Apple’s new AirTag can track your camera gear from farther away – and costs the same as the old one

I like to tuck an AirTag in my camera bag when I travel, just in case – and the next generation of Apple’s popular item finder will be able to find missing items from farther away and from an Apple Watch. On Monday, January 26, Apple announced the first update to the AirTag with a second-generation model packing in the latest tech with the same price as the 2021-era tag.

The biggest change to Apple’s coin-sized locator is that it uses a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, so it shares some of the same hardware inside the iPhone 17. That upgrade, Apple says, allows users to find items from as much as 50 percent farther away when using Precision Finding. The updated tracker is also twice as loud when using sound to pinpoint lost items.

I thankfully haven’t yet had to use my old AirTag to find a stolen camera bag, but I love using Apple’s Find My ecosystem to figure out where I’ve misplaced my phone or tablet. Precision Finding is like Apple’s digital version of calling out “warmer” or “colder” while playing hide-and-seek. Precision finding will tell you which direction and how far the tracker is.

While the update enables the Precision Finding sooner, like the original, when the tracker is out of range, it uses Apple’s Find My network to pinpoint the location of objects that are farther away. This capability relies on signals from other nearby devices, so the tracker works better in busy locations rather than remote wilderness.

But another key update that I’m looking forward to is that Precision Finding is now available on Apple Watch Series 9 or later and Apple Watch Ultra 2 or later. That brings Apple’s clues as to distance and direction to nearby items to the smaller watch screens.

While it’s been five years since the original AirTag, the biggest question is likely this: Is it worth an upgrade? The second-generation AirTag upgrades the Precision Finding and the sound finding feature, plus it’s also made with 85 percent recycled plastic. Still, the older model does what it’s meant to do, which is find misplaced or stolen items

Others may be a bit more disappointed by what’s not included on the update – like the original, you have to buy accessories if you want to hang the tracker on a key ring. That doesn’t bother me, though, as if I’m going to use a tracker in hopes of getting a stolen camera bag back, I’m not going to place the tracker somewhere obvious.

The updated tracker still works with previous AirTag accessories. It does need iOS 26, however, so it’s not for devices running older operating systems.

There’s one key thing, though, that I’m glad isn’t changing – and that’s the price. The 2026 AirTag has the same list price as the original at $29 / £29 / AU$49 / CA$39.

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