Galaxy SmartTag 3: Samsung Reaches Out to iPhone, Avoids Android
Samsung has announced the Galaxy SmartTag 3, but the reasoning behind its design is unclear. For the first time, the tracker is compatible with iPhones, which already have a great alternative in the AirTag. Pixel, Xiaomi, and Motorola device owners still cannot use it. The Netherlands will have to wait until at least 2027.
When the Galaxy SmartTag 3 was leaked, we noted that the tag would likely integrate with Google’s network for Android trackers (Find Hub, formerly Find My Device). That would have been the logical step. The official announcement makes no mention of this. Samsung is sticking with its own SmartThings Find and the Galaxy Find Network. Instead, Samsung is reaching out to iOS users.
Samsung fighting wrong competitor
Who asked for this? An iPhone user looking for a tracker buys an AirTag 2. It works seamlessly with the Find My app and with the network of iPhones, iPads, and Macs that Apple has been building for years. There is no reason to replace that with a Samsung tag that requires a separate app.
The real battle is taking place on Android. There, Google, Motorola, and Xiaomi sell trackers like the Google Pixel Tag, Moto Tag 2, and Xiaomi Tag, which work on virtually every Android phone. Samsung is excluding precisely that group. Anyone switching from a Galaxy to a Pixel tomorrow will find their SmartTags are nothing more than a bunch of useless keychains.
On iPhone, you get a half-tracker
The fact that iPhone support is primarily a marketing point is evident from the footnotes in the press release. With an iPhone, you can view and share the location and search nearby, but Compass View, Ring Phone, and Left Behind Alert do not work. That last feature alerts you if you leave something behind, and for many people, that is precisely the reason to attach a tracker to their keys. Furthermore, iPhones do not participate in the search: only other people’s Galaxy devices report where a lost tag is located. Samsung markets this as convenient for families with a mix of phone brands, but in practice, the iPhone user is essentially just a bystander. Even if Samsung eventually prices the SmartTag 3 lower than an AirTag, you still do not get a network that helps with the search or an alert if you leave your keys behind.
Improvements: mainly for those with an expensive Galaxy
For Galaxy owners, too, the progress lies in the details. Compass View now guides you up to 60 meters away—three times as far as with the SmartTag 2. That greater range requires Bluetooth Channel Sounding, which is currently available on four devices: the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, Z Fold 8, S26 Ultra, and S26+. The standard S26 is not included. Other Galaxy phones with UWB will only guide you to the tag at close range.
The battery lasts 550 days, compared to 500 days for the SmartTag 2. IP67 rating and an NFC-based Lost Mode were already features of its predecessor. New additions include Place Notification, which alerts you when an item leaves a preset area (still a test feature), and a location history spanning up to seven days. The tag is a third smaller and lighter, but the SmartTag 2’s built-in eye is gone. If you want to attach it to your keys, you will need to purchase a Silicone Case with a keyring or a Loop Case separately: according to Samsung, these are not included in the box.
Netherlands in 2027 at the earliest
The SmartTag 3 will be released on October 7 in South Korea and later in the United States. Other countries will follow in 2027, though Samsung has not specified a date or price. Until then, the three-year-old SmartTag 2 is the only option Samsung offers to Europeans.
Our advice: if you have a Galaxy phone, the SmartTag 2 does virtually the same job, so there is no need to wait. If you have an iPhone, go ahead and buy an AirTag 2. And if you have another Android phone, choose a tracker that actually works with Google’s network. The SmartTag 3 feels like a product designed primarily to be featured in a press release: “Now works with iPhone too” sounds good, but does not solve a problem for anyone. With the SmartTag 3, Samsung has created a decent tracker for an audience that did not ask for it.
