Samsung expects UWB to be as big as Bluetooth, Xiaomi shows how it improves the smart home

Ben Schoon | Oct 12 2020 - 11:15 am PT

samsung galaxy note 20 ultra mystic bronze

Something you might not know about recent Samsung smartphones such as the Note 20 Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold 2 is that they include a special UWB — ultra-wideband — radio. That special signal can let one Samsung phone know where another device using the same tech is. Now, Samsung has announced wider adoption of that tech while Xiaomi is showing us what UWB is capable of.

In a press release, Samsung explains how it wants to “constantly push boundaries” with its mobile devices and how the company sees UWB as a game-changer for the future, comparing its potential impact to that of Wi-fi and Bluetooth. On those devices, Samsung uses UWB to increase the accuracy of Nearby Share as well as for its SmartThings Find feature.

In the future, Samsung will also be debuting a new Digital Key solution that uses UWB to unlock compatible vehicles in place of a traditional key. Notably, Apple uses NFC for the same purpose, but the company also uses UWB for AirDrop.

Technology is always evolving, but every now and then, a new capability emerges, and we instantly know it’s something special — like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Samsung believes Ultra-Wideband (UWB) is one such game-changing wireless communication tech, which is why we are working tirelessly to advance and deploy it as quickly as possible.

Unfortunately, Samsung didn’t disclose how it plans to expand UWB in the future. Presumably, though, we’ll see it in more of Samsung’s flagship smartphones.

The smart home is another big place where UWB could come in handy, and Xiaomi has produced an amazing demo to show what it will be like (via Android Authority).

By equipping some smart home gear with UWB and using a Mi 10T smartphone with it, the company shows how simply facing the device you want to control could bring up the various toggles and buttons needed to adjust that smart home device. Tech like this could make a smart home feel completely seamless, but it will likely be years before it’s actually viable.