Smaller dish. Less power.
SpaceX just dropped Starlink V5. The satellite internet kit arrived with a lighter footprint and a hungrier appetite for efficiency. Not speed. That actually went down.
Downloads are sitting at 375+ Mbps now. Previously? 400+Mbps. Don’t hold your breath for raw throughput.
The tradeoff is physical. V5 is tiny compared to the V4 beast from 2023.
V4 dimensions: 594 x 483 x 39 mm.
V5 dimensions: 384 x 506 x 434 mm.
Weight? The new unit clocks in at a paltry 1. kg. The old one sat heavy at nearly three times that: 2.9 kg.
Power consumption gets a massive haircut too. Where V4 drained an average of 0-0 W, the V5 sips efficiently between 5-0 W.
The hardware upgrade isn’t just aesthetic, it’s practical.
V5 launches in select U.S areas today. Where? Nobody knows yet. SpaceX says it will expand as production scales.
Can’t take it camping in the backseat yet.
This kit isn’t built for in-motion use. You have to wait for the Starlink Mini for that. Elon Musk did a brief demo in June but until then? Keep the truck parked.
We’ll see where it goes from here.
