A few months ago, Apple brought a breakthrough feature with the iPhone 14 series. The new devices can connect to low Earth orbit satellites spread around the world for emergency communications. Now, it looks like Samsung is set to bring a similar feature to its upcoming high-end Galaxy S23 series smartphones.
According to a new report from ETNews, Samsung is working with Iridium Communications to bring some kind of satellite communication system to the Galaxy S23. Iridium provides voice calling and data communications services through 66 low-orbit satellites, and Samsung has reportedly worked with the company for two years to bring the feature to smartphones. By comparison, Apple is working with Global Star to bring satellite connectivity to the iPhone 14, while Huawei uses Beidou satellites to bring similar functionality to the Mate 50 Pro series.
The report claims that Samsung is working to bring text messaging and low-resolution image sharing to the Galaxy S23 via satellite communications. Due to the nature of satellite connectivity, devices need a large antenna for voice calls and high-speed data transfer, so these features won’t be coming to smartphones anytime soon.
If the South Korean firm manages to bring satellite connectivity with the Galaxy S23, it can proudly be among the few brands that have the feature in their smartphones. However, it remains to be seen how available the feature would be. Apple currently has the Emergency Communication feature enabled only in Canada and the United States.