The End of the Ice Age: Anker’s Smart Cooler Tech Tested

For decades, outdoor adventures have been tethered to the messy, inefficient ritual of ice-packed coolers—melting into watery chaos, contaminating food, and draining the joy from camping or road trips. Anker’s Solix EverFrost 2, a battery-powered portable cooler, shatters this paradigm with a tech-forward approach that merges IoT connectivity, energy efficiency, and precision cooling. My hands-on testing reveals a device that’s not just a convenience but a glimpse into the future of portable refrigeration.

At its core, the EverFrost 2 is a dual-zone 58L cooler (also available in 40L) that operates like a mini-fridge, chilling contents to as low as -4°F without a single ice cube. Powered by removable 288Wh batteries—expandable to two for maximum capacity—it leverages compressor-based cooling to hit 32°F from room temperature in under 15 minutes. During my evaluation, this translated to reliable refrigeration for perishables, eliminating spoilage risks that plague traditional coolers. The integrated Anker app adds smarts, enabling remote temperature adjustments and monitoring battery life across three modes: energy-hungry Max Mode for rapid cooling, Smart Mode for balanced efficiency, and Eco Mode stretching runtime up to 13 hours.

What sets this apart for tech-savvy users is its multipurpose design. The battery isn’t just for cooling—it doubles as a power bank with 60W USB-C and 12W USB-A ports, charging devices from drones to smartphones. Recharging flexibility is equally impressive, supporting solar panels (tested at ~5 hours with 100W Anker models), car ports, or wall outlets. This positions the EverFrost 2 as a microcosm of sustainable off-grid energy systems, ideal for developers tinkering with renewable tech or engineers optimizing portable power workflows.

Yet, innovation comes with trade-offs. At 64 pounds empty, the 58L model demands physical effort despite wheeled mobility, and the $1,349 MSRP (currently discounted to $800) plus a $499 second battery for full 78-hour runtime makes it an investment. For context, traditional high-end coolers cost under $500 but lack active cooling. This raises valid questions about accessibility versus advanced functionality in consumer tech.

Anker’s execution, however, underscores a broader trend: the consumerization of industrial-grade tech. Features like app integration and solar compatibility reflect how IoT and energy storage advancements are trickling into everyday gear. For outdoor enthusiasts, it eliminates a historic friction point; for tech professionals, it’s a case study in user-centric hardware design. As one tester noted, forgetting ice now feels like upgrading from dial-up to broadband—once you experience the reliability, there’s no going back.

The EverFrost 2 isn’t just a cooler; it’s a benchmark for how intelligent, portable systems can transform mundane challenges into seamless experiences. As battery densities improve and solar tech evolves, expect such integrations to redefine not just camping, but mobile healthcare, field research, and disaster response—where temperature control isn’t convenience, but critical infrastructure.

Source: Based on testing and reporting by Maria Diaz for ZDNET.