Samsung has announced its third-generation Bluetooth tracker, the Galaxy SmartTag 3. It combines a smaller design and improved battery life with a few new tracking and software features, including cross-OS support intended to make it easier to share tracking information with friends and family. As revealed by leaks , the SmartTag 3 has adopted a squircle design, similar to the original SmartTag but with one key difference: There’s no cutout for a key ring.
That means you’ll have to buy one of Samsung’s protective cases if you want to directly attach the tracker to keys or a carabiner. It has an IP67 rating for protection from the elements. The new design has benefits though.
The SmartTag 3 is 35 percent smaller and 33 percent lighter than the SmartTag 2. It’s 10 percent more power-efficient too, stretching its replaceable CR2032 battery to 550 days of normal use, or 790 days in power-saving mode. While previous Galaxy SmartTags only worked with Samsung phones, the new generation has been broadened to support iOS too.
Samsung doesn’t seem to expect it’s going to win over AirTag owners, but is instead pitching this as a way to share tracking information with friends, family, or dogwalkers for help with finding lost objects or pets. We’ve reached out to Samsung to confirm if other Android phones will be supported too. New notification alerts can be set to trigger when a SmartTag 3 moves in or out of a set area, movement detection alerts can trigger for smaller shifts, and location history helps you follow a tag’s movements.
Tracking is handled by Samsung’s own Galaxy Find Network, rather than Google’s Find Hub , which launched following the release of the SmartTag 2 . Once you’re within 200ft of the tracker, ultra-wideband (UWB) and Bluetooth 6.0 Channel Sounding combine on supported phones for more precise detection. The SmartTag 3 is launching in black and white, starting in South Korea, where it goes on sale from October 7th.
A US release will follow in early November, priced at $29.99 for a single tracker and $99.99 for a four-pack. That’s the same price as the SmartTag 2, and matches Apple’s latest AirTag and Google’s new Pixel Tag . Update, September 30th: Added US release date and price.
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Source: The Verge
