Samsung Galaxy SmartTag Overview

• $29.99 launch price (check Amazon for sales) per tracker — $5 less expensive than the Tile Pro
• Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology
• Compatible exclusively with Samsung Galaxy devices (not iPhone-compatible and not even compatible with other Android devices)
• Uses Samsung’s proprietary SmartThings app to find missing items
• Initial version does not use Ultra-Wideband (UWB) for precision location / indoor-GPS features – even though recent Samsung Galaxy phones have UWB chips built-in
• Samsung promises a later version with Ultra-Wideband, to be called the “Galaxy SmartTag +”, which will launch sometime later in 2021
• Samsung launched SmartTags alongside its new S21 Ultra flagship phone – and includes a $200 accessory credit + 1 free SmartTag with every pre-order purchase, meaning millions of SmartTags will soon be in the wild

How do Galaxy SmartTags Work?

• SmartTags have a range of 130 yards (~120 meters) when using “Galaxy Find Network”
• Find lost items that are in-range by tapping the ring button in the SmartThings app, which will make your SmartTag ring your normal ringtone (volume is controllable), and follow the sound to your lost item
• Find lost items that far away – or even offline – using the Galaxy Find Network by having other peoples’ Galaxy devices alert you to where they’ve seen the bluetooth ID of the missing tracker
• Can be used as button (e.g., if they’re on your keys) for IoT (internet of things) home automation – so push a button on SmartTags to turn your lights on

Detailed Samsung SmartTags Technical Specs

• Maximum SmartTags bluetooth range of 130 yards is assuming no obstruction (e.g., clear field of view)
• Samsung SmartThings compatibility is limited: SmartTags require initial setup on a modern Samsung Galaxy smartphone running Android 8.0 or higher with at least 2.0GB of RAM; also requires an opt-in consent for location tracking through SmartThings Find app
• Button on SmartTags initially does nothing – absolutely nothing – when shipped; needs to be connected to a users’ home automations internet-of-things and set to trigger an action, for it to be useful
• SmartTags Weight: 0.459 oz (13 grams)
• SmartTags Dimensions: 1.54 x 1.54 x 0.39 inches (3.9 x 3.9 x 1.0 cm)
• SmartTags Battery Type: SmartTags contain a user-replaceable CR2032 (same battery technology as the $35 Tile Pro, which has a one-year battery life – see our Tile Tracker vs. AirTags Comparison)

Samsung SmartTags Initial Review

1. We’ll have to wait until they ship to give our formal review, but at first glance, Samsung Galaxy SmartTags look like a decent competitor to the Tile Pro with the big caveat that you have to be fully committed to the Samsung Galaxy phone ecosystem, as SmartTags are only compatible with Galaxy phones. This is a highly limiting and a huge oversight. Imagine losing your backpack and phone – and your friends only have iPhones or other Android phones, but not Galaxy phones – they can’t help you find it. And the limitations to the Galaxy Find Network make this decision even worse – you need someone with a modern Galaxy smart phone — who opted in to allow it to help find missing items — to walk within 130 yards of your missing item for you to find it. That said, Samsung sold roughly 2x as many Galaxy phones in Q3 2020 than Apple sold iPhones, so other than the opt-in, perhaps the network will be decent
2. Pricing is strong, coming in $5 less than Samsung’s targeted competitor, the Tile Pro
3. Battery life is not yet marketed, but should be expected to be similar to the Tile Pro’s 1-year battery life, given the Galaxy SmartTags use the same CR2032 user-replaceable battery
4. Lack of Ultra-Wideband means that Apple AirTags still have the chance to be first-to-market with this groundbreaking “indoor-GPS” technology – Samsung seems to have rushed SmartTags out with just Bluetooth BLE 5.0, and promise to release the “SmartTags +” with UWB compatibility down the line
5. Size and weight are competitive
6. Color choices – currently just black – are limited at launch. That said, they refer to the color option as being black throughout, so it looks like they’re set up to launch other colors (and perhaps special editions) later – you heard the rumor here first

Apple hasn’t even launch AirTags yet, but the competition is already heating up. We’ve already reviewed Tile’s range of AirTags Competitors, but today we discuss a new and formidable (and… admittedly rumored) entrant: Samsung.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was written before Samsung released its Samsung Galaxy SmartTag Trackers in January of 2021 – we have a full and updated review of Samsung Smart Tag vs. Apple AirTags available.

To keep our readers happy while wait for Apple to release AirTags, here’s the quick answer…

• Top AirTags Competitors Available Today for General Use: Samsung SmartTags and Tile Pro trackers (see our Samsung SmartTag vs. Apple AirTags article)
• Top AirTags Competitors Available Today Specifically for Finding Lost Pets: Whistle Pro Pet Tracker and FitBark Pet GPS Tracker (see our Guide to GPS Pet Trackers / How To Find Lost Pets with Apple AirTags article)

Apple AirTags Alternatives and Competitors – Welcome to the Party, Samsung:

Samsung is one of the world’s largest electronics companies, with sales of over $173 billion this past year (last twelve months as of Q3’20). Even compared to Apple, that’s pretty good. I mean, Apple’s sales over the last year were $100 billion higher ($274 billion total sales), but hey, what’s $101 billion a year amongst friends? Samsung’s still in the big leagues, even if it’s not sitting at the top.

So what is Samsung known for? Washing machines? OK. TV’s? Definitely. Cell phones? Yeah, if you like Android, they’re pretty awesome… But Samsung is also rightly known as the king of fighting Apple and taking on the iPhone (I didn’t say winning, necessarily, but certainly fighting). If Apple comes out with AirPods, Samsung comes out with “Buds.” If Apple gets rid of the headphone jack in the iPhone, Samsung ruthlessly runs ads making fun of them for it (old Samsung ad before…)……. AND THEN…… they inevitably, and shamelessly, copy Apple. Of course they dropped the headphone jack too (… Samsung eating crow and getting rid of the headphone jack).

And now, they’re back with a new washing machine competitor to AirTags and Tile – the Samsung Galaxy Smart Tag (background info via Sammobile). This is a still a rumor, but it is relatively confirmed as the name “Samsung Galaxy Smart Tag” and the model number (EI-T5300 – whatever that means) have been certified by the venerable Indonesian Telecom Certification. I think that’s like the FCC approving products in the US, which is a good sign that something is about about to be released. Still TBD on whether they have will be running their own ultra-wideband competitor to Apple’s U1 chip, or if its more of a Tile-style bluetooth-based tracker.

Samsung Smart Things Tracker vs. Apple AirTags

We should also note that Samsung already came out (and discontinued!) with their own Tile competitor (it was a bluetooth-based tracker), back in 2018. It came and went, and is dead now… May the “Samsung Smart Things Tracker” (photo above) rest in electronics peace.

How did the Samsung Smart Things Tracker work, and how did it compare to AirTags? Well, it was by default a bluetooth-based tracker but also had an LTE option (like your cell phone – which needs a SIM card and, how do we put this… is a really a bad idea) for expanded range. OK. That’s interesting. And what was the battery life like on the Samsung Smart Things Tracker with its cell-phone-like-LTE-technology? Two weeks! That’s it. It was a rechargeable battery that got only two weeks of battery life. That’s better than a cell phone, sure, but nothing compared to a Tile tracker or the upcoming AirTags. Let’s run through a use-case to see why that battery life would be terrible. Let’s say you put a Samsung Smart Things Tracker (instead of AirTags or Tile Trackers – which have 1-3 year battery life, generally) on your dog, another on your bike, your keys, your gym bag, and ten other things you don’t want to lose. Cool. Now fast forward two weeks and, ugh… Time to charge the tracker on your dog, your bike, your keys, your gym bag, and ten. other. things… You’ve got to be kidding. Two weeks later? Do it again. Apple AirTags have to have Tile-like (or better!) battery life, and expect Samsung to have improved on this greatly if they release their rumored Samsung Galaxy Smart Tag, because — let us stress this — two weeks isn’t going to cut it.

Hopefully for Samsung, their new AirTags alternative Galaxy Smart Tags will be better (smarter?) than the old Smart Things Tracker, and actually stick around. For now, we have to wait and see, but Apple’s AirTags competition is heating up!

Editor’s Update (12/27/20): Renderings Leaked of Rumored Samsung Smart Tags

As reported by 91mobiles, Samsung seems to have pulled an Apple-esque move and accidentally released Smart Tags icons in their tracking app, the so-called SmartThings App. Yes, just like how Apple included references to AirTags in its Find My App.

What do we know about Samsung Smart Tags now? Well, from the images below, they will be roughly Tile-shaped, small in size, have rounded corners, and (apparently) have a small hole for a lanyard / zip-tie. Interesting that they’ll have the ability to tie on to key chains, but it seems like it could also be a bit cumbersome.

Samsung is rumored to release its Smart Tags devices in January alongside its Galaxy S21 device, for a rumored $15-20 a tag (likely cheaper than Tile). AirTagReviews will continue to follow all the AirTags competitors and news, and keep you in the know.