Samsung Announces $30 Galaxy SmartTag to Rival Tile, Apple AirTags

Samsung announces Galaxy SmartTags

With Samsung announcing an array of new products including its flagship Galaxy S21 series and Galaxy Buds Pro TWS earbuds, it was easy to miss out on this product for the general public. So, if you missed it, along with the Galaxy S21 without a charger in the box, the Korean giant also announced the Galaxy SmartTag, which is a Tile-like Bluetooth tracker for your non-digital things.

So, Tile, if you are unaware, are tiny Bluetooth-enabled trackers that you can attach to your everyday non-digital items like wallet, car keys, or anything that you might lose to keep track of them using your smartphone. Apple has been rumored to be working on a similar device, called AirTags, for quite some time now. However, Samsung has beaten the Cupertino giant in this area with the announcement of the Galaxy SmartTag.

The Galaxy SmartTag Bluetooth Tracker

So, the SmartTag comes in two variants – SmartTag and SmartTag+. While the entry-level Galaxy SmartTag uses Bluetooth 5.0 Low Energy (LE), the SmartTag+ relies on Ultrawide Band (UWB). However, both the variants work similarly and help users to keep track and locate missing items to which these are attached.

You can attach these tiny trackers to anything you deem necessary, from your airport luggage to your pet’s leash, to keep a track of them right on your Galaxy device. The SmartTag connects with your smartphone using Bluetooth and you can manage your tracker(s) via the Samsung SmartThings app.

So, whenever your wallet or your pet goes out of sight, you can open up the app and track their location to find them. You can also play a loud sound on the tracker to locate the items that are somewhere near you. They have a range of 120m (~394ft).

Moreover, apart from tracking down everyday items, the SmartTag also doubles as a remote switch for other Samsung smart appliances. So, if you have a Samsung branded TV, robot vacuum, or an AC connected to your Galaxy device, you can use the Galaxy SmartTag as one-tap triggers to turn them on or off.

However, one of the drawbacks of the devices is that both the Galaxy SmartTag versions only work with Galaxy devices. So, if you are using a smartphone of any other brand, these SmartTags will be pretty much useless to you. Samsung released an official promo video for the device, which you can check out right here:

Price and Availability

Now, coming to the prices, the regular SmartTags will retail for around $29.99 (~Rs. 2,190) for a pack of two tracking devices. On the other hand, a pack of two SmartTags+ will come for $39.99 (~Rs. 2,920). The devices are to go on sale from January 29.

VIA GSMarena
Comments 1
  • Harry Potter says:

    Many sources have previously reported that Apple has developed a tracking device of its own, possibly called AirTags, but it hasn’t been released this year. Based on the clues contained in the upcoming iOS update, the idea doesn’t seem to be canceled, and may appear at some point in 2021. Now, some revelation, Samsung could release its own version much earlier than “rival” Apple.

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