Huawei offers satellite SOS in China where Apple's is not available
A day before Apple unveiled its highly anticipated satellite-powered SOS feature for the iPhone 14, Huawei announced its own equivalent.
The Chinese telecom equipment and smartphone giant said its flagship Mate 50 series will support texting via satellite communication. This feature is made possible by Beidou, China's own navigation alternative to the US government's Global Positioning System.
Sending messages via satellite signal is not a particularly new technology. But this is the first time that this Beidou feature has been implemented in consumer smartphones, Huawei said. Users will be able to send messages and their geographic coordinates using a special app and generate a map of their path, while not having a cellular connection.
The SOS communication feature is perhaps most useful in the United States where it is easy to disconnect from the network, either because people choose to camp or simply because cellular signals are not covered. Anyone who has tried to seek out the true wilderness in China knows how often they find themselves on 5G covered cobblestone pathways (complete with stairs and handrails!) instead of trails inside spectacular national reserves.
This buzzy new satellite feature probably won't save Huawei from its own troubles. The giant's market share has taken a hit globally since the United States cut it off from basic Android services and advanced chip supplies. It also suffered at home, as it fell from the top five brands in China last year, according to data from Counterpoint. Apple ranked fifth in the second quarter in China with 13% of the country's shipment volume.
Apple's SOS satellite option is only available in the US and Canada at the moment, while Huawei's only works in mainland China. The divide led a Chinese technology analyst to allude to the technological decoupling between the United States and China: "This situation [of the two handset giants each providing the SOS function in their own country] is a metaphor for our world of today."
But the ties between the two tech superpowers have been harder to unravel than many had anticipated. As The New York Times reported this week:
More than ever, Apple's Chinese employees and suppliers have provided intricate workmanship and sophisticated components for the 15th year of its flagship device, including aspects of manufacturing design, speakers and batteries, according to four people familiar with the news operations and analysts. As a result, the iPhone has gone from a product designed in California and made in China to a creation of both countries.
A day before Apple unveiled its highly anticipated satellite-powered SOS feature for the iPhone 14, Huawei announced its own equivalent.
The Chinese telecom equipment and smartphone giant said its flagship Mate 50 series will support texting via satellite communication. This feature is made possible by Beidou, China's own navigation alternative to the US government's Global Positioning System.
Sending messages via satellite signal is not a particularly new technology. But this is the first time that this Beidou feature has been implemented in consumer smartphones, Huawei said. Users will be able to send messages and their geographic coordinates using a special app and generate a map of their path, while not having a cellular connection.
The SOS communication feature is perhaps most useful in the United States where it is easy to disconnect from the network, either because people choose to camp or simply because cellular signals are not covered. Anyone who has tried to seek out the true wilderness in China knows how often they find themselves on 5G covered cobblestone pathways (complete with stairs and handrails!) instead of trails inside spectacular national reserves.
This buzzy new satellite feature probably won't save Huawei from its own troubles. The giant's market share has taken a hit globally since the United States cut it off from basic Android services and advanced chip supplies. It also suffered at home, as it fell from the top five brands in China last year, according to data from Counterpoint. Apple ranked fifth in the second quarter in China with 13% of the country's shipment volume.
Apple's SOS satellite option is only available in the US and Canada at the moment, while Huawei's only works in mainland China. The divide led a Chinese technology analyst to allude to the technological decoupling between the United States and China: "This situation [of the two handset giants each providing the SOS function in their own country] is a metaphor for our world of today."
But the ties between the two tech superpowers have been harder to unravel than many had anticipated. As The New York Times reported this week:
More than ever, Apple's Chinese employees and suppliers have provided intricate workmanship and sophisticated components for the 15th year of its flagship device, including aspects of manufacturing design, speakers and batteries, according to four people familiar with the news operations and analysts. As a result, the iPhone has gone from a product designed in California and made in China to a creation of both countries.
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