One Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra variant has satellite connectivity for emergencies

Samsung is expected to launch the Galaxy S26 series sometime early next year. The lineup is rumored to include the Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26+, and the Galaxy S26 Ultra, and the pricier of the three has direct satellite connectivity for emergency situations. However, it is only available in one regional variant.

The China Compulsory Certification (CCC) has given its clearance to the Galaxy S26 Ultra (SM-S9480) for the local market, and related documents have revealed that the Chinese variant of the phone has direct satellite connectivity. It likely allows you to send messages or your location to concerned local emergency services during emergency situations when there is no cellular network nearby. It isn't clear if emergency calling is supported.

The certification also reveals that the Galaxy S26 Ultra supports up to 60W (20V DC, 3A) fast wired charging and a 5,000mAh battery. This should end speculations about the device possibly having a 5,200mAh or a 5,500mAh battery. Samsung will sell a compatible fast charger separately. It recently launched its first 60W wired fast charger with one USB Type-C port and the USB PD 3.1 PPS standard.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra recently received the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) certification in the USA, revealing that both US and global variants of the phone use the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor. The Galaxy S26 and the Galaxy S26+ could be powered by the 2nm Exynos 2600 processor in some markets, including South Korea.