Portable power and solar generators

Can a Small Solar Panel Charge a Phone, and Is It Better to Go Through a Power Bank?

Published September 23, 2026 · By the SolarPanelX editors · Prices and specs as of that date, from the pages under Sources

Summary

Yes. Goal Zero's Nomad 20, a 20 W folding panel, has a USB port, and the company says you can plug a phone straight into it or use it to recharge a portable battery for later. The panel stores nothing and only produces power while it is in sunlight, so on days when clouds or moving around interrupt the sun, charging a power bank first is the steadier route.

A panel is not a battery

Goal Zero puts it plainly: the solar panel does not hold a charge; it produces power when it is exposed to sunlight. Plug a phone in directly and charging stops the moment a cloud passes or you fold the panel up to start hiking.

With a power bank in between, whatever the panel collects at midday is still there in the tent that night. Besides the USB port, the Nomad 20 has an 8 mm cable that lets you chain additional panels for faster charging. The panel is rated at 20 W, weighs 2.28 lb (1.03 kg), and folds to 11.5 × 7.4 × 1.25 in; open, it measures 11.5 × 21.75 in, with a 6 ft cable.

How long it takes

Goal Zero lists 4 to 8 hours to charge its Venture 35 power bank from the Nomad 20, and adds that solar charge times depend on many factors, including elevation, temperature, time of year, and the panel's angle and position to the sun.

EcoFlow's product pages assume about 11 Wh for one phone charge. At a full 20 W that is a little over 30 minutes of output on paper; at 10 W, a little over an hour. The manufacturer's caveat above is the reason the rated number is a ceiling, not a promise.

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Sources

We have not tested these products. Specs, prices, stock and terms are as published on these pages on the date above and can change; check the manufacturer or retailer before you buy.

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