Samsung Galaxy SmartTag Review and Specs. The Samsung Galaxy SmartTag was debuted alongside the Galaxy S21 series earlier this year. It is a Bluetooth locator that allows you to find your keys, a bag, or even your pet’s collar when attached. I’ve been using it for a couple of weeks, and here’s the review.
Design
The Samsung Galaxy SmartTag is a small square object weighing just 13 grams. It has a simple design with a button in the middle and a hole on top for you to attach it to a clip, your key ring, etc. Nope, it’s not possible for you to store the Galaxy SmartTag in your wallet as it is quite thick and it would damage your wallet after using it for a long time.
Smart Features
The Samsung Galaxy SmartTag connects through Bluetooth Low Energy 5.0 to Samsung’s SmartThings app. It only works with Samsung Galaxy smartphones and Samsung devices only. It’s a little bit weird since the SmartThings app is available on Play Store, but other Android devices won’t be able to use it. To pair it, all you need to do is just open the SmartThings app and it’ll pop up a pairing prompt. Just press pair and you are good to go!
There are three options for you to locate the tag when it’s in Bluetooth range:
- Search for it nearby and it’ll show you a signal meter that gets stronger as you get nearer to the tag
- Navigate to the tag on the map
- Ring the tag
The Galaxy SmartTag rings very loud, which gets up to 100dB when you are next to it. You can change the ringtone just in case someone else also has the SmartTag.
Overall, the SmartThings app integrated well into One UI. There’s a widget that lets you have a shortcut to the tag in the pull-down shortcut menu on your phone.
Additionally, you can do a few things such as using the tag to find your phone by just double pressing the tag’s button to ring your phone. You can also use the tag to communicate with IoT devices if your air conditioner or lights supported by Samsung’s SmartThings app. Just press the button on the tag to turn them on or off.
Battery Life & Range
The Samsung Galaxy SmartTag uses a CR2032 coin cell battery that should power the tag for about 300 days. You can just use a coin to pry open the tag’s opening to replace the battery. Taking off the battery and then reinserting it by holding the button pressed will reset the tag.
As for the range, Samsung claims that it has a maximum of 118 meters of range. I was able to make the tag rings around 30 meters, about the range that you’ll need to find stuff in around your house.
Final Words
The Samsung Galaxy SmartTag retails at RM119, which available in two colors– Black and Oatmeal. Personally, I don’t really misplace my stuff so it might not be useful for me. It’s great to see that Samsung is really committed into shaping its own ecosystem. It doesn’t work with other Android devices. Unless you own a Samsung smartphone and you’re deep into Samsung’s ecosystem of IoT devices, the Samsung Galaxy SmartTag isn’t the right choice for you at the moment.
