Recently bought an AirTag on JD.com for 178 CNY. Played with it and thought it was quite interesting. Here’s a summary.
Update
As of now, I’ve bought 2 AirTags.
Basics
AirTag was released in 2021, and after 2 years, the price remains firm. Initially, you could get one for around 100 CNY on Pinduoduo, but now it’s almost 200 CNY per unit. Apple products indeed retain their value well.
Battery life is approximately 1 year, which is sufficient, and replacing the battery is relatively simple.
AirTag’s function is to track items using Find My.
Since AirTag doesn’t come with a protective case and official ones are expensive, I recommend buying third-party protective cases to prevent loss and scratches.
Use cases
I only bought one for now, so I put it on my keychain. The scenario it solves is when I’m in a hurry to go out and can’t find my keys but am sure they’re not lost. With AirTag, it’s much better—I can locate them and make it emit a sound.
I’m considering using it for a while longer, and if it’s good, I might buy a few more to put on items like my backpack and suitcase.
Impressions
The build quality is excellent, as expected from Apple.
The positioning capability, especially indoor positioning, isn’t very accurate, but most of the time, distance estimation + sound can solve the problem.
Fun use — Shortcuts + NFC
AirTag can be used as an NFC tag in iPhone’s Shortcuts for automation. For example, tracking water drinking status — touch once to record.
I don’t have this kind of need currently; it’s more of an exploration of usage possibilities.
Cheaper alternatives?
For budget considerations, I tried buying a cheaper alternative, but found it to be a fake alternative in practical use. The most critical flaw is that AirTag can use any nearby Apple device to send location information, while cheaper alternatives can only communicate location information with the bound device. For example, if the bound iPhone is separated from the tag, you will always see the location where they were separated, so the most crucial location information becomes invalid. Therefore, cheaper alternatives are not recommended.
Conclusion
- The advantages of AirTag lie in its accurate tracking ability, seamless integration with Apple ecosystem, and strong privacy protection features.
- Apple ecosystem users, especially those who are forgetful and often can’t find their keys, are more recommended to buy. The fact that the price remains so firm 2 years after launch also indicates its value to some extent.
