Huawei has launched its new flagship smartphone, the Huawei Mate 60 Pro, which boasts a unique feature that no other phone in the market has: satellite calling. The device allows users to make and receive calls using a satellite orbiting the Earth, without any mobile signal. This feature is enabled by China’s Tiantong-1 satellite system and Huawei’s own PA chips.
The Tiantong-1 satellite system is a satellite mobile communication system independently developed by China. It consists of a space segment, a ground segment, and user terminals. Currently, three of these satellites are in orbit. The PA chips are power amplifiers that enhance the signal and manage power consumption of the device. The Mate 60 Pro is the first smartphone to use these technologies to achieve direct communication with satellites.
The satellite calling feature has no restrictions on signal coverage. It can be used in areas where there is no mobile network, such as mountains, oceans, plateaus, forests, and other scenarios. Users can dial new numbers and receive incoming calls via satellite. The call quality is said to be clear and stable.
The Mate 60 Pro also runs on HarmonyOS 4.0, Huawei’s own operating system that aims to provide a seamless and intelligent experience across different devices. The device features a Kirin 9000S chipset, a 6.8-inch LTPO OLED display with a variable refresh rate of up to 120Hz, a 50MP main camera with a variable aperture of f/1.4-f/4.0, a 48MP periscope telephoto camera with 3.5x optical zoom, a 12MP ultra-wide camera with a 120-degree field of view, and a 13MP front-facing camera with a TOF 3D sensor. The device also packs a 5000mAh battery that supports 88W wired super fast charging, 50W wireless super fast charging, and 20W reverse wireless charging.
The Huawei Mate 60 Pro is priced at about 890 EUR for the base model with 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM. The availability and pricing of the other variants are not yet announced.