SpaceX is set to debut a new Starlink Mini dish, a portable and affordable alternative to its current Starlink dish that will feature a compact, lightweight design that can be easily carried in a backpack.
Elon Musk confirmed the imminent release of the Starlink Mini dish via his social media platform X, following the first images of the new dish being posted. According to the post, the Mini dish measures 29×25 cm (11.4×9.8 inches), significantly smaller than the standard V4 Starlink dish, which measures 51×30 cm (20.2×11.9 inches).
Starlink MINI (REV MINI1_PROD2) with built-in WiFi.
— Oleg Kutkov 🇺🇦 (@olegkutkov) June 16, 2024
28.9×24.8 cm (11.4″ x 9.8″) pic.twitter.com/0AQKicaOk4
This reduction in size makes the Mini dish much more portable, making it small enough to “easily” fit in a backpack, according to Musk.
In addition to its compact size, the Starlink Mini dish features an integrated Wi-Fi router, eliminating the need for a separate router attachment. It is also compatible with Starlink mesh, allowing users to pair it wirelessly with another Starlink router to extend coverage.
Musk also shared performance details, posting a speed test showing the Mini dish delivering download speeds of 100 Mbps and upload speeds of 11.5 Mbps, with a latency of 23 milliseconds. Musk explained these results show the Starlink Mini is sufficient for most everyday internet needs, including 4K streaming, casual gaming, and general web browsing.
The Starlink Mini dish is expected to cost about half the price of the current standard dish, which is priced at US$499 following a recent price cut. This suggests a price range of US$250 to US$300 for the Mini dish.
The Starlink Mini dish is slated to roll out to select areas in the coming months. SpaceX has not yet disclosed if there will also be a new, lower monthly subscription fee for the Starlink Mini dish.
About half the price of the standard dish to buy and monthly subscription, but you can still watch multiple 4k video streams simultaneously!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 17, 2024
23ms latency. pic.twitter.com/07bW5WgKKi
