Samsung Galaxy SmartTag+ with Ultra-Wideband and Augmented Reality Finding, Bluetooth Item Finder and Key Finder, 120 m Findign Range, 1 Pack, Black (UK Version)

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And then there's, there's Apple's AirTag, which of course, is aimed at iPhone owners and not the Galaxy faithful. It's cheaper than the Galaxy SmartTag+ and has the benefit of being able to leverage almost every iPhone in the world to track its location. Finally, the UWB technology only works with recent Samsung phones: the Galaxy Z Fold 2, Note 20 Ultra or S21+ models.

AR Finding gives you a uniquely visual way to locate a lost item with a SmartTag+ attached, which will help you pinpoint the location of the tracker by using the ultra-wideband connection and the camera on your Galaxy device, it will show you the way on your phone screen through the SmartThings app and it will let you know you're close with a glimmering green light when you're at the destination. So when you press or hold the button down, you could switch on the lights as you arrived home and switch on the heater you have hooked up to a smart plug, for instance.

In more remote locales, your mileage may vary — for example, if there are no Samsung phones in the area, or the tag was only briefly pinged by a passing Galaxy device. I started by enabling Offline finding in the phone’s Biometrics and Security screen; there’s also a way to do it from the SmartThings Find interface. While the 2022 model lacks ultra-wideband tracking and a few other SmartTag features it is platform agnostic (meaning it works with many Android and iOS smartphones). Luckily, I had a fresh CR2032 cell and quickly swapped it out (see “Swapping a SmartTag Plus’s Battery”).

Having graduated from Swansea University with a degree in Media and Communication Studies, and later with a diploma from Staffordshire University with a post graduate diploma in Computer Games Design, she's written for a huge number of publications, including T3, FitandWell, Top Ten Reviews, Eurogamer, NME and many more. Depending on your usage and other factors, CR2032 batteries can last about a year, so you won’t have to worry about replacing it for a while.

The data is then relayed to my phone where it shows up on the Find map with the explanation “Spotted by a nearby Galaxy device.

I spent two weeks using a Galaxy Note 20 Ultra phone and the SmartTags+ to play lost and found with tagged items. This translates to the SmartTag Plus being able to start finding a tag from just about any place in my house. If you've lost your phone but have your Samsung Galaxy SmartTag Plus, you can double squeeze the button to set off the alarm on your phone until you find it.Personally, I loved that it works both ways so you can use it to find your phone as well as whatever you have the tag attached to, I’m forever losing mine around the house so it certainly solves that issue. However, the newer model boasts more precise tracking through UWB (ultra-wideband) technology and neat augmented reality features on more recent Samsung phones. Within three minutes, the tag registered on the SmartThings Find’s map as “Spotted by a nearby Galaxy device.

However, to use the AR finding feature, your Galaxy phone or tablet must support Android 11 or higher. To try it out, I “accidentally” left my tagged keys on a bench at a local train station and watched from afar. Galaxy SmartTag+ needs to be paired with UWB-enabled Galaxy smartphones with Android 11 or higher to fully function. Like the AirTag, the SmartTag Plus uses a CR2032 battery, but rather than Apple’s claim of a year of use, Samsung says the same battery should last only five months.You can find similar tech in the latest AirTags, which are supported on the iPhone 11, iPhone 12, iPhone 13, and iPhone 14. It should be OK to take the SmartTag Plus out in the rain or to the beach, but it can’t stand up to being submerged in water. The downsides are the additional cost of each tracking chip and the premium Galaxy smartphones needed to use them.