The Samsung Galaxy S24 seems almost certain to get satellite comms
Following the iPhone's footsteps
The Samsung Galaxy S24 phones are expected to show up sometime in January or February, and it would seem that satellite connectivity – similar to that available on the iPhone – will be one of the new features we get.
As reported by SamMobile, Samsung exec Park Yong-in confirmed that the company would start supporting two-way satellite connectivity for emergencies on its devices next year. The Galaxy S24 wasn't mentioned by name, but it's not a huge leap to assume that the flagship Samsung phones for 2024 are going to get these capabilities.
Both the iPhone 14 and the iPhone 15 offer the ability to send distress signals via satellite networks, if there's no cellular connectivity. The service has gradually been expanded to cover more and more countries, and has already saved lives.
It was actually something of a surprise that the feature didn't appear on the Samsung Galaxy S23, because that was certainly the way the rumors were pointing. This time around, it looks almost certain that Samsung will launch the feature, but we'll have to wait until 2024 to know for sure.
The rumors so far
We've already heard plenty about what the Samsung Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24 Plus, and Galaxy S24 Ultra might bring with them. In line with current trends, we're expecting these phones to pack in a lot of AI-enabled smarts.
Unofficial renders of the phones have made their way online too, suggesting that we're not going to see too many tweaks in terms of the physical appearance of these handsets – so a lot of the improvements are going to be on the inside. However, a switch to titanium for part of the casing has been mentioned.
As usual, it would appear that the top-end Ultra model is going to have the most significant upgrades. Various predictions have been made about what kind of rear camera system it might carry, and it sounds as though it might seriously challenge the iPhone 15 Pro Max and Google Pixel 8 Pro in that department.
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Most rumors are pointing towards a Galaxy S24 launch sometime in January, with a new Samsung Galaxy Ring unveiled at the same time. If the leaks around these phones continue at the same pace, we'll know almost everything about them by then.
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Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.