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 merely shell AirTags to the dial

(Prototype credit: Samsung)

The Samsung Milky way SmartTag Plus finally has a release date. While the basic SmartTags came out in January, Samsung said that the Plus version would be "coming presently," but a new list at B&H has the tracker available for pre-order with a release appointment of April 12, priced at $39.99.

The Samsung Milky way SmartTag Plus is, similar the bones model, a Bluetooth tracker. Simply attach information technology to your keys or other valuable and, upon misplacing it, open up up the SmartThings app to locate the lost item via a ringer on the tracker. If it'due south out of range, the whole Samsung SmartThings customs volition anonymously hunt on your behalf, and you'll get an approximate location when another user walks past your lost tag, so you can travel in that location and selection up the search in person. It'due south essentially Samsung's version of the Tile.

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Where the Plus model improves on the original SmartTag is the technology inside. While the original uses Bluetooth Low Energy for detection, SmartTag Plus uses ultra-wideband (UWB) technology which has both a longer range and more than accurate 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 crave a Samsung phone, SmartTags Plus have even tighter limits, on account of requiring a UWB chip on the handset. That means that simply owners of the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus, S21 Ultra and Note xx Ultra need utilize – bones S21 owners are out of luck.

Assuming the April 12 release appointment advertised by B&H holds true, this represents a minor victory for Samsung, as it has managed to beat Apple to the punch. While Apple's UWB-enabled AirTags trackers are rumored to have been gear up since late last yr, the company has so far held back on their release, or even publicly acknowledged they exist. The latest rumor is that they will finally sally at this month's Apple outcome, alongside the 2021 iPad Pro and AirPods 3.

Unlike Samsung, Apple has been including support for UWB in its devices for a couple of generations via its U1 chip, starting with the iPhone xi and Apple Watch 6. So far software implementation has been limited to a more precise version of AirDrop, but a big install base of operations of iPhone 12 and iPhone xi owners with UWB will certainly be helpful for the community-searching attribute of AirTags. Only compare the number of people with the latest iPhones to the number with the S21 Ultra, Plus or Annotation xx Ultra and yous'll encounter why Samsung owners may adopt to stick with the basic Bluetooth version of SmartTag, fifty-fifty if information technology's technically the inferior product.

• More: Samsung Milky way SmartTag: Toll, release date, features and more

Freelance correspondent 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 magazine also. When not weighing up the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, you'll probably find him tackling his ever-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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