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Google takes on AirTag with the new $29 Pixel Tag

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Why This Matters

Google's new Pixel Tag introduces a cost-effective alternative to Apple's AirTag, leveraging Google's extensive Find Hub network to help users locate their valuables across Android devices. This development enhances the tracking ecosystem for Android users, fostering more competitive options in the smart tracking market. The Pixel Tag's integration with Google’s ecosystem and its affordability could influence industry standards and consumer choices alike.

Key Takeaways

Alongside its announcement of a new lineup of Pixel 11 smartphones, Google on Wednesday introduced its answer to Apple’s AirTag. At its livestreamed “Made by Google ’26” event, the company unveiled a new product designed for keeping track of your valuable items: the $29 Google Pixel Tag.

Similar to how Apple’s AirTag leverages its network of iPhones to find lost devices, the new Pixel Tag taps uses Google’s Find Hub network, which taps into Android devices around the world. Android users can add the tag to their phone’s built-in Android Find Hub, which is already used to help users find their lost Android smartphones and other devices, similar to Apple’s Find My.

Helpfully, you can locate and ring your Pixel Tag directly from your Pixel Watch, too, not just your phone.

Image Credits:Google

Where the Pixel Tag differs from AirTag is in its look and feel.

Apple’s lost-item finder is small, round, and engravable; Google opted for a slimmer, elongated device instead. Spec-by-spec, the Pixel Tag is 1.1 inches wide, compared to the AirTag’s 1.26 inches. As the Pixel Tag is oval-shaped, it’s 1.8 inches high from top to bottom. Thickness-wise, the Pixel Tag clocks in at a depth of 0.2 inches, compared with the AirTag’s 0.31 inches (which Apple calls its height).

By weight, the two competitors are comparable, as the Pixel Tag weighs 0.4 ounces with the battery, and the AirTag comes in at 0.39 oz.

Both are also rated IP67 for splash, water, and dust resistance, meaning they can withstand submersion in a maximum depth of 1 meter for up to 30 minutes.

Image Credits:Google

Taking other cues from AirTag, the Pixel Tag offers connectivity via Bluetooth and Ultra Wideband for precision finding; however, it doesn’t include NFC. Pixel Tag has a built-in speaker to help you find the lost device when nearby, and it’s powered by the user-replaceable CR2032 coin cell battery — the same used by the AirTag. This allows the Pixel Tag to work for roughly a year before the battery needs to be replaced.

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