who aren’t sufficiently aware of the issues into a legal gray area.
The Solarbank 4 Pro is particularly worthwhile if you need the high output power and plan to upgrade to the Powerdock in the future. Smaller models like the Solarbank 3 Pro are sufficient for covering the base load.
PROS
- Very high solar input of up to 5,000 watts via four independent MPPT trackers
- Large storage capacity out of the box with expansion path up to 30 kWh
- Backup power function with very short switchover time, sufficient for multiple household appliances simultaneously in testing
- Long 10-year warranty and high cycle durability
- Local Home Assistant integration without cloud requirement
- Backward compatible with older Anker Solix expansion batteries
CONS
- Licensed electrician and registration mandatory for full 2,500-watt output
- App allows activation of higher output without real technical barriers
- At 110 lbs, not a device for spontaneous repositioning
- AC charging/discharging efficiency only average compared to market competitors
Conclusion
The Anker Solix Solarbank 4 Pro delivers more than a typical balcony power system with its 5,000-watt solar input, 5 kWh storage capacity, and fast backup power function. However, a licensed electrician is required for the full 2,500-watt output, while the app-based activation process is surprisingly low-threshold.
