Satellite connectivity is one of those things you hope you never have to use.
Many of the best Android phones and the best iPhones today support satellite communications without extra equipment. While it's cool to send a short text to someone while you're far from any road—and stun your buddies with your mighty smartphone—I think satellite communications were developed mainly for SOS situations.
And at least one person today can say their life was saved thanks to their satellite-enabled Huawei phone.
The Nepal disaster
The Tibet-Nepal disaster that killed almost 1,000 (nearly 5,000 are still missing, per the latest info) is horrible. You've seen the footage.
Countless people are affected, but one man, caught in a bad place, managed to escape all thanks to his smartphone. The survivor even left a message on the social media account of Huawei's Executive Director, Richard Yu.
The user specifically praised the Huawei Mate X5's satellite communication feature, saying it allowed him to stay in contact with the outside world after conventional network connectivity was lost.
This thing saves lives. | Image by YouTube channel ben's gadget reviews
Using satellite communications, the survivor was able to successfully contact a helicopter and was subsequently evacuated to safety. He said the experience made him realize that, when disaster strikes, satellite communication can genuinely save lives.
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When terrestrial networks go down because of a natural disaster, remote location or infrastructure failure, a satellite link can provide a crucial backup route for sending messages and location data. It can give people a way to reach rescuers or family members when conventional service is completely unavailable, which, as you can imagine, makes all the difference in a life-threatening situation.
Which phones to choose?
Satellite connectivity is no longer exclusive to specialized devices, although availability varies by country and carrier. Apple's iPhone 14 and newer models support satellite features such as Emergency SOS, location sharing and, in some markets, messaging.
On Android, Google's Pixel 9 (and later) support Satellite SOS, with availability depending on the market. Samsung has also expanded satellite support to its newer Galaxy S26 series.
Huawei did it first
Huawei introduced satellite connectivity with its 2022 Mate 50 series, making the Mate 50 and Mate 50 Pro the first smartphones to offer the feature.
The phones can send short text messages and use satellite navigation through China's BeiDou network, allowing users to communicate in areas without cellular coverage, including emergencies.
Honestly, how often do you need satellite connectivity?
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Sebastian is one of PhoneArena’s senior opinionators. A veteran news writer with almost 20 years of experience in media and technology, he not only covers all the hot news about Galaxies and iPhones, but often provides hot takes on industry trends. He’s fascinated with camera-focused flagships from the likes of Oppo and Vivo, as well as foldable phones.
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