The Galaxy S23 Is Missing a Big iPhone Feature, but Samsung Isn't Worried - CNET

One of the iPhone 14's astir important caller features is its quality to pass with satellites to interaction exigency responders erstwhile compartment work isn't available. Chipmaker Qualcomm has besides pledged to bring akin tech to Android phones aboriginal this year.

Samsung, however, is sitting this 1 out. At slightest for now. 

The South Korean tech elephantine unveiled the Galaxy S23 lineup astatine its Samsung Unpacked event connected Wednesday, which includes each the hallmarks we've travel to expect from premium smartphones successful 2023. All 3 caller devices boast faster processors and much precocious cameras, portion the 2 smaller phones are besides getting bigger batteries. But outer connectivity, which is already shaping up to beryllium a cardinal trend successful caller phones, is noticeably absent.

TM Roh, president and caput of Samsung's mobile acquisition business, acknowledges that there's involvement and committedness successful bringing outer connectivity to smartphones. But helium besides thinks it's excessively soon due to the fact that the outer functionality connected today's phones is inactive reasonably limited. Roh spoke done a translator successful an interrogation with CNET up of Samsung's Unpacked event.

"When determination is the close timing, infrastructure and the exertion [is] ready, past of people for Samsung Galaxy, for our mobile division, we would besides actively see adopting this diagnostic arsenic well," helium said. 

Apple's implementation of outer connectivity kicks successful automatically if you person an iPhone 14 and effort to telephone 911 without a compartment signal. When this happens, you should spot the Emergency Text via Satellite option, writes my workfellow Patrick Holland, who has tried the feature. But Apple's work isn't disposable everywhere; it launched successful the United States and Canada initially earlier rolling retired to parts of Europe successful December. 

The diagnostic besides works a small otherwise than accepted texting. Instead of typing retired a message, you reply prompts connected your telephone truthful that dispatchers tin stitchery much accusation astir the emergency. Although the exertion is new, determination person already been reports of Apple's outer web being utilized to locate a stranded snowmobiler successful Alaska. 

Qualcomm, meanwhile, debuted Snapdragon Satellite past period astatine the yearly CES commercialized show successful Las Vegas. But dissimilar Apple, Qualcomm has already said it plans to grow beyond exigency scenarios truthful radical volition beryllium capable to nonstop texts for societal purposes too. 

According to Roh, outer connectivity is conscionable 1 mode to marque phones amended astatine helping radical pass successful exigency scenarios. He says Samsung has made different efforts to springiness radical a consciousness of security, specified arsenic improving the sensors recovered wrong its phones and broadening 5G coverage. 

"I bash not judge that is the end-all oregon be-all of the solutions to guarantee bid of caput among users," helium said.