– Guest article, written by Vincent Lautier, contains Amazon affiliate links –

After five years without an update, Apple has finally released the second generation of its Bluetooth trackers. I received them this morning and put them through their paces right away. The verdict? Welcome improvements, but nothing that should make you throw out your old AirTags.

What’s new?

Apple really took its sweet time with this new version, and the list of new features is pretty short. The Ultra Wideband chip has been upgraded to the latest generation (the one in the iPhone 17). On paper, the Precision Finding feature works 1.5 times farther than before. In practice, at my place it detects at 24 metres instead of 19 metres. For finding your keys under a sofa cushion, it doesn’t change much. For a bag in a packed airport, it’s a little more useful – but it’s not going to change the world.

The speaker gets a 50% volume boost. What does that actually mean? Well, it means you can hear the sound at roughly twice the distance. I tested this at home – the old AirTag was barely audible through two walls, the new one is a bit more noticeable. This is the only improvement you’ll really feel on a day-to-day basis.

There’s also the Precision Finding feature coming to recent Apple Watch models. It’s vaguely handy when you don’t have your iPhone on you – you can track down your stuff directly from your wrist using a directional arrow. But honestly, it’s a very niche use case, and to be completely transparent with you, I couldn’t get it to work at all, haha.

Design and compatibility

Otherwise, absolutely zero design changes. It’s still the same small white and steel puck – it’s just gained 1 gram on the scales**.** The battery remains a standard CR2032. We’d have loved a built-in battery and wireless charging, but it looks like we’ll be waiting another 5 years for that.

Should you buy one?

The AirTag 2 costs €35 per unit or €120 for a four-pack in France. Right. Except here’s the thing: the AirTag 1 goes on sale regularly. Right now, you can find the four-pack for €100 on Amazon,
and €30 for a single unit
. You know what? Even as someone who loves all the latest Apple gear, I wouldn’t recommend the AirTags 2. Look for the first-gen ones on sale instead – and if you’re on Android, go with these, which are excellent [FR]
!

Guest article published by
Vincent Lautier
. You can also swing by
my blog
, my
Amazon recommendations page
, or read all
the reviews I publish in the “Gadgets Tech” category
, like this
insane Android e-reader
or these
AirTags for Android
!

This article may contain AI-generated images. I take great care with every article, but if you spot a slip-up, let me know!