Apple just launched the long-awaited new version of its AirTag. The upgraded tracking tag is easier to find, with much longer range when using either a Bluetooth or Ultra Wideband connection from your iPhone. It also includes a louder, shriller speaker.
I put the improvements in the AirTag (2nd generation) through real-world testing for this hands-on review.
Apple AirTag 2 review
There’s been an AirTag on my keychain and my cat since Apple launched its first-gen tracker in 2021. Not that I lose either very often, but if I do, it’s a Bad Thing.
But with an AirTag attached, on the rare occasions one of those goes missing, locating them is as easy as pulling out my iPhone and having it point an arrow directly at the keys or kitty. Just knowing that gives me peace of mind.
The new AirTag 2 does this even better — I can track down wandering objects from much farther away than before.
Another favorite feature is alerts when I leave something behind. I also keep an AirTag on the cover for my casserole dish. If I accidentally leave it at a friend’s house, an alert pops up on my iPhone before I leave their neighborhood. It’s great — and it’s something the first-gen AirTag does just as well as the new one.
The next generation of AirTag has its loudest speaker yet and an expanded Precision Finding range. It’s never been easier to follow and find your stuff.
Table of contents: Apple AirTag 2 review
- Not a redesign: Good and bad
- AirTag 2 performance: Longer Bluetooth range
- Improved Ultra Wideband and Precision Finding
- Now with Apple Watch support
- Louder, shriller speaker
- The power of the Find My network
- Bonus AirTag feature for travelers
- Apple AirTag 2 review: Final thoughts
- Pricing
Not a redesign: Good and bad
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
The good news is, Apple didn’t change the external design of the AirTag 2. That means you don’t need to replace accessories you already bought for the original tracking tag to use them with the new version. You can, for example, simply pop an AirTag 2 into the case on your keychain and get the benefits of the new tracker.
The bad news is also that Apple didn’t change the external design of the AirTag 2. Specifically, it didn’t add a loop to the new model, so you still have to buy a case to attach the tracker to your keys.
An AirTag (new or old) is a flat, white-and-silver disk roughly 1.25 inches across and 0.2 inches thick. It’s about the same size as a coat button.
The two versions are so nearly identical that it might be helpful for you to know that the text inscribed into the AirTag (2nd generation) is almost entirely in all caps, while the earlier model has lots of lower-case text.
It’s a rugged little gizmo — IP67 water- and dust-resistant. The ones I have on my keychain and cat are still going strong after five years, and I see no reason why the newer model should be any more fragile.
AirTag 2 performance: Longer Bluetooth range
Like all good tracker tags, AirTag connects to your iPhone via Bluetooth. An upgraded Bluetooth chip in AirTag 2 expands the range at which items can be located.
In my testing, I’m getting really outstanding range. To start, I put the tag at one end of my house and went to the other and still got a connection. No surprise — the original version can also handle that range. Then I walked out of my house and down the street, and I could still make a strong Bluetooth connection to AirTag 2. Not so with the previous version.
With a Bluetooth connection, you can set off an audible alarm on the AirTag. Once you can hear the tag, you’re 95% of the way toward finding it, so you can see the advantage of the second-gen AirTag’s extended range.
Improved Ultra Wideband and Precision Finding
Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
AirTag also offers Precision Finding, a trick that sets it apart from rival tracking tags. Going beyond Bluetooth, the tag communicates with your iPhone via Ultra Wideband. And this is directional, enabling Apple’s Find My app on your iPhone to point directly toward the lost item.
The new AirTag includes a better UWB chip to enhance Precision Finding. Apple uses the same second-generation UWB chip in the iPhone 17 lineup, the iPhone Air, Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch Series 11. Apple says the new model works from up to 50% farther away.
My testing confirms that the new AirTag’s range definitely increased. I put the original version next to an AirTag 2 and went to the other end of my house. That’s too far for Precision Finding with the original AirTag, but the Find My app on my iPhone 17 can point right to the second-gen AirTag from almost 50 feet away, through walls and a closed door.
Just note that getting the maximum range requires an iPhone, iPad, etc., that I listed earlier that comes with a new UWB chip.
Now with Apple Watch support
Previously, Precision Finding an AirTag worked only with an iPhone. That changes with AirTag 2. For the first time, users can use Precision Finding on Apple Watch to find their AirTag.
The feature works with Apple Watch Series 9 or later and Apple Watch Ultra 2 or later. I don’t have one of those to test — I prefer Apple Watch SE 3 — so I’m limited to only setting off the audible alarm on the tracker tag from my wrist. That works fine, though.
Louder, shriller speaker
Screenshot: YouTube/Joseph Taylor
Aside from the upgraded UWB chip, Apple made lots of other changes to the AirTag’s internal redesign. One notable change is the inclusion of a more capable speaker. Apple says AirTag 2 is 50% louder than the previous-generation tracker.
I compared the volume of the old and new AirTag speakers using the NIOSH Sound Level Meter app. The original got up to 66 dB while the upgraded AirTag peaked at 87 dB.
And the tone on the AirTag 2 alarm sounds more shrill. Apparently, it went from an “F” to a “G.”
The power of the Find My network
I’ve been emphasizing your ability to track down an AirTag 2 with your iPhone, but if you really, truly lose something, you can still find it thanks to Apple’s Find My network — a crowdsourced location system that uses hundreds of millions of Apple devices worldwide to locate lost AirTags around the globe.
When an item with an AirTag attached goes missing, it sends out a secure Bluetooth signal that is anonymously detected by nearby iPhones, iPads or Macs. Those Apple devices relay the tracking tag’s location back to the owner through encrypted communication — without revealing the identity or location of the helper devices.
This vast network can show you the location of your missing AirTag if you left it in the office, in class or on a bus. All that’s necessary is for an iPhone or other Apple device to pass nearby. You’ll see the location in the Find My app on your iPhone.
Bonus AirTag feature for travelers
Don’t dismiss getting an AirTag because you never lose your car keys. Sometimes, other people lose things for you. It could be your kids forgetting to return your keys, but that’s just the start.
Drop an AirTag in your luggage and, if it goes missing, you can show your airline exactly where it is. The Find My network can locate the tracker tag in any airport worldwide.
Apple AirTag 2 review: Final thoughts
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
I’m confident that AirTag 2 will be a great way to find my keys, my cat — whatever I connect it to. It’s a noticeable improvement over the original.
That said, I still wish Apple had built a loop into the second-gen AirTag.
★★★★☆
Pricing
The new AirTag version sells for the same price as its predecessor: $29 for a single AirTag and $99 for a four-pack.
The next generation of AirTag has its loudest speaker yet and an expanded Precision Finding range. It’s never been easier to follow and find your stuff.
Apple did not provide Cult of Mac with a review unit for this article. See our reviews policy, and check out more in-depth reviews of Apple-related items.
Ed Hardy has been writing full-time about tech for 25 years, and using it for much longer than that. His intro to Apple was a Macintosh Classic II (which he still has), but now he uses a 13-inch iPad Pro as his primary computer. He’s written for NotebookReview, TabletPCReview, and Brighthand, as well as other sites.
