Starlink opens preorders for Mini 2, a portable dish with a swappable battery

TL;DR: Starlink announced the Mini 2, its next-generation portable dish, on Tuesday and opened preorders. Starlink says it gets up to 4.5 hours of connectivity on a single charge from a quick-swap battery, can also run plugged in over USB-C, has built-in Wi-Fi, and gets online in 60 seconds with a clear view of the sky.

What Starlink announced

In its announcement on X, Starlink called the Mini 2 "the next-generation portable Starlink" and listed the headline features:

• Battery: up to 4.5 hours of connectivity on a single charge, with a quick-swap battery.
• Plug-in power: it can also run from USB-C.
• Wi-Fi: built in, so there's no separate router to carry.
• Setup: online in about 60 seconds, as long as the dish has a clear view of the sky.
• Availability: preorders are open now.

The battery is the big change. The original Mini has no battery of its own, so owners have had to run it from a wall outlet, a vehicle outlet or a third-party power bank.

More details from Starlink's product page

Drive Tesla Canada, citing Starlink's product page, reports these additional details:

| Detail | Reported | |---|---| | Battery | removable, 71 Wh, about 490 g | | Charging | 60 W over USB-C | | Preorders | by invitation, for select US customers | | Wider rollout | "coming soon" to more customers and countries |

What we don't know

Pricing reports don't line up yet. Before the launch, DISHYtech found a $249 "Mini 2 Beta Kit" and a $50 battery in Starlink's website code, while other outlets now report a bundle that includes a year of service. We're leaving price out until Starlink's public pricing settles. Starlink also hasn't said when preorders will open to everyone or which countries come next.

Confirmed by Starlink on X. Battery size, weight, charging wattage and the invite-only rollout are reported by Drive Tesla Canada from Starlink's product page.