Samsung Galaxy SmartTag Plus tracker with UWB just beat AirTags to the punch

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Samsung Milky way SmartTag Plus tracker with UWB simply beat AirTags to the punch

(Image credit: Samsung)

The Samsung Galaxy SmartTag Plus finally has a release appointment. While the bones SmartTags came out in January, Samsung said that the Plus version would be "coming soon," merely a new listing at B&H has the tracker available for pre-lodge with a release date of April 12, priced at $39.99.

The Samsung Galaxy SmartTag Plus is, similar the basic model, a Bluetooth tracker. Just attach it to your keys or other valuable and, upon misplacing information technology, open up upwards the SmartThings app to locate the lost item via a ringer on the tracker. If information technology's out of range, the whole Samsung SmartThings community volition anonymously hunt on your behalf, and you'll get an judge location when another user walks by your lost tag, so you tin travel at that place and option upwards the search in person. Information technology'south essentially Samsung's version of the Tile.

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Where the Plus model improves on the original SmartTag is the engineering inside. While the original uses Bluetooth Low Energy for detection, SmartTag Plus uses ultra-wideband (UWB) applied science which has both a longer range and more authentic tracking, able to locate things to a few inches, rather than a few feet.

The downside is that non all devices are compatible. While all SmartTags require a Samsung telephone, SmartTags Plus have even tighter limits, on account of requiring a UWB chip on the handset. That means that merely owners of the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus, S21 Ultra and Note 20 Ultra need utilize – bones S21 owners are out of luck.

Assuming the April 12 release engagement advertised by B&H holds true, this represents a modest victory for Samsung, equally it has managed to beat Apple to the punch. While Apple'south UWB-enabled AirTags trackers are rumored to have been set since late last year, the company has and so far held back on their release, or fifty-fifty publicly acknowledged they exist. The latest rumor is that they will finally emerge at this month'southward Apple event, alongside the 2021 iPad Pro and AirPods 3.

Unlike Samsung, Apple tree has been including support for UWB in its devices for a couple of generations via its U1 chip, starting with the iPhone 11 and Apple Watch vi. So far software implementation has been limited to a more than precise version of AirDrop, but a large install base of operations of iPhone 12 and iPhone 11 owners with UWB will certainly be helpful for the community-searching aspect of AirTags. Merely compare the number of people with the latest iPhones to the number with the S21 Ultra, Plus or Note 20 Ultra and you lot'll see why Samsung owners may prefer to stick with the basic Bluetooth version of SmartTag, even if it'due south technically the inferior production.

• More: Samsung Galaxy SmartTag: Price, release engagement, features and more

Freelance contributor Alan has been writing about tech for over a decade, covering phones, drones and everything in between. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are found all over the web and in the occasional mag too. When not weighing up the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, you'll probably notice him tackling his always-growing games backlog. Or, more likely, playing Spelunky for the millionth time.

Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/news/samsung-galaxy-smarttag-plus-tracker-with-uwb-just-beat-airtags-to-the-punch

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