Never lose your keys again with Samsung's brand new Galaxy SmartTag tracker

While Samsung's flagship Galaxy S21 series smartphones may be the star of today’s Galaxy Unpacked 2021 event, it is not the only one. The South Korean company also launched an interesting Bluetooth-based smart tracker during today's Galaxy Unpacked 2021. 

The new Bluetooth-based trackers are based on Bluetooth Low Energy technology (for the SmartTag) and Ultra-Wideband (UWB) connectivity for the SmartTag+, instead of the old LTE-based tracker. The new tracking tech will let you look for objects with an accuracy of less than 10 inches.

Samsung says these trackers, which will ship on January 29, will only work with Galaxy devices, which seems like an odd decision, but makes sense when you consider the data between them will be end-to-end encrypted.

The main difference between the SmartTag which (will retail for $29.99) and the SmartTag+ is that the SmartTag+ (which will launch later this year) comes with UWB while the SmartTag does not. It will only work with Galaxy devices.

This UWB technology, which is also expected to feature on Apple’s rumoured AirTags later this year, offers “spatial awareness” or the ability of a device to understand the objects around it. The tech is already built into Apple’s iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 and will eventually be used for useful applications like pointing your device at someone and sending them a file.

UWB works on the same principle as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, using radio waves at a high frequency - sending billions of pulses, one every two nanoseconds, which are picked up by a receiver that can make sense of it for the user. 

The downside is that it can only be used over short distances, but an advantage of using UWB technology is that you can scan a room for an object and then accurately discover its location.

The tracker will connect to your devices using Samsung SmartThings and communications between them and your phones will be end-to-end encrypted. The device sports a punch-sized hole so you can slip a cord or keychain through it, or even tie it to your backpack. Samsung will sell the device in Black, Oatmeal, Denim Blue, and Mint colour variants, in packs of two and four.