Samsung is making Bluetooth and ultra-wideband tracking tags

Samsung didn’t just have phones and earbuds to unveil at its Unpacked event today, it also has new accessories to show off. The new Galaxy SmartTag is a “Bluetooth locator” — in other words, it’s a Tile-like dongle you can attach to your belongings to keep track of where they are. It will be part of the Galaxy S21 pre-order bundle — if you commit to buying one of the new phones from now till Jan. 28th, you’ll get a SmartTag for free.

According to Samsung, this promotion will go on while supplies last, so it’s not clear yet how widely available these will be, but if you did want to buy them individually, they’ll be available for $30. That’s for the Bluetooth LE-based version. The company also told Engadget that “there will be different price points depending on which technology you get.” There will also be a Tag+ model that adds ultra wideband (UWB) and it will be available later this year.

Samsung also said the two models will differ in size as well, and that it plans to sell the product in multi packs or different combos based on the technology as UWB becomes more widely available. The company hasn’t shared many other details on the Galaxy Smart Tag, but it’s a fairly straightforward device. It’s likely that there will be an app or integration with Samsung’s One UI to help you track your stuff. Based on the pictures we’ve seen, the accessory looks chunkier than Tile trackers, too.

That’s really all we know so far, and we’ll likely have to wait for Samsung to release more information perhaps later this year to learn more. For now, it’ll be curious to see what benefits there are to getting a Galaxy Smart Tag over a Tile or the plethora of other Bluetooth trackers already available.

Update (at 12:30pm ET): Samsung shared a bit more information at its Unpacked keynote today, including the fact that the Galaxy Smart Tags use coin-cell batteries that will last for months. You’ll be able to track your pets or keys with the SmartThings Find software.