Samsung plans to add satellite communications to his Galaxy S23 series, which is due to be unveiled in 2023. Apple added a similar feature to its iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro devices launched in September. It’s intended to allow people to send short text messages to emergency services when there’s no cellular or Wi-Fi coverage.
The iPhone 14’s Satellite Emergency SOS feature was designed specifically for this use case, but The Elec reports that the Samsung version will go even further.
Samsung is using the Iridium network of 66 low-orbit network satellites to send media as well as short text messages. They hope to be able to handle speeds of “hundreds of kbps.”
Apple’s Globalstar satellite network is inconvenient to use because it uses a low-bandwidth connection, which makes it difficult to open up to non-emergency traffic.
Apple has announced that it will keep the emergency SOS feature over satellite for its best iPhones, meaning that users of those devices will not be able to use the service if they are in an area with a lack of cell service. This decision by Apple is likely due to concerns about the potential impact of a satellite outage on customer satisfaction.
Samsung has been teasing the release of their next flagship phone for some time now, and we can probably expect it to be announced around February next year. The Galaxy S23 is set to feature a new design and features that will make it one of the most popular devices on the market.
