Easily misplaced personal items can be mounted with a tracking device known as Galaxy SmartTag. The SmartTag and SmartTag Plus are brand-new Bluetooth trackers released in conjunction with the three new Galaxy S21 tablets.
- Galaxy SmartTags are small tags that you can attach to your keys, remote, or other easily misplaced items to help you track them.
- You can use an app to search or ping SmartTags after they’ve been synced with your Galaxy smartphone.
- To locate a SmartTag with your phone, you’ll need to be within 130 yards of it.
There are a few things to be aware of when it comes to the new product. SmartTags, for one, connect to Samsung’s SmartThings Find service, which is already integrated into Samsung Galaxy phones. SmartThings is Samsung’s hub for smart home products. There are two distinct kinds of SmartTags, which can be misleading straight away (don’t worry, we’ll clarify later).
What exactly does it do?
The tag can be found using the SmartThings Find the app on your phone once it is set up and linked to your Samsung account.
How can you find a missing item with a SmartTag?
Open the SmartThings Find app on your smartphone after you realize you’ve lost an item. After that, tap the Find card, choose the device you want to find, and wait for it to load.
Don’t fret if the tag isn’t close to you; it can still be found. Other Samsung devices that close the tag will anonymously find it and notify you of its location, all without the device’s owner doing anything. To maintain privacy, it’s done in the background and encrypted.
Types of SmartTags
Since not all Samsung Galaxy phones support UWB, but they all support BLE, there are two variants of the SmartTags. UWB is only supported by the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, Galaxy S21 Plus, and Galaxy S21 Ultra.
Standard SmartTags
There are two kinds of SmartTags, which is a classic Samsung move. The first uses Bluetooth Low Energy as its connection standard and is available alongside the Galaxy S21 lineup.
SmartTags Plus
The SmartTag Plus edition, on the other hand, can use ultrawideband networking (UWB).
Differences between two Tags
You won’t be able to see a tag’s exact location by using the SmartThings Find an app to locate tags that are equipped with Bluetooth Low Energy, so you will be able to see an estimate of how far away or near it is. It’s the same device that allows you to stream music from your phone to wireless earbuds or use your phone as a key in a smart lock.
Your phone and the tag will communicate over ultrawideband and predict a more accurate position within a few inches. A UWB device can communicate by sending a series of short pulses and measuring how long it takes for one of the pulses to be received and answered by another UWB device. UWB is, in short, much more accurate than BLE.
More detail on the expected range gap between the two is required. Here we have a much more thorough description of precisely what UWB is, how and how it functions.
Availability of both Tags
Samsung is releasing the standard SmartTag first, followed by the UWB edition SmartTag Plus. The company didn’t mention when it is coming. Since a SmartTag is included with Galaxy S21 preorders, we’re guessing it’s the BLE edition.
Cost
The SmartTag is $30 for one, $50 for two, and $85 for a four-pack for the Galaxy S21 launch. The UWB edition will be available for $40 for one and $65 for two.
Bundle Deal with Galaxy S21
If you preorder a Galaxy S21, you’ll get a free SmartTag as well as a credit ranging from $100 to $200, depending on the S21 model you order.
Compatibility
The UWB SmartTag technology is currently supported by the Galaxy S21 Plus, S21 Ultra, and Note 20 Ultra from last year. All other Galaxy phones will only use the SmartTag’s BLE edition.
What else should you be aware of?
Because of the additional features of UWB, you can use a dedicated augmented reality mode in the SmartThings Find an app to locate a tag’s position in the real world rather than relying on a gauge that fills in as you get closer to it.
With augmented reality, you’ll be able to hold up your phone to see exactly where the tag is by combining the camera on your phone with a graphic in the app to see the world around you.
The battery is supposed to last for months, although it’s unclear if it can be replaced. We’ve reached out to Samsung for more details, and we’ll keep you updated as we learn more.
We’ll update this article with more details until we get our hands on SmartTags and the S21. In the meantime, check out our initial thoughts on the S21 Ultra. Here’s what you need to hear about preordering an S21. We also go over the S21 Ultra’s S Pen capabilities in great detail.
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