Samsung Galaxy SmartTag3: Smaller, longer-lasting, iPhone compatible

Samsung has announced the Galaxy SmartTag3, its third-generation item tracker, with a smaller body, longer battery life and much better range on Compass View, guiding you to a lost item from up to 60m away. It is also the first SmartTag that works with iPhones, which removes the biggest limitation of the line to date. Previously, you needed a Galaxy device to use one.

Smaller, Lighter and Longer-lasting

On paper, the SmartTag3 is about 35% smaller by volume and 33% lighter than the Galaxy SmartTag2, so it sits more comfortably on a keyring, a small bag or a pet collar. The rounded body gets an aluminium-trimmed button, and Samsung says they will sell two new accessories separately: a Silicone Case with a keyring, and a Loop Case. As usual, please note some caveats on availability below.

Battery life is rated for up to 550 days under standard use and 790 days in Power Saving Mode, compared with 500 and 700 days on the SmartTag2. Samsung calls this industry-leading, though the figures come from its own lab simulations, and Power Saving Mode switches off features such as Compass View. We like that it still runs on a replaceable CR2032 coin cell, so replacements should be easy to find.

Find It From Farther Away

Compass View, which shows the direction and distance to a tag on your phone, now uses Bluetooth 6.0 Channel Sounding to guide you from up to 60m away. Samsung says that is about three times the range of the previous generation. As you get closer, ultra-wideband (UWB) takes over for more precise guidance.

There is a catch though. Channel Sounding currently works only on the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Galaxy Z Fold8, Galaxy S26 Ultra and Galaxy S26+, and the 60m figure assumes a clear line of sight. Older UWB-equipped Galaxy phones still get Compass View, but without the extended range. Once a tag is beyond your phone’s reach, the Galaxy Find Network takes over. Samsung says more than 900 million participating Galaxy devices worldwide act as finding nodes, and the SmartTag3 now reports its location over the network sooner after it disconnects from your phone.

iPhone Support and Proactive Alerts

Through SmartThings Find, iPhone users can now check and share a SmartTag3’s location and use Search Nearby. That is handy when a family member borrows a tagged suitcase and carries an iPhone. Of course, features like Compass View, Ring Phone and Left Behind Alert remain exclusive to Galaxy devices.

The new Place Notification feature lets you define an area and get an alert when a tagged item moves in or out of it, such as a pet leaving the garden or a bicycle leaving its usual parking spot. Location History (kept for seven days) and Movement Detection Alert round out the tracking tools. Interestingly, the footnotes in the press release mark this as being a trial feature. We’ll keep an eye on this as it develops.

Other features include IP67 water and dust resistance, NFC-based Lost Mode, Left Behind Alert, and the option to trigger SmartThings routines with the tag’s button.

Galaxy SmartTag3 vs Galaxy SmartTag2

Availability and pricing

The Samsung Galaxy SmartTag3 comes in White and Black. It goes on sale in Korea from 7 October 2026, followed by the US, with more markets to follow in 2027. Samsung has not announced pricing or a Singapore launch date. For reference, the Galaxy SmartTag2 launched here at S$38 back in October 2023.

Source: Samsung