Starlink Mini 2 Gets a Swappable Battery and a $999 Price Tag

Starlink Mini 2 is SpaceX's second-generation portable satellite dish, and its headline feature is a removable battery that runs it for up to 4.5 hours without a power bank. SpaceX announced it on Nov. 10, 2026, with invitation-only US preorders at $999 plus tax, a price that includes 12 months of Roam Unlimited service and is far above what the first Mini costs today.

"Get up to 4.5 hours of connectivity on a single charge with the quick-swap battery, or plug in with USB-C," Starlink said in its announcement on X. The company adds that the built-in Wi-Fi gets you online in about 60 seconds once the dish has a clear view of the sky. For now, preorders are open "by invitation for select US customers," with more customers and countries listed as "coming soon."

What Does Starlink Mini 2 Change?

The big change is power. The original Mini always needed an outside source, such as a car socket, a wall outlet or a third-party power bank. Mini 2 clips a 71 Wh battery (watt-hours, a measure of how much energy it stores) onto its back. The pack weighs about 490 grams (1.08 pounds), has its own LED charge lights and USB-C port, and comes off without tools, so you can carry a charged spare and swap it in. The official product page also lists USB-C power output of up to 60 W and says you can stay online while the battery charges.

Charging runs at 60 W over USB-C Power Delivery, and the official Starlink Mini 2 page says the box includes a 60 W wall adapter and a 3-meter USB-C cable. You can also skip the battery and run the dish from USB-C directly. A physical power button replaces the old plug-in-and-go setup.

The rest of the hardware moves forward too. The router jumps from Wi-Fi 5 to Wi-Fi 6, with coverage of up to 1,800 square feet instead of 1,200. The dish is thinner at 23.1 mm, with official dimensions of 263 x 314 x 23.1 mm, against 38.5 mm thick for the first model, but the battery makes it heavier: 1.6 kg (3.53 pounds) with the pack and kickstand, compared with about 1.16 kg for the original with its kickstand. It keeps an IP67 dust and water rating, adds a standard 1/4-inch tripod thread and has a 110-degree field of view, the same official figure as the first Mini. Based on product images, it also appears to have no Ethernet port.

Spec	Starlink Mini	Starlink Mini 2
Battery	None (external power)	Removable 71 Wh, up to 4.5 hours
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 5, 1,200 sq ft	Wi-Fi 6, 1,800 sq ft
Thickness	38.5 mm	23.1 mm
Weight with kickstand	About 1.16 kg	1.6 kg (with battery)
Field of view	110 degrees	110 degrees
Rating	IP67	IP67
Price	Now as low as $149	$999 preorder with 1 year of Roam Unlimited

Why Is the Starlink Mini 2 Price So High?

The official product page confirms that the first year of service is included, but it does not list a hardware price. The $999 figure comes from preorder emails sent to invited users, reported by PCMag, rather than a public price list. Buyers pay a refundable $100 deposit now and the remaining $899 plus tax when the dish ships, with shipments estimated to start in mid-December. SpaceX values the bundled year of Roam Unlimited at $2,100 and says the price and included service are exclusive to this preorder invitation.

That framing matters. Roam is the plan you need anyway to use a Mini in the US, and it covers unlimited data, use in motion at up to 100 mph and trips abroad of up to 30 days at a time. If you were going to pay for a year of Roam regardless, the bundle looks a lot less painful. If you only want the hardware, it is a steep jump: the first Mini launched by invitation at $599 in 2024 and now sells for as little as $149.

There may be a cheaper path later. A day before the launch, the YouTube channel DISHYtech spotted code on Starlink.com that referenced a $249 "Mini 2 Beta" price and a $50 spare battery. SpaceX has not confirmed either number, so treat them as hints, not prices.

Who Should Wait?

In our view, the battery fixes the single most common complaint about the Mini, but 4.5 hours is a work session or an evening at camp, not a weekend off the grid. A firmware leak from July suggested the new dish transmits far less often to save power, which could mean slower uploads. SpaceX has not confirmed that, and real-world tests will tell. If you already understand how Starlink works and mostly use it from a vehicle's power supply, the discounted first Mini is still the cheaper buy.

Here is a quick checklist before you place a deposit:

• Do you need power-free setups, such as hikes, beaches or job sites, or will the dish sit near an outlet?
• Would you pay for a year of Roam Unlimited anyway? If yes, the bundle math works better.
• Do you upload large files in the field? Wait for speed tests first.
• Do you need a wired connection? Mini 2 appears to drop Ethernet.

The relative test is simple. If a friend asked whether to buy the original Starlink Mini at $149 or Mini 2 at $999, the answer for most people today is the older dish plus a power bank, unless the year of service was already in their budget.

The launch also fits SpaceX's wider push to grow the network, after Elon Musk said Starlink capacity could grow 100 times in two to three years. More portable dishes only make sense if the satellites above can carry the extra traffic.