Samsung Galaxy Tags join Apple AirTags for somewhat one-sided beatdown of Tile

(Image credit: Concept Creator)

published 5 December 2020

The elusive Apple AirTags promise to prevent users losing their iPhones and other Apple products forever, tying into the Find My iPhone app to provide reliable tracking of your devices’ whereabouts, as well as your car keys, actual cars, and for, all we know, your elderly relatives. That's probably left Tile, whose entire business is built on making a product exactly like Apple AirTags, breathing a sigh of relief.

However, that could turn to more general sighing now, as Samsung appears to be lining up its own rival product. New leaks indicate Samsung is working on Galaxy branded tracking tags. And Apple’s slowness to market could even see Samsung landing the first blow. Although, with a new Apple launch mooted for next week, as part of a supposed Apple Christmas Surprise, maybe not.

After a stacked year of product launches including the iPhone 12, Apple Watch Series 6 and the M1 MacBook line, AirTags are one of two leaked Apple product that’s yet to escape the factory. The other being Apple AirPods Studio over ear noise cancelling headphones, although there is a suspicion AirPods Studio could also be a part of the aforementioned festive surprise.

A report from SamMobile elaborates that they could be known as Galaxy Smart Tags – hardly the most subtle name. However, it is also likely a nod to Samsung’s recently announced SmartThings Find app, itself not too dissimilar from Apple’s Find My iPhone, leveraging Bluetooth Low Energy and Ultra-Wideband technologies.

Operating in tandem with the new app, Galaxy Smart Tags could incorporate the advanced BLE and UWB features to improve tracking, on top of LTE and GPS tech in current tracking hardware. As the report states, the model was recently certified by the Indonesian Telecom Certification lending credibility to its existence and an imminent release.

As with the AirTags however, there is still no indication of exactly when these devices will be in our hands.

With UWB, both tags would be capable of incredibly precise positioning, alongside using Bluetooth to communicate with other devices even if offline.

Another rumored feature for the AirTags, and possibly the Galaxy Smart Tags too, is proximity tracking, notifying you if any of your personal belongings stray too far from your pockets. It is also expected that the AirTags will connect to a user’s iCloud account akin to the AirPods.

Should both these tags actually come to fruition, you really will have no excuse for losing your phone behind the sofa ever again.

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