Samsung SmarTags
Samsung unveiled its new SmartTags item tracker . (Photo: Nathan Dumlao/Unsplash(BY CC 2.0))

In what many described as Samsung's surprise move, the South Korean tech giant launched its SmartTags item tracker along with the release of its new Galaxy S21 series smartphones.

Samsung launched its new Galaxy SmartTags today, alongside the unveiling of its latest flagship Galaxy S21 series smartphones. Industry observers view Samsung's move as an "in-your-face" statement to Apple and its long-delayed AirTags. Many note, however, that the design and functionality of the South Korean tech giant's item trackers appear similar to Apple's much-anticipated AirTags, which is rumored set for launch this year.

As far as the design of the South Korean tech giant's Galaxy SmartTags item tracker is concerned, it has a squircle shape with a tiny hole on one of the edges where users can insert a strap or a key ring for attaching to various types of items. The SmartTags has a size measurement of 1.54 inches in length and width, with a thickness of 0.39 inches. Apple's AirTags rumors, on the other hand, indicate that the Cupertino tech giant's item tracker possesses a roundish shape, though there is no confirmation on its real size and shape as no one outside of Apple has seen the actual product. Samsung opted to unveil the SmartTags alongside the launch of its latest Galaxy S21 series smartphones.

Technical specifications of Samsung's Galaxy SmartTags reveal they use Bluetooth LE 5.0 technology and can broadcast its position to a smartphone. Unlike other similar item trackers, the South Korean giant, instead of using the advanced Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology, chose instead to rely solely on Bluetooth for its tracking functionality. During the new Galaxy S21 series smartphones launch event, where Samsung also unveiled the SmartTags, the company did not explain in detail why it did not adopt UWB for its SmartTags since the feature is included in recent models of Samsung smartphones. The South Korean tech giant, though, said that they have plans to release a SmartTag+ with UWB within the year.

In the case of Apple, rumors say its AirTags feature Ultra-Wideband technology that seamlessly functions with the U1 chip in iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 models, allowing for more precise tracking. Rumors also indicate that Apple's item tracker has an augmented reality (AR) item location function. Nevertheless, some say all these remain rumors as Apple's AirTags remain unreleased as of this time. Samsung apparently beat AirTags to launch by a mile when the South Korean tech giant unveiled its own SmartTag during the Galaxy S21 series smartphones launch event recently. Users can find SmartTags in Samsung phones' "SmartThings Find" app, which shows the location of tags within Bluetooth range. If the items are beyond this range, the app will instead display the last location of the tags.