I Stopped Buying Ice After Testing This Smart Cooler - And It's Hit An All-time-low Price

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The Anker Solix EverFrost 2 is disposable for $1,349 but presently connected sale.
• This cooler useful arsenic a portable mini-fridge, pinch dual-zone cooling and nan capacity to frost aliases refrigerate.
• The Anker Solix EverFrost 2 is bulky and heavy, and it only comes pinch 1 artillery truthful you person to acquisition nan 2nd to scope nan afloat 3.2 time capacity.

The Anker Solix EverFrost 2 58L electrical cooler is typically $1,100, but it's $800 correct now, nan lowest value we've ever seen. The 40L version is $270 off, disposable for $630.

As a teenager, I dreaded going camping pinch my family. The Caribbean upwind successful my location state made nan experiences basking and uncomfortable, and nan quality of camping was afloat of glaring inconveniences for my teenage mind. But I learned to emotion nan disconnection that a four-day play astatine a quiet formation aliases cool mountainscape provided pinch age, though being astatine nan mercy of quality remained a pebble successful my shoe.

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Forgotten sunscreen resulting successful a second-degree sunburn or, worse, a poorly refrigerated chickenhearted resulting successful nutrient poisoning will ever beryllium camping memories I could do without. As an adult, I still emotion camping, but I've opened myself up to definite conveniences that make it each nan easier. One of nan biggest of which is nan Anker Solix EverFrost 2.

As an electrical cooler, nan Anker Solix EverFrost 2 looks for illustration a fancy cooler you'd find astatine a store. But it's a existent powerhouse: a rechargeable artillery tin cool nan interior anyplace you go, conscionable for illustration your fridge aliases freezer backmost home. You tin capable your cooler to nan brim pinch perishables without having to make room for ice.

The Anker Solix EverFrost 2 I tested is simply a 58-liter, dual-compartment exemplary pinch a built-in vessel opener and grip that doubles arsenic a retractable tray table. Each EverFrost 2 comes pinch 1 artillery but has nan capacity for two, truthful you tin acquisition an other artillery to scope up to 3.2 days of functionality. 

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

It besides cools down really fast. I utilized a smart thermometer to measurement nan cooler's capacity to driblet from room somesthesia to 32 degrees, and it went from 68°F to freezing successful nether 15 minutes. 

While nan dual-zone cooler I tested is dense -- 64 pounds erstwhile quiet -- it does person wheels that make it easy to transport, moreover complete grass. Each portion includes a removable, rechargeable battery, an AC adapter and charging cable, a car charging cable, an accessory container, and 2 instrumentality chocks. 

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Once you group up your cooler, you tin easy power it pinch nan Anker mobile app, which lets you cheque and set nan somesthesia and spot nan artillery life. The EverFrost 2 has 3 cooling modes: Max Mode, which is nan fastest and astir energy-consuming mode; Smart Mode, which intelligently balances cooling and efficiency; and Eco Mode, which maximizes cooling clip by up to 13 hours. 

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

The removable artillery does much than simply powerfulness nan cooler. You tin besides return it retired and usage it arsenic an outer artillery battalion successful a pinch. It's a 288Wh portable artillery pinch 12W USB-A and 60W USB-C ports, truthful it tin complaint your smartphone, camera, drone, and different devices.

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You tin recharge nan Anker Solix EverFrost 2 pinch a wall outlet, a star panel, a car cigaret port, and a USB-C port. I've tested recharging it pinch portable Anker Solix 100W star panels during winter, and it took conscionable complete 5 hours to complaint to 100%. With nan correct sunny conditions, Anker says it tin complaint to 100% successful 3.65 hours. 

ZDNET's buying advice

The Anker Solix EverFrost 2 is simply a cleanable electrical cooler to safely support drinks and nutrient acold while camping, particularly if you bring accompanying star panels to recharge its battery. However, it tin besides go a convenient smart instrumentality for truthful overmuch more. You could time off it successful your trunk during roadworthy trips aliases tailgating aliases usage it to support drinks and nutrient cool astatine a parkland aliases during your adjacent backyard cookout. 

The biggest downsides are its value and hefty weight. The Anker Solix EverFrost 2 is disposable successful a single 40-liter capacity cooler pinch up to 104 hours of cognition connected 2 batteries, which weighs 51 pounds and costs $900; aliases a dual-zone 58-liter capacity pinch up to 78 hours of cognition connected 2 batteries astatine 64 pounds that costs $1,100. This is, of course, nan weight of nan quiet cooler, without immoderate drinks aliases nutrient items inside.