Best answer: Just like last year, both the Galaxy S24+ and S24 Ultra have UWB support for tasks like unlocking cars and finding tracking tags like the Samsung Smart Tag 2. The regular Galaxy S24 alone lacks support for it.
Let’s preface this with a quick reminder: this article is about ultra-wideband (UWB), the short-range, pulsed wireless communication protocol, not Verizon’s branding of mmWave 5G, Verizon Ultra Wideband (UW). The entire Samsung Galaxy S24 series supports both mmWave sub-6 5G networks.
Given that all three Galaxy S24 models share a chipset and the same core hardware, you’d be forgiven for thinking they’d all support the same communication protocols. And for the major ones — Bluetooth, 5G/LTE, Wi-Fi, and NFC — they do, but for some reason, Samsung only puts UWB in the more expensive Galaxy S24 Ultra and S24+.
This is likely done in the name of cost-cutting — after all, that’s Samsung’s answer for just about everything concerning the Galaxy S24 — and most users will likely never realize this is missing unless they own a brand-new car with digital car key support. But that does little to stem the disappointment of more nerdy Galaxy S24 users (like me).
Why does UWB matter?
Source: Tile
Ultra-wideband allows for low-energy, high-bandwidth pulsed data transfer over short distances. If you’re familiar with NFC — mostly used for tap-to-pay on your smartphone today — UWB is a better version with a much, much wider range. Do you hate moving your phone around to get tap-and-pay to go through? That’s because NFC’s range is a few centimeters while UWB has a similar reach to Bluetooth, going hundreds of feet depending on the device and its surroundings.
The wider range and much more precise distance data make UWB excellent for smart tag tracking, such as Apple’s AirTags or Samsung’s SmartTag 2, even finding your own lost UWB-enabled phone with the help of a friend’s device. This distance data also plays a critical role in digital car keys, the most prominent UWB use outside smart tags.
When you press your normal key fob to unlock your car, it usually sends out a specific low-frequency radio signal that your car will recognize and act upon. The problem is that since this is just a simple signal with no encryption or outside authentication, car thieves can record the signal your fob gives your car when you lock it. They can then play the signal back to unlock and burglarize or steal your car. It’s called a relay attack, and it’s been an issue for car manufacturers for decades.
If your car uses UWB, it’s a whole ‘nother ball game. Because UWB calculates distances based on pulses and can confirm the distance between devices at both ends, digital car keys with UWB are impossible to spoof with the relay attack method, making them much more secure — so long as you don’t lose your phone or fail to put proper locks on it. Digital Car Keys are supported by dozens of manufacturers like BMW, Honda, and Ford, either through proprietary apps or Google/Apple Wallet, but without a UWB-enabled phone, it’s useless.
Go big if you need it
These are relatively small features in the grand scheme of things, but once you’ve tasted their convenience — especially digital car keys — it’s hard to go back to a phone without them. And Samsung does give you two flagships that have it — the Galaxy S24+ and S24 Ultra — so if this is an important enough issue that you sought out this article, spending $200 more — or not even that, as most major carriers are offering both the S24 and S24+ for free with trade-in — for an S24+ with a larger, higher-resolution screen, better battery life, and UWB support should seem reasonable.
But if you’re a small phone fan — welcome to the club; we’ve got hoodies — then the Galaxy S24 could still be worth the upgrade, even if you have to miss out on smart tags, car keys, and the home automation capabilities of UWB.
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