Quick Answer: The DJI Power 500 is DJI’s smallest portable power station — 512Wh of LiFePO4 capacity at about 7.3kg (16 lbs), with a lighter-duty SDC Lite port (240W) for drone battery charging instead of the full SDC port on the larger models. DJI’s own US store lists it at $499, currently marked down to $299 direct from DJI. The catch: at list price it costs about $0.98 per watt-hour, nearly 50% more than the Power 1000 V2’s $0.68/Wh and the Power 2000’s $0.63/Wh — the smallest tier is the most expensive per watt-hour of the three, and it’s the weight savings, not the price, that’s the real reason to pick it.
Published September 9, 2026.
Like the DJI Power 1000 and DJI Power 2000, the Power 500 isn’t a drone accessory that mounts to an aircraft — it’s a standalone battery box with AC outlets, USB ports, and DJI’s proprietary charging port, small enough this time to travel in a daypack rather than a car trunk. That portability is the entire pitch: it trades capacity and full-speed drone-battery charging for size and weight, the opposite tradeoff of the Power 2000 covered above.
DJI’s Power station lineup at a glance
| Model | Capacity | Weight | Charging port | DJI list price | Price per Wh |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DJI Power 500 | 512Wh | ~7.3kg (16 lbs) | 1x SDC Lite (240W) | $499 (now $299) | ~$0.98 (list) / ~$0.58 (sale) |
| DJI Power 1000 / V2 | 1,024Wh | ~13kg (28.6 lbs) | 1x SDC | $699 | ~$0.68 |
| DJI Power 2000 | 2,048Wh | ~22kg (48.5 lbs) | 2x SDC | $1,299 | ~$0.63 |
Prices and specs are DJI’s own figures as of September 2026, cross-checked against DJI’s US store listing and product specification page — the Power 500’s current $299 price is a live store markdown from its $499 list, not a third-party discount.
1. DJI Power 500 — Best for Weight-Conscious Field Kits
DJI Power 500
- 512Wh of LiFePO4 capacity in a compact 305×207×177mm body, with a 1,000W continuous AC inverter, 2x AC outlets, 2x 100W USB-C ports, 2x 24W USB-A ports, and one SDC Lite port rated at 240W for drone battery charging.
- Recharges to full in about 70 minutes over AC, or to 80% in roughly 50 minutes, per DJI's own spec page — on par with the original Power 1000's recharge speed despite carrying half the capacity.
- DJI's LFP cell chemistry is rated to retain over 70% capacity after 4,000 charge cycles, the same longevity spec DJI publishes across the whole Power lineup.
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The Power 500 is the pick specifically when carry weight is the deciding factor — a hike-in shoot, a backpack-only travel kit, or any scenario where the Power 1000’s 13kg is more than you want to add to a load. It is not the pick if minimizing cost per watt-hour or fast drone-battery recharging matters more than size.
2. DJI Power 1000 V2 — Better Value Per Watt-Hour
DJI Power 1000 V2
- Double the Power 500's capacity for about 40% more list price, working out to roughly 30% cheaper per watt-hour even before Amazon's typical discounting is factored in.
- A full-rate SDC port versus the Power 500's SDC Lite, meaning faster drone Intelligent Flight Battery recharging — DroneXL clocked the Power 1000's port at about 32 minutes for a 10%-to-95% charge.
- At roughly 13kg, still realistically car-trunk or RV-portable, just not a pack-it-in-a-daypack option the way the Power 500 is.
Worth stepping up to whenever vehicle access to the shoot location isn’t a constraint — see our full DJI Power 1000 guide for the complete original-vs-V2 breakdown.
DJI Power 500, by the numbers
- 512Wh: the Power 500’s LiFePO4 capacity — exactly half the Power 1000 line’s 1,024Wh, and a quarter of the Power 2000’s 2,048Wh.
- ~$0.98 per Wh: the Power 500’s cost per watt-hour at DJI’s $499 list price, the most expensive of DJI’s three Power tiers — the Power 2000 comes in at about $0.63/Wh despite costing over twice as much outright.
- 240W: the Power 500’s SDC Lite port rating, versus the full-rate SDC port shared by the Power 1000 and Power 2000 — the practical tradeoff behind the smaller unit’s lighter weight.
- 7.3kg (16 lbs): the Power 500’s weight, about 56% lighter than the Power 1000’s 13kg and roughly a third of the Power 2000’s 22kg.
- $200: DJI’s own current markdown on the Power 500, from $499 list to $299 direct from DJI’s US store — a discount DJI is running itself, not an Amazon-only markdown.
The bottom line
The DJI Power 500 is the right buy specifically when weight is the constraint — at 7.3kg it’s the only Power-line model that realistically fits a backpack alongside a drone kit, and DJI’s current $299 store price undercuts its $499 list by 40%. But on pure per-watt-hour value, it’s the worst deal in DJI’s own lineup: the Power 1000 V2 delivers double the capacity and a faster, full-rate SDC port for about 30% less per watt-hour at list price, and the Power 2000 undercuts both further once Amazon’s discounting is factored in. Pair whichever tier you choose with a proper drone battery charging hub, and see our drone photography tips for planning a full field day around battery and power-station capacity.