T-Mobile today announced its own AirTag like item tracker called SyncUp. But unlike Apple’s AirTag, T-Mobile’s SyncUp features an LTE connection making it easier for you to track your items in real-time.
Apple announced the AirTag last week. The small circular item tracker from Apple makes it easier for you to keep track of your important items, like keys, wallets, bags, and purses. It uses Bluetooth, AR, and ultra-wideband technology to return its location to the user when it is in the user’s vicinity.
But when an AirTag is not in the vicinity of the user, it makes use of ‘millions of Apple devices on Find My network’ to relay its location to the user. In simple terms, it utilizes the GPS location of other Apple devices around itself to return its location. But, if the AirTag can’t find any Apple device around itself, it fails to return its location to the owner.
This is where T-Mobile’s SyncUp comes in. This item tracker uses T-Mobile’s wide LTE network and its own GPS chip to relay its location to the user, so it can be found virtually anywhere and can be tracked in real-time. Surprisingly, T-Mobile’s item tracker lacks any kind of Bluetooth connection and relies totally on an LTE connection.
In addition to IP67 water and dust resistance, it features things like ‘virtual boundaries,’ which you can set up so you’re notified every time your SyncUp Tracker leaves a selected area. It also features an optical sensor that can detect a change in light (from dark to light) in the event the tracked belonging is moved – out of a locker, a backpack, or other.
The only caveat of T-Mobile’s tracker is that it only lasts up to seven days. It has a 900 mAh rechargeable battery, as opposed to AirTag’s user-replaceable coin cell battery which lasts ‘over a year.’ SyncUp only features a non-replaceable 900 mAh battery which will have to be charged again and again.
SyncUp will be available for pickup from T-Mobile’s stores starting 7th May. You can either pay $60 upfront for the device or can add it to your current plan for $2.5/month for 24 months. In addition to the device’s cost, you’ll have to add a data plan worth $5/month to your account, for its data usage.
SyncUp is available only for T-Mobile customers right now. The company says it is working with Sprint, Magenta Prepaid, and Metro and it should be available for customers of these carriers soon. You can learn more about the product here.
Are you interested in buying SyncUp? Would you prefer this over Apple’s AirTag? Let us know in the comments section below!
