The use of item tracking tags is increasingly attractive, and several other manufacturers are known to be working on such devices on their lineup. Samsung and Apple are the trailblazers in this area, but that could change pretty soon. A new patent filing by OnePlus for a device called OnePlusTag provides some hints that the smartphone manufacturer could be planning to join Samsung and Apple in launching a smart item tracking tag.

The OnePlusTag listing does not provide many details about the device. However, we know that a smart tag in the mold of Apple’s and Samsung’s offering would be the most probable device that has now been trademarked by OnePlus. There is no official statement by OnePlus at this time, as the company continues to prepare for the Nord CE 5G unveiling in a few days time.

Item tracking devices like Samsung’s SmartTag and Apple’s AirTag deploy innovative technologies to ensure that the tagged device can be located even when it is out of range with its paired Android or iOS smartphone. The devices can be found using the app (for example, the SmartThingsFinder) to draw from the resources of other compatible devices to provide global location capabilities for any tagged object. The deployment of Ultra-Wideband technology has become commonplace. This enables more accurate tracking of a tagged object.

Smartphone manufacturers are increasingly expanding their product offerings to cover diverse products. Recently Samsung introduced a Bespoke Shoe Dresser, which provides deodorization, desiccation, and sterilization solutions to a user’s shoe collection. We are bound to see an expanding and diverse ecosystem of products from OEMs from now on.

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The scheduled rollout of the Samsung Galaxy SmartTag+ in the United States did not happen on April 16. There is no online availability of the device at various online platforms, including Samsung’s website. However, the Galaxy SmartTag+ has successfully berthed in South Korea, Samsung’s home turf, and is available in two color variants across online stores and platforms. The SmartTag+ is available in black or denim blue colors and sells at KRW 39,600 (about $36) via Samsung’s online store, Samsung Digital Plaza stores across the country, and other online retail outlets.

The trajectory of the SmartTag+’s development was well captured when we had hinted in December 2020 of the SmartTag+ patent and a few weeks back about its scheduled rollout on April 16. The SmartTag+ is an improved version of Samsung’s SmartTag. It uses Bluetooth LE technology and ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, making it have a greater range (120m) and a capacity to locate devices outside the Bluetooth range using the UWB technology and the SmartThings Find service on a UWB-enabled phone. The SmartTag+ also uses augmented reality (AR) technology to enhance its ability to pinpoint a missing item’s location more accurately.

The SmartTag+ provides a few solutions, from locating a lost item to tracking a stolen item, with the help of the SmartThings Find service. The tag can be configured to interface with your smart home devices, making it possible to operate the gadgets via your WEB-enabled smartphones. The SmartThings Find service can only be effective in places where there are a sufficiently large number of users of the service to draw from the pooling resources of users in the vicinity of the stolen or missing device.

No information is available yet on the availability in the US market. We still expect that US consumers would get the gadget within a short while, possibly days.

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