Following in Apple's footsteps, Samsung is reportedly working on offering users satellite communication support on its next-gen flagships. A new report out of South Korea reveals that the company is working with U.S.-based Iridium Communications to provide satellite connectivity for the upcoming Galaxy S23 series.

Although Samsung hasn't revealed any details about the Galaxy S23 series officially, leaks suggest that the lineup will include three devices featuring minor hardware improvements over the Galaxy S22 series from last year. The phones will likely pack Qualcomm's latest flagship Snapdragon chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, and offer a few camera improvements. In addition, a new report from ETNews (H/T Ice Universe) claims that the lineup might also offer satellite communications support.

The report states that Samsung is working with Iridium Communications to leverage the latter's 66 low-orbit communication satellites to bring the feature to Galaxy S23 series users. Unlike Apple's implementation, which only offers emergency communications over satellite, Samsung's satellite communications feature could let users send text messages and low-resolution images. The company has reportedly overcome all technical hurdles to pack a new modem-RF system capable of satellite communication on the devices.

It's worth noting that Huawei already offers a similar satellite communication feature on the Mate 50 series, which utilizes Beidou satellites to help users send and receive limited text messages. At the moment, it isn't clear if Samsung will offer the feature for free, like Apple, or charge users for sending messages and media over a satellite connection. We expect to learn more about the feature in the months leading up to the Galaxy S23 series launch.

What's your take on smartphone OEMs offering satellite communication support on their devices? Do you think it's a useful addition or a gimmick that you'll never use? Let us know in the comments section below.

Source: ETNews