You won’t lose anything with the pendant

Samsung has long been active in the field of wearable electronics, moving the level of its products higher and higher. The first big step forward was SmartThings, which helps you manage all your smart devices. This was followed by an extension in the form of SmartThings Find, thanks to which you could even locate your smart watch or Galaxy Buds.

But the team does not end there. Samsung is not lazy, and not so long ago, it introduced the SmartTag and SmartTag + smart pendants. This is another step in helping you find items and equipment that have been awkwardly stored or lost. In this review, we take a look at what the Samsung Galaxy SmartTag + has to offer.

Packaging, construction and battery

The SmartTag + package is simple, even taking into account the selling price. After opening the small box, you will find just the basic documentation and the pendant itself. In addition, the documentation contains only brief instructions for connecting to the application. However, the link is not missing to the website where the complete user guide is located, which already contains more comprehensive information.

The pendant has dimensions 39,1 x 39,1 x 9,9 millimeters and is made of matt plastic. The Samsung logo lights up on one side, the model name on the other. The back with the Samsung logo acts as a cover protecting the battery type CR2032, which should be able to power the keychain for up to several months.

On the front there is a button which, depending on the number or length of pressing, performs different functions. You assign them to him in the SmartThings application itself. In terms of resilience, Samsung is silent about IP certification, but the device should have at least IP53 certification. This ensures that the dust on the pendant does not harm it in any way.

Ideally, SmartTag + should be able to connect to a smartphone via Bluetooth up to a distance of 120 meters. In reality, ideal conditions seldom exist, but in several tests I had no problem maintaining a strong connection with the equipment throughout the two-story house.

First run

After unpacking from the box, it was necessary to pair the pendant with a smartphone, which, unfortunately, you will only succeed if you own Samsung models.

The pairing process itself is quick and easy. After launching the application, tap the “+” button and follow the on-screen instructions. Personally, I had no problems with pairing and during the process I also updated the software in the tag.

Functions and application

No matter how small the Galaxy SmartTag + is, it offers a really large number of functions. Its primary purpose is to help you find your things when you need them most and you can’t remember where you put them. For full use, it is necessary to install the SmartThings Find tool, which the application itself will offer you.

After successfully attaching the pendant, you will see a map with the devices on the home page. In addition to Bluetooth search, SmartTag + also offers GPS search. The pendant switches to GPS mode after a certain time if it loses its Bluetooth connection. The GPS is accurate and the pendant was exactly where the map on the smartphone showed it during testing.

After clicking SmartThings Find, you can ring the device, navigate to it, and search for it nearby. If you are very close to the pendant, the navigation will not start. Then comes the possibility of searching nearby. This is based on the signal strength and the connection to the pendant. For me, this function worked smoothly, but the signal indicator was delayed by a few seconds, but it was nothing serious. In the end, all you have to do is ring the pendant. Two volume levels are available during ringing.

In addition to personal belongings, you can also attach the SmartTag + to the collar of your pet, your luggage and possibly you can also place it in your car. If you lose it, you can also find it using other Samsung smartphones, but unfortunately I didn’t have the opportunity to try it. It should be noted that the entire data transmission is encrypted.

An interesting element of the pendant is also a button located in its center, to which you can assign several functions. You can quickly double-tap to ring your smartphone if you can’t find it. The condition is that the smartphone is within range of a Bluetooth connection, or within range of a smartphone that has the same account logged in to the application as on the device you are looking for. If you start ringing, your smartphone will ring at the highest volume for one minute, even if the ringer volume is reduced or turned off in the settings.

For example, you can control the intelligent lighting in your home, send a message to members of your group, or start a selected “Scene” by pressing a button once. You can also assign a function to a longer hold.

SmartThings also offers the ability to search for unknown brands in your area. This will help you find unknown pendants around moving with you that someone can follow you. The search takes one minute and can be run in the background.

In the settings, it is still possible to select the ring tone of your pendant and check the battery capacity.

SmartTag + differs from the classic SmartTag model by supporting ultrawideband technology (UWB). It works with devices that support the same technology, specifically Galaxy S21 Ultra, Galaxy S21+, Galaxy Note20 Ultra a Galaxy Z Fold2, will help you find your pendant through navigation in augmented reality.

Summary

The Samsung Galaxy SmartTag + is a really interesting “enhancer”. For a price of around € 50, you get a feature-packed pendant that requires some trade-offs. In my opinion, the primary task of finding lost things is one hundred percent, as the location shown has always been accurate.

One of the disadvantages of this model is the lower battery life compared to the basic version. On the other hand, it balances the presence of more functions. The second disadvantage is the limited support for Samsung devices only. I also think that bonus features like button programming are great, but for it to work, you have to win with it.

I think that despite the not very low price, SmartTag pendants are an interesting choice. Attaching it to your keys or to your suitcase is the least you can do to keep your personal belongings away.

Competition

The direct competitor here in this case is the Apple AirTag. It offers almost the same functions as SmartTag +. Its advantage is only a few millimeters smaller dimensions and support UWB in the basic version with a slightly lower price. However, there is no button on the body of the Apple AirTag like the SmartTag and SmartTag +, so it also lacks the above-mentioned functions associated with this button.