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Samsung appears to be close to launching a new Tile-like device for tracking lost items. The tracker, probably called the Galaxy SmartTag, has been leaked for the last month and there is speculation that it could be announced alongside the Galaxy S21 in late January.
The Galaxy SmartTag would use Bluetooth to connect with nearby devices and broadcast its location, so owners could find it later if they misplace what’s connected. It will be powered by a replaceable button cell battery, in accordance with a regulatory filing detected by GSMArena, so you won’t have to throw it away and buy a new one when the battery runs out.
Samsung’s tracker looks a lot like a Tile, and it will apparently look a lot like one too. The leaks show the SmartTag as a small square with rounded corners and a hole in one edge to slide a key ring or lanyard. Photos of the device filed with the Taiwan telecommunications regulator were released by 91mobiles, and are lined with an illustration of the device that was leaked from Samsung’s SmartThings app.
So far, it’s not clear that Samsung is doing anything out of the ordinary here; this seems to be a pretty standard fare item tracker. Samsung launched a tracker in 2018 that connected to cell phone networks for continuous monitoring. Most recently, in October, Samsung launched an app that helps device owners locate their existing devices using Bluetooth, which appears to be the basis for the next SmartTag.
Overall, this seems like bad news for Tile, as Apple is rumored to have an item tracker in the works as well. That could mean two major new competitors in a year, if both devices actually ship.
