Mecha Comet modular Linux handheld gets pre-launch upgrade, coming to Kickstarter in Q3, 2025

The Mecha Comet is a phone-sized modular computer with a small touchscreen display positioned above a modular input area where you can place a QWERTY keyboard, game pad, or other devices.

After making its debut at CES in January, the Mecha Comet has undergone some changes – in a recent live stream the company announced it would upgrade the processor, display, and ports. That's the good news. The less good news is that those updates will make the device more expensive than anticipated and the launch time frame has been pushed back by several months.

Originally expected to sell for $159 and up during crowdfunding, the Mecha Comet is now expected to cost at least 15 percent more (which means it'll start at closer to $182). And the device is now expected to ship to backers in the fourth quarter of 2025, following a Kickstarter campaign set to begin in Q3, 2025.

So what kind of upgrades are we talking about?

Processor: The Mecha Comet will have an NXP i.MX8M Plus chip (up from i.MX8M Mini)

RAM: It'll support up to 8GB of RAM (up from 3GB)

Display: 3.92 inch, 1080 x 1240 pixel AAMOLED, 550 nit display (up from 3.4 inch, 480 x 480 pixel IPS LCD)

Ports: USB 3.0 ports with DisplayPort Alt Mode (up from USB 2.0 without video out)

M.2: The M.2 2230/2242/3042 PCIe connector now supports PCIe 3.0 speeds and supports 4G LTE, 5G, LoRaWan, and AI modules

Battery: There's now a 4,000 mAh battery (up from 3,000 mAh)

Size: The Mecha Comet is now thinner, at 14mm (0.55 inches) instead of 16.5mm (0.7 inches)

The processor upgrade is said to bring a 3X boost in GPU performance, and the handheld also has a few other small updates including the addition of ambient light sensors, support for external antennas, and an updated pogo pin design.

Not all of the updates are about adding or improving something though – one feature has been removed. There's no longer a dedicated Ethernet jack. This is apparently due to the larger M.2 slot and decreased physical dimensions.

The company is already planning to ship the first pre-release units to hardware developers as part of a pilot program to build more modular add-ons or "extensions" for the Mecha Comet and the goal is to ship as many as 100 units to developers by the end of the summer.

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