BYD Battery-Box Premium HVS 12.8 vs SMA Home Storage 16.4
Technical comparison · High voltage
The inverter decides first: BYD declares compatibility with sixteen inverter brands, while the SMA works only with the three-phase Sunny Tripower Smart Energy. Capacity and warranty are manufacturer-declared values and come after that choice.
| Parameter | ||
|---|---|---|
| In brief | ||
| Usable capacity | 12.8 kWh | 16.4 kWh |
| Cell chemistry | LFP (lithium iron phosphate) | LFP (lithium iron phosphate) |
| Weight | 205 kg | 190 kg |
| Dimensions (W×D×H) | 58.5 × 29.8 × 146.1 cm | — |
| How long it lasts | ||
| Battery life cycles | 3010 cicli | 730 cicli |
| The limit that runs out first | energia garantita | anni di garanzia |
| Rated cycles | 3650 cicli | 8000 cicli |
| Capacity at end of cycle life | — | 60 % |
| Warranty | 10 anni | 2 anni |
| Guaranteed throughput | 38.53 MWh | 118.08 MWh |
| Guaranteed remaining capacity | 60 % | 60 % |
| The numbers | ||
| Energy density | 62.4 Wh/kg | 86.3 Wh/kg |
| Identity | ||
| Use tier | F4 — House-sized (8–20 kWh) | F4 — House-sized (8–20 kWh) |
| Category specs | ||
| Depth of discharge | 100 % | 100 % |
| Expandable | Yes | Yes |
| Maximum expanded capacity | 38.4 kWh | 16.4 kWh |
| Battery voltage | 512 V | 480 V |
| Declared compatible inverters | Sedici marchi nell'elenco ufficiale: Fronius, GoodWe, Viessmann, KOSTAL, SMA, Sungrow, GE, KACO, KACO NH, Ingeteam, Solis, Canadian Solar, Deye, Solplanet, Western CO, Sosen. Per ciascun modello l'elenco dà il numero di moduli ammessi e la versione minima del firmware. | Compatibile solo con l'inverter trifase SMA Sunny Tripower Smart Energy, che supporta da 2 a 5 moduli SMA Home Storage: il monofase Sunny Boy Smart Energy arriva al massimo a 4 moduli e non copre questa taglia. Non retrofittabile sui vecchi Sunny Boy Storage (SBS2.5-1VL-10, SBS3.7-10-SBS6.0-10) né con inverter di altri marchi. |
| Round-trip efficiency | 96 % | 94.5 % |
| Standby consumption | — | 10 W |
| Ingress protection | IP55 | IP65 |
| Mounting | Floor standing | Wall mounted |
| Minimum temperature | -10 °C | -10 °C |
| Maximum temperature | 50 °C | 50 °C |
| Works without internet | Fully | — |
| Local control | Local network | — |
| Open protocols | CAN bus | — |
| Remote updates | Can be disabled | Can be disabled |
| App required for setup | Yes | — |
| Declared standards | CE, UN 38.3, IEC 62619, VDE 2510-50 | CE, UN 38.3, IEC 62619, IEC 62477, VDE 2510-50 |
The differences that matter
- Inverters supported: sixteen brands versus the Sunny Tripower Smart Energy only → with the SMA the inverter is chosen together with the battery; with the BYD you can keep the one you have.
- Warranty: 10 years versus 2 → with the SMA the manufacturer's cover ends after the second year.
- Mounting: floor versus wall → the BYD needs floor space, the SMA a free wall.
Which one to choose
Choose BYD Battery-Box Premium HVS 12.8 if…
you already have, or will install, an inverter from BYD's official list (Fronius, Kostal, Sungrow, GoodWe and others) and have floor space for it. You accept 12.8 kWh usable instead of 16.4 and IP55 instead of IP65; in return the declared warranty is 10 years.
Choose SMA Home Storage 16.4 if…
the system has, or will have, the three-phase Sunny Tripower Smart Energy and you want 16.4 kWh usable on a wall, rated IP65. You accept a declared warranty of 2 years against 10, and a hard limit: it cannot be paired with other brands' inverters or with the older Sunny Boy Storage.
Where to buy
The purchase links are the same as on the two product pages and don't influence the verdict. The product pages have the complete data.