What is the best hand-crank or solar-powered emergency weather radio with a built-in phone charger?

If you want one emergency radio to keep in a home emergency kit, my top pick is the Midland ER310. Independent testing rated it the best overall hand-crank radio, particularly for reception, durability, charging options, and phone charging.

• Midland ER310 Portable Emergency Crank Weather Radio - $79.99 (MIDLAND)

Why I’d choose the Midland ER310

• NOAA weather + automatic alerts — a major advantage over inexpensive radios that merely let you tune into NOAA manually.
• Hand crank + solar + USB charging, plus the ability to use 6 AA batteries as a backup.
• 2,600 mAh rechargeable battery and USB output for charging a phone.
• Good AM/FM reception and a clear digital display.
• Flashlight and SOS strobe, plus an ultrasonic dog whistle.
• It's relatively rugged and straightforward to operate when you're stressed or in the dark.

But there's one important alternative

If your priority is charging your phone, rather than having the best weather-alert system, I'd look at the FosPower 5,200 mAh Model A6:

• FosPower 5200mAh Emergency Radio Model A6 - $39.99 (Walmart - SF Planet)

It has roughly twice the battery capacity of the ER310 and still provides solar, hand-crank and USB charging, NOAA weather, flashlight and phone charging. The trade-off is that I would put Midland ahead of it for overall reliability and alert functionality.

For a cheaper option, the FosPower Model D9 (4,000 mAh) is also compelling at around $50.

• FosPower Model D9 4000mAh Emergency Radio - $49.99 (Walmart - SF Planet)

My ranking:

1. 🥇 Midland ER310 — best overall / most dependable
2. 🥈 FosPower A6 5,200 mAh — best if phone charging is especially important
3. 🥉 FosPower D9 4,000 mAh — best value

One caveat: solar panels on these radios are primarily for maintaining the battery, not quickly charging a dead phone. Hand-cranking is likewise a last-resort power source. For an emergency kit, I'd keep the radio fully charged and store a separate USB power bank as well.

When looking for the best emergency weather radio that combines a hand-crank, solar panel, and a reliable phone charger, experts and preparedness reviews heavily favor upgraded models with large battery capacities.

The top recommendation on the market is the Midland ER310PRO Go to product viewer dialog for this item..

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• Price: Around $100
• Phone Charging Capability: Features a massive 10,000 mAh rechargeable lithium-ion battery acting as a true power bank. Unlike older emergency radios with tiny batteries that can barely squeeze a 15% charge into a smartphone, this capacity can reliably recharge modern mobile devices multiple times during an extended power outage.
• Power Sources: 3-way primary charging via USB-C, an integrated solar panel on top, and a rugged hand-crank dynamo handle on the back.
• Emergency Features: NOAA Weather Scan + Alert (automatically locks onto local severe weather channels and sounds a loud siren), a ultra-bright CREE LED flashlight with a high/low and SOS Morse code beacon setting, Bluetooth streaming for everyday utility, and an ultrasonic dog whistle for search-and-rescue signaling.
• Where to look: You can check details and specs directly via Midland USA.

An alternative budget-friendly pick if you want to spend less than $50:

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• Price: Around $40 - $50
• Phone Charging Capability: Equipped with a respectable 5,200 mAh power bank, which is still double or triple the capacity of standard cheap weather radios.
• Power Sources: Solar panel, hand crank, AAA batteries (backup), and USB charging.
• Emergency Features: AM/FM/NOAA channels, bright flashlight, reading lamp, and SOS alarm.
• Where to look: You can view availability on platforms like Target.

Note on Hand-Cranked Charging: Keep in mind that hand-cranking a radio is primarily meant as an absolute last-resort trickle charge to get emergency news or a brief phone call out. Cranking for several minutes will only yield a few minutes of talk/listening time, which is why having a large internal battery bank (like the 10,000 mAh capacity on the Midland ER310PRO ) that you keep pre-charged via wall outlet or solar is vital.

Would you like help comparing these models' dimensions and weight for a bug-out bag, or are you looking for a specific budget range?

When looking for the best hand-crank and solar-powered emergency weather radio with phone-charging capabilities, performance comes down to reliability, battery capacity, and clear NOAA weather alerts.

Top models stand out based on expert testing and user consensus:

Add to list Widely regarded as a top-tier pick (frequently recommended by testing publications like NYT Wirecutter ). It features a robust 2600 mAh rechargeable Li-ion battery that can give a critical boost to your smartphone, a bright CREE LED flashlight with an SOS strobe, and multiple power sources (solar panel, hand crank, and a replaceable rechargeable battery pack). It also has a powerful NOAA weather alert radio and AM/FM reception.

Add to list A more compact, budget-friendly sibling to the ER310 Go to product viewer dialog for this item. . It offers a similar feature set—solar charging, hand crank, flashlight, and USB device charging—in a smaller, highly portable footprint.

Add to list A popular, highly-rated budget choice (typically around $40) featuring a 2000 mAh power bank, an SOS alarm, a 1W flashlight, a reading light, and triple power options (AAA batteries, solar, and hand crank). It's an affordable, reliable addition to a grab-and-go bag.

High-Capacity Generic/Crank Radios (10,000 mAh variants) : If your primary concern is juicing up multiple devices during a prolonged grid failure, heavy-duty 10,000 mAh hand-crank radios (such as various robust online models available via Newegg ) offer massive internal battery storage, though the hand crank and small solar panels on these units should still be viewed as emergency trickle-chargers rather than fast-charging solutions.

If you'd like, let me know:

• Is this for a home emergency kit or a portable go-bag / camping?
• Do you have a budget in mind?

I can narrow down the choice and give you specific feature comparisons.

Best overall: Midland ER310

• Midland ER310 Portable Emergency Crank Weather Radio - $79.99 (MIDLAND)

If you want one emergency radio I’d trust for a home emergency kit, I’d pick the Midland ER310. It combines:

• NOAA weather radio + alerts — including automatic weather alerts, so you don't have to be listening continuously.
• Hand crank + solar + USB charging, plus AA-battery backup.
• USB phone charging from its internal battery.
• Bright flashlight and SOS strobe.
• Good AM/FM/NOAA reception and particularly solid construction. Bob Vila's hands-on testing rated it their best overall hand-crank radio.
• Current price is roughly $80.

One caveat: its battery isn't huge, so think of the phone-charging feature as an emergency top-up, not a replacement for a dedicated power bank. Independent testing found that phone charging consumes a substantial portion of the radio's stored energy.

If phone charging is your top priority

• Raddy SH-906 Emergency Radio - $35.99 (Radioddity)

The Raddy SH-906 is interesting because it has a 10,000 mAh battery, solar + hand-crank + USB-C charging, NOAA/weather coverage, and phone-charging capability, at around $36 in the current listing.

I'd still choose the Midland for a serious emergency kit, because the Midland has a more established track record for weather-radio performance and durability. But I'd choose the Raddy if keeping your phone alive is substantially more important than having the most proven radio.

Best budget choice

• FosPower Emergency Solar Crank Radio - $29.99 (Walmart - SF Planet)

The FosPower A1 is a good inexpensive option around $30, with solar, hand crank, NOAA/AM/FM, flashlight, SOS alarm and a 2,000 mAh power bank.

My ranking:

1. 🥇 Midland ER310 — best combination of reliability, NOAA alerts, durability and backup power.
2. 🥈 Raddy SH-906 — best if phone-charging capacity is the priority.
3. 🥉 FosPower A1 — best inexpensive backup/emergency-kit radio.

Important: Don't count on the little solar panel to rapidly recharge your phone. Solar panels on these radios are primarily useful for slowly maintaining the radio's battery; a fully charged radio or separate power bank is much more useful when you actually need to charge a phone.

If you're willing to spend ~$100, there's also a newer Midland ER310PRO with a 10,000 mAh power bank, which is probably the most compelling option if you want the Midland's emergency-radio credentials and substantially better phone-charging capacity.

Important: Don't count on the little solar panel to rapidly recharge your phone. Solar panels on these radios are primarily useful for slowly maintaining the radio's battery; a fully charged radio or separate power bank is much more useful when you actually need to charge a phone.

Best overall: Midland ER310

• Midland ER310 Emergency Crank Weather Radio - $79.99 (Bass Pro Shops + others)

If you want one emergency radio I'd trust most for a household emergency kit, I'd pick the Midland ER310.

Why it stands out:

• NOAA weather radio + automatic weather alerts — a major advantage over inexpensive radios that merely let you tune into NOAA manually.
• Hand crank + solar + rechargeable battery + AA battery backup, giving you several ways to keep it operating when the power is out.
• USB phone-charging output for emergencies.
• Excellent reception and loud, clear audio; independent testing rated it particularly highly for durability and functionality.
• Built-in flashlight and SOS strobe, plus a headphone jack.
• Current prices are roughly $80, although they vary by retailer.

The biggest caveat: the 2,600 mAh battery isn't huge as a phone power bank. If your priority is charging your phone as much as possible, there are better choices.

Best alternatives

• Midland ER310 - $79.99 (Bass Pro Shops + others)

• FosPower A6 5200mAh - $39.99 (Walmart - SF Planet + others)

• FosPower Emergency Radio - $29.99 (Walmart - SF Planet + others)

• Kaito KA278 - $37.99 (Walmart - Hisonic / Kaito + others)

• Best for phone charging: FosPower A6 — its 5,200 mAh power bank is substantially larger than the Midland's, while retaining solar and hand-crank charging.

• Best inexpensive option: FosPower A1 — around $30–40 and has solar, crank, USB and battery power. The tradeoff is that it doesn't provide automatic NOAA alerts; you have to tune to the weather station yourself.

• Best if you want maximum battery capacity: RunningSnail MD-090P — 4,000 mAh and designed particularly around USB phone charging. Again, it lacks automatic NOAA alerting.

My recommendation

If this is for hurricanes, tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, winter storms, or a general home emergency kit, I'd spend the extra money on the Midland ER310. Automatic NOAA alerts and the ability to fall back to ordinary AA batteries are more valuable to me than having a giant phone-charging battery.

One important distinction: don't assume every radio advertised as a "NOAA weather radio" has NOAA Weather Alert capability. Some simply receive the NOAA weather frequencies; the ER310 can automatically alert you, which is much more useful if you're asleep or not actively monitoring the radio.

If you tell me your budget (e.g. under $40, $60, or $100), I can narrow this down to the best 2–3 current models.

When looking for the best hand-crank and solar-powered emergency weather radio with a built-in phone charger, testing and expert consensus (including top picks from Wirecutter and gear testers) point overwhelmingly to a few standout models.

The top recommendations balance robust battery capacity, clear NOAA weather alert reception, and multiple reliable methods for power generation:

• Why it wins: Widely praised as a top pick for overall preparedness, the Midland ER310 series features crystal-clear NOAA weather band reception, a remarkably loud and consistent alert system, a bright 300-lumen flashlight with ambient reading lamps, and a durable build. The updated PRO version features a strong internal battery and a modern USB-C output port for hooking up small electronics.

• Power flexibility: Hand-crank dynamo, efficient solar panel, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, and options for external USB charging.

• Why it's a favorite: Packing a massive punch for its size, the FosPower A1 features a beefy 7,400mWh (approx. 2,000mAh to 4,000mAh depending on sub-iteration) capacity power bank that outperforms most competitors in actual emergency phone-charging tasks . It includes a solid AM/FM/NOAA tuner, SOS alarm, and a dual-light source (flashlight + reading light).

• Power flexibility: Solar panel, hand crank, built-in rechargeable battery, and backup AAA battery slots so you aren't entirely reliant on hand-cranking if the sun goes down.

• Why it's a favorite: If you want an affordable unit to toss into a car glove box or a secondary Go-Bag, the RunningSnail Go to product viewer dialog for this item. offers incredible value . It features a large capacity battery relative to its low price point, built-in multi-output charging cables, an LED flashlight, and a reading lamp.

• Power flexibility: Solar cell, hand crank, and USB recharge (though note that the solar panel on budget models is quite small and meant mostly as a trickle-charge maintenance tool rather than a fast charger).

A Quick Reality Check on Emergency Phone Charging:

While these radios do feature phone chargers, expert reviewers universally note that the hand-crank and solar panels are emergency backups, not primary power banks. Cranking for 3 to 5 minutes will yield enough juice for a brief emergency phone call or a few minutes of radio, but spinning it up to fully charge a modern smartphone from 0% is physically exhausting. Always keep the internal battery pre-charged via a wall outlet or USB-C source before an emergency strikes.

Are you looking for something compact for a backpack/hiking kit , or a larger, high-capacity unit for home/family emergency storage ? Let me know and I can narrow down the best specific choice.

If you want one emergency weather radio that I’d trust for a hurricane, tornado, or prolonged power outage, I’d buy the Midland ER310.

Midland ER310 Portable Emergency Crank Weather Radio

$79.99

🥇 Best overall: Midland ER310

Why I prefer it:

• NOAA weather radio + automatic weather alerts — important because you don't have to be actively listening to hear a warning.
• Hand crank + solar + USB charging
• 2,600 mAh rechargeable battery
• USB output for charging your phone
• AA-battery backup — a very useful extra layer if the internal battery is depleted.
• AM/FM radio
• Bright flashlight and SOS strobe
• Good reception and particularly solid construction

Independent testing from Bob Vila ranked it best overall after testing seven hand-crank radios, citing its reception, durability, charging options, and phone-charging capability.

Current price: roughly $80 from the listings I found.

Other good choices

FosPower Model D9 4,000mAh

$49.99

RunningSnail MD-090P 4,000mAh

$35.90

Kaito KA500 Voyager

$49.99

Raddy SH-906 10,000mAh

$39.99

The RunningSnail is particularly interesting if your priority is using the radio as a power bank: its 4,000 mAh battery can provide considerably more phone-charging capacity than the Midland. But it requires manually tuning to NOAA broadcasts rather than automatically waking up for an alert.

One important distinction

Don't confuse “NOAA weather radio” with “NOAA weather alert.” Some inexpensive radios receive NOAA broadcasts but won't automatically sound an alarm when a tornado, flash flood, or other warning is issued. For an emergency kit, I'd strongly favor automatic alerts.

My recommendation: Get the Midland ER310 if this is for your home's primary emergency kit. If you specifically want the largest possible battery for keeping phones alive, I'd look at a 4,000–10,000 mAh model instead. Also, treat the radio's phone charger as an emergency trickle charger, not a replacement for a dedicated power bank—crank/solar radios generally aren't efficient enough to repeatedly recharge a modern smartphone.

When it comes to hand-crank and solar-powered emergency weather radios with phone-charging capabilities, the consensus top pick by expert testers (including The New York Times Wirecutter and Outdoor Life ) is the Midland ER310 Go to product viewer dialog for this item. / ER310PRO Go to product viewer dialog for this item..

The top options on the market vary by specific strengths:

• Best Overall: Midland ER310PRO (or ER310)
  • Power Options: Solar panel, hand crank, rechargeable internal lithium-ion battery (2,600 mAh), and backup AA batteries.
  • Phone Charging: Features a standard USB output port to top off smartphones in an emergency.
  • Why it’s the best: Praised by Wirecutter for its exceptional NOAA weather alert clarity, rugged build, bright 130-lumen flashlight with a high/low/SOS strobe setting, and a very efficient hand-crank generator that actually brings a dead battery back to life relatively quickly.
• Best Compact & Budget-Friendly: Midland ER210 Go to product viewer dialog for this item.
  • Power Options: Solar, hand crank, and rechargeable battery.
  • Phone Charging: Standard USB port for emergency device charging.
  • Why it’s a great pick: It offers almost all the core DNA of the ER310 in a smaller, lighter, more packable footprint that works wonderfully for bug-out bags or backpacking kits.
• Best for Durability & Tank-Like Build: Sangean MMR-88 Go to product viewer dialog for this item.
  • Power Options: Hand crank, solar panel, and USB charging input (uses a replaceable 850 mAh Lithium-ion cell).
  • Phone Charging: Emergency DC 5V USB out port.
  • Why it’s a great pick: Reinforced with shock-resistant rubber corners, the MMR-88 is built to take a beating . Sangean is renowned for superior tuner technology, meaning crystal-clear NOAA and AM/FM reception when other cheap radios pull static.
• Best Value / Budget Option: RunningSnail Solar Crank Radio Go to product viewer dialog for this item.
  • Power Options: Solar panel, hand crank, and built-in battery (2000 mAh).
  • Phone Charging: 2000 mAh USB power bank output.
  • Why it’s a great pick: Usually priced under $30, it is a favorite budget backup for casual campers and home emergency drawers, featuring a bright reading lamp and flashlight. (Note: The battery capacity is smaller, so it will only partially charge a modern smartphone).

A Quick Reality Check on Crank/Solar Charging

Keep in mind that hand-cranking a small radio is meant for survival emergencies , not everyday convenience. Cranking for several minutes will usually yield just enough juice for a short weather broadcast or a 5-minute phone call. The built-in solar panels are similarly small and mostly designed to maintain an already-charged internal battery rather than charge a completely dead unit from scratch in an afternoon.

If you'd like to narrow this down, let me know:

• Are you looking for something for a home emergency kit or a portable backpack/bug-out bag?
• Do you need a larger battery capacity (e.g., 5000 mAh+ to get a full phone charge)?

If you want one emergency radio that I’d trust as the primary unit, my pick is the Midland ER310.

Midland ER310 Portable Emergency Crank Weather Radio

$79.99

🥇 Best overall: Midland ER310

It hits the important emergency-radio features without being an overstuffed gadget:

• NOAA weather radio with all 7 weather channels
• Hand-crank + solar + USB + AA-battery power options
• USB phone charging
• Rechargeable internal battery
• AM/FM radio
• Bright flashlight plus SOS beacon
• Well-established radio manufacturer
• Good reputation for reception and durability

Recent 2026 comparisons continue to put the ER310 near the top, particularly for its combination of multiple power sources, NOAA reception, flashlight, and phone charging.

One caveat: the ER310 does not provide the most sophisticated county-specific SAME alerting. If your top priority is having the radio automatically wake you for alerts specifically in your county, a dedicated Midland WR-series alert radio is better—but those aren't as useful as a portable crank/solar phone charger.

🥈 Best value/features: FosPower

FosPower Hand Crank Emergency Radio

$43.99

The FosPower is attractive if you want a larger power bank while keeping the price reasonable. The current model shown has NOAA/weather reception, solar and crank charging, USB-C, flashlight/reading light, SOS, and a 10,000mAh power bank. That's considerably more phone-charging capacity than many traditional emergency radios.

🥉 Best if phone charging is your priority

Raddy SH-908 Emergency Radio

$51.99

The Raddy SH-908 has a 10,000mAh battery, hand crank, solar, USB charging, and weather-band reception. It's a compelling choice if you expect the radio to double as a small power bank.

What I'd buy

One important point: don't choose solely by advertised battery capacity. A lot of inexpensive radios claim 10,000–30,000mAh but aren't necessarily as good at radio reception, alerting, build quality, or actually delivering that capacity to your phone. Community discussions also tend to favor the better-established Midland/Eton/Sangean-type radios over the generic high-capacity models.

For a tornado/power-outage kit, I'd personally spend the extra money on the Midland ER310 and keep a separate 10,000–20,000mAh power bank alongside it. That gives you a much more reliable radio and substantially more phone power than asking one little crank radio to do everything.

The gold standard for a hand-crank and solar-powered emergency weather radio with phone-charging capabilities is the Midland ER310 Go to product viewer dialog for this item. (and its upgraded high-capacity sibling, the Midland ER310PRO Go to product viewer dialog for this item.).

Testing and reviews consistently rank it as a top pick for its reliability, build quality, and multi-source power ecosystem.

Top Recommendation: Midland ER310 / ER310PRO

• Power Sources : 4-way power including a robust rechargeable internal lithium-ion battery, a built-in solar panel, a smooth hand-crank dynamo, and a backup AA battery compartment.
• Phone Charging : Features a standard USB output port to act as an emergency power bank for your smartphone. (Note: Hand-cranks and small solar panels on all emergency radios are designed to trickle-charge enough juice for emergency calls or basic power, rather than fully refueling a modern smartphone battery from 0% to 100%).
• Radio & Alerts : Accesses all 7 NOAA weather band channels with automatic alert standby, plus clear AM/FM reception.
• Extra Features : Includes a bright CREE LED flashlight with a high/low/SOS strobe setting, an ultrasonic dog whistle (for search and rescue teams), and a massive battery runtime.

Alternative Value & Budget Options

A fantastic, lightweight, and budget-friendly alternative that includes AM/FM/NOAA channels, a solar panel, hand-crank, reading light, and a basic built-in power bank.

Highly regarded for its rugged build, reliable reception, and balanced battery-to-size ratio with multiple backup power inputs.

If you'd like, let me know:

• Is this for an at-home emergency kit , a vehicle bin , or backpacking/hiking?
• Do you have a specific budget in mind?

I can help you narrow down the right model for your setup.