The Pixel 9a has just been announced. As usual for a smartphone launch, we are discovering additional elements of its technical specifications over the weeks that allow us to better situate it.
The site Android Authority, often at the forefront of unearthing these small details, has discovered that the Pixel 9a has a significant difference compared to the Pixel 9 in its guts. On paper, the two smartphones share the same chip, the Tensor G4, which might suggest that they have more or less the same capabilities.
Except that in detail, the Pixel 9a stands out on one important point: it does not have the same 5G modem. Both are equipped with an Exynos modem designed by Samsung, but only the Pixel 9 benefits from the latest model, the Exynos Modem 5400. The Pixel 9a must rely on the Exynos Modem 5300, that is, the modem of the Pixel 8.
A late 5G standard
Having reached this point in the article, you are probably thinking: what a deal, what difference does it make? After all, both are 5G smartphones.
What changes is the support for the 3GPP Release 17 standard in the latest modem. This standard allows very concrete access to non-terrestrial networks (NTN), or to put it more clearly, to use low-orbit satellites for communication. In practice, this will deprive the Pixel 9a of the satellite SOS option. Google has also confirmed this from our colleagues.
This is still surprising, because at MWC 2023, Samsung had used this very modem, the Exynos 5300, to promote satellite communication. We contacted Google to learn more about this and will update I will update this article if there is a response.
In France, NTN remains an aesthetic debate for the moment
In France, at the time of writing, this has no consequences, since no operator or smartphone manufacturer offers support for this technology. Indeed, if the Pixel 9 has the hardware capable of using NTN, a financial agreement with a company operating low-orbit satellites is then required to ensure the connection. For example, you can establish a parallel connection with a smartphone in which you have not inserted a SIM card. It is technically capable of using the mobile network, but it won't do so without a properly signed contract.
The NTN network should arrive soon in France, however. One operator offers it in Germany, and the March update unlocked it on Pixels in the UK.
Source: Android Authority
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