UWB Technology To Blitz Bluetooth And WiFi, Says Samsung

Samsung believes that the future is in UWB technology. It’s an acronym for Ultra-Wideband, which the company believes has the potential to be a game-changing wireless communication tech. In 2018, it established a task force to integrate UWB into its products. As a result, the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and Z Fold 2 are the first two devices to feature it.

But what is UWB and how is it a game changer? Well, here’s the company’s explanation:

Ultra-wideband (UWB) technology is a short-range, wireless communication protocol that operates through radio waves at very high frequencies. This enables enhanced, highly accurate spatial awareness and directional capabilities that allow mobile devices to better understand their surroundings.

These are some of the real world applications for UWB:

• Making secure remote payments
• Locating a missing remote control
• Looking for somewhere to eat at the airport
• Locating your car in a parking garage

Despite their usefulness, WiFi and Bluetooth technology have an Achilles Heel; accuracy. They aren’t able to pinpoint exact locations like UWB. That is why Samsung is going in big on this technology. It has even roped in over 45 organizations across various industries though the FiRa Consortium. It’s an organization that promotes the adoption of UWB for various use cases.

Note 20 Ultra and Z Fold 2 owners can experience this new tech at work through the use of the Nearby Share feature. This allows users to connect to other Android devices and instantly share multimedia content and files, instantly. But that pales in comparison to what UWB can do with the SmartThings Find feature.

According to Samsung, it enables the Galaxy Note20 Ultra and Z Fold2 to generate an augmented reality (AR) visual display that shows you the exact direction, distance and location of your other Galaxy devices. That is some impressive stuff, and in the future, UWB will be able to offer a digital key solution, allowing you to ditch your bulky physical ones.

The possibilities are said to be endless because KJ KIm, Samsung’s Chief Technology Officer, EVP & Head of Mobile R&D Office, believes that we are only beginning to scratch the surface of what UWB can do. Expect more innovation from said products in the coming months or years with the help of this new-found technology.