Satellite connectivity on mainstream phones has existed since Apple announced its iPhone 14 series. Earlier this year at CES, Qualcomm announced Snapdragon Satellite and discussed how it would be coming to Snapdragon phones in the future.

Today, Qualcomm has finally revealed that more phones will be getting Snapdragon Satellite. Users can expect phones from Motorola, Nothing, Oppo, and more with Snapdragon chips inside.

Snapdragon Satellite is Qualcomm's answer to Apple's Emergency SOS but with the ability to allow two-way messaging communication

For those wondering what Snapdragon Satellite will be capable of doing, it allows two-way messages for SOS, SMS, and a few tricks. The company has also talked about how the tech will be available on 5G modem-RF systems along with Snapdragon Mobile Platform Tiers that are yet to be announced.

The good thing is that Qualcomm is not keeping this feature exclusive to their high-end chipsets, as the company has mentioned that the Snapdragon chips from series 4 to series 8 will be supported. the company has also discussed its plans to expand Snapdragon Satellite in applications outside mobile. Additionally, Qualcomm discussed how Snapdragon Satellite will support 5G Non-Terrestial Networks as these satellite infrastructures and constellations start hitting the mainstream.

Sadly, Qualcomm has not given us a list of smartphones supporting the Snapdragon Satellite at launch. We do know that the technology is not coming to older phones with chipsets such as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, even though the chipset is still very capable. We do know that the Galaxy S23 series already supports it thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 present in phones globally. Motorola also recently launched Defy 2 with satellite connectivity enabled, and going forward, you can expect a lot more phones coming with the feature.

Considering how Snapdragon Satellite is a feature built within the chipset and not something smartphone manufacturers have to add on their own, you should expect to see it in almost every Snapdragon phone release this year.

Another thing to add here is that Snapdragon Satellite works slightly differently from Apple's Emergency SOS, wherein users can send two-way messaging instead of just being limited to SOS messages. All of this is done thanks to the phone's being able to connect to 66 low-orbit satellites placed across the globe by Iridium.