The Galaxy SmartTag 3 is here offering an alternative to the AirTag for iPhone users

Galaxy SmartTag 3 is finally official, and Samsung's new tracker is smaller and lighter than its predecessor while lasting longer and keeping the same $29.99 price. It also gets better at pointing you to your stuff if you own a Galaxy S26 Ultra or Galaxy Z Fold 8, and for the first time, iPhone owners can use one too.

Galaxy SmartTag 3 price, release date and design

Samsung announced the Galaxy SmartTag 3 this morning on its newsroom, and just like we reported earlier, it'll cost $29.99 for one tag or $99.99 for a four-pack. It's coming to the US in early November in White and Black, so hopefully we can grab a few before holiday travel kicks off.



Battery life gets a nice bump too, with up to 550 days in normal mode and up to 790 days in power saving mode, up from 500 and 700 days on the SmartTag 2.



You'll be able to pick one up from Samsung.com or through retailers and carriers, though the Silicone Case with a keyring and the Loop Case are sold separately.

Galaxy SmartTag 3 finally works with iPhones

This is the change I'm most excited about, since SmartTags have always been limited to Samsung's own phones and tablets. Samsung's support page still says you can't connect a SmartTag to a non-Samsung device, and the SmartTag 2 kept that same limit when it arrived in 2023.

Now, iPhone owners can check and share a tag's location and use Search Nearby through SmartThings Find, which makes it a lot easier for families with a mix of phones to keep track of the same keys, bags or pets. However, Compass View, Ring Phone and Left Behind Alert stay exclusive to Galaxy phones, so Samsung is still keeping the best parts for its own devices.

It should be noted that Samsung only mentions Galaxy phones and iPhones, and doesn't say whether Pixels or other Android phones are supported. We've reached out to Samsung for clarification and will update this story once we hear back.

Of course, that puts the SmartTag 3 right up against Apple's second-generation AirTag, which Apple announced in January with Precision Finding that reaches up to 50% farther than before. Still, if you're on an iPhone, the AirTag has the edge on finding, since Precision Finding works on iOS and Compass View doesn't. For Galaxy owners, though, this is the first SmartTag that should really keep up with the AirTag on range.

Compass view reaches 60 meters on the Galaxy S26 Ultra

Samsung's biggest changes are about finding your things from farther away:

• Enhanced compass view: it can now guide you from up to 60 meters away, three times farther than the previous generation.
• Bluetooth 6.0 Channel Sounding: it works alongside UWB, but for now, only on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, Z Fold 8, Galaxy S26 Ultra and Galaxy S26 Plus.

If you haven't come across Channel Sounding before, it lets your phone measure the actual distance to the tag instead of guessing it from signal strength. In practice, that should keep the on-screen arrow steady as you walk toward your keys.

Grab the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra at $1,000 off

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Trade in an eligible device and save up to $1,000 on the new foldable phone from Samsung. With its refined design and large cover screen, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is a top pick for foldable phone fans. Alternatively, you can get a $200 Samsung credit if you don't trade in a device.

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Grab the Galaxy Z Flip 8 for up to $400 off

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The Galaxy Z Flip 8 is now available at the official store. It features an improved build and offers a fantastic foldable experience. Buy yours and save up to $400 at Samsung with a trade-in. Alternatively, you can get the phone with a $100 Samsung credit, no trade-in required.

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If you're already using a SmartTag 2, the smaller size and the extra 50 days of battery are nice to have, but they're not really a reason to replace a tag that still works.

The everyday upgrade Samsung needed to make

This isn't the most exciting launch Samsung will have this year, but trackers are the kind of gadget we forget about until we really need one, so a smaller body and a longer battery life are exactly the right things to improve. I'm also really glad Samsung finally opened the SmartTag up to iPhones, and I'd personally love to see Compass View make the jump next, since that would make it a tracker for the whole household.

More on the SmartTag 3 and Samsung's flagships:

• See the SmartTag 3 design leak we covered
• Everything we know about the Galaxy S26 Ultra
• Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

• Follow me on X and Threads

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