Apple’s original AirTag was late to the Bluetooth tracker party. Tile was responsible for the first product of this type, and that had been around for eight years before Apple announced the AirTag in 2021.

But when the AirTag launched, it transformed the tracking market. With its release, Apple turned millions of iPhones, iPads and MacBooks into its ‘Find My’ network, which could anonymously leverage those devices to precisely pinpoint lost items with an AirTag attached.

The second generation of the AirTag not only expands the range of ‘Precision Finding’ (more on this below), but also makes its speaker louder, is compatible with more types of batteries, and lets you share its location with airlines to help you find luggage more easily. With the original AirTag still more than capable, however, do you need to spend another £29 to upgrade to this latest generation?

Apple’s second-generation AirTag might look identical to its predecessor (meaning existing accessories still fit, thank goodness), but it brings a few meaningful improvements over the original model that launched five years ago.

The most notable of those is range. The second generation of this Bluetooth tracker has a new Ultra Wideband (UWB) chip and upgraded Bluetooth connectivity, which means Precision Finding – the excellent AirTag feature that guides you to the exact spot of a lost item using haptic, audio and visual cues – is said to work from up to 50 per cent further away. Precision Finding also works on Apple Watch (Series 9 or later) with this model, so you can locate the AirTag without your iPhone.

The new AirTag’s speaker is also considerably louder (apparently by 50 per cent) than the original, and it has a different chime. It integrates with Apple’s ‘Share Item Location’ feature, which lets you securely share a tracker’s whereabouts with airlines. More than 50 carriers are on board, and the technology has reportedly cut instances of permanently lost luggage by 90 per cent. It’s the same price as the original AirTag, at £29 for one, or £99 for a four-pack.

How I test Bluetooth trackers

I’ve used various Bluetooth trackers in my 15 years reviewing consumer technology, from Tile’s Mate and Chipolo’s Pop to Samsung’s SmartTag 2 and Apple’s AirTag. When testing them, I attach them to my keys and backpack, and place them inside my luggage when I am travelling, so I can assess their features and how easy it is to keep track of my items.

In the past, I have also stitched an AirTag into both of my children’s favourite soft toys – a puffin and a polar bear – so that if they are ever left behind, I know where they are to avoid inevitable tears at bedtime. For the AirTag 2, I attached one to my keys alongside the original AirTag to see the differences in locating them with Precision Finding, and I also placed one in my luggage for trips to Barcelona and the US.

I tested the AirTag 2’s speaker alongside the original AirTag to see if it was actually louder, and I used my Apple Watch Series 11 to locate my backpack, which had an AirTag 2 attached. Battery life is claimed to be a year, so I haven’t been able to test that, but I can confirm the original AirTag lasts a year, and sometimes a few months longer, before needing a change of battery.

The case for (and against) the AirTag 2