Samsung teased an upgraded model of its Galaxy SmartTags object tracker a while ago. Well, the company has officially launched them today, and they are going on sale starting April 16. And oh, they’ll cost $39.99 a pop. For comparison, the vanilla Galaxy SmartTags will set you back by $29.99. So, why the premium of $10? Well, the Galaxy SmartTags+ also brings support for ultra-wideband (UWB) technology to the table.

Hey Apple, where are the AirTags?

And what exactly is the benefit of this UWB thingy, you may ask? Well, in Samsung’s words, UWB improves the location and positioning accuracy. Plus, it also uses an augmented reality (AR) overlay that guides users towards their missing object tracker, which definitely comes in handy.

Samsung Galaxy SmartTags+

Just open the companion app, and you will see directional AR signs on top of the camera view on the screen. And just in case you’re wondering,  the Galaxy SmartTags+ will also produce a chime to make the task of locating them easier. The Galaxy SmartTags+ object tracker works with the SmartThings Find service.

You need a UWB-ready Samsung phone to truly justify the $10 premium

However, do keep in mind that the AR overlay feature only works on phones that support the UWB tech. And they should be Samsung phones too. The bad part? There are not many Samsung phones that are UWB-ready. The only two phones with UWB support that I can remember are the Galaxy S21+ and the Galaxy S21 Ultra – both of which cost a pretty penny. It also has a physical button that can be used to remotely perform tasks such as turning off lights.

What if the Galaxy SmartTags+ goes beyond the range? Well, in that case, just report it as missing in the app. Now, when another Galaxy phone (not necessarily UWB-ready) comes in its Bluetooth range, the tracker will automatically latch on to the SmartThings server via that phone and will send a notification on your phone about its location. And in case you’re worried, no, a stranger whose Galaxy phone was used for sending the alert won’t be able to discern any location data as all of it is encrypted.


View Samsung Galaxy SmartTags on Amazon