Samsung's SmartTag 3 has everything except a release date you can live with

Samsung has announced the SmartTag 3, its latest location tracker, complete with desirable features like Bluetooth Channel Sounding, and the intriguing Place Notification, where you’ll get an alert if the tag moves out of a geo-fenced location.

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Posts By  Andy Boxall

Smaller and lighter

The SmartTag 3 is 35% smaller and 33% lighter than the SmartTag 2, which was released in 2023, and the revised rounded shape will make it easier to conceal on everything from a keychain to a pet’s collar.

Seeing Bluetooth 6.0 Channel Sounding on the feature list is good news. It enables directional guidance to a tag’s location from about 60 meters away, letting you know when you’re headed in the right direction, and how far away you are.

Ultra-wideband (UWB) is also available when connected to compatible devices, providing even more accurate location data. By using the Galaxy Find Network — consisting of more than 900 million Samsung devices — the SmartTag 3 can be located even when it’s out of range of your phone.

Place Notifications

Finding the tag when it has been lost is a basic requirement, but the SmartTag 3 goes a step further with the Place Notification feature. Here, it tracks the SmartTag 3 in a user-defined geo-fenced area, then sends an alert if it leaves.

The feature also takes advantage of the Galaxy Find Network, and Samsung suggests it will be useful to track pets if they leave your garden, or a bicycle if it unexpectedly leaves its usual parking area.

The SmartTag 3’s location history will be available, as will a movement detection alert, ensuring you stay completely informed about the tag’s activity.

Connectivity upgrades

Samsung has also recognized location tags may want to be used by people who don’t have a Samsung or Android phone, and has added iOS compatibility to the SmartTag 3.

Unfortunately, it’s not through Apple’s Find My service, and iPhone owners will have to download and use Samsung’s SmartThings app. Still, it’s a step in the right direction.

Other features include an NFC-powered Lost Mode, a Left Behind Alert, an IP67 dust and water resistance rating, and a battery that lasts for an impressive 550 days. Activate a Power Saving Mode, and the SmartTag 3’s CR2032 battery can last for up to 790 days.

A long wait for release

The Samsung SmartTag 3 sounds good, but we’re going to have to wait before getting one. It’ll be released in South Korea first, on October 7, but isn’t expected to reach global markets before some time in 2027.

Samsung has not confirmed the price, but we can expect it to be around the same $30 as the SmartTag 2.

If you want a location tracker sooner than 2027, there are many choices. Google recently announced the $30 Pixel Tag, which also has Bluetooth Channel Sounding, plus there are various card-style trackers such as the KeySmart and the Eufy SmartTrack, and recent additions from Chipolo too.