Unless you can plug it in all the time I'd lean toward a real GPS, today's smartphone generally have horrible battery life with their huge colorful displays.
That's a good thought. My usage is mostly for day hikes and I do have backup battery and a solar charger so not normally a big concern. Plus I can turn off the phone features and still have GPS functionality.
But you're right, on a multi-day trip I would want a standalone with replaceable batteries.
And of course you need sun. My thought was that if I were to get lost for some reason it would more likely be on a cloudy/rainy day rather than a nice sunny day figuring that a unexpected storm would probably a factor in getting lost which seems to be common.
Basically my thought was standalone GPS with replaceable batteries and spare batteries. A whole pack of AA's, rechargeable or not, still costs less than one spare lithium ion or battery pack for a phone or a solar panel and doesn't require sun or loose capacity over time.
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