Apple's original AirTag still tracks effectively, and you can get a 4-pack for its best price ever
Apple's first-generation AirTag four-pack has dropped to $60 at Best Buy, its lowest price ever, bringing each unit down to just $15. For anyone who owns an iPhone and keeps losing their keys or wallet, this is the most compelling the original tracker has ever been priced.
According to ZDNet's coverage, the original AirTag, first released by Apple in April 2021, has hit a record-low price of $60 for a four-pack at Best Buy, down from the standard $100 retail price. That works out to $15 per tracker, which is roughly half the cost of the newer AirTag Generation 2 model. The deal has also appeared at Amazon and other major electronics retailers, suggesting this pricing is broad rather than a single-store flash sale. NBC Select and TechRadar have both flagged the promotion as notable for shoppers who have been waiting for the right moment to buy .
Why This Matters
At $15 per unit, the original AirTag crosses a psychological pricing threshold that changes the buying calculus entirely. You are no longer choosing between protecting one item or two. You are buying four of them without flinching. Apple's Find My network spans an estimated 2 billion active devices globally, which means these $15 trackers are backed by the most powerful crowdsourced location infrastructure on the planet. Tile charges around $25 per unit for the Tile Slim and gives you a fraction of that network coverage in return.
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The Full Story
Apple launched the original AirTag in April 2021, entering a tracking market that Tile had been building for years. The pitch was simple: attach a small disc to anything you care about, and your iPhone will help you find it. What separated AirTag from the competition was not the hardware itself but the network behind it. Every iPhone, iPad, and Mac running Apple's Find My app became an anonymous relay station, silently picking up AirTag signals and reporting locations back to the owner.
The first-generation model packed Apple's U1 chip inside a 39-millimeter, 11-gram disc with an IP67 water and dust resistance rating. That IP67 rating means it can survive being submerged in up to one meter of water for 30 minutes, which matters when your keys end up in a puddle or a coat pocket that goes through the wash. Battery life runs about one year on a single CR2032 coin cell, and replacement batteries cost between $2 and $3, making the ongoing cost of ownership genuinely low.
Apple introduced the Generation 2 AirTag more recently with enhanced Bluetooth capabilities and improved Precision Finding. That newer model commands a higher price, and the gap between the two generations is now wide enough that the original has been repositioned as the value entry point in Apple's tracking lineup. This is the same playbook Apple runs with older iPhone models: drop the price, keep selling the hardware, and grow the ecosystem.
The current four-pack pricing at $60 has generated real retail momentum. The deal is live at Best Buy and Amazon, and some retailers have tied the promotion to seasonal sales events to boost visibility. For consumers who had been sitting on the fence because $100 for four trackers felt steep, $60 removes that hesitation.
Precision Finding, which guides you to an exact location using on-screen arrows and distance readouts, works on compatible iPhone models including the iPhone 11 and later. For anyone outside Bluetooth range, the Find My network takes over. The AirTag plays a sound at up to 80 decibels when you trigger an alert from the app, which is loud enough to locate a tracker buried in a couch cushion.
Key Details
- Four-pack retail price: $60 at Best Buy and Amazon, down from the standard $100
- Per-unit cost at sale price: $15, compared to roughly $29 per unit for the AirTag Generation 2
- Original release date: April 2021
- Tile Slim per-unit retail price: approximately $25, with a smaller tracking network
- AirTag dimensions: 39 millimeters in diameter, 11 grams
- Battery life: approximately one year on a CR2032 coin cell costing $2 to $3
- IP67 rating: water and dust resistant up to one meter for 30 minutes
- Maximum sound output: approximately 80 decibels
- Find My network estimated reach: 2 billion Apple devices globally
What's Next
Expect competitors, particularly Tile, to respond with promotional pricing of their own as the gap between AirTag costs and Tile costs narrows to a point where network quality becomes the deciding factor for most shoppers. Apple's strategy of treating the original AirTag as an entry-level product will likely accelerate adoption of the Find My ecosystem, creating a larger and more useful network for all AirTag owners. Watch for further discounts on the four-pack as Apple works to clear first-generation inventory ahead of any future hardware announcements.
How This Compares
Put the AirTag deal next to what Samsung offers with its Galaxy SmartTag line and the difference becomes stark. Samsung's trackers sit in a similar price range but operate primarily within Samsung's ecosystem, which limits their usefulness for anyone who owns a mix of devices or lives in a household where not everyone runs Android. Apple's network advantage is not a minor footnote. It is the entire value proposition.
Tile is the more direct comparison, and Tile is in a difficult position here. At $25 per Tile Slim unit, you are paying more for a device that connects to a network that is orders of magnitude smaller than Apple's Find My infrastructure. Tile has attempted to stay relevant by opening its network to Android users and offering integrations with other platforms, but that strategy only narrows the gap rather than closes it. At $15 per AirTag, Tile needs to either cut prices sharply or make a compelling case that its ecosystem benefits outweigh the network size disadvantage.
The broader context matters too. Prices for first-generation tracking hardware dropping to commodity levels signals that the item-tracking category has matured. What started as a niche product for tech enthusiasts has become a mainstream utility purchase, the same way USB hubs and screen protectors became commodities after their initial novelty wore off. Apple is not discounting the AirTag because demand is soft. Apple is discounting it because the category has normalized, and volume at lower margins beats hesitation at higher ones.
FAQ
Q: Does the original AirTag still work well in 2025? A: Yes. The first-generation AirTag connects to the same Find My network as the newer Generation 2 model, which means it benefits from the same 2 billion device infrastructure. The core tracking experience, including Precision Finding on iPhone 11 and later, remains fully functional. The newer model adds improved Bluetooth range and some hardware refinements, but the original handles everyday tracking tasks without issue.
Q: Can Android users track items with an AirTag? A: No. AirTags are designed exclusively for Apple's ecosystem and require an iPhone to set up and use. Android users who encounter an AirTag traveling with them can detect it using Android apps that Apple has made available for safety reasons, but they cannot use an AirTag as their own tracking device. Android users are better served by Tile or Samsung Galaxy SmartTag products.
Q: How long does an AirTag battery last and how hard is it to replace? A: The battery in a first-generation AirTag lasts approximately one year under normal use. Replacing it is straightforward: you press down on the stainless steel back panel, rotate it counterclockwise, and swap in a new CR2032 coin cell battery, which costs between $2 and $3 at most pharmacies or online retailers. Apple even sends a notification through the Find My app when battery level gets low.
The original AirTag at $15 per unit is one of the cleaner value propositions Apple has offered in years, and the timing makes sense for anyone heading into a travel-heavy season or simply tired of losing things. The deal is live now, inventory at these prices will not last indefinitely, and the Generation 2 model shows no signs of dropping to this price tier anytime soon. Subscribe to the AI Agents Daily weekly newsletter for daily updates on AI agents, tools, and automation.
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