With the entire iPhone network at its beck and call and a truly user-replaceable battery (the first in any Apple product in years), iFixit’s Apple AirTag teardown reveals compact, dense electronics.
AirTag ($29 each, $99 four pack) is a very small Apple accessory that helps keep track of and find the items that matter most with Apple’s Find My app. Whether attached to a handbag, keys, backpack, or other items, AirTag taps into the vast, global Find My network1 and can help locate a lost item, all while keeping location data private and anonymous with end-to-end encryption.
We snagged the market veteran Tile Mate, plus Samsung’s Galaxy SmartTag to judge our AirTag against its competition. Of the three, the AirTag’s Mentos-esque puck is the tiniest. About the size of a half-dollar coin, it’s not much larger than the battery that powers it.
AirTags are indeed tiny—about the smallest they can get, judging by the density… While the AirTag is impressively compact, it manages to pack in ultra-wideband (UWB) functionality… We commend Apple for building the AirTag to last longer than a battery from the beginning—Tile took six years and 15 million devices to get there… included amongst [the AirTag] regulatory markings is a reminder of the battery type, CR2032. Handy!
The AirTag’s body is essentially a speaker driver. Power is sent to the voice coil, which drives the magnet mounted to the diaphragm — in this case, the plastic cover where the battery lives — which makes the sounds that lead you to your lost luggage.
MacDailyNews Take: iFixit’s full AirTag teardown, also reveals that you could risk your $29 by drilling a hole through your AirTag to use to attach it to things without an accessory – and where to drill. (We’re going to stick with accessories, thanks, including this $4.99 Soft Silicone Keyring Case from Amazon.)
Love my AirTags!
Who cares? Only need to know one thing and one thing only … will it blend?
Keep away from the mouths of toddlers.
Someone will sue related to the “danger” or an “event.”