A few years ago, Huawei was on the verge of becoming the world leader in the smartphone market. But because of American sanctions which prevent the Chinese group from having access to certain electronic components, it is now fighting for its survival.
In any case, despite these constraints, Huawei has not yet abandoned the smartphone market. And this week, it is even ahead of its competitors, including Apple, on a key technology: satellite communication.
Satellite communication on smartphones: the new revolution after 5G
Today, everything suggests that the smartphone industry will massively adopt this technology, which allows mobiles to communicate (SMS, calls) directly with satellites when they are out of range of traditional telecom networks. Rumors suggest that Apple could introduce this feature during the iPhone 14 keynote. And Google has announced that it will develop Android 14 in such a way that this new version supports satellite communication.
And moreover, in the United States, SpaceX and the operator T-Mobile announced a partnership which will put an end to the white zones in the country of Uncle Sam. Indeed, when the user does not receive the network of T- Mobile, SpaceX satellites will take over. In addition, this feature will be compatible with the majority of smartphones already in use on the US operator’s network.
Huawei is ahead of its competitors
In any case, when it comes to smartphone brands, Huawei is ahead of its competitors.
As the media focused on Apple’s keynote on Tuesday, the Chinese manufacturer lifted the veil on its new flagships, the Huawei Mate 50, Mate 50 Pro and Mate 50 RS.
All three devices use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor, which guarantees excellent performance. On the other hand, Huawei cannot buy 5G chips, so the processor has been modified so that it is limited to 4G.
So while 5G is becoming the industry standard, Huawei’s high-end products can only support 4G. On the other hand, these have a feature that, at the time of this writing, has not yet been announced by any other smartphone manufacturer.
As our colleagues from Android Authority explain, the Mate 50 series supports satellite communication, thanks to the constellation of Chinese Beidou satellites. On the other hand, the functionality would be limited to the sending of text messages and geolocation, which can be useful in the event of an accident in a place not covered by telephone operators.
It is expected that in the coming months other manufacturers will announce similar features for their premium models. Moreover, as mentioned above, it is possible that Apple will equip the iPhone 14 with a satellite communication function. And in a few years, this will certainly be a must-have.
At the moment, Huawei’s Mate 50 series is only available in China. According to Android Authority, the base model of the Mate 50 costs the equivalent of 723 euros, while the base model of the Mate 50 Pro costs the equivalent of 983 euros.
