All of our solar chargers will power tablets that charge from a USB cable including iPad (any version), Samsung, and Kindle readers. The larger the solar system, the faster your tablet will be charged. Our personal favorites are the Arc 10W Kit with the V50 upgrade for 7" tablets and the Fuse Tablet Solar Charger for 10" tablets.
For tablets that are not powered by a USB cable including the Microsoft Surface and Google Pixelbook, you'll need to charge your device from one of our Solar Laptop Charger. We'll go into more detail below as to why.
^back to topYou can charge your iPad or tablet directly from the USB port on any Voltaic battery or from the USB port on the Arc 10W Solar Charger.
Here are two examples:
When charging from our battery once it is full, your tablet will charge at about the same rate as from your wall charger. The time required to collect that energy from solar depends on the capacity of the tablet's battery, the size of your panel(s) (in Watts), the weather (sunny/cloudy), shading on the panel(s), and the angle of the panel(s).
On a sunny day with the panels outside, unobstructed, and facing the sun, the 6 Watt systems will provide about 1 hour of run-time on a 7" tablet for every hour in the sun and the 9 Watt systems will do the same for most 10" tablets.
Hours of Run-time per Hour in the Sun based on Panel Size (Watts)
| 4W | 6W | 9W | 10W | 17W | 20W | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple iPad Pro 10.5" | 0.53 | 0.79 | 1.18 | 1.32 | 2.24 | 2.63 |
| Apple iPad Pro 12.9" | 0.39 | 0.59 | 0.88 | 0.98 | 1.66 | 1.95 |
| Apple iPad | 0.49 | 0.74 | 1.11 | 1.23 | 2.10 | 2.47 |
| Apple iPad Mini 4 | 0.84 | 1.26 | 2.09 | 3.56 | 4.19 | 4.78 |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 | 1.62 | 2.43 | 3.64 | 4.04 | 6.87 | 8.09 |
| Amazon Fire HD 10 | 1.13 | 1.69 | 2.54 | 2.82 | 4.79 | 5.63 |
| Samsung Tab S3 | 0.86 | 1.30 | 1.95 | 2.16 | 3.68 | 4.32 |
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If your device charges from a USB cable (except for the Galaxy Tab), just use the cable provided by the manufacturer. The adapter for the Acer Iconia Tab is also included with all our laptop chargers. You will need an optional adapter if you have the Microsoft Surface 2 or Surface Pro 3.
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The Fuse systems (as well as the backpacks and the Switch) have padded sleeves to store your tablet as well as a nicely secured spot for the Voltaic battery and any charging cables. The kits are lighter but are not as convenient.
^back to topThe Arc 10W has a regulated USB output which allows you to charge your iPad or other tablets directly from the solar panel.
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Yes, you can get our V15, V50, or V88 universal batteries by themselves. Here's approximately how much of a charge they will give each tablet. These are estimates based on testing many of these tablets.
Number of Charges from Full Voltaic Battery
| V15 | V50 | V88 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple iPad Pro 10.5" | 32% | 94% | 188% |
| Apple iPad Pro 12.9" | 24% | 70% | 140% |
| Apple iPad | 30% | 88% | 177% |
| Apple iPad Mini 4 | 51% | 150% | 299% |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 | 82% | 241% | 482% |
| Amazon Fire HD 10 | 69% | 201% | 403% |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 | 44% | 129% | 258% |
| Microsoft Surface Pro | n/a | n/a | 136% |
| Asus Zenpad 3S 10 | 44% | 130% | 260% |
| Google Pixelbook | n/a | n/a | 140% |
