Beyond cellular: Apples iPhone 13 may come with satellite connectivity

Apple’s iPhone 13 series may come with low earth orbit (LEO) satellite
connectivity that will let users make calls and send messages without requiring
cell coverage. The prediction was made by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in his
note to investors and also featured in “MacRumors”. Traditionally, satellite phones
place calls by radio through orbiting satellites instead of terrestrial cell
towers. Apple is said to be working with Globalstar, an American satellite
company that operates a low LEO satellite constellation for low-speed data
communication and satellite phone.

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One of the main advantages of satellite-based communication system
is that calls can be placed almost anywhere on earth without regard for whether
the area does or does not have cellular connectivity. A phone using satellite
connectivity will use satellites to transmit phone signals.

According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone 13 will have
a customised Qualcomm X60 baseband chip which will allow it to connect directly
to low earth orbit or LEO satellites.

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Apple is expected to introduce four models of the iPhone soon —
iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max and iPhone 13 mini. The iPhone 13
is expected to pack an A15 Bionic chipset and will likely feature a design
similar to the iPhone 12 series.

The iPhone 13 mini may feature a 5.4-inch display while the
standard and Pro models are expected to have a 6.1-inch display. The iPhone 13
Max is tipped to have a 6.7-inch screen.

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Talking of batteries, iPhone 13 mini is slated to have a 2,406mAh
battery, while iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro are likely to have a 3,096mAh
battery. The iPhone 13 Max, which will be more expensive than the others, may
have 4,352mAh battery.

Apple may launch the iPhone 13 by September 14, according to
Wedbush analyst Dan Ives. E-commerce listing on Chinese microblogging platform
Weibo suggests that the iPhone 13 may go up for pre-orders on September 17.