Add this to the AirTags FAQ as it’s bound to be talked about… What are the main AirTags alternatives? The best, most obvious alternative to AirTags is the Chipolo One Spot (affiliate). It’s sleek, small, and the only tracker to work at launch with Apple’s Find My app and network of iPhones around the world. That means – it’s pretty much the AirTag you’ve been waiting for. Check it out.
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.
