Flagship smartphones often do not have an awful lot of differentiation in features, but if the latest report for the iPhone 13 turns out to be true, Apple Inc. could move ahead of its rivals.

According to famed Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the next iPhone could support low-Earth orbit satellite communication connectivity. Supporting the feature would allow iPhone users to make calls and send messages in areas without 4G or 5G coverage.

MacRumors reported Sunday that Kuo made the claim in a note to investors. Kuo is famed for tapping into manufacturers in Asia to find out what they’re building for Apple. Although he doesn’t always get his predictions immediately right — sometimes they are a year or more away — he’s regarded as getting most things right. So any prediction from Kuo should be taken seriously.

Kuo claimed that the iPhone 13 will feature a custom version of the Qualcomm X60 baseband modem chip with support for communication via satellite. The limitations on the potential service, though, are not clear. Will such a service allow iPhone users to subscribe to a satellite service, for example, and if the function is available, will it only allow limited access or full access?

The most likely LEO communication service provider to cooperate with Apple is said to be Globalstar. “The simplest scenario is that if the user’s operator has already teamed with Globalstar, the user can directly use Globalstar’s satellite communication service on the iPhone 13 through the operator’s service,” Kuo said in the investor note.

Should Apple provide satellite support in the iPhone 13, it won’t be the first company to provide a smartphone with such support, but it could be the first to take the technology mainstream.

Satellite phones are not a new concept, but they have often required bulky handsets with expensive access to services. However, access from space is a changing proposition in 2021 and in the years ahead with the deployment of next-generation services such as Elon Musk’s Starlink, Amazon.com Inc.’s Project Kuiper, OneWeb, Hughes Net and others. Traditional satellite access has involved single satellites covering vast areas, whereas the new trend is to put thousands of satellites into low-Earth orbit, giving more immediate access to users with lower latency.

Whether the iPhone would require an external antenna to connect to the next generation of LEO satellites is unknown.

Despite the launch date of the iPhone 13 rapidly coming close: It will launch in either September or October, though recent leaks have been few and far between.

A report in July noted that the iPhone 13 would keep the same range and naming as the iPhone 12. The iPhone 13 will be offered in a range of mini, Pro and Pro Max variants along with the standard iPhone 13. The Pro Max will measure at 6.7 inches, while both the Pro and standard iPhone are said to measure 6.1 inches. The iPhone mini is said to come in at 5.4 inches. The next iPhone may also support reverse wireless charging.

Aside from potential satellite support, the only new rumor is that the iPhone 13 may offer new colors. CNET reported that along with expected features such as a bigger battery and a 120 Hertz display, the iPhone 13 will add a color reported to be called “Sunset Gold” and that there’s a remote possibility of a pink iPhone 13 as well.

Image: Globalstar