The Samsung Galaxy SmartTag Plus finally has a release date. While the basic SmartTags were released in January, Samsung said the Plus version was "coming soon," but a new listing from B&H shows the tracker is available for pre-order with an April 12 release date and a price of $39.99.

The Samsung Galaxy SmartTag Plus is a Bluetooth tracker, just like the basic model. Simply attach it to your keys or other valuables, and if you misplace it, you can launch the SmartThings app and use the tracker's ringtone to locate your lost item. When other users pass by the lost tag, the approximate location is displayed, so they can go to that location and look for it directly. This is essentially Samsung's version of Tile.

Where the Plus model improves from the original SmartTag is in the technology inside. While the original SmartTag uses Bluetooth Low Energy for detection, the SmartTag Plus uses Ultra Wide Band (UWB) technology, which allows for more accurate tracking over longer distances.

The downside is that not all devices are compatible. All SmartTags require a Samsung phone, but SmartTags Plus has even stricter limitations because it requires a UWB chip in the phone. This means that only owners of the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus, S21 Ultra, and Note 20 Ultra can apply.

Assuming the April 12 release date advertised by B&H is true, this represents a small victory for Samsung in beating Apple. Apple's UWB-enabled AirTags tracker has been rumored to be ready since late last year, but the company has so far refrained from launching it and has not even publicly acknowledged its existence. The latest rumors suggest that it will finally appear at Apple's event this month, alongside the iPad Pro and AirPods 3 in 2021.

Unlike Samsung, Apple has included UWB support in its devices for several generations via the U1 chip, starting with the iPhone 11 and Apple Watch 6. So far, software implementation has been limited to more precise versions of AirDrop, but the large installed base of UWB-equipped iPhone 12 and iPhone 11 owners will certainly help with the community search aspect of AirTags. Comparing the number of people with the latest iPhones to the number of people with the S21 Ultra, Plus, and Note 20 Ultra, one can see why Samsung owners would stick with the basic Bluetooth version of SmartTag, even if the product is technically inferior.