Apple charges $29 for an AirTag, and though there have been instances where the circular-shaped tracker has been a worthwhile investment, there is a ‘homemade’ solution that was made in China, which is significantly cheaper. Best of all, it supports the Find My app, meaning that this particular AirTag can be tracked effortlessly.
Chinese AirTag does not support UWB, so it cannot be used with Apple’s Precision Finding feature
Going over the pricing details first, DuanRui shares that it costs just 30 RMB to make one of these homemade Chinese AirTags, so they go for around $4 in the region. Compared to the $29 asking price of Apple’s own AirTag, that is seven times the price difference while also supporting Find My. Unfortunately, a tracker that is this cheap will also have to be cutting corners, and according to the details shared on Twitter, this one lacks UWB or ultra-wideband support.
For those who do not know, UWB is a short-range wireless communication technology used for precise location tracking. For owners of the iPhone 11 and above, they will get access to the Precision Finding feature, which directs them to the exact location of the AirTag while also providing directional cues. Unfortunately, if you are interested in getting one of these, you will miss out on that.
Apple AirTag costs $30, and homemade AirTag in China costs 30 RMB (about $4.2). Except for the UWB function, all the other functions work fine, and you can perfectly access Find My App, or you can let someone else's iPhone, iPad, or MacBook to help you locate and find lost items. pic.twitter.com/TJcq9uAFCx
— DuanRui (@duanrui1205) August 2, 2023
Aside from that limitation, the Chinese homemade AirTag works as expected, as shown in the rest of the images, and though they are in a different language, the UI matches that of what you will see on your iPhone. Of course, this solution is not as elegant looking as the AirTag sold on Apple’s website, and that plastic build quality looks questionable too.
Then again, you have to admit that it looks inconspicuous, so no one will guess you have a tracker with you since they are so used to seeing the white-colored ones with the silver finish in the middle. For those interested in getting one of these for their everyday use, one helpful individual responded on the thread that they can be purchased from TaoBao, a Chinese online store, but we cannot update you on how long it will take them to reach your doorstep after you have placed the order.
WccftechContinue reading/original-link]
