The competition in the mobile phone market has evolved from the past of rolling screens and images to the current field of satellite communication.

After the release of Xiaomi 14 Ultra, the question of which company, Xiaomi or Huawei, is stronger in satellite communication has sparked widespread discussion in the industry. In 2023, Huawei took the lead in using satellite communication in smartphones. At present, Xiaomi 14 Ultra is not only a top-tier imaging flagship product, but also the first model under Xiaomi to support two-way satellite communication.

Xiaomi has taken satellite communication to a new level

If Huawei is the pioneer in promoting satellite communication among domestic mobile phone manufacturers, Xiaomi has taken the technology to a new level. According to the latest evaluation, Xiaomi 14 Ultra is 3 seconds faster in satellite search, 10 seconds faster in connection, and 3 seconds faster in call connection compared to Mate 60 Pro.

It only takes 2 seconds to complete the satellite search, which is 3 seconds faster than Huawei Mate 60 Pro's 5 seconds. This means that users in areas with poor signal such as no man's land, mountains, and islands can access the network faster.

Faster connection and call connection speeds mean that Xiaomi 14 Ultra users can establish communication with the outside world more quickly, achieving rapid response.

In addition, Xiaomi has applied satellite communication to more scenarios, greatly improving user experience through many functional modules. For example, many times when we go on self-driving outings, sea fishing, cycling in the wild, or hiking in the mountains with friends, we often enter areas with weak network signals.Xiaomi's self-developed Xiaomi Surge T1 signal enhancement chip comes into play at this time. Xiaomi's terminal will automatically trigger the "electronic fence" function to remind users to enable satellite communication services. If you are injured or suddenly ill in a signal-free area in the wild, through Xiaomi's smart wearable devices, you can also synchronize with Xiaomi 14 Ultra to synchronize blood type, blood oxygen, allergy history, recent medication, and heart rate and other vital signs information to obtain timely assistance.

When the device's battery is low and enters the "Super Power Saving Mode", the device will prioritize the power supply of satellite communication. With only 5% of the battery, it can ensure 13 minutes of satellite calls and 14 two-way text messages. Even in extreme cases where the phone screen is damaged during climbing or cycling, Xiaomi also has a "one-click rescue" function, which allows users to initiate satellite communication through key operations.

In addition, in the past, offshore communication has always been a weakness in the scenario of going to sea. If there is no signal when fishing or yachting at sea, there has always been a communication problem. Now Xiaomi has launched the Sirius communication system, which has been upgraded in software, hardware, and scenario-based experience in an all-round way. Even after dozens of kilometers from the shore, the call is still online, making up for this weakness.

Huawei is the pioneer of satellite communication, and now Xiaomi has extended this technology to a new height. In areas and environments without a network, Xiaomi has further expanded the practicality of satellite communication, adding multiple insurances to personal safety and emergency contacts. The performance has been better, allowing more scenarios and more ordinary people to use it in more scenarios.

Behind Xiaomi's rise to the top, the first reason is that the domestic development of the satellite communication industry is in full swing, and the entire industry chain is maturing. At present, China has basically formed a complete communication satellite industry chain, mainly including four major links: satellite manufacturing, satellite launch, ground equipment, and satellite operation and services.

In the upstream, there are infrastructure links such as satellite manufacturing, satellite launch, and ground equipment manufacturing, with companies such as China Satellite and Aerospace Microelectronics in satellite manufacturing and components. In the midstream, there is satellite communication operation and service, where we can see the active presence of technology companies such as China Telecom and Galaxy Power Aerospace. In the downstream, there are mobile phone manufacturers led by Huawei and Xiaomi, and Geely, as a representative of the car company.The breakthrough from Huawei to Xiaomi is the result of standing on the basis of a complete industrial infrastructure, actively delving into the upstream of the industrial chain to promote innovation, and building terminal competitiveness.

As the first domestic manufacturer to introduce satellite communication, Huawei has done a lot of homework in chip module miniaturization, optimization of satellite protocol systems, and user terminal management.

However, Xiaomi's rise to the top is also due to some real substance. First, Xiaomi has innovated the entire communication technology architecture from the ground up, and this time it has the support of two self-developed surging T1 signal enhancement chips, in conjunction with the HyperOS satellite network system, forming a complete satellite ecosystem, which naturally provides a better experience than ordinary satellite communication. The satellite antenna transmission performance is increased by 21%, the satellite signal capability is increased by 10%, and the satellite search speed and connection speed are both faster.

The core behind satellite communication is communication technology. Huawei started with communication equipment, but the little-known side of Xiaomi is that Xiaomi's technical reserves in the field of communication are moving from quantitative change to qualitative change.

In the past five years, Xiaomi has invested 100 billion in the research and development of core technology, making rapid progress in the field of communication technology:

As of December 31, 2023, Xiaomi has a total of more than 5,900 authorized patents in the field of communication technology worldwide, and more than 14,000 patents are under review. In the past three years, the proportion of invention patents in authorized patents has reached as high as 95%.Communication technology is also enhancing the comprehensive competitiveness of Xiaomi smartphones. In the 2023 Smart Hardware Quality Report released by China Mobile, in the comprehensive evaluation ranking of 5G straight-screen smartphones in the 4000+ price segment, Xiaomi 14 Pro firmly holds the first place.

Therefore, after the release of Xiaomi 14 Ultra, satellite communication has reached a new height, which is the result of Xiaomi's large-scale technical investment and accumulation, and continuous iteration in communication technology and chip research and development.

Satellite communication is an important battlefield for the great power game, with the Gemini stars landing.

From a broader industrial direction, the investment and breakthroughs of Huawei and Xiaomi have taken on the national strategy, and they are pioneers in promoting application layer innovation on the shoulders of national industrial infrastructure, each striving for excellence and having its own strengths: Huawei took the lead in promoting the application of smartphones directly connecting to satellite communication; Xiaomi has gone a step further, bringing satellite communication to a new height.

Looking at the United States, Musk's SpaceX Starlink technology is developing rapidly. As early as 2015, SpaceX was the first to start launching low-orbit satellites, and has currently launched more than 5,000 satellites, which can provide internet services by deploying a large number of communication satellites in low Earth orbit.

In terms of the number of satellites in orbit, China is second only to the United States, ranking second, but our country's low-orbit satellites have not yet entered the stage of large-scale launch, and the constellation construction is far from complete. At this time, the layout of the industry chain upstream and downstream, and the promotion of application scenarios by the application end are extremely important.

The integration of air, space, and ground is the only way to achieve global seamless coverage of the future network, which is an important part of the strategic game between China and the United States, and the competition in satellite communication has risen to the level of competition between economic entities.

From a broader industrial strategy perspective, satellite communication will promote the connection of IoT devices to achieve global data transmission and remote control in the future. The investment and efforts of Xiaomi and Huawei are essentially taking on an important strategic opportunity and track. Smart phones are the most widely used electronic terminals, and Xiaomi's satellite communication extends the landing scenarios, popularizing them into the daily lives of more people, and also accelerating the promotion of the entire industry chain.Satellite communication, having come this far today, is becoming an important part of the core competitiveness of mobile phone manufacturers. With the landing of Xiaomi and Huawei as twin stars, it may drive more mobile phone manufacturers and even car manufacturers to popularize satellite communication capabilities in more fields. More consumers and industries will also benefit from this, similar to the development of new energy vehicles. When the entire industry chain continues to grow with the promotion of application terminals and user terminals, the overtaking of the entire industry will gradually become clear. We will wait and see.