GALAXY S24 - FEATURE REQUEST: SATELLITE MESSAGING & SOS

[labrador7]

It would great to have one of the new Samsung S24 phones have new Qualcomm Snapdragon Satellite which is being released in the second half of 2023. This would add satellite SOS and satellite messaging capability.

Apple launched the first iPhone with satellite SOS capability this year and I think Motorola/CAT have just released a phone with satellite messaging and SOS features.
 

In addition to a satellite enabled chip, It might be worth adding a few extra features that would fit well with satellite messaging and SOS, such as:

• Wet screen finger tracking technology
  (screens of  regular phones are often hard to operate in wet conditions)
• Very long battery life
  (This is really important for high performing power-hungry flagship phones but even more for a phone you might have to use when cellular network isn't an option)
• Increased impact resistance
  Maybe not MIL-STD-810H (or maybe yes) but above average impact resistance construction would definitely be a nice feature.

This could even be an opportunity to bring back a Samsung S Active model, or if not as part of the S series maybe in a new dedicated Active series. In the market there is definitely still room for Active models which should not be confused with the average rugged phones: an Active phone would have flagship or near-flagship specs (chips and camera) plus satellite-enabled chip as well as a set of features that might be needed when communicating without regular networks, such as those highlighted above - e.g.: wet fingerprint technology, extra long battery life, some impact resistance, etc. 

There is definitely a gap in the market right now: you can get a rugged smartphone - which usually means huge and extremely heavy business-oriented, underperforming mid-range phones - or a regular smartphone. The only exceptions currently available seem to be the Nokia XR21 and maybe the Motorola ThinkPhone. Calling them flagship is a stretch though.

[labrador7]

In addition to a satellite enabled chip, It might be worth adding a few extra features that would fit well with satellite messaging and SOS, such as:

• Wet screen finger tracking technology
  (screens of  regular phones are often hard to operate in wet conditions)
• Very long battery life
  (This is really important for high performing power-hungry flagship phones but even more for a phone you might have to use when cellular network isn't an option)
• Increased impact resistance
  Maybe not MIL-STD-810H (or maybe yes) but above average impact resistance construction would definitely be a nice feature.

This could even be an opportunity to bring back a Samsung S Active model, or if not as part of the S series maybe in a new dedicated Active series. In the market there is definitely still room for Active models which should not be confused with the average rugged phones: an Active phone would have flagship or near-flagship specs (chips and camera) plus satellite-enabled chip as well as a set of features that might be needed when communicating without regular networks, such as those highlighted above - e.g.: wet fingerprint technology, extra long battery life, some impact resistance, etc. 

There is definitely a gap in the market right now: you can get a rugged smartphone - which usually means huge and extremely heavy business-oriented, underperforming mid-range phones - or a regular smartphone. The only exceptions currently available seem to be the Nokia XR21 and maybe the Motorola ThinkPhone. Calling them flagship is a stretch though.

[BandOfBrothers]

Some great ideas here @labrador7  👌 

[Akash rao]

I am not sure why this feature has not been prioritized. Snapdragon literally was ready support this feature on the chipset, but samsung did not show interest. 

Samsung could have easily tapped into a different market segment. Many hikers, mountaineer, motorcycle folks use Garmin for sos. Samsung could literally take over this market segment.