One thing to look ahead to: When Apple unveiled the iPhone 14 final fall, its signature function was a satellite-based communication service for emergency calls past the attain of wi-fi networks. At CES this week, Qualcomm introduced plans to carry comparable performance to future Android telephones.

Premium Android smartphones primarily based on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Cellular Platform will acquire entry to a satellite-based two-way messaging system in sure areas beginning within the second half of this 12 months. The corporate made the announcement this week at CES 2023.

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Satellite tv for pc is a response to the Emergency SOS system Apple launched final 12 months for the iPhone 14. Via a community of satellites and floor relay stations Apple helped fund, iPhone 14 customers touring outdoors conventional wi-fi community vary can transmit their places in the event that they grow to be misplaced.

The system works by directing customers to level their telephones towards a satellite tv for pc which can then relay to a floor station and the suitable emergency providers. Emergency SOS is paid, however newly bought iPhones embody a free two-year subscription. It is not clear whether or not customers might want to pay for Snapdragon Satellite tv for pc. T-Cellular introduced an identical function utilizing Starlink final summer season, supporting SMS, MMS, and taking part messaging apps.

Snapdragon Satellite tv for pc will use Snapdragon 5G Modem-RF Programs in live performance with the Iridium satellite tv for pc constellation’s weather-resistant L-band spectrum. Apple’s system makes use of the L and S-band, which ITU Radio Rules designated for cell satellite tv for pc communication. The Qualcomm counterpart will assist 5G Non-Terrestrial Networks as they grow to be obtainable.

Along with emergency providers, Qualcomm intends to make use of Snapdragon Satellite tv for pc for SMS texting and different leisure {and professional} functions, permitting OEMs and third-party builders to construct software program leveraging it. The 2-way communication system will finally come to units apart from smartphones, like tablets, laptops, autos, and IoT units.

Qualcomm revealed Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 final November as a brand new chip platform to energy the most recent flagship Android telephones. The SoC’s 4nm-based Kryo CPU contains a 3.2GHz core, 4 2.8GHz cores, and three 2.0GHz cores. The Adreno GPU helps Vulkan 1.3, OpenGL ES 3.2, OpenCL 2.0 FP, Unreal Engine 5, and hardware-accelerated ray tracing.

At the moment-available fashions with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 embody the Xiaomi 13 collection, Moto X40, and Vivo X90 Professional+, whereas extra are on the best way from Asus, OnePlus, and Sony. Qualcomm hasn’t revealed exactly which telephones would first obtain Snapdragon Satellite tv for pc.