This week Apple unveiled what has long been expected of it. It’s about a tracker for finding lost things. It doesn’t cost as much as some of the things you can hang it on. But they will be much easier to find and harder to lose. Even if this was not the first such device, but the usability that we are promised, so far only Apple has been able to realize. According to new information, something similar is also being prepared by OPPO – a company that is famous not only for its devices but also for concerts and developments that have found their application in the industry as a whole. What will be its “label”, we do not know yet, but we already have some information
What’s good about AirTag
The main function of the Apple AirTag tracker is support for UWB (Ultra Wide Band) , which runs on the U1 chip. And even though it is programmatically blocked in some countries due to the peculiarities of local certification, it allows Apple to bypass Samsung, which released its tracker a little earlier. Now, it looks like Chinese giant OPPO will be joining the party soon too, as real images of OPPO’s smart tag have leaked online.
What will be the OPPO Smart Tag
The author of the leaks with the nickname Digital Chat Station posted images of what he calls the engineering test version of the upcoming OPPO Smart Tag. The photographs show a white device. It is shown from two sides and, if this is not a fake, which is something we are willing to believe, we can imagine in detail how the new gadget of the Chinese company will look like.
Some rumors about OPPO’s development of something similar have already been met, but now they are supported by at least some images. It looks pretty good, and it looks like the company could really ruin the lives of Samsung and Apple. And as a bargaining chip, the company can boast that its gadget is more environmentally friendly. There is a USB Type-C connector at the bottom of it, which means that it can be recharged, and not just changed the battery in it. The question is how often you have to do it. If once a week, then we don’t need such a tracker. Is not it?
Neither AirTag nor Samsung Galaxy SmartTag and SmartTag + has such a connector. Here you will have to choose which is better – a year of autonomy, as promised by Apple and Samsung, or the possibility of recharging (it is not known how often).
On the other hand, if you need to charge the device no more than once every few months, and the smartphone itself reminds you of this, then this method of use will be no worse than a replaceable battery (CR2032) in an airbag. But the presence of a connector can negatively affect the protection against water, in contrast to the almost monolithic body of Samsung and Apple devices.
Label with UWB
The UWB designation is engraved on the case under the brand name. This indicates that the tag will allow you to accurately track your location and search for it using your smartphone. You will be able to search for it not just according to the principle “it is closer – it is further”, but you will receive hints in the form of an arrow, which will show you the direction of travel to the lost thing.
It is not yet clear how the OPPO tag will be attached to keys or a bag. Using the Galaxy SmartTag as an example, Samsung immediately showed that such a method of carrying is possible. Apple has shown at least several accessories to make AirTag a keychain. OPPO has yet to be sorted out.
When will OPPO Smart Tag come out?
It is not yet known exactly when the new OPPO tracker will appear, but there is a fairly high probability that this will happen at the presentation, which will take place on May 6 in China. In addition to the potential appearance of the label, it could bring us other gadgets from the Chinese company, including the new Smart TV, OPPO K9, OPPO Enco Air, and the new OPPO Band.
OPPO Presentation May 6, 2021
Perhaps they will tell us something more about the new OPPO X 2021 smartphone, with which I had the pleasure to speak in person. I talked about my experience with this sliding smartphone in a separate article. But I would not strongly expect that they will immediately tell us when we will be able to buy this gadget. Nevertheless, the likelihood that it will appear in some form at an event is very high. This should become a symbol of the fact that the company does not forget about its development and bringing it to the stage of commercial use.
The appearance of the label is also questionable, but we are waiting for it and want to see it. It will be able to create much-needed competition in the market. And I just would like to know more about how this system should work, how it will be positioned, and how the user will know where to go if he loses his keys in the park, on the bus or in a cafe .
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