Apple recently introduced ia the new generation of its popular AirTag tracker — exactly like the ones you probably have in one of your bags right now.
But despite the physical similarities, this second-generation AirTag (which Apple doesn’t officially call AirTag 2) includes significant improvements in range, sound and performance that you should understand before ordering another set.
How much do AirTags cost?
AirTag retail price is $29 or $99 for a pack of four. That has been consistent since the original AirTags were introduced in 2021. However, unless you buy directly from Apple, you can probably get them at discounted prices, usually around $24 for a single AirTag and $75 for a pack of four.
So far, it looks like Apple and retailers will keep second-generation AirTags at their retail prices. However, first-generation AirTags sold for as little as $70 per pack of four, bringing the cost of each tag down to $17.50.
We don’t know how much inventory of the first generation AirTag there is, so the price will continue for a while. It is also possible that once the second-generation AirTags hit the market, they will also be discounted by third-party vendors.
Do the new (second generation) AirTags look different?
For the most part, the second-generation AirTag looks like the first-generation model, from its white plastic exterior to its shiny aluminum backplate. There is a slight difference in weight: 11 grams (1st) compared to 11.8 grams (2nd-gen).
Both are powered by a single CR2032 cell battery, which is easy to find and affordable. In my experience, the battery lasts about a year before it needs to be replaced.
How to identify generations of AirTag?
Our first look at Apple’s new AirTag.
Since both generations of AirTags share the same design, you need to look for some clues to tell them apart. Flip it over and look for the inscription on the edge of the metal disc: if it’s in all caps, it’s the new second generation AirTag. New models include “FIND MINE” and “NFC” and “IP67,” water and dust resistance rating.
The text of the first generation AirTags is written in a sentence (first capital letter then lower case) and “Designed by Apple in California” and “Assembled in China.”
Accuracy Finding
The most important difference between AirTag generations is the presence of the second generation Ultra Wideband chip in the new AirTag models. That detector chip is what shows the location of the tag to nearby devices. That’s also what makes Precision Finding work, one of AirTag’s best features. Both generations have UWB chips — the second-generation AirTag is the only one with an improved version.
Instead of just seeing that the AirTag is somewhere in your house, Precision Finding guides you to the exact location until you’re literally on top of it. Using the Find My app on your iPhone, search for a marker to pinpoint your destination and measure its distance.
The latest Apple Watch models can use Precision Finding to find the second generation AirTag.
However, you still need to get close to any AirTag to find it, which is where the advantage of the second generation comes in: its advanced UWB chip extends its detection range by 1.5 times compared to the original AirTag. The practical advantage is that you don’t have to move around a lot trying to lock on to the tag’s signal before entering it.
Another advantage is Apple Watch compatibility with Precision Finding. The second type of UWB in the new AirTags enables the Apple Watch Series 9 and later, as well as the Ultra 2 model and later, to use the same targeting interface that iPhones have been able to use since iPhone 11. Be sure to update to WatchOS 26.2.1 to enable this feature.
Long Bluetooth range
AirTags (second generation) have what Apple calls an “advanced Bluetooth chip” that extends the tag’s Bluetooth network range. It is not clear which version of Bluetooth is running; Apple only lists it as Bluetooth LE (low energy) behind the AirTag.
Bluetooth’s long range helps in several ways. It makes it easy for tags to securely and privately connect to nearby devices to register their location and status, then share that with Apple’s Find My network.
For example, the reason you can see that your luggage has reached your airport when you arrive is not because AirTag’s Bluetooth can reach all the way to the gate where bags are unloaded (it can’t). That someone’s iPhone on the plane or airport staff picked up the AirTag signal and transmitted it to the Find My network.
It also means that the AirTag can be easily picked up by your iPhone (which is great in case someone tries to track you without your knowledge).
Loudspeaker and new chime
Both AirTag generations have a speaker for those times when it’s easy to find a tag by listening to the local chime after you’ve commanded it to play. It also chirps when the battery is low and when an unknown AirTag is nearby. The speaker on the second generation AirTag is louder than the first generation, which Apple says can be heard twice as far.
The new AirTag also uses a new directional chime that should be easier to hear in noisy environments.
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