The assessment
How it scores, by category
Market position
The data
All-in-one energy system
Presents storage and power conversion as one integrated product or product platform.
- Product role
- Battery modules, inverter functions and controls are packaged as one purchasing architecture.
- Published range
- 13.99–27.98 kWh
- Phase
- Single phase
- Backup boundary
- Installation-specific
What the documents establish
Published evidence, source-reviewed non-disclosure and unresolved questions remain separate from the product score.
Usable capacity
Stated depth of discharge: 100%. Published usable energy: 13.99 kWh in the scored configuration. These values may have different measurement conditions.13.99 kWh usableScored configuration: SMILE-M5-S-INV with one SMILE-M-BAT-13.9P. Published range 13.99–27.98 kWh.
The stated depth of discharge and published usable energy can have different test conditions or configuration limits. They do not by themselves establish nominal capacity or a reserve that is always inaccessible. Delivered AC energy and runtime also depend on the inverter, settings and loads.
The score uses one current 13.99 kWh battery module, not the largest supported stack.
Usable capacity sourceDepth-of-discharge sourceCapacity guarantee: minimum retained at year 10
No year-by-year capacity schedule is published for this product - the manufacturer guarantees only this end-of-term minimum, not a specific decline curve. Capacity figure based on the sourced usable capacity of the base configuration; modular systems scale with additional modules.
Blackout protection
68 / 100#30 of 90 batteriesWhole-home, seamless (<20ms)
The blackout score is a standalone benchmark of outage resilience only - it re-weights sourced specs already scored in this product’s pillars (backup tier, switchover, surge strength, backup power, off-grid recharge) and never affects the overall score. Dots show the full battery fleet; the marker is this product.
Verification & sources
Market context
Global evidencechange in the site menu
Global benchmark. This scorecard is benchmarked globally. A global score does not imply local availability, certification, warranty coverage, or installer compatibility.
Benchmark anchor. The score uses one current 13.99 kWh battery module, not the largest supported stack. Scored model: SMILE-M5-S-INV with one SMILE-M-BAT-13.9P · checked 2026-07-31. Evidence.
Sources & references · checked 2026-09-01
Strong evidence coverage
21 of 21 scored criteria link directly to a published source.
Values marked estimated, derived, or not found remain visible on the audit sheet and do not carry the same evidential weight as a linked source. Coverage measures direct links, not an independent guarantee that a claim is correct.
How far the evidence reaches
- OutputManufacturer claim4 rows in the rings3 design facts beside the rings
- EnduranceWarranty terms: the maker's commitment4 warranty terms beside the rings
- SafetyCertified or regulator-listed1 of 4 rows in the rings beyond claim1 design fact beside the rings
- BackingManufacturer claim1 row in the rings1 warranty term beside the rings
- FitManufacturer claim1 row in the rings2 design facts beside the rings
- FootprintNot assessed for batteries
Rings, outside in: manufacturer claim, certified or regulator-listed, third-party source. The centre is review.solar's own measurement, empty for every product today. Warranty terms and design facts that rest on the maker's own word are counted beside the rings; a reviewed absence, or one that reaches beyond the maker's claim, stays in them. How the evidence puzzle works
Record revision. AlphaESS Australia SMILE-M5-S current product page, datasheet and warranty reviewed 2026-07-31. First-market US and DE overlay review 2026-09-01: official regional catalogues recorded; Australian overlays and scores unchanged.
- Sourced valuesData card →
- Warranty summary10-year product warranty →
Show 3 more
- Warranty assuranceWarranty ↗
- Backup switching speedManufacturer ↗
- Safety certificationManufacturer ↗
Help strengthen this record
These are published evidence gaps, not private submissions. A source is reviewed under the same methodology whether it comes from a reader, installer or manufacturer.
- Cell provenance & traceabilityNot stated in reviewed documentsThe public documents reviewed for this record do not state this value. A published or independent source is requested.Offer a source
Product record history
1 change to this record · 19 products changed in this update
Cell provenance & traceability: Evidence status
- Before
- sourced
- After
- reviewed_absence
1 change to this record · 4 products changed in this update
Safety certification: Evidence sources
- Before
- https://alphaess.au/products/smile-m5
- After
- https://alphaess.au/products/smile-m5; https://cer.gov.au/document/cec-approved-solar-batteries-0
9 changes to this record · 152 products changed in this update
US Support Note
- Before
- Not previously recorded
- After
- No official United States catalogue names SMILE-M5-S-INV. SMILE-M10 and SMILE-G3 are different identities and are not transferred.
DE Evidence sources
- Before
- Not previously recorded
- After
- https://alphaess.au/products/smile-m5; https://www.alphaess.de/pages/smile-g3
Source revision
- Before
- AlphaESS Australia SMILE-M5-S current product page, datasheet and warranty reviewed 2026-07-31
- After
- AlphaESS Australia SMILE-M5-S current product page, datasheet and warranty reviewed 2026-07-31. First-market US and DE overlay review 2026-09-01: official regional catalogues recorded; Australian overlays and scores unchanged.
US Evidence sources
- Before
- Not previously recorded
- After
- https://alphaess.au/products/smile-m5; https://www.alphaess.com/us/products/smile-g3
DE Support Note
- Before
- Not previously recorded
- After
- The German AlphaESS storefront does not name SMILE-M5-S-INV. SMILE-M10 and SMILE-G3 are not transferred.
8 changes to this record · 78 products changed in this update
State
- Before
- Not previously recorded
- After
- reviewed_absence
Evidence sources
- Before
- Not previously recorded
- After
- https://alphaess.au/products/smile-m5
Confidence
- Before
- Not previously recorded
- After
- high
Value
- Before
- Not previously recorded
- After
- Reviewed 2026-08-25: no exact-product cycle-life result to exactly 70% retained capacity was established in the reviewed primary source set. Warranty limits and other or unstated endpoints are not converted. This is a scoped reviewed absence.
Value
- Before
- Not previously recorded
- After
- Reviewed 2026-08-25: no exact-product battery/DC round-trip efficiency with a complete measurement boundary was established in the reviewed primary source set. This is a scoped reviewed absence, not proof that the value has never been measured.
Evidence sources
- Before
- Not previously recorded
- After
- https://alphaess.au/products/smile-m5
State
- Before
- Not previously recorded
- After
- reviewed_absence
Confidence
- Before
- Not previously recorded
- After
- high
This is review.solar's publication history. It does not claim the product changed on the recorded date, and it excludes compatibility, system pairing, installation suitability and relative leaderboard prose. Open the complete JSON record.
Evidence timeline
Recorded verification events for this scorecard. These are evidence checks, not historical score snapshots.
- Core scorecard evidence checked
- US market evidence checked
- DE market evidence checked
- AU market evidence checked
- Plain-language warranty summary checked
- Series benchmark evidence checked
Scored by Solar Analytica Research
Further reading from Findings
Stay across the benchmark.
New scorecards, score changes and market signals, published as they happen.
Our reading
Smile M5 scores 63, placing 40 of 76 in the Performance & Value class against a class average of 63.6. Its strongest scoring dimension is capacity & usability (90), running 5.7 points above the class average on this dimension. Energy Ecosystem (52) is the dimension with the most room to move. Key specifications: LFP, 5.0 kW continuous output.
Dietreich Farquharson · review.solar