Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Russian agency: Russia will conduct a nuclear test if the US does
Al-Nakhalah: We are the rightful owners, and we must fight to retrieve our rights
Al-Nakhalah: The enemy and its allies must know that we can never surrender to their terms and diktats after all the sacrifices made
Al-Nakhalah: The prisoner exchange clause can be completed in the next few days, and thus we will have pulled the [explosion] fuse and removed the enemy's justifications for aggression
Al-Nakhalah: The Resistance has expressed its willingness to negotiate on the basis that there are items that can be dealt with positively, the first of which is the prisoner exchange item
Al-Nakhalah: Trump's plan entails the Palestinian people's declaration of complete surrender to the enemy
PIJ Secretary-General, Ziyad al-Nakhalah, in an address aired on Al Mayadeen: The Resistance is engaging in a fierce negotiating battle under the so-called Trump plan
Russian Federation Council approves joint military cooperation agreement with Cuba
Al-Nunu: Today, the lists of prisoners required to be released, the agreed-upon criteria and numbers, were exchanged
Al-Nunu from Sharm el-Sheikh: Negotiations focused on mechanisms for implementing an end to the war, the withdrawal of occupation forces from the Gaza Strip, and the exchange of prisoners

Huawei beats Apple to new tech feature; satellite texting

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 7 Sep 2022 12:28
3 Min Read

Despite US sanctions on the Chinese tech giant, Huawei seems to be back on the market with the new tech feature that US markets are competing with: satellite texting.

  • x
  • The Mate 50 series (Huawei)
    The Mate 50 series (Huawei)

One day prior to Apple’s September event, Huawei announced the Mate 50 series, beating Apple's iPhone 14 to a feature it is anticipated to offer: the ability to send texts via satellite communication.

The Mate 50 and its Pro series will have the ability to send short texts and utilize navigation thanks to China’s global BeiDou satellite network, permitting communication in areas without cellular signals.

The frontrunner Mate 50 series includes 4G-only versions of the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset with 8GB of RAM, a 6.7-inch and a 90Hz OLED panel as opposed to the 50 Pro having a slightly bigger 6.74-inch OLED display and a 120Hz refresh rate.

Both however include a 50-megapixel main rear camera with a variable aperture lens with stops from f/1.4 to f/4 - most smartphone cameras use fixed apertures but the lens itself is so small that it’s unlikely to notice any significant difference in depth-of-field in most situations.

While each has a telephoto lens, and they share a 13-megapixel f/2.2 ultrawide, the Pro gets an upgraded 64-megapixel camera capable of 200x digital zoom. On the other hand, the Mate 50 offers 100x digital zoom with a lower-resolution 12-megapixel sensor.

Related News

Beijing: China–US trade talks to continue despite US shutdown

From med beds to sombreros: Trump’s bizarre behavior raises alarm

American cellular provider T-Mobile announced a collaboration with SpaceX that intends to bring the satellite texting feature to T-Mobile subscribers by way of Starlink satellites, as the rumors of Apple’s satellite messaging feature have been swirling since last year.

At first, however, the technology will potentially be limited. T-Mobile stated that its system will allow for text and even picture messaging, but voice calls and data won’t be available until later.

According to Huawei’s description of the system, it looks like the Mate 50 phones will only be able to send texts by satellite, but receiving them won't be an option yet. Satellite-based texting aims to provide an emergency connection in places without a signal for urgent cases. In any case, consumers and smartphone users will have to wait for the feature to be available in the US longer than usual since Huawei’s devices will not be sold there due to sanctions.

US President Joe Biden signed a legislation, dubbed the Secure Equipment Act, in October last year that bans companies that are regarded as "security threats" from obtaining equipment licenses from US regulators. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), under the new law, is required to no longer review nor accept any authorization application for equipment that "poses a threat to national security" - namely by Huawei and ZTE. 

Following that initiative, Huawei's market share in phones plummeted even in China, but with this new tech feature that will not be available in the US, Huawei might gain leverage over US smartphone markets - especially since the company just signed a deal with the Solomon Islands last month that secured a $66 million loan from China to fund and provide 161 telecommunications towers across the Pacific nation.

Read more: Apple tells suppliers in Taiwan to label products as 'Made in China

  • US
  • iPhone
  • China
  • Apple
  • Huawei
  • Satellite
  • tech

Most Read

Tucker Carlson speaks at a memorial for Charlie Kirk, Sunday, September 21, 2025, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona (AP)

Tucker Carlson: Israeli officers gave orders on Iran inside Pentagon

  • Politics
  • 2 Oct 2025
A Hamas fighter in combat fatigues stands before the ceremony for the handover of Israeli captives to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, February 22, 2025 (AP)

Hamas responds to Trump plan, backs Gaza withdrawal, exchange

  • Politics
  • 3 Oct 2025
Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder revealed

Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder exposed

  • Politics
  • 5 Oct 2025
Al-Quds Brigades strike a command and control center north of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, in an undated screengrab from the al-Quds Brigades military media

Gaza resistance announces major operations against Israeli forces

  • Politics
  • 1 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Retired Israeli General Brik says Israel has reached point of no return.
Politics

Retired Israeli General Brik: 'Israel has reached point of no return'

Depleted by foreign wars, US seeks to re-arm for another confrontation
Politics

Depleted by foreign wars, US seeks to re-arm for another confrontation

Gaza’s newborns gasp for life as hospitals collapse amid Israeli war
Health

Gaza newborns gasp for life, share oxygen masks amid collapsed system

UK arms exports to 'Israel' reach record high despite ban calls
Politics

UK arms exports to 'Israel' reach record high despite ban calls

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS