When Apple upgrades its hardware, the differences are usually stark: things like it better iPhone cameras, more laptop storage or better screens. But Apple just introduced a new version of its popular AirTag tracker that looks and seems to behave just like the ones you probably have in one of your bags right now. However, there are a few key differences with this second-generation AirTag (which Apple technically isn’t calling AirTag 2) that we’re here to delve into.
How much do AirTags cost?
The retail price for an AirTag is $29, or $99 for a four-pack. This has been consistent since the original AirTags were introduced in 2021. However, unless you buy directly from Apple, you’ll likely find them at discounted prices, often around $24 for a single AirTag and $75 for a four-pack.
So far, it appears that Apple and retailers will keep the second-generation AirTags at their retail prices. However, the first generation AirTags are sold for as little as $70 for a pack of fourbringing the cost per label down to $17.50.
We don’t know how much first-generation AirTag inventory there is, so prices could persist for a while. It’s also likely that once the second-generation AirTags hit the market, they’ll also get discounts from third-party retailers.
Are the new AirTags (2nd generation) different?
For the most part, a second-generation AirTag looks exactly like the first-generation model, from its white plastic exterior to its shiny aluminum backplate. There is a slight difference in weight: 11 grams (original) versus 11.8 grams (2nd generation).
They are both powered by a single CR2032 coin cell battery, which is easy to find and affordable. In my experience, the battery lasts about a year before needing to be replaced.
How to identify AirTag generations?
Our first look at Apple’s new AirTag.
Since both generations of AirTags share the same design, you need to look for other clues to tell them apart. Turn it over and look at the writing around the edge of the metal disc: if it is in capital letters, it is a new second generation AirTag. The new models also include “FIND MY” and “NFC” as well as “IP67”, the water and dust resistance rating.
The text on the first generation AirTags is written in sentence case (initial capital letter then lowercase) and also includes “Designed by Apple in California” and “Assembled in China”.
Precision search
The most significant difference between the AirTag generations is the presence of a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip in the newer AirTag models. This tracking chip reports the location of the tag to nearby devices. This is also what enables precision searching, one of AirTag’s best features. Both generations have UWB chips — the second generation AirTag is the only one to have the improved version.
Instead of just seeing that an AirTag is somewhere in your home, Precision Finding guides you to the exact spot until you’re literally on top of it. Using the Find My app on your iPhone, finding the tag tells you its direction and estimates its distance.
Newer Apple Watch models can use precision search to locate a second-generation AirTag.
However, you still need to be pretty close to any AirTag to find it, and that’s where the second generation’s advantage comes in: its improved UWB chip extends its detection range by 1.5 times compared to the original AirTag. The practical benefit is that you shouldn’t have to wander around as much trying to lock onto the tag’s signal before heading towards it.
Another advantage is Apple Watch compatibility with precision search. The second generation UWB in the new AirTags allows Apple Watch Series 9 and later, as well as the Ultra2 model and later, to use the same precise locator that iPhones have been capable of since the iPhone11. Make sure to update to WatchOS 26.2.1 to enable this feature.
Longer Bluetooth range
AirTags (second generation) feature what Apple calls an “enhanced Bluetooth chip” that extends the range of the tag’s Bluetooth network. It is not clear which Bluetooth version is used; Apple only lists it as Bluetooth LE (low energy) on the back of the AirTag.
The longer Bluetooth range is useful in several ways. This allows the tag to more easily and securely connect to nearby devices to record its location and status, then share it with Apple’s Find My network.
For example, the reason you can see that your luggage has arrived at your airport when you land is not because the AirTag’s Bluetooth can reach all the way to the gate where the luggage is unloaded (it doesn’t). It involves an iPhone belonging to someone on the plane or an airport employee who picked up the signal from the AirTag and transmitted it to the Find My network.
This also means that an AirTag can be more easily detected by your iPhone (which is useful in case someone tries to track you without your knowledge).
Louder speaker and new chime
Both generations of AirTag have a speaker for those times when it’s easier to find the tag by listening to its location chime after asking it to play. It also chirps when the battery is low and when an unidentified AirTag is nearby. The second-generation AirTag’s speaker is louder than the first generation’s and, according to Apple, can be heard twice as far away.
The new AirTag also uses a new identifiable chime, which is supposed to be easier to hear in noisy environments.
