The $29 tracker combines UWB with Bluetooth channel sounding.
The $29 tracker combines UWB with Bluetooth channel sounding.
Photography by David Imel / The Verge
More than two years after launching its own device-tracking network, Google has finally followed up with its own tracker. The Pixel Tag, which goes on sale in November, looks like one of the more capable trackers too: It combines ultra wideband (UWB) with Bluetooth 6.0 Channel Sounding for two distinct types of precision tracking.
The Pixel Tag goes on sale on November 11th, unlike the newly announced Pixel 11 and Pixel Watch 5 , which are already available to preorder and ship next week. When it arrives, the Tag will cost $29, with a four-pack for $99 — the exact same pricing as Apple’s AirTag 2 .
The Pixel Tag is a slim oblong device available in one grayish color — Fog — that weighs about 12g, or 0.4oz. Like the AirTag, it has no built-in hooks or clips for attaching to objects you want to track. There’s a single button that will trigger a sound on your phone, for the rare occasion when you’ve got the Tag but have lost your main device. It also has an IP67 rating, so it should be safe from dust and rain. As for the battery, the Pixel Tag takes CR2032 coin batteries, and says one battery should last for over a year.
Naturally, it’ll be compatible with Google’s Find Hub network , which leverages the Bluetooth capabilities of Android devices worldwide to help locate lost objects. After a rocky launch, the network has improved steadily since, though when I tested it last year I found it was still less precise than Apple’s.
Once you’re close enough to the Pixel Tag, UWB lets the Find Hub app display the distance and direction to the tracker, so long as you’re using a phone with a UWB chip. Channel Sounding is a newer development that can display the exact distance, but not direction, and it will work with any phone or tablet that includes Bluetooth 6.0 . The Moto Tag 2 is the only other tracker to currently support it.
Google device owners will need a Pixel 10 or later to take advantage of Channel Sounding, and any Pro model since the 6 for UWB — even in the new Pixel 11 series, the base model still lacks UWB. You can track the Tag using a Pixel Watch too, and any model since the 4 will support Channel Sounding, while the 2 or later include UWB. You can also ask Gemini to ring the Tag’s speaker for you.
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