Samsung launched the new Galaxy S23 series at its Galaxy Unpacked event. The new S23 phones look promising and come loaded with power-packed performance upgrades. The new phones boast of a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and see some serious innovation, especially in the camera aspect. Despite so much of goodness, what has left many disappointed, is the absence of Satellite connectivity feature in the new S23 Galaxy phones.
Samsung that calls its new Galaxy S23 series a generational leap over its predecessors has missed out on the Satellite connectivity- a feature that is creating buzz especially after Apple added it to its iPhone 14 series. It is strange to see that Samsung which is known for bringing in top features to its phone as fast as possible, has missed out on Satellite connectivity- a feature that has helped saved several lives especially since iPhone 14 launch.
Qualcomm, at the beginning of this year, announced that all phones coming this year with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 will feature Snapdragon Satellite. With Samsung’s Unpacked event scheduled to launch only couple of weeks after this announcement, many technology experts and enthusiasts predicted that the Galaxy S23 series could come with this feature. The new Galaxy S23 is the flagship lineup of the company and runs Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.
TM Roh, Samsung’s president and head of company’s mobile experience business, in an interview to CNET said that the company will consider incorporating the Satellite Connectivity feature when the time is right and the infrastructure and the technology is ready. He also added that he does not believe that this feature is the “end-all or be-all of the solutions to ensure peace of mind among users.”
Satellite connectivity allows you to place emergency calls or send texts when there is no cellular network available. While the feature has its own share of limitations, it can come handy in several emergency situations and there have been cases wherein it has even helped save lives.
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Satellite was announced at CES 2023 as “world’s first satellite-based two-way capable messaging solution for premium smartphones.” The company said that it will provide global connectivity using mobile messaging from around the world starting with devices based on the flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform. Contrary to Apple’s Satellite Connectivity which is in partnership with Globalstar, Snapdragon Satellite is supported by Iridium Satellite.
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