We have already reviewed a stylish and powerful charging station Segway Cube 1000 and now we’ll take a look at the new and compact EcoFlow RIVER 3 UPS with an updated design and full-fledged UPS functionality. The well-known manufacturer has not only made a number of improvements, but also retained the features that users have come to love about EcoFlow charging stations (design, reliability, technical support). But the flashlight was never returned, and some users were still waiting for it.
Content
| Capacity | 245 Wh |
| Charging cycles | 3000 |
| Charging time (socket) | 60 min |
| Remote control | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
| Flashlight | No |
| Display | Є |
| Power of the car socket (cigarette lighter) | 100 W |
| USB Type-A power | 12 W |
| USB Type-C power | 100 W |
| Car socket (cigarette lighter) | Yes, 1 pc |
| USB Type-A | Yes, 2 pcs |
| USB Type-C | Yes, 1 pc |
| AC 230V socket | Yes, 1 pc |
| Number of sockets | 1 pc |
| Output signal shape | Pure sine wave |
| Technology | LiFePO4 |
| Rated power output | 300 W |
| Peak power output | 600 W |
| UPS function | Yes, 10 ms |
| Body | Plastic |
| Protection | IP 65 |
| Dimensions | 255×212×113 mm |
| Weight | 3.5 kg |
The EcoFlow RIVER 3 UPS comes in a relatively compact black box.
Inside, we see the charging station itself, a detachable power cable, a cigarette lighter charging cable, and a manual.
The EcoFlow RIVER 3 UPS is even more modern and austere than the previous generation. The corners are even more rounded, and the overall design of the charging station is both futuristic and austere.
The dimensions of the new product are 255×212×113 mm, and it weighs only 3.5 kg. In my opinion, this is minimal for a 245Wh station.
By slightly reducing the battery from 256 Wh, the handle at the back no longer protrudes from the body, but is now part of it. This has definitely made the station more convenient to use. This will be especially noticeable when you need to put EcoFlow RIVER 3 UPS in a backpack (which, by the way, fits easily), bag, etc. Now nothing sticks out or protrudes anywhere, so we have a perfectly proportioned rectangle.
The body of the model is made of reliable durable plastic. It is also protected against moisture and dust according to the IP54 standard. This means that the charging station is not afraid of moisture and rain, and it was also beaten, thrown, and dragged on the ground in commercials. The station can withstand a fall from a height of one meter, as well as high temperatures of up to 200 degrees Celsius. We probably don’t need to repeat these experiments, but it’s nice to know that in case of emergency, this station is reliably protected from various troubles.
EcoFlow RIVER 3 UPS has the shape of a regular rectangle. Behind the top, we see a convenient handle that has become part of the top panel. There is no wireless charging, but you can simply put the gadget that is currently charging.
There is an EcoFlow inscription on the top panel and on the front.
A cooling grille was placed on the left side of the charging station.
On the right side, we can also see a smaller grille and a hinged lid. Under it is a connector for the power cable and a port for connecting a solar panel or a car cigarette lighter, again, for charging. At the bottom there are four legs and information about the station.
On the front panel, we see a rectangular LED screen under the film. It displays all the basic information about working with the station, as well as enabling/disabling various functions of the model.
Right below the display are two 12W USB-A ports and one 100W USB-C port. Below the ports, we see the charger’s on/off button and LED indicator. If you hold it down for a few seconds, it starts or shuts down the charging station. And if you just press it, it activates the screen.
To the left of the display is a port for connecting a 12V cigarette lighter from a car, and below it is a button with an LED that activates or deactivates it.
On the right, we see a standard 220V socket and an activation or deactivation button below it.
EcoFlow RIVER 3 UPS is equipped with a 245 Wh battery. This is a lithium-iron-phosphate battery of the LiFePO4 standard. It is claimed to have 3000 charging cycles without loss of capacity. The standard power of the station is 300 W, and the peak load in X-BOOST mode is 600 W. The output signal waveform is — sine wave (PSW).
The charging station can charge from a wall outlet at a power of up to 320 W. From the cigarette lighter, it will be 100 W, and from the solar panel — 110 W. That is, at maximum power from an outlet, EcoFlow RIVER 3 UPS charges up to 80% in an hour and up to 100% in an hour and a half. If it is a solar panel, then under the best conditions it will take 160 minutes, and from the cigarette lighter it will take 170 minutes.
The EcoFlow RIVER 3 UPS got the UPS prefix in its name for a reason. The third generation of the manufacturer’s charging stations has a full-fledged UPS function. It was there before, for example, in the previous model, the time to automatically switch from the mains to the built-in battery was 20 ms, and now it is 10 ms.
In fact, in both cases, the user will not notice anything, and their connected gadgets will continue to work without any problems. Still, the 10 ms figure gives the station the full UPS name because it can be important for your equipment.
For example, your laptop is actively working when the power goes out, rendering video, or you are playing on it. And this is where these 10 ms are critical because even under heavy load, the devices will not turn off or reboot when the power goes out, but will continue to work as if nothing happened. If this is not important to you, then there is simply EcoFlow RIVER 3 with a 20 ms indicator.
The charging station has a built-in power supply and wireless Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modules for connecting to devices via the app. We will talk about it in the next section.
EcoFlow RIVER 3 UPS connects to devices via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. If the former doesn’t work, the latter is available and vice versa. It’s very convenient. Not all models have both modules at once.
Like all charging stations from the brand, EcoFlow RIVER 3 UPS connects to the EcoFlow app and does so rapidly. If you launch the app next to your workstation, they will automatically see each other, and the app will offer a quick connection.
The EcoFlow app has a modern yet minimalist look, and there are various home screen designs to choose from. In the app, you can update the station firmware, learn more about its functions, and fully control it remotely. You can turn on and off the socket and cigarette lighter, determine the charging power, turn on/off the X-BOOST mode, schedule charging under certain conditions, set charging and discharging limits, and set the charging mode to silent. However, the silent mode does not bother the user at all, but more on that later.
As the owner of the EcoFlow RIVER 2 Max, I really liked the new EcoFlow RIVER 3 UPS. Of course, it has a smaller battery, but it’s in a different category. The charging station is very compact and lightweight. Of course, for a station. If my RIVER 2 Max was dragged around the apartment by myself during a power outage. If my wife needed to start a hairdryer, toaster or microwave, she carried this one herself without any problems and said that this one was not heavy at all for her, and most importantly, nothing sticks out.
I liked the updated design. And although it differs little from the look of its predecessors, it still has more futuristic simplicity. I would call it that.
And most importantly, EcoFlow RIVER 3 UPS is quiet. And compared to the EcoFlow RIVER 2 Max, which makes a lot of noise when charging or working, this one is very quiet. Yes, you can hear it, but barely, and then if you listen and are in the same room close to it. And if you are far away, you might not even hear it. The other room is out of the question.
And then there is a quiet charging mode with lower power, and it is quiet. You won’t hear anything, even at night. It has been tested more than once. Although the normal mode did not interfere with my wife and me sleeping at all because the station was in the bedroom and charged at night.
The reliability of the EcoFlow case is legendary, and my experience with the older model confirms it. For several years of active use, EcoFlow RIVER 2 Max has not been scratched or worn. There is not even a small scratch on the case, and the station has been moved around the house, to neighbors, on the street, in the points of indestructibility, and in shelters. It was everywhere. Therefore, owners of EcoFlow RIVER 3 UPS don’t have to worry about this either. The main thing is not to remove the film from the screen as long as possible. After all, it is still glossy and this is the only place that can be scratched.
Of course, EcoFlow RIVER 3 UPS is not suitable for everyone and not for everything. It’s a small station, so it’s probably not worth getting for people with a full-fledged PC, but this model is for laptop owners. Of course, it can easily charge all the gadgets in the house, and there will still be energy left over for later.
It can power simple household appliances. It was tested on a hair dryer (of course, it worked at reduced power, but it worked), a hair curler, a microwave, and a toaster. The latter two gadgets also did not work at full power, so it took a little longer to make toast and heat food, but the main thing is that the toast was cooked, and the food was hot. In these cases, I didn’t even need the X-BOOST mode because the station works for a long time even with a power of more than 300 watts. Judging by what I saw, without active X-BOOST, which gives it 600 watts for a short time, it can power devices up to 400 watts for quite a long time, and at the 400 mark it automatically turns off. For such a compact model, this is an excellent result.
Of course, I also tested scenarios for gamers. The 32-inch Full HD+Xbos Series S TV takes 80-100 watts with a maximum of 150 watts. But usually it’s 90-110 watts. So you can play for more than a few hours. I even played S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 on my gaming laptop without any problems, plus I connected a 24-inch monitor and the total power consumption was 130-170 watts. And that’s an hour and a half of gaming, of course, if you want to kill the charge for that during disconnections. Why not?
Price for EcoFlow RIVER 3 UPS starts at UAH 12,699. I think it’s a good option for the money. But there are more affordable options that often offer fewer features. However, not always, and some have a nicer price tag, but the functions are still different. And the main thing is that the EcoFlow RIVER 3 UPS has many competitors of its production — from previous generations to other versions of the third generation. We compared it with competitors with approximately the same capacity.
Pay attention to EcoFlow RIVER 3 without the UPS prefix in the name. If you don’t need these 10 ms, you can save a little money. And even newer and more powerful EcoFlow River 3 Plus which can be connected to additional batteries. Its price starts at 14,999 hryvnias. There are also previous generations from the same brand: EcoFlow RIVER and EcoFlow RIVER 2.
And well-known competitors have not disappeared. For example, BLUETTI PowerOak EB3A, BLUETTI AC2P, BLUETTI AC2A, ANKER 521 PowerHouse .
