OnePlus Could be Working a Smartphone With Satellite Connectivity: Report

Currently, no Android smartphones outside China support satellite connectivity.

Written by Sucharita Ganguly, Edited by Manas Mitul | Updated: 22 May 2024 17:45 IST

Highlights

Oppo Find X7 Ultra came with a Satellite Communication feature
Recently Google announced Android 15 will support satellite connectivity
Satellite communication is useful in areas of no-network coverage

OnePlus Could be Working a Smartphone With Satellite Connectivity: Report

OnePlus 12 ships with Android 14-based OxygenOS 14

Alleged OnePlus 13 leaked renders surfaced online recently, but before the company's next generation handsets launch, OnePlus' current flagship, the OnePlus 12, may get a significant upgrade with the next major OS update. A closer look at the latest Android 15 Beta on the OnePlus 12 reportedly hints at an edition of the phone that supports satellite connectivity. Notably, Google recently started rolling out Android 15 Beta 2 on several Android devices from brands like iQoo, Nothing, OnePlus, Oppo, Realme, Vivo, Xiaomi and more.

An Android Authority report claimed that OnePlus might soon bring a smartphone with satellite connectivity. The report cited X (formerly Twitter) user OneNormalUsername (@1NormalUsername), who claimed that the OnePlus 12 Settings app seen on the latest release of the Android 15 Beta shows a part that reads “Satellite mobile phone.”

A similar string of codes present in the Settings app of Oppo Find N3, which recently appeared with the latest Android 15 Beta release, also suggests an eventual satellite connectivity. The only difference between the codes found on OnePlus 12 and Oppo Find N3 is the name of the company itself. The phrase “satellite mobile phone” appears in both codes, suggesting future versions of the smartphones may support satellite communication.

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Note that OnePlus has not yet officially announced a OnePlus 12 variant that supports satellite communication. But if the reports are true, it is likely that we could get such a variant later this year. The handset with satellite connectivity may also be launched outside of China. Currently, no Android smartphones outside China support satellite connectivity.

With the latest Android 15 release, Google confirmed that the new upgrade will support satellite connectivity, which can help users send or receive SMS and MMS in areas outside of terrestrial network coverage.

Recently, the Oppo Find X7 Ultra debuted in China with a Satellite Edition version, alongside the Oppo Find X7.

OnePlus Nord 3 brings some serious upgrades over its predecessor, including some flagship-grade specifications. We discuss this and more on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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