Samsung’s latest smartphones series, the Galaxy S23 series, does not arrive with ready support for cellular-to-satellite connectivity. While this has been the case for all smartphones since their inception, until last year when Apple turned the tables, hopes have been high that this is the year we get to finally see it happen on a wider scale.
Apple and the emergency SOS via satellite functionality built into its latest iPhones, the iPhone 14 series, that kicks in during emergency scenarios when a regular cellular signal is missing remains the best example available of mainstream cellular-to-satellite communication around.
And there’s been a good reason why that anticipation has built up recently, especially in the runup to the unveiling of Samsung’s flagship smartphone series and after its launch.
You see, early in the year at CES, at least 4 weeks before we got to see the Galaxy S23 series, Qualcomm made an interesting announcement: it was partnering with satellite network provider Iridium to allow users of devices with its latest chipset to access two-way communication via satellite on-demand.
Dubbed Snapdragon Satellite, the two-way cellular-to-satellite and vice-versa communication, a first in the world on a smartphone, would take advantage of the Snapdragon 5G Modem-RF that is part of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset (it’s why chipsets are called SoCs – systems on a chip; there’s more than the central processor, there are modems, graphics cards, etc, all integrated together tightly) to offer the said satellite communication.
Now, with the Galaxy S23 series, Samsung Mobile, for the first time, ditched the Exynos chipsets made by its Samsung Semiconductor sibling, in favour of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon. The company is said to be looking at returning to the Exynos lineup for some of its devices as early as next year with the Galaxy S24 series.
So, since the chipset that powers the Galaxy S23 series allows for satellite communication, it is a no-brainer that the series would automatically support satellite communication, right? Well, things aren’t so straightforward, according to the head of Samsung’s Mobile Experience division, TM Roh.
“When there is the right timing, infrastructure and the technology [is] ready, then of course for Samsung Galaxy, for our mobile division, we would also actively consider adopting this feature as well,” Roh is quoted saying in an interview with tech publication CNET.
At CES, Qualcomm had promised that this is the year we get to see satellite communication on smartphones take off. There’s definitely no better takeoff vehicle for “new” technology than Samsung, especially in Androidland, is there?
“Emergency messaging on Snapdragon Satellite is planned to be available on next-generation smartphones, launched in select regions starting in the second half of 2023,” Qualcomm said at the time.
While things have gone that way for satellite communications on Android smartphones, there’s still a lot of time in the year for Qualcomm to push for the adoption of Snapdragon Satellite by other devices. The service, after all, can be integrated into laptops, tablets, cars and IoT devices so the options are many.
What we will have to wait longer to see is which Android device maker and, especially, which smartphone, will be the first to get satellite connectivity. Given that a number of smartphone makers are bound to include the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in their devices, the wait may not be long.
