Samsung Unveils Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra and SmartTag3 — the Tracker Now Works With iPhone for the First Time

Samsung has unveiled its flagship tablets, the Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra and Galaxy Tab S12+, along with a new generation of its item tracker, the Galaxy SmartTag3. The tablets get a more powerful MediaTek processor, an updated cooling system and Android 17, while the SmartTag officially supports iPhone for the first time in the series’ history.

The Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra leads the lineup. Despite its 14.6-inch display, the body is just 5.1 mm thick — Samsung calls it the thinnest Galaxy Tab ever. The Wi-Fi version weighs 692 g.

The tablet features a Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen with a resolution of 2960 × 1848 pixels, a 120 Hz refresh rate and peak brightness of up to 1600 nits. Inside is a 3nm MediaTek Dimensity 9500.

According to Samsung, NPU performance is up to 61% higher than on the Tab S11 Ultra, CPU performance is up 19% and GPU performance is up 17%. A new three-dimensional vapor chamber handles sustained workloads.

Up to 16GB of RAM and 23 Hours of Battery Life

The Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra packs an 11,600 mAh battery with charging speeds of up to 45W. Samsung claims up to 23 hours of video playback.

Configurations come with 12GB or 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage, while a microSD card slot adds up to 2TB more. The higher-end model supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0 and optional 5G.

The more compact Galaxy Tab S12+ has a 12.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a resolution of 2800 × 1752 pixels and a 120 Hz refresh rate. The body is 5.3 mm thick and weighs from 553 g.

It runs the same Dimensity 9500, but the battery drops to 10,600 mAh and rated battery life reaches 21 hours. For wireless connectivity it uses Wi-Fi 6E instead of Wi-Fi 7.

Both tablets run Android 17 with One UI 9, carry an IP68 rating and ship with an S Pen. Samsung promises up to seven major OS updates and security updates.

Sales begin in select markets on October 7. In the US, the Galaxy Tab S12+ starts at $1199 and the Tab S12 Ultra at $1399.

SmartTag3 Can Be Used With an iPhone for the First Time

At the same time, Samsung introduced the Galaxy SmartTag3, adding iOS support to its tracker family for the first time.

The new model is roughly 35% more compact and 33% lighter than the SmartTag2. According to the manufacturer, the replaceable CR2032 battery lasts up to 550 days of normal use or up to 790 days in power-saving mode.

Nearby tracking relies on Bluetooth 6.0 Channel Sounding. On compatible Galaxy devices, Compass View can show the direction and distance to the tracker from up to 60 meters away with a direct line of sight, and UWB kicks in at close range for more precise positioning.

Beyond direct connections, the tracker uses the Galaxy Find Network, which Samsung says includes more than 900 million devices.

Through SmartThings Find, iPhone owners will be able to view and share the SmartTag3’s location and use the basic Search Nearby feature.

This is not, however, integration with Apple Find My. On iOS, Compass View, Ring Phone and Left Behind Alert are unavailable, so the most advanced features still require a compatible Galaxy smartphone.

The SmartTag3 goes on sale first in South Korea on October 7, then arrives in the US, with a rollout to additional markets planned for 2027.

So the key change in the new SmartTag isn’t just a smaller body and longer tracking range — it’s also Samsung’s first step beyond its own mobile ecosystem: the tracker can now be used with an iPhone, though its capabilities there are noticeably limited.