EcoFlow Delta 3 Plus review: Pluses and minuses

As an ex-frequent flyer, having an arsenal of power banks of all shapes and capacities was a must. Nowadays, with my feet more often planted at home than not, I find myself craving batteries with larger capacities. My power-hungry curiosity started with the excellent Anker 737, then upped the capacity a whole lot more with the Anker 767 power station.

Fast-forward to more recent times and EcoFlow gave me the opportunity to take its new-model Delta 3 Plus for a spin. It’s been almost two years since I reviewed the Anker 767 PowerHouse, but I was curious to see how the EcoFLow Delta 3 Plus compared.

If you want to go all out, you can spend multiple thousands of dollars on a high-end, high-capacity power station. At $1,599 RRP, the EcoFlow Delta 3 Plus is (comparatively) reasonably priced for what you get. Still, that’s the price for the base model, so you can spend more on extras. It costs $2,198 for the Delta 3 Plus and an 800W alternator charger or $2,799 if you pair the power station with an extra battery. If you want solar charging as an option, prices start at around $2,000 for the EcoFlow Delta 3 Plus with a 220W solar panel and stretch closer to $4,000 if you want two 400W power panels.

Look, 12.5kg isn’t exactly light, but it’s a breezy 18kg lighter than the Anker 767, so I’ll take that win for my back any day. More importantly, the compact design of the EcoFlow Delta 3 Plus and two generously sized carry handles make it practical for one person to lug the power station short distances. Where your hands wrap around the handles are vents, which help manage heat via cooling fans that don’t get above 30 dB volume. I really only noticed the automated whisper-quiet fans in silent rooms.

I like the logic behind the port placements: input on one side and output (mostly) on the other. In terms of input, you’ve got options. Pop open the protective top panel for mains power, solar/car charging or a chunky port for attaching the optional extra battery. Beneath the panel is a ‘cigarette lighter’ output port and beneath that are 12V DC output ports for routers, security cameras and other devices.

On the opposite side are most of the everyday output ports. There are four AC output ports, two USB-A ports and two USB-C ports. That’s plenty of options for most use cases, even if the flat top feels like a missed opportunity for a wireless charging pad. Above the output ports is a screen with basic info. And above that are dedicated buttons that control power on/off for the power station, USB ports and AC ports. Those buttons have lights to indicate when they’re on, and the USB/AC ports are off by default every time you power on the power station.

With 1,024Wh capacity, I still haven’t had to recharge the EcoFlow Delta 3 Plus after my initial charge. That’s after more than a dozen of hours of use, charging a range of devices, including the HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 laptop, Steam Deck OLED, Google Pixel 7 Pro, Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus tablet, and around nine hours of overnight use with a Philips DreamStation CPAP machine. With up to 1,800W of output, the Delta 3 Plus can capably charge more power-hungry devices, too.

When I unboxed the Delta 3 Plus, it had 26% battery, and it took around 40 minutes to fully charge. You can reportedly go from 0% to 100% in just under an hour. For that initial charge, I got about 63% charge in about half an hour. As you’d hope, the charging decelerates a smidge towards 100% to preserve battery health, though not as drastically as modern laptops. The companion app is easy to use after creating an account, and it synced with the power station without any configuration.

I used the app to get rid of the jarring confirmation beep, though I couldn’t find an option for disabling the operating lights. They’re not overly bright, but during my overnight CPAP test, there was a noticeable hue from the EcoFlow Delta 3 Plus next to my bed. That was after I finally managed to connect the DreamStation’s two-prong power adaptor, which is something the EcoFlow Delta 3 Plus struggles with.

Three-prong power adaptors had no issues connecting to the Delta 3 Plus, but there’s an uncomfortably substantial amount of force required to connect two-prong cables (I tested multiple with the same issue). The first time I connected a two-prong cable, it clanged into position with a loud bang. The second time (with another cable), I had to push so hard to get the two-prong connector in that it popped off one of the AC covers. I didn’t have these issues with the Anker 767’s AC ports, and it’s concerning how two-prong power adaptors aren’t as compatible with the Delta 3 Plus as three-prong alternatives, limiting its typical ease of use.

My biggest concern with the EcoFlow Delta 3 Plus is the two-prong connector issues (with all AC ports for my tests), which overshadowed the other minor gripes. If the unit EcoFlow sent me didn’t have the two-prong issue, I’d say the Delta 3 Plus is a wholly recommendable power station. But if that problem isn’t isolated to my unit, it’s a weighty disclaimer for homes like mine that rely on critical devices with a two-prong connector.