Choose-your-own tracker or all-in on Apple?

• 

  Choice of three tag networks

  Chipolo One

  The Chipolo One smart tracker, available in three variants, offers the choice between the company’s own network, Apple Find My, and Google Find My Device.

  Pros

  • Loud built-in speaker
  • Built-in cutout
  • Replaceable battery

  Cons

  • Limited to IPX5 water resistance
  • No UWB

• 

  Ideal for iPhone owners

  Apple AirTag

  $25 $29 Save $4

  The AirTag is a popular smart tracker backed by Apple’s impressive Find My network. It also offers UWB for precision tracking and is rated IP67.

  Pros

  • Excellent tag network
  • Replaceable battery
  • IP67 dust and water resistance

  Cons

  • Limited to iPhone owners
  • No cutout for the key ring

The Apple AirTag, with its Find My network and UWB (ultra-wideband) technology, has become a front-runner in the smart tag race. But before it’s crowned the champion, consider the Chipolo One. This versatile tracker offers a unique twist: three distinct variants. Choose the standard Chipolo One for its own network, the Chipolo One Spot to leverage Apple’s Find My network, or the Chipolo One Point to integrate with Google’s Find My Device network.

With such adaptability, the device caters to various ecosystems. But how do these Chipolo One variants measure up against the feature set of the Apple AirTag? Let’s dive in and find out.

Price, availability, and specs

The Chipolo One is available in three models: the standard Chipolo One, the One Spot, and the One Point. The One Spot and the One Point are priced at $28 for a one-pack, while the One is slightly more affordable at $25. Purchasing a four-pack of any model can help you save some money. The AirTag is a bit more expensive at $29. But like the Chipolo offering, it lets you save a few bucks by opting for a four-pack.

Both the Apple and Chipolo trackers, except for the One Point, are widely available and can be purchased from online and physical retailers. The One Point is being offered in batches. As of June 2024, the preorders for the third batch are open.

• 	Chipolo One	Chipolo One Spot	Chipolo One Point	Apple AirTag
  Connectivity	Bluetooth LE	Bluetooth LE	Bluetooth LE	Bluetooth LE, Ultra Wideband, NFC
  Battery	Up to two years, user-replaceable CR2032 coin cell battery	Up to one year, user-replaceable CR2032 coin cell battery	Up to one year, user-replaceable CR2032 coin cell battery	Up to one year, user-replaceable CR2032 coin cell battery
  Range	Up to 60m (200 feet)	Up to 60m (200ft)	Up to 60m (200 feet)	Up to 30m (100 feet)
  Water Resistance	IPX5	IPX5	IPX5	IP67

Design, build, and battery

All three Chipolo One variants feature the same circular design. They have a durable, completely plastic construction and a cutout to attach the tag to luggage, keys, and other items. While the standard Chipolo One is available in multiple colorways, the One Spot and One Point are limited to a single color.

On the other hand, while the AirTag also has a circular design, it uses metal and plastic in its construction, making it look sleeker. The shiny metal part of the AirTag is easy to scuff and can catch smudges; otherwise, it is well-built and quite durable. There is only one silver/white colorway, though. The AirTag’s lack of a cutout forces you to rely on accessories to help you attach it to your keys, luggage, and more. Apple’s own accessories cost as much as the AirTag itself, but you can get cheaper third-party alternatives.

However, the AirTag’s IP rating is one big advantage over the Chipolo trackers. The Apple tracker is rated IP67 for dust and water resistance, compared to the IPX5 rating of each of the Chipolo One trackers. As a result, the Apple tracker is safer from dust and water.

In terms of battery life, the standard Chipolo One promises to last up to two years, whereas the One Spot and the One Point are limited to one year, the same as the AirTag. Fortunately, all trackers have a single user-replaceable CR2032 battery, so you can easily swap out the battery and extend the tracker’s lifespan.

Features

Bluetooth Tracking

Tracking capability is the most important consideration when choosing a smart tracker. While each Chipolo One tracker and the AirTag are similar in their basic Bluetooth tracking, they differ in their support for a broader tag network. For the uninitiated, Bluetooth is used for close-range tracking and communication in all smart trackers. But once a smart tag leaves your phone’s Bluetooth range, you have to rely on the tag network to find its location. Each tag network is not created equal. So, while finding your tag on one network may take only minutes, the other can take hours or days.

As mentioned, the standard Chipolo One leverages its own network, whereas the AirTag and the Chipolo One Spot are backed by Apple’s Find My. The Chipolo One Point, a recent entrant in the smart tag space, uses Google’s Find My Device network. The Apple Find My is currently the biggest tag network, and it leverages iPhones, iPads, and Macs to locate your valuables. Google’s Find My Device could eventually surpass the Find My network, but it’s experiencing growing pains, as we noted in our Chipolo One Point review and the Pebblebee Tag. Chipolo’s network is relatively small, with about 5 million devices, and nowhere near Apple or Google’s scale.

While Chipolo claims a Bluetooth range of 200 feet for its tracking, it’s a line-of-sight range that you would rarely get in real life. With all the walls and other obstacles around, you’ll likely get around 30 to 40 feet, the same as the AirTag.

Note that the smart trackers’ use of different tag networks also impacts which mobile devices they can support. For example, the Chipolo One Spot and AirTag can only work with Apple devices. Similarly, the Chipolo One Point is limited to Android devices. However, you can use the Chipolo One with Android and iOS devices.

UWB Technology

UWB support is the one feature that sets the AirTag apart from Chipolo offerings and most other trackers on the market. UWB enables the Apple tracker to offer precision tracking, something that’s impossible with Bluetooth or a tag network. So, when you are close to your lost tracker, you can use your iPhone to guide you to it using directions and distance to the tracker.

Although the Chipolo One trackers don’t have fancy UWB technology, they feature a louder speaker than the AirTag. The speaker will be your friend when you are close to your lost tracker but can’t see it. You can use your phone to ring it and use the sound to make your way to the tracker.

Other perks

You also get separation alerts on the Chipolo One, Chipolo One Spot, and the AirTag. The Chipolo One Point, however, doesn’t offer this feature at the moment. Separation alerts are quite helpful if you often leave things behind.

With the standard Chipolo One, you can also change the ringtone, use it as a selfie remote, use voice assistants, ring your misplaced phone, and enjoy sharing support. The AirTag, Chipolo One Spot, and the Chipolo One Point also support sharing, but the remaining features are unavailable on these trackers.

Finally, neither Apple nor Chipolo requires you to subscribe to a premium plan to access certain features. All the features are freely accessible.

Which should you buy?

Smartphone compatibility is one of the biggest considerations when choosing a smart tracker. With that in mind, Android users have two options: the Chipolo One and the Chipolo One Point. Even though the One Point is dealing with the growing pains of the Google Find My Device network, it has access to a much bigger network of devices than the Chipolo One, making it the better choice for most people. But if your tag will remain within the Bluetooth range of your phone, and you won’t have to rely on the tag network a lot, the Chipolo One can be an excellent alternative, and it offers tons of extra features that you don’t get with the One Point.

iPhone users are best served by the AirTag. It seamlessly integrates with your iPhone and is backed by the most impressive tag network on the market. It also includes UWB for precision tracking and has IP67 dust and water resistance. Although the Chipolo One Spot shares the same tag network as the AirTag, it misses out on UWB technology and has a lower IP rating. So you’ll be better off with the AirTag.