For months iPhone 14 owners have been able to call for help using satellites, but soon Android fans will have their own alternative phone. Fully unveiled at Mobile World Congress 2023, the flagship smartphone maker's Bullet phone will be the first non-iPhone phone to use satellite connectivity for consumers in the US and Europe.
Bullitt launched the Motorola Defy 2 at CES 2023 , a 5G-enabled rugged smartphone designed for outdoor enthusiasts like truckers or remote workers who spend a lot of time outside of cell coverage. The $600 phone has the same specs as other mid-range phones, including a 5,000 mAh battery, 50-megapixel camera with 8-megapixel zoom, 6.6-inch Full HD Plus display and a MediaTek D930 chipset. . Like other phones, it's designed to survive harsh environments and access the Bolt's own satellite network to message, chat or call for help.
Bullitt introduces the CAT 75, a slightly different version of the Defy 2 with adjustable antennas for the wireless bands, suitable for European and African markets.
For those who don't want to buy a second phone for emergency satellite service, the Bullit Motorola Defy Satellite Link, a $150 standalone device with four days of battery life, connects existing phones to Bullit service. Like the Defy 2, the Satellite Link uses MediaTek's new MT6825 chip, which allows it to connect to satellite constellations such as Bullitt phones.
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Bullitt offers satellite service through a paid subscription program that provides two-way messaging through a WhatsApp-like messaging app. So everyone you talk to needs to download to reply (talking with a follower is free). And similar to Apple's Emergency SOS feature, Bullitt's satellite service has SOS Assist, which provides users with brief query details about a situation.
Emergency dispatch company Focus Point tests commands and dispatches the appropriate emergency response, while Bullet users get a tow truck instead of a rescue helicopter.
Bullitt invented its own satellite service at several price points. After purchasing Defy 2 for three months of free service (or one year on satellite), users can continue the service by choosing different plans starting at $5 per month for 30 messages and $30 for 400 messages. There is an annual subscription of $60 for 400 messages per year.
Apple offers free Emergency SOS service for two years, but there is no guarantee that users will stop using the service after that. Qualcomm, which will announce its Snapdragon Satellite service at CES 2023, which is expected to launch in the second half of the year, did not announce pricing (it depends on how phone makers implement the feature in their devices).
But Bullitt Network is also different. It uses a state-of-the-art constellation of Inmarsat and EchoStar satellites, located in low Earth orbit or far from the planet-orbiting satellites used by Leo, Apple and Qualcomm. This means users will take a bit longer to send and receive online messages on the Bullet - a text sent via satellite can take around 20-30 seconds to reach the recipient's device, while Emergency SOS Apple can take up to 15 seconds, but you don't. To align passing satellites the same way as Leo satellites, you need to point your phone at the sky.
The Motorola Defy 2 and Satellite Link will go on sale in North America and Europe in late March or early April, after which Bullitt will gradually launch the device in other regions as it secures deals for satellite services. in other parts of the world. . The satellite channel is expected to be available in worldwide distribution networks in the second quarter of 2023.
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