Samsung releases $29.99 SmartTag to compete with Tile, 'AirTags'

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2021
Alongside the new Galaxy S21 lineup and Galaxy Buds, Samsung also has debuted a Bluetooth tracking tag and Tile competitor dubbed the Galaxy SmartTag.

Credit: Samsung
Credit: Samsung


The Galaxy SmartTag is a $29.99 tracking device that relies on Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to help users find missing or misplaced items. It'll pair with Samsung's SmartThings app, and will show the last known location of an item along with its current proximity via BLE signal strength.

Unlike Tile trackers currently available on the market, the SmartTag will only work with Samsung Galaxy devices. It won't be compatible with other Androids, or an iPhone for that matter.

Despite some of Samsung's newest devices sporting the technology, the $29.99 SmartTag does not support Ultra Wideband (UWB) tracking.

UWB is a new technology that allows for pinpoint location tracking and is largely expected to be one of the primary features of Apple's long-rumored "AirTags." Along with Apple, Tile is also expected to debut a UWB-equipped tracker in 2021.

Samsung did state that a UWB version of the SmartTag, dubbed the SmartTag+, will debut later in 2021. Although an exact release timeline isn't clear, the SmartTag+ device will cost $39.99.

The Samsung device, as well as the expected "AirTags" from Apple, are likely to put increasing pressure on Tile. In fact, Tile has already accused Apple of anti-competitive behavior in the space.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 22
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Samsung isn’t competing against Apple. Apple has no tracking tiles. Where can I buy them?
  • Reply 2 of 22
    ihatescreennamesihatescreennames Posts: 1,950member
    SpamSandwich said:
    Samsung isn’t competing against Apple. Apple has no tracking tiles. Where can I buy them?
    Even if Apple had tracking tiles would these really be competing with them? Assuming that AirTags only work with iOS and Samsung’s only work with Galaxy phones, can those products be considered competitors? Both would have Tile as competition, but not really each other. If I owned an iOS device it would make absolutely no sense to get tiles from Samsung that weren’t compatible. 
    CloudTalkincornchipmuthuk_vanalingamseanjwatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 22
    igorskyigorsky Posts: 773member
    SpamSandwich said:
    Samsung isn’t competing against Apple. Apple has no tracking tiles. Where can I buy them?
    This really is the case for everything, not just these tracking tiles.  Not sure why people keep pushing this fallacy.  Apple left Samsung in it's rearview a long time ago.
    olswatto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 22
    wonkothesanewonkothesane Posts: 1,737member
    Ober and over again, pathetic to the bone. Zero creativity, or out-of-the-box thinking. Copying anything solely based on announcements. What a company. Yuck. 
    cornchipolsseanjwatto_cobraSpamSandwich
  • Reply 5 of 22
    Rayz2016Rayz2016 Posts: 6,957member
    The problem here is that Samsung is trying copy something they haven’t seen yet. Same mistake they made with the watch. 

    Their best bet would be to take the Apple approach: see what the competition is doing wrong then fix it in your own take. 
    EsquireCatswatto_cobragilly33
  • Reply 6 of 22
    gmgravytraingmgravytrain Posts: 882member
    What AirTags?  Oh, those fictitious AirTags.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 22
    dewmedewme Posts: 5,655member
    gmgravytrain said:
    What AirTags?  Oh, those fictitious AirTags.
    They're all locked up in the trunk of the Apple Car that someone took for an infinite test drive, but since the software's not ready nobody can find them. Doh!
    baluwatto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 22
    avon b7avon b7 Posts: 7,958member
    wonkothesane said:
    Ober and over again, pathetic to the bone. Zero creativity, or out-of-the-box thinking. Copying anything solely based on announcements. What a company. Yuck. 
    Apple's take on this doesn't exist. Samsung didn't see the rumours and jump in. This is an idea that's been on the market for years. Implementations may vary but the basic idea doesn't really belong to anyone in any practical sense. UWB centimetre precision is hardly new either. 

    IMO these are clunky but I'm sure someone will find a use for them. 




    muthuk_vanalingam
  • Reply 9 of 22
    EsquireCatsEsquireCats Posts: 1,268member
    "SmartTag" that does literally less than every other tracking tag on the market.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 22
    KuyangkohKuyangkoh Posts: 838member
    wonkothesane said:
    Ober and over again, pathetic to the bone. Zero creativity, or out-of-the-box thinking. Copying anything solely based on announcements. What a company. Yuck. 
    If its really really that yuck, i wonder who supplies Oled screens to Iphones by Aplle, hmmmm guess who? Correccctttttt.....it’s Samsung. Now yuck that. Hehe
  • Reply 11 of 22
    BeatsBeats Posts: 3,073member
    Galaxy Edge
    Galaxy Watch
    Galaxy Fold

    Samsung again trying to beat Apple to market.

    iKnockoff morons will claim Apple “copied” this failure by quoting a release date.

    EVERY. DAMN. TIME. 
    seanjwatto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 22
    BeatsBeats Posts: 3,073member
    Kuyangkoh said:
    wonkothesane said:
    Ober and over again, pathetic to the bone. Zero creativity, or out-of-the-box thinking. Copying anything solely based on announcements. What a company. Yuck. 
    If its really really that yuck, i wonder who supplies Oled screens to Iphones by Aplle, hmmmm guess who? Correccctttttt.....it’s Samsung. Now yuck that. Hehe

    What a stupid reply. Samsung has a display manufacture, Apple does not. Samsung Display isn’t even part of samsung Mobile(the iKnockoff segment). 

    This is straight out of the iKnockoff moron playbook. 
    watto_cobrarazorpitgilly33
  • Reply 13 of 22
    avon b7avon b7 Posts: 7,958member
    Beats said:
    Galaxy Edge
    Galaxy Watch
    Galaxy Fold

    Samsung again trying to beat Apple to market.

    iKnockoff morons will claim Apple “copied” this failure by quoting a release date.

    EVERY. DAMN. TIME. 
    The most important thing is that developments come to market. That consumers get the opportunity to use them. 

    Who 'beats' who only really comes into focus when people try to make claims like yours which make it sound as if everyone is copying Apple. 

    Pinch yourself. Companies have been bringing these things to market (often long before Apple) for years. Key technologies. 

    And 'Edge' phones? When did Apple have an Edge phone? 

    Every time you say 'iKnockoff Morons' you are simply digging a bigger hole for yourself. 

    Apple does some great stuff. And so do lots of other companies. 

    This may not be the pinnacle of where the technology is heading but it isn't going away and will only get better. 

    And centimetre precision tag systems using UWB have been around for a while now in all kinds of industrial, scientific, health settings. 

    muthuk_vanalingam
  • Reply 14 of 22
    robin huberrobin huber Posts: 4,014member
    Can devices like this be used surreptitiously to track someone’s car?
  • Reply 15 of 22
    musicmandwsmusicmandws Posts: 12member
    robin huber said:
    Can devices like this be used surreptitiously to track someone’s car?
    I think that is an interesting point (same for when Airtags do arrive). I expect someone will release a App for scanning for tag transmissions so we can check our stuff in the style of spy films 😂. I guess you can already do this anyway with tracking devices you can buy with GPS and a cell modem. 
  • Reply 16 of 22
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,815member
    musicmandws said:
    robin huber said:
    Can devices like this be used surreptitiously to track someone’s car?
    I think that is an interesting point (same for when Airtags do arrive). I expect someone will release a App for scanning for tag transmissions so we can check our stuff in the style of spy films 😂. I guess you can already do this anyway with tracking devices you can buy with GPS and a cell modem. 
    I was thinking... ankle bracelets for teenagers.
  • Reply 17 of 22
    FoodLoverFoodLover Posts: 48member
    Can devices like this be used surreptitiously to track someone’s car?

    Yes. This is an evil technology. I love the idea and hate at the same time that it became reality.

     How it works?

    • I have registered my Galaxy Buds Live in the SmartThings App and opted in for the respective service
    • Let us assume my wife would opt in for the service as well
    • I could throw the Buds into her car
    • She would now drive to anywhere in the city
    • She herself would not be able to ask the service where the Buds are located because they belong to me
    • But I could ask the service for the location although she would be driving them around

    This technology is a dream for all agencies around the world: people spying on others without knowing it.

    Once the UWB version with longer lasting batteries became available, it would become a nightmare.

    And now imagine RFID-based trackers in the probably not too distance future: a horror scenario (which will become reality).


    muthuk_vanalingam
  • Reply 18 of 22
    avon b7avon b7 Posts: 7,958member
    FoodLover said:
    Can devices like this be used surreptitiously to track someone’s car?

    Yes. This is an evil technology. I love the idea and hate at the same time that it became reality.

     How it works?

    • I have registered my Galaxy Buds Live in the SmartThings App and opted in for the respective service
    • Let us assume my wife would opt in for the service as well
    • I could throw the Buds into her car
    • She would now drive to anywhere in the city
    • She herself would not be able to ask the service where the Buds are located because they belong to me
    • But I could ask the service for the location although she would be driving them around

    This technology is a dream for all agencies around the world: people spying on others without knowing it.

    Once the UWB version with longer lasting batteries became available, it would become a nightmare.

    And now imagine RFID-based trackers in the probably not too distance future: a horror scenario (which will become reality).


    Reminds of the story of the guy who bought a smart bathroom scales for him and the wife. All perfect until one day he checked the health data while away on business and saw an early morning weight reading of someone who clearly wasn't his wife. 
  • Reply 19 of 22
    FoodLoverFoodLover Posts: 48member
    Rayz2016 said:
    The problem here is that Samsung is trying copy something they haven’t seen yet. Same mistake they made with the watch. 

    Their best bet would be to take the Apple approach: see what the competition is doing wrong then fix it in your own take. 

    So you believe Samsung is just listening to rumours and start developing products just because there was a rumour? This argument is so stupid that tells a lot about people which repeat it again and again!

    Have you ever thought that such rumours start spreading once an Apple or Apple fans learn that a real project is being developed by another company and not vice versa? This is an old marketing trick, perfected by Audi in the car industry. Each time you hear about a rumoured feature to be developed by Audi, you know either BMW or Mercedes are going to release it soon!

     And Apple have been Audi’s equivalence in the computer industry for year.

    BTW: this Samsung LTE tracker was released 2018 already which does not mean Samsung would have invented it.
    https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2018/9/10/17841570/samsung-smartthings-tracker-gps-lte-m

  • Reply 20 of 22
    BeatsBeats Posts: 3,073member
    FoodLover said:
    Rayz2016 said:
    The problem here is that Samsung is trying copy something they haven’t seen yet. Same mistake they made with the watch. 

    Their best bet would be to take the Apple approach: see what the competition is doing wrong then fix it in your own take. 

    So you believe Samsung is just listening to rumours and start developing products just because there was a rumour? This argument is so stupid that tells a lot about people which repeat it again and again!

    Have you ever thought that such rumours start spreading once an Apple or Apple fans learn that a real project is being developed by another company and not vice versa? This is an old marketing trick, perfected by Audi in the car industry. Each time you hear about a rumoured feature to be developed by Audi, you know either BMW or Mercedes are going to release it soon!

     And Apple have been Audi’s equivalence in the computer industry for year.

    BTW: this Samsung LTE tracker was released 2018 already which does not mean Samsung would have invented it.
    https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2018/9/10/17841570/samsung-smartthings-tracker-gps-lte-m

    FoodLover said:
    Rayz2016 said:
    The problem here is that Samsung is trying copy something they haven’t seen yet. Same mistake they made with the watch. 

    Their best bet would be to take the Apple approach: see what the competition is doing wrong then fix it in your own take. 

    So you believe Samsung is just listening to rumours and start developing products just because there was a rumour? This argument is so stupid that tells a lot about people which repeat it again and again!

    Have you ever thought that such rumours start spreading once an Apple or Apple fans learn that a real project is being developed by another company and not vice versa? This is an old marketing trick, perfected by Audi in the car industry. Each time you hear about a rumoured feature to be developed by Audi, you know either BMW or Mercedes are going to release it soon!

     And Apple have been Audi’s equivalence in the computer industry for year.

    BTW: this Samsung LTE tracker was released 2018 already which does not mean Samsung would have invented it.
    https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2018/9/10/17841570/samsung-smartthings-tracker-gps-lte-m

    Patents are not “rumors”. Samsung has a deeper sight into Apple than forum members.
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