- A leaker has published details of the upcoming Starlink Mini 2
- The satellite dish may have a built-in battery to eliminate cable clutter
- But it could come at the cost of lower internet speeds
The Starlink Mini is a small-scale satellite dish that lets you connect to the internet on your travels, but at more than two years old, it might be time for some upgrades. That seems to be exactly what’s happening according to a fresh leak, which has spilled the beans on a number of key specs regarding the upcoming Starlink Mini 2.
As posted by electronics engineer Oleg Kutkov on X, the Starlink Mini 2 has entered production and will come with some significant changes compared to its predecessor. That could make for a potentially very different experience if you’re used to what the original Starlink Mini has to offer.
According to Kutkov, the Starlink Mini 2 will clock in at a slightly smaller size, with its measurements dropping from 236 x 276mm to 225 x 273mm. If that’s correct, that will help make it more portable when you’re on the go, even if only slightly.
But the big change comes to the duty cycle, which governs how often the device’s signal is in operation. Kutkov says this cycle is dropping from the Starlink Mini’s 75% to a mere 11%, which could “result in lower uplink speeds,” the leaker believes. “This limitation is most likely driven by the terminal’s power budget,” they added.
Speaking of which, an image posted by Kutkov claimed that the Starlink Mini 2 will come with a built-in battery. The original Mini uses an external battery, but by incorporating this into the body of the Mini 2, Starlink will be able to reduce the clutter associated with its new satellite dish and enable you to use it without any attached power banks or wires.
What it means for you
The “lower uplink speeds” cited by Kutkov will likely be disappointing news to Starlink users who are thinking of upgrading to the Mini 2, especially if they need higher internet speeds for home or business use. What those new speeds could actually be is a mystery for the time being.
The switch to a built-in battery is also worth noting, and could be particularly handy if fiddling around with battery cables would be difficult for your setup. When you’re out in the wilderness struggling for a wireless signal, the last thing you want to worry about is keeping a battery connected to your satellite dish.
The direct link between the built-in battery and the lowered duty cycle, as pointed to by Kutkov, is interesting as it implies that Starlink felt it was preferable to get a cable-free experience rather than faster internet speeds. We’ll have to see how users respond to that decision.
Right now, there’s no pricing or launch date for the Mini 2, either officially from Starlink or unofficially via Kutkov’s leaks. But the claim from Kutkov that the device is “finally entering production” suggests that we might not be too far away from an announcement.
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