Samsung's Galaxy SmartTag With UWB Beats AirTags to Market, Launches April 16 for $39.99

Samsung will release the Galaxy SmartTag Plus on April 16 for $39.99, becoming the first mainstream item tracker with support for ultra-wideband technology, The Verge reports.

samsung smarttag luggage
In January, Samsung announced the "Galaxy SmartTag," a small squircle-shaped device that can be used to track and locate items such as keys, bags, and more. Samsung announced two versions of the SmartTag, one that uses Bluetooth LE 5.0 technology and the SmartTag Plus variant that utilizes UWB technology.

UWB, or ultra-wideband technology, offers more precise, short-range location tracking compared to typical Bluetooth. The technology has grown in adoption in recent years as the market for supported UWB accessories is expected to grow.

Yesterday, Apple opened up its Find My network for accessories makers to take advantage of UWB in Apple devices. Under the network, accessory makers will tap into the Find My ecosystem, allowing customers to track their items on their iPhones, iPads, and Macs.

Even though the ‌Find My‌ network is tailored for UWB accessories, the Galaxy SmartTag Plus uses
Samsung's own "Galaxy Find Network" and will not be compatible with Apple devices.

Notably, while the ‌Find My‌ network is open to third-party accessory makers who manufacture UWB trackers, Apple has yet to release its own. For the past nearly two years, rumors have swirled about the launch of AirTags, circular devices that would offer UWB item-tracking. Apple has yet to announce the tracker, but it is committed to opening up the ‌Find My‌ networks to others.

One aspect of the AirTags experience is rumored to be the ability for users to use AR inside the ‌Find My‌ app to get directions to their item. Samsung's Galaxy SmartTag Plus now offers that same experience, allowing customers to use a viewfinder in their UWB-enabled Galaxy smartphones to get led to the location of their SmartTag, and hence, whatever item it is attached to.

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Top Rated Comments

Art Mark Avatar
56 months ago
It's all fun and games until the Samsung trackers burst into flames...a joke! Just a joke. But...
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
shapesinaframe Avatar
56 months ago
Since when has Apple ever been first to market for anything? It’s their strategy to NOT be first to market, let the other guys figure out all the bugs and then they launch a product that does it better.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tekriter Avatar
56 months ago
At least the Samsung tag HAS A HOLE IN IT so you can ATTACH IT TO STUFF. I can’t understand why the Apple tags will, apparently, require an additional part - a case - to attach clips, lanyards, etc.

A dongle for a tag.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Expos of 1969 Avatar
56 months ago

Since when has Apple ever been first to market for anything? It’s their strategy to NOT be first to market, let the other guys figure out all the bugs and then they launch a product that does it better.
Perhaps they should have taken that approach with the wonderful butterfly keyboard.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Abazigal Avatar
56 months ago
It's still Samsung going up against the might of Apple's ecosystem and install base on their home turf.

At the end of the day, it's like saying the galaxy gear was released before the Apple Watch. Neither is an alternative to the other, and what people ultimately buy is still going to be dictated by their choice of smartphone.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Hodar1 Avatar
56 months ago
Guess I am still not sold on the marketing side, especially at $40+ each. If stolen, a thief would simply remove them. Around the house, I guess my home isn't so cluttered that I need to add a tracking device to anything. What would you track, using a tile, that cannot or is not already being tracked?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)