SpaceX · Starlink · 12 Nov 2026
Starlink Mini 2 vs Mini: thinner, heavier, and finally a battery
SpaceX has announced the Starlink Mini 2, a portable dish with a quick-swap battery that it says lasts up to 4.5 hours. Preorders are open by invitation in the US. Invited buyers have been shown a $999 bundle that includes a year of Roam Unlimited, with shipping expected from mid-December, according to reports of those invitations. Starlink hasn’t announced a price for the dish on its own.
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Introducing Mini 2, the next-generation portable Starlink. Get up to 4.5 hours of connectivity on a single charge with the quick-swap battery, or plug in with USB-C.
— Starlink (@Starlink) November 10, 2026
With built-in Wi-Fi, all you need is a clear view of the sky to get online in 60 seconds.
Preorders are now open by invitation in the US. Be the first to know when it's available
What Starlink announced
Starlink posted the announcement at 12:28 p.m. ET on 10 Nov 2026 (9:28 a.m. PT). The full post says preorders “are now open by invitation in the US,” and it links to starlink.com/mini-2. The headline change is power. The first Mini needed an outside source, and owners bought third-party battery packs to take it off-grid. The Mini 2 has a clip-on 71 Wh pack that comes off without tools, and the dish also runs and charges over 60 W USB-C, according to Starlink’s spec sheet as reported by Notebookcheck and FoneArena. A physical power button replaces the old plug-in-and-go setup. The official Mini 2 page did not return a fetchable spec sheet in this check, so those Mini 2 hardware figures are as reported from that sheet, not copied from a file we could open ourselves.
Mini 2 vs the original Mini
| Mini (official spec sheet) | Mini 2 (spec sheet as reported) | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 11.75 × 10.2 × 1.45 in (298.5 × 259 × 38.5 mm) | 12.36 × 10.35 × 0.91 in (314 × 263 × 23.1 mm) |
| Weight | 2.43 lb dish only; 2.56 lb with kickstand | 3.53 lb (1.6 kg) with battery and kickstand |
| Battery | None built in | 71 Wh quick-swap pack, 1.08 lb, up to 4.5 hours |
| Power input | DC barrel jack (12–48 V, 60 W) | 60 W USB-C (charger and 3 m cable in the box) |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 5, up to 1,200 sq ft | Wi-Fi 6, up to 1,800 sq ft |
| Ethernet | One latching Ethernet LAN port with a Starlink plug | Not confirmed (see below) |
| Weatherproofing | IP67 | IP67 |
| Mounting | Kickstand | Foldable kickstand plus a standard 1/4"-20 tripod thread |
Original Mini figures are from Starlink’s Mini specification sheet (official PDF). Mini 2 figures are from Starlink’s Mini 2 spec sheet as reported by Notebookcheck and FoneArena. The “up to 4.5 hours” runtime is from the @Starlink announcement.
The Mini 2 is 40% thinner, measuring 23.1 mm against the official Mini thickness of 38.5 mm. With the battery and kickstand it is about 0.97 lb heavier than the original Mini with kickstand, roughly 38% more. The battery accounts for the extra weight: without the pack, the dish and kickstand come to about 2.45 lb, close to the old Mini’s 2.56 lb with kickstand. Those percentages and the 2.45 lb figure are my calculations. Divide 71 Wh by 4.5 hours and you get an average draw of about 16 W at Starlink’s best case. That’s also my estimate, and real runtime will depend on weather, obstructions and how much you use it.
What the $999 actually buys
The launch offer is a bundle. According to invitation emails reported by Notebookcheck, buyers pay a refundable $100 deposit now and the remaining $899 plus tax when the dish ships. The price includes the Mini 2 kit, one battery and a year of Roam Unlimited, which Starlink values at $2,100, those reports say. Starlink says the price and the free year are exclusive to the preorder invitation. Notebookcheck also found $249 dish and $50 battery entries in Starlink’s website code a day earlier, apparently tied to a beta program. Starlink hasn’t confirmed either figure, so don’t count on a $249 Mini 2 yet. A standalone hardware price has not been announced.
If you already pay for Roam Unlimited, the bundle is mostly prepaid service with the hardware attached. If you only roam a few weeks a year, the original Mini plus a cheaper Roam plan and a third-party battery could still cost less. This check could not confirm a current standalone Mini kit price from a fetchable Starlink store page, so that comparison is about the service year, not a Mini street price.
Two things to check before you preorder
The first is Ethernet. The official Mini spec sheet gives the original dish one latching Ethernet port. SatelliteInternet.com says the Mini 2 “seems to lack” an Ethernet port. Starlink hasn’t confirmed that, but it matters if you plan to wire in your own router or a mesh system.
The second is flying. The 71 Wh pack is under the FAA’s 100 Wh limit for lithium-ion batteries, which the agency’s PackSafe rules allow in carry-on bags without airline approval. Spare batteries have to go in your carry-on, not checked luggage. A second battery on a trip is easy as long as it stays with you in the cabin. Airlines can set stricter limits, so check with the carrier before you fly.
My read
A built-in battery fixes the biggest complaint about the Mini, which was that you needed a power bank or a car outlet to use the “portable” dish anywhere useful. Wi-Fi 6 and the tripod thread are nice extras. The weight gain is the trade-off, and the price question stays open until Starlink sells the dish without a year of service attached. For now it’s invite-only, US-only and shipping from mid-December. I’ll update this page when Starlink publishes a standalone price or opens orders more widely.
More Starlink coverage: our Starlink page.
— Alex R
Sources: Starlink on X (10 Nov 2026); Starlink, Mini specification sheet (official PDF, for the original Mini); Notebookcheck, Mini 2 specs as reported; Notebookcheck, pricing as reported; FoneArena; SatelliteInternet.com (Ethernet caveat only); FAA PackSafe, lithium batteries. Thickness, weight-delta and average-draw figures are my calculations. Video: Starlink / SpaceX. Hero photo: Wikideas1, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons. Never Electrek.
