Samsung may have an Apple AirTag rival to launch alongside the Galaxy S21 series

Apple's AirTags are a long-hyped new line of accessories that might be intended to attach to devices or bags so that the owner can keep track of where they are with their iPhone at all times. Now, it seems that Samsung intends to compete in this space with its upcoming Galaxy Smart Tags.

This may have been on the cards since the OEM certified something with schematics emphatically pointing to this kind of use-case with the FCC and the Korean Communications Commission. It has also turned up in live-image form in similar leaks from the Taiwanese NCC.

These photos show a small, slightly thick little device with a rounded-square shape, much like some pre-existing Tiles. Its new documentation indicates that it is a low-power wireless device, which, as the Bluetooth SIG authority inadvertently reveals, has a button that can cause a connected phone to make its presence known.

Each Galaxy Smart Tag also has a "buzzer" that goes off when activated by said phone. There are indications that Apple might have developed AirTags to use a wide range of connectivity (possibly even edge or IoT networks) in order to stay connected to an owner's phone at all costs, and might come in a range of sizes, such as one that might fit on an Apple Watch's band.

However, in the Galaxy Smart Tags' case, they are authorized to use Bluetooth (5.1) only and seems to have just one size, albeit with a hole in one corner as if for a keyring. Then again, this shouldn't prevent them from fitting into Samsung's SmartThings ecosystem.

Therefore, a fan might appreciate one or two of these new products to protect their new Galaxy S21 in any case. On that note, it is possible that they may launch in a choice of black or oatmeal colors alongside these premium phones on January 14, 2021.