How will the iPhone 14 SOS Satellite vs Garmin inReach Mini 2 come out in a head-to-head challenge? Well, I’ll give you the short answer now. The iPhone 14’s SOS satellite service cannot compete with Garmin’s at the present time, but it very well may give Garmin a run for their money in a few more years.
The Bottom Line
How about we start with the bottom line first, rather than saving it for the end.
- The Satellite SOS for the iPhone 14 will not come online until November 2022
- At the present time, you will only be able to communicate with emergency services and not family and friends.
- You have to point the iPhone 14 to a specific area of the sky to be able to send messages through the satellite service.
- The Garmin inReach satellite messengers do not have to point to a specific are of the sky. They only need a view of the sky and more sky is better.
- Apple has teamed with Globalstar for the satellite service which presently does not have global satellite coverage. See the coverage map below.
- Garmin inReach satellite messengers use the Iridium Satellite Network with has global, pole to pole coverage. See the map below.
- You or someone in your group, needs to keep the iPhone 14 pointed at the satellite and keep adjusting as the satellite moves across the sky.
- The iPhone 14’s battery life is only a maximum of two days without needing to be charged, while the Garmin inReach Mini 2 will last around 2 weeks, and the Garmin inReach Messenger will last around a month. This could become a critical issue when communicating with emergency services, especially if you already have a low battery and you didn’t bring a portable charger along.
- The Garmin satellite messengers are waterproof, dust proof, rugged and are built for the outdoors. You can get cases that will help to protect the iPhone 14 in harsh environments but it’s just not as capable as satellite messengers that are built for the rugged outdoors.
Final Thoughts
You may think I’m coming down on Apple to hard but I’m only giving you the information and comparisons as things stand today in October 2022.
As of today, Apple cannot compete with the Garmin satellite messengers, but give Apple a few more years and they may be giving Garmin a run for their money.
I believe the Garmin products will always have a place for longer, rugged outdoor adventures and races, but I believe Apple and other companies will start to take some of the market share from other satellite messenger companies in the not to distant future.
We’ll have to wait and see how these changes in technology and services play out in the few years ahead.
Check out the short YouTube video below to learn more.
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This product was presentation was made with AAWP plugin.
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