Don’t know where your suitcase ended up after a trip? Or have you lost sight of your keys just when you were in the most hurry? To clear up doubts in this type of situation, Apple users have had the AirTagthe company’s tracker, which is now renewed with discreet but important changes. And it is advisable to be clear about them if you are thinking of buying one.
What exactly does the new AirTag bring?. We are facing the first update since the launch of the original AirTag in 2021. On the outside, the device is identical to the first generation model. The difference is on the inside: Apple has updated the hardware to introduce concrete improvements without increasing the price. That is, more benefits without paying more.
- Second-generation ultra-wideband (UWB) chip: it is the same component that devices such as the iPhone 17 incorporate, the iPhone Air or the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Series 11. The result is a 50% improvement in Precision Search, the function that guides you with arrows, vibrations and sound to the object.
- New speaker: Also with a 50% improvement in power, which makes it easier to hear the AirTag from a greater distance and speed up the location process.
- Precision Search from Apple Watch: if you have a Apple Watch Series 9 or later, or a Apple Watch Ultra 2 or later, you can use this function directly from the watch to find the AirTag and, by extension, whatever you have attached to it.
If we talk about the price, it can now be reserved on the Apple website and in the Apple Store app, and it will arrive in Apple Store stores later this week. It is available for 35 euros the unit or in a pack of four 119 euros. And, for those who want to complete the set, Apple also sells the fine braided keychain for AirTag for 45 euros.
How the AirTag works. The key point of the AirTag is that it does not have integrated GPS. Its operation is based on Bluetooth and Apple’s Find My network: the AirTag emits a signal and, when an iPhone, iPad or Mac passes nearby, it detects it and sends an approximate location to iCloud. That location is what we then see on the map from the Search app.
When you are already close, ultra-wide band (UWB) comes into play, which is the technology that allows Precision Search: locating the AirTag with much more accuracy at short distances.
Google still does not release its own. As we can see, the AirTag works solely within the Apple ecosystem, and that integration is a big part of its appeal. On Android there are alternatives, but an equivalent commitment signed by Google is still missing: its own tracker that plays in the same league, and that can compete head to head with Apple’s proposal.
On Android there are trackers, but… The temptation is to think that Android is at a disadvantage because it does not have an official AirTag. But the picture is more nuanced. Google has Find Hub and around that network a fairly active market of compatible trackers has already been built, with names like Chipolo either Pebblebee. The problem is that this ecosystem does not have a single direction: there is no iconic model that sets the standard, that pushes specific functions and that serves as a reference point for everything else. In practice, there are many trackers, but not such a uniform experience.
The technology that makes the difference. To understand why Apple insists so much on ultra wide band (UWB) You have to look at the most complex moment of any search: when you are already close, but you don’t see it. Bluetooth can help you narrow it down, even make it sound, but it’s not particularly fine. UWB, on the other hand, is designed for that final phase: it allows precise location within a few meters, with clear guidance and in real time. That’s the difference between “it’s over here” and “it’s two meters away, to the left.”
Why UWB is so rare on Android. If you’re wondering why UWB is still so rare on Android, there’s a pretty simple explanation: the market isn’t pushing it hard yet. Most Find Hub trackers are designed to work with Bluetooth, which is more universal and helps control the price. The side effect is that UWB is reserved for few models and, therefore, for few users.
Samsung and its commitment to UWB. UWB, as we say, exists on Android. There are cases like the Moto Tag 2 or the Samsung SmartTag+ as the most representative model. But that advantage in the case of the South Korean brand comes with fine print: its proposal is linked to the Galaxy ecosystem and SmartThings. It is not an “Android” experience in the broad sense, but rather a branded solution. And that reinforces the underlying idea: there is progress, but dispersed, without a common standard pushed by Google.
“Pixel Tag”: more than a device, a push. In this context is where the great absence makes sense: a Google tracker. Not so much because of the gadget itself, but because of what it would drag behind it. A “Pixel Tag” would be, above all, a declaration of intent: a product capable of setting a benchmark experience on Find Hub, pushing the real use of UWB and forcing the platform to mature faster.
What changes for users. If Google took the step, the change for the user would not be so much “having another tracker”, but rather gaining a more coherent experience. Today, many solutions work well, but vary too much depending on the model and brand. With its own product as a reference, Find Hub could become more consistent: better search accuracy, more integration, and more features.
Images | Apple | Samsung
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