The Galaxy S25 phones are the first to support Snapdragon Satellite

The Google Pixel 9 series is one of the few Android phones with satellite connectivity in global markets. Now, it turns out the Galaxy S25 series also has satellite support, and we hope this feature is available in global markets too.

Qualcomm confirmed that the Galaxy S25 phones are the first commercially released devices to support Snapdragon Satellite. The company said this support enables Galaxy S25 series users to “send and receive messages via satellite (narrowband NTN) natively supported in Android OS.”

The chipmaker added that satellite support using this standards-based technology was introduced with the Snapdragon X80 modem. This modem is found in the standard Snapdragon 8 Elite as well as the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy processor.

Qualcomm initially announced Snapdragon Satellite as a proprietary solution in early 2023 in partnership with Iridium. The satellite provider then exited the deal in late 2023, citing a lack of interest from smartphone makers. Qualcomm subsequently decided to pursue its current “standards-based approach.”

We’ve asked Samsung for more details regarding the Galaxy S25 range’s satellite connectivity capabilities, such as pricing, supported markets, and more. We’ll update the article if/when the company gets back to us.

These wouldn’t be the first Android phones to support satellite connectivity. Google, HUAWEI, and several other brands already support this functionality in some capacity. We’ve also seen T-Mobile team up with SpaceX to offer satellite connectivity to ordinary Android phones without requiring specific hardware. But we’re glad to see Samsung adopting this tech nonetheless.