---
title: "Maxeon vs Q-Cells - Brand Comparison | ComparePV"
description: "Compare Maxeon vs Q-Cells solar panels: full portfolio, efficiency, cell technology breakdown, warranty terms and company background."
source: "https://comparepv.com/maxeon-vs-q-cells"
---

# Maxeon vs Q-Cells

Q-Cells has the broader catalog (89 vs 36 models). Maxeon leads on peak efficiency at 24.00%. Maxeon leans bifacial (53% of lineup).


## The two companies


| Attribute | Maxeon | Q-Cells |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Country | Singapore | South Korea |
| Headquarters | Singapore | Seoul |
| Founded | 2020 | 1999 |
| Employees |  | 2000+ |
| Annual capacity |  | 11.2 GW/year |
| Tier 1 | yes | yes |
| Listed | NASDAQ: MAXN | NASDAQ: HQCL |
| Website | [https://www.maxeon.com](https://www.maxeon.com) | [https://www.qcells.com](https://www.qcells.com) |

Qcells is a renowned global provider of complete energy solutions, specializing in solar cells and modules, energy storage solutions, downstream project business, and energy retail. The company has a strong heritage dating back to its foundation in Germany and has become a leader in technology innovations. As an...


## Catalog & Power


| Measure | Maxeon | Q-Cells | Margin |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Panel Models | 36 | 89 | +53 |
| Max Power | 555 W | 675 W | +120 W |
| Avg Power | 444 W | 468 W | +25 W |


## Efficiency


| Measure | Maxeon | Q-Cells | Margin |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Max Efficiency | 24.00% | 23.20% | +0.80 pp |
| Avg Efficiency | 21.36% | 21.21% | +0.15 pp |


## Reliability & Warranty


| Measure | Maxeon | Q-Cells | Margin |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Avg Temp Coefficient | -0.294%/°C | -0.325%/°C | +0.031 |
| Bifacial Share | 19 (53%) | 35 (39%) | +13 pp |
| Avg Warranty | 31.4 yrs | 27.0 yrs | +4.4 yr |


## Efficiency distribution

Maxeon skews to higher efficiency: 8% of lineup is 23%+


| Efficiency band | Maxeon | Q-Cells |
| --- | --- | --- |
| \<20% | 7 (19.4%) | 7 (7.9%) |
| 20-21% | 4 (11.1%) | 29 (32.6%) |
| 21-22% | 8 (22.2%) | 30 (33.7%) |
| 22-23% | 14 (38.9%) | 21 (23.6%) |
| 23%+ | 3 (8.3%) | 2 (2.2%) |


## Power distribution

Q-Cells offers more 600W+ panels (19% of lineup)


| Power band | Maxeon | Q-Cells |
| --- | --- | --- |
| \<400W | 7 (19.4%) | 20 (22.5%) |
| 400-499W | 17 (47.2%) | 41 (46.1%) |
| 500-599W | 12 (33.3%) | 11 (12.4%) |
| 600-699W | 0 | 17 (19.1%) |


## Cell technology

Dominant cell tech: **Back Contact** (42%)

Dominant cell tech: **PERC** (43%)


| Technology | Maxeon | Q-Cells |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Back Contact | 15 (41.7%) | 0 |
| TOPCon | 12 (33.3%) | 8 (9.0%) |
| PERC | 7 (19.4%) | 38 (42.7%) |
| Flexible | 2 (5.6%) | 0 |
| N-type | 0 | 23 (25.8%) |
| Unknown | 0 | 20 (22.5%) |


## Top panels, Maxeon


| # | Model | Power | Efficiency | Temp. coefficient | Technology |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [SPR-P7-555-COM-S](https://comparepv.com/panel/maxeon-spr-p7-555-com-s) | 555 | 22.7 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 2 | [SPR-P7-550-COM-S](https://comparepv.com/panel/maxeon-spr-p7-550-com-s) | 550 | 22.5 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 3 | [SPR-P7-545-COM-S](https://comparepv.com/panel/maxeon-spr-p7-545-com-s) | 545 | 22.3 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 4 | [SPR-P7-540-COM-S](https://comparepv.com/panel/maxeon-spr-p7-540-com-s) | 540 | 22.1 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 5 | [SPR-P7-535-COM-S](https://comparepv.com/panel/maxeon-spr-p7-535-com-s) | 535 | 21.9 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 6 | [SPR-P7-530-COM-S](https://comparepv.com/panel/maxeon-spr-p7-530-com-s) | 530 | 21.7 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 7 | [SPR-P6-525-UPP](https://comparepv.com/panel/maxeon-spr-p6-525-upp) | 525 | 20.2 | -0.340 | Monocrystalline |
| 8 | [SPR-P6-520-UPP](https://comparepv.com/panel/maxeon-spr-p6-520-upp) | 520 | 20.0 | -0.340 | Monocrystalline |
| 9 | [SPR-P6-515-UPP](https://comparepv.com/panel/maxeon-spr-p6-515-upp) | 515 | 19.8 | -0.340 | Monocrystalline |
| 10 | [SPR-P6-510-UPP](https://comparepv.com/panel/maxeon-spr-p6-510-upp) | 510 | 19.6 | -0.340 | Monocrystalline |


## Top panels, Q-Cells


| # | Model | Power | Efficiency | Temp. coefficient | Technology |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [Q.PEAK DUO ML-G12S.3 / BFG 675](https://comparepv.com/panel/q-cells-q-peak-duo-ml-g12s-3-bfg-675) | 675 | 21.7 | -0.340 | Monocrystalline |
| 2 | [Q.PEAK DUO ML-G12S.3 / BFG 670](https://comparepv.com/panel/q-cells-q-peak-duo-ml-g12s-3-bfg-670) | 670 | 21.6 | -0.340 | Monocrystalline |
| 3 | [Q.PEAK DUO ML-G12S.3 / BFG 665](https://comparepv.com/panel/q-cells-q-peak-duo-ml-g12s-3-bfg-665) | 665 | 21.4 | -0.340 | Monocrystalline |
| 4 | [Q.PEAK DUO ML-G12S.3 / BFG 660](https://comparepv.com/panel/q-cells-q-peak-duo-ml-g12s-3-bfg-660) | 660 | 21.2 | -0.340 | Monocrystalline |
| 5 | [Q.PEAK DUO ML-G12S.3 / BFG 655](https://comparepv.com/panel/q-cells-q-peak-duo-ml-g12s-3-bfg-655) | 655 | 21.1 | -0.340 | Monocrystalline |
| 6 | [Q.PEAK DUO ML-G12S.3 / BFG 650](https://comparepv.com/panel/q-cells-q-peak-duo-ml-g12s-3-bfg-650) | 650 | 20.9 | -0.340 | Monocrystalline |
| 7 | [Q.TRON XL-G2.3 / BFG 645](https://comparepv.com/panel/q-cells-q-tron-xl-g2-3-bfg-645) | 645 | 23.1 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 8 | [Q.TRON XL-G2.3 / BFG 640](https://comparepv.com/panel/q-cells-q-tron-xl-g2-3-bfg-640) | 640 | 22.9 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 9 | [Q.TRON XL-G2.3 / BFG 635](https://comparepv.com/panel/hanwha-q-cells-america-inc-q-tron-xl-g2-3-bfg-635) | 635 | 22.7 | -0.300 | Monocrystalline |
| 10 | [Q.TRON XL-G2.3 / BFG 630](https://comparepv.com/panel/hanwha-q-cells-america-inc-q-tron-xl-g2-3-bfg-630) | 630 | 22.6 | -0.300 | Monocrystalline |


## Summary

Maxeon Solar Technologies is a Singapore-headquartered manufacturer spun out of the American firm SunPower in 2020, carrying more than 40 years of accumulated cell-engineering history into its independent structure. It holds Tier 1 status, qualifying it as bankable for project finance. Q-Cells - trading today as Hanwha Q CELLS - has older and deeper institutional roots: the brand was founded in Germany in 1999 and acquired in 2012 by South Korea's Hanwha Group, a conglomerate with reported assets exceeding $150 billion. Hanwha Q CELLS also holds Bloomberg Tier 1 designation and benefits from the backing of one of Asia's largest industrial groups. On institutional footprint, Hanwha Q CELLS holds the edge, supported by a diversified global manufacturing base and a U.S. factory in Dalton, Georgia that is described by multiple industry sources as the largest solar manufacturing facility in the Western Hemisphere.

Maxeon's product line is built around its proprietary IBC (interdigitated back-contact) cell architecture, which places all electrical contacts on the rear of the cell to minimize shading losses and push panel efficiency to around 22.8% on commercial models. This positions Maxeon firmly in the premium residential and light-commercial segment, backed by a 40-year product warranty - the longest available in the industry. Hanwha Q CELLS covers a wider range: its Q.PEAK DUO series uses Q.ANTUM NEO technology, a passivated-contact approach comparable to TOPCon, reaching reported efficiencies up to 22.5%. Its broader catalog spans value-conscious residential rooftops, commercial installations, and utility-scale ground mounts, at pricing that is typically 15-20% below Maxeon on a per-watt basis.

For most residential buyers in 2025, Q-Cells represents the stronger default choice: it delivers efficiency figures within a few percentage points of Maxeon's best, carries credible Tier 1 bankability backed by a major industrial conglomerate, and comes in well below Maxeon's price point. Maxeon remains the right call for buyers with severely space-constrained rooftops, an unusually long investment horizon, or a strong preference for the industry's most comprehensive warranty coverage.

\---LINKS---

\- https://www.energysage.com/solar/best-solar-panels-complete-ranking/maxeon-solar-panel-review/ \| Maxeon Solar Panel Review - Top Tier and Top Dollar \| review

\- https://www.energysage.com/solar/best-solar-panels-complete-ranking/q-cells-solar-panels-complete-review/ \| Q CELLS Solar Panels - The Complete Review \| review

\- https://www.solarreviews.com/blog/maxeon-solar-panels-expert-review \| Expert Review of Maxeon Solar Panels - SolarReviews \| review

\- https://www.solarreviews.com/blog/hanwha-q-cells-solar-panels-complete-review \| Expert Review of Qcells Solar Panels for 2025 - SolarReviews \| review

\- https://www.pv-magazine.com/2024/11/27/maxeon-solar-pivots-business-to-focus-exclusively-on-u-s-market/ \| Maxeon Solar pivots business to focus exclusively on U.S. market \| article

Sources:

\- \[Maxeon Solar Panel Review - EnergySage\](https://www.energysage.com/solar/best-solar-panels-complete-ranking/maxeon-solar-panel-review/)

\- \[Q CELLS Solar Panels - EnergySage\](https://www.energysage.com/solar/best-solar-panels-complete-ranking/q-cells-solar-panels-complete-review/)

\- \[Expert Review of Maxeon Solar Panels - SolarReviews\](https://www.solarreviews.com/blog/maxeon-solar-panels-expert-review)

\- \[Expert Review of Qcells Solar Panels - SolarReviews\](https://www.solarreviews.com/blog/hanwha-q-cells-solar-panels-complete-review)

\- \[Maxeon Solar pivots to focus exclusively on U.S. market - PV Magazine\](https://www.pv-magazine.com/2024/11/27/maxeon-solar-pivots-business-to-focus-exclusively-on-u-s-market/)

Written by claude-sonnet from the figures above.


## Other comparisons

- [Maxeon vs A.B. Energy](https://comparepv.com/maxeon-vs-a-b-energy)
- [AE Solar vs Q-Cells](https://comparepv.com/ae-solar-vs-q-cells)
- [Maxeon vs AEET](https://comparepv.com/maxeon-vs-aeet)
- [AIKO vs Q-Cells](https://comparepv.com/aiko-vs-q-cells)
- [Maxeon vs AKCOME](https://comparepv.com/maxeon-vs-akcome)
- [ARTsolar vs Q-Cells](https://comparepv.com/artsolar-vs-q-cells)


---

Source: https://comparepv.com/maxeon-vs-q-cells

Not in this file, on the page: the distributions above drawn as charts.