Anker has introduced a range of products at CES 2025 in Las Vegas that seems a little off-centre — if you’re not a South African. A solar beach umbrella and a portable fridge (that is also solar-powered) are just the things to shore up the mistrust we all have for Eskom. It’s been a while but everyone’s still very aware that the lights can just… turn off.
That’s not all the electronics brand (and its sub-brand Soundcore) has to offer. While you’re using your beach umbrella to keep the brewskis cold, Anker also wants you to ramp up the party atmosphere with a Bluetooth speaker. The Soundcore Rave 3S is your everyday RGB-lit noisemaker with one difference. AI.
Anker’s away (on holiday)
The Soundcore Rave 3S outdoes its immediate predecessor by including a pair of microphones and artificial intelligence support in addition to an IPx4 rating. AI is used to automatically remove the vocals from any track you’re blasting through its 200W (that’s all they’ve given us) speaker setup. It’ll let you turn every 108dB note into a karaoke party, if that’s your thing.
And if the feature works, of course. AI can be hit and miss at the best of times and the Rave 3S may perform better on some vocalists than others. Drake (they’re still letting him sing, right?) may have a better time than, say, Gorgoroth. The same AI feature that is supposed to scrub vocals from your favourite tunes is also supposed to clean up your own efforts.
Anker’s other sub-brand Solix, which specialises in battery solutions, has the other ingredients for your budding beach party tucked away in a CES exhibitor locker (for now). The Solix Solar Beach Umbrella is exactly what it sounds like — a beach umbrella with solar panels that can charge (or power) your devices or Anker’s other product — a portable fridge that survives up to 52 hours away from a power source.
The Solar Beach Umbrella uses perovskite solar cells (this is supposed to improve efficiency) and produces 80W of power in direct light. That should make this product a touch bulky to tote on a long walk but if you’re also hauling along the Anker Solix EverFrost, it might be worth the weight.
The EverFront is technically a cooler and will launch in three sizes, from 23 litres to 58 litres. Anker’s fridge features two compartments and gets as cold as -20° Celcius. So technically it’s also a fridge and freezer. Perfect for camping and as a buttress between you and a twitchy state utility, it’ll start at R13,000 ($700) for the smallest model.
The AI-powered karaoke speaker will retail at R6,500 ($350) when it launches in March this year, while the Solar Beach Umbrella has not yet been priced.
