Despite some key differences that make the tracking experience significantly better than the other, choosing a winner ultimately comes down to your mobile phone. If you have an iPhone, the perfect integration you get with AirTag through the Find Me app and its extensive tracking network make it a crazy thing. If you have an Android phone or are thinking of switching in the future, then TrackR Pixel is for you, because AirTag is exclusively for Apple devices.

Apple AirTag Vs. TrackR Pixel: Psychic surrender

Source: Joe Keller / iMore

Basically, AirTag and TrackR Pixel perform the same main task - helping you locate the essentials by attaching them directly to them. However, the design, application experiences, and connectivity options mean that they do this in different ways. Other factors, such as your phone, will also change the experience you have, so it's important to consider everything when choosing a tracker. Here is the complete breakdown of the specifications.

As you can see, there are quite a few differences between the two trackers, so let's eliminate the similarities first. Both trackers are remarkably compact - the size of a quarter each and both are light so you can tag along with your items without being cumbersome.

Both trackers also run on a user-replaceable coin-operated battery for up to a year and will warn you when it's time to change them. Finally, they include app notifications, run on iOS, and don't require a subscription - unlike competitors from popular brands like Tile. It's about similarities, so let's move on to the key differences, starting with the design.

Apple AirTag Vs. TrackR Pixel: Design differences

Source: TrackR

Right off the bat, you'll notice that the TrackR Pixel is available in a variety of fun colors compared to the simple, all-white approach Apple has chosen for AirTag. To make up for the lack of color, Apple offers free engraving if you purchase AirTag online, so you can customize your tracker. However, you are limited to a small number of characters and emojis available.

The TrackR Pixel also has a more powerful speaker and an integrated location light. The speaker inside the tracker can reach an impressive maximum of 90 dB, easily overtaking the AirTag speaker, which is a little too soft. The on-board light on the TrackR Pixel also fits in with the detection of your items, as it is easy to see from a distance.

It may not seem like much, but the most notable physical difference between the two is the inclusion of an integrated key loop on the TrackR Pixel. With a built-in loop, there is no need to download an additional accessory, as you do with AirTag, keeping the initial cost low and the overall physical size smaller and lighter.

Source: Apple

However, Apple being Apple, AirTag already hosts a large ecosystem of accessories from different vendors. The best AirTag accessories include cases, straps, clips, keychains, holders and even dog collars - all available just a few weeks after launch, so we only scratch the surface of the accessory possibilities.

You need to buy an added accessory so that you may end up spending more on a case or keychain than you would on the tracker. For example, Apple's AirTag leather trunk will bring you back $ 35, and when combined with the $ 29 AirTag price, you can sign up for a five-pixel TrackR package - which includes the key loop.

Apple AirTag Vs. TrackR Pixel: Tracking functionality

Source: Joe Keller / iMore

Turning to the things you can see, what really sets both trackers apart is the things that hide under the hood. The Apple AirTag has weather resistance and IP67 dust resistance, so it will withstand better over time if you plan to track items outside your home. AirTag also has three forms of wireless connectivity: Bluetooth LE, NFC and ultra bandwidth. -large powered by the U1 chip.

While the Bluetooth range in the AirTag is double that of the 200-foot TrackR Pixel, the U1 chip inside is what makes the Apple tracker truly magical.

While the Bluetooth range in the AirTag is double that of the 200-foot TrackR Pixel, the U1 chip inside is what makes the Apple tracker truly magical. If you have an iPhone 11 or an iPhone 12, ultra-wideband technology allows Precision Finding, which, as the name suggests, provides greater accuracy, making locating items more accessible.

With Precision Finding, your iPhone will guide you to your items with on-screen clues pointing you in the right direction. The iPhone will also display your approximate distance from the AirTag, and haptic feedback pushes you with increasing frequency as you get closer.

Source: TrackR

Of course, Precision Finding requires you to be close to the object to get started, but AirTag also has another trick up its sleeve - a massive tracking network that runs silently in the background. If you lose your item while outdoors, the AirTag location will automatically update in the Find Me if an iOS device is within range of Bluetooth.

With approximately one billion active iOS devices worldwide and tracking features enabled by default in the latest versions of iOS, you may be able to keep track of your articles, no matter where you left them. This is in stark contrast to the TrackR Pixel Crowd Track network, where owners will need to have the TrackR app installed and running in the background at all times.

However, the TrackR Pixel, unlike the AirTag, also works with Android devices. Availability on Android increases the size of the Crowd Track network - and the ability to locate your item, thanks to the market share of Google mobile devices. More importantly, you will be able to track your items without buying a new tracker if you decide to change your phone in the future.

Apple AirTag Vs. TrackR Pixel: Which one should you buy?

Source: Joe Keller / iMore

If you're all-in on the Apple ecosystem, don't mind the extra costs, and don't plan to change things soon, then AirTag is the clear choice. While TrackR Pixel is cheaper and offers a lot of extra elements in AirTag, integration and tracking Find Me from Apple, powered by a billion iOS devices worldwide, matters the most when it comes to locating objects lost.

However, if you prefer Android and want to share your articles with others, TrackR Pixel is a worthy alternative. Pixel's Bluetooth range is more than enough for tracking objects in the house, and the surprisingly powerful on-board speaker and built-in light mean you won't have to look at your phone screen while hunting.