Samsung isn’t the first brand that comes to mind when you’re shopping for a tracker. This kind of consumer confidence and appeal is currently under the control of Tile and Apple’s famous AirTag. However, Samsung wants to make its way into that space with another object tracker that is due to arrive soon.
Citing unnamed sources, SamMobile reports that Samsung plans to update its Galaxy Smart Tag wallet. And if all goes according to plan, Samsung’s second-generation object tracker will hit shelves in the third quarter of 2023 — possibly around the same time frame as Samsung’s upcoming foldable phones.
Right now, there’s a dearth of detail about the upgrades one can expect from the upcoming Galaxy SmartTags, and we don’t know of any plans to rework the design either. But it will be interesting to see if Samsung can boost utilitarian aspects like detection range, add better speakers with a wider beep range, and extend battery life.
The current generation Galaxy SmartTags are already one of the best AirTag alternatives, thanks to their ultra-compact size and vast tracking network supported by hundreds of millions of devices worldwide. However, locking down the SmartThings ecosystem means they can only be used if you have a Samsung phone in your hands — like the Galaxy S23.
On the plus side, close integration with Samsung products means you won’t have to strain your brain cells trying to figure out the functionality of third-party apps, and everything is seamless. Additionally, the Samsung object tracker draws power from a standard CR2032 coin cell, which is good for months and is easily replaceable.
Another very useful aspect of Galaxy SmartTags is the integration with smart home devices that work well with Samsung’s SmartThings protocol and even some phone-specific features. The button on the tracker can be customized to perform tasks such as controlling lights, and support for Ultra Wideband technology allows users to track location within 15 meters using AR signals in the camera app.
Tile recently introduced an anti-theft mode for its trackers that makes it invisible to all but the registered owner’s device scans. The company built it as an anti-theft measure, but the feature needs to be activated with government-issued ID verification. Samsung may want to offer features like this if it aims for meaningful upgrades over the second generation of Galaxy SmartTags.
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