Phono Solar is the warranty story of our range. On the Australian market, the Quasar and Helios families carry a 30 year residential product warranty, the longest hardware cover on any panel we install. That is not a performance guarantee dressed up, it is the panel itself covered as hardware for three decades, offered through Phono’s exclusive Australian distributor, Supply Partners.
The company has been building modules since 2007 as part of SUMEC Group, a subsidiary of the Fortune 500 corporation Sinomach, and has been a Bloomberg NEF Tier 1 manufacturer since 2014. Phono panels have been sold in Australia since 2010, and EUPD Research has recognised Phono as a Top Brand PV in Australia, including in 2025. The Australian range is specced for here: the Quasar is described as “Cyclone Tested” with “Salt Mist Certification To Level 6”.
Choose Phono when long term cover is your first priority, and especially near the coast. The 30 year Australian residential product warranty on Quasar and Helios outlasts everything else we install, and the salt mist and cyclone testing on the AU range speaks directly to Byron and Northern Rivers conditions. The Quasar’s back contact cells also keep it competitive on looks and heat performance, with the same -0.26 temperature coefficient as AIKO’s NEOSTAR.
We have history with the brand too. Freedom Energy has installed Phono panels for years, and some of the oldest install photos on this site are Phono systems still working away on rural sheds and coastal roofs.
The trade offs
Where the other brands answer back
If outright efficiency is the goal, AIKO’s NEOSTAR goes higher, up to 25.0 percent against the Australian Quasar’s 23.27 percent, which matters on a tight roof. Trina’s Vertex S+ counters with six dual glass formats from a maker founded in 1997, including a low voltage model and higher power bins to 515 W. Phono’s guaranteed end values, 88.5 percent for Quasar and 88.0 percent for Helios at year 30, sit between AIKO’s 88.85 and Trina’s 87.4. None of these are bad numbers, they are just different bets, and we will lay them out for your roof.
Verified specifications
The Australian Phono range
Figures below are from Phono Solar’s Australian pages and datasheets, with Draco figures from the current global datasheets carried on the Australian downloads page.
Specification
Quasar 475 W (AU)
Helios HJT (AU)
Helios Clear (AU)
Draco
Cell technology
N type back contact, zero busbar
N type HJT heterojunction
N type HJT, transparent dual glass
N type TOPCon
Power
475 W
435 W to 440 W
440 W
425 W to 630 W
Module efficiency
Up to 23.27%
Up to 22.53%
Up to 22.02%
21.76% to 23.32%
Temperature coefficient (Pmax)
-0.26% per °C
-0.26% per °C
-0.24% per °C
-0.29% per °C
Product warranty
30 years residential, 25 years commercial
30 years residential, 25 years commercial
30 years residential, 25 years commercial
15 years (global datasheet)
Performance warranty
30 years
30 years
30 years
30 years
Guaranteed at year 30
88.5%
88.0%
88.1%
87.4%
Dual glass
Yes, 2.0mm front, 1.6mm back
Yes, 1.6mm + 1.6mm
Yes, transparent, 1.6mm + 1.6mm
Yes, 2.0mm + 2.0mm, bifacial
Specifications per manufacturer datasheets, July 2026. Subject to change.
The hardware
Quasar up close
Quasar 54 cell back contact module. Image: Phono Solar.
Quasar 475W range. Image: Phono Solar.
Good questions
Phono Solar questions, answered
Is the 30 year product warranty real, or marketing?
It is a published Australian warranty on the residential Quasar and Helios models, offered through Phono’s exclusive Australian distributor Supply Partners, with the warranty document available from the Phono Solar Australia site. It applies to residential installations; commercial installations carry 25 years. The global datasheets state 15 years, so the Australian terms are the ones that count here, and they are the ones we quote.
What is the difference between Quasar, Helios and Draco?
Quasar is the flagship, back contact cells in true black with the best efficiency of the three. Helios uses HJT cells, with a Clear version that has transparent dual glass. Draco is the TOPCon workhorse with the widest power range. All are current N type technology, and the right one depends on your roof and budget.
Does a coastal address void panel warranties?
Some brands restrict installs close to the surf. Phono’s Australian range leans the other way, with salt mist certification stated at the highest severity level and cyclone testing called out on the AU product pages. We confirm the warranty terms for your exact distance from the water as part of the quote.
Have you actually installed Phono before?
Yes, for years. Our install history includes Phono systems on rural and coastal properties that are still producing, and Phono has been in the Australian market since 2010. If you want to talk through real examples, call us on 0420 141 078.
Free quote, no pressure
Price a Phono system for your roof
Thirty year hardware cover, designed and installed by our local team.
Tell us what you are after and we will come back to you within one business day with real numbers for your property. Prefer to talk? Call 0420 141 078.
