The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) website has revealed the design of Samsung’s Galaxy SmartTag 2 Bluetooth tracker. The object is round and flat, with a large key at the top. The ring hole looks a bit like a cigar cutter. If the hole is typical keychain size, the gadget is twice the size of Apple’s AirTag.
Similar to Tile or AirTag, Samsung has introduced the Galaxy SmartTag, a Bluetooth tracker that can be used to locate nearby objects such as wallets, keys and other items. Only Samsung phones can be used with the previous version. The new device uses ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, which can pinpoint the location of the device more accurately. The device needs to use the network of nearby mobile phones when it is far away to update its position.
The new gadget also works with Bluetooth 5.3, a more power-efficient version of the Bluetooth 5.1 standard. The gadget was expected to be unveiled at Samsung’s Galaxy Fold 5 launch event last week, but it did not appear and it is now unknown when it will be released.
Android Bluetooth trackers will face increased competition as Google rolls out its own tracking network. These Bluetooth trackers rely on neighbouring phones to provide data and location information, as they lack their own GPS units or internet connectivity. As long as the tracker is compatible with nearby phones, this strategy could potentially use other people’s devices to create an anonymous, crowdsourced network of data and locations. Apple’s AirTag has a large network and uses any nearby iPhone to update its location. Google’s Android network will use the same strategy, allowing other companies’ devices to connect. When it launches, it will be the largest network in the world. To reach 3 billion Android phones, Google plans to roll out the network using Google Play services rather than an OS upgrade.
Samsung’s already released Galaxy Tags can only create networks with current Samsung phones. The wider Google network may or may not be ready to accept Samsung, but the current network desperately needs a strong hardware partner. Apart from Tile, which is said to be joining the network in the future, the other manufacturers are all tiny companies.
