ZDNET's key takeaways
- KeySmart's SmartCard is available on Best Buy for $40 (3-pack for $90).
- It's super thin, works with both Android and Apple iOS, has a wireless rechargeable battery, and is IPX7-rated.
- It needs to be recharged every 5 months or so.
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Apple AirTags have changed my life, saving me countless hours looking for keys and other items that I absent-mindedly misplaced.
But AirTags have a few design flaws. First, the replaceable battery means you're chucking away handfuls of CR2032s every year. Then there's the shape and size. These tiny UFO-shaped devices don't have a lanyard hole and are too bulky to be placed in a wallet without giving you a pain in the rear.
Also:Forget AirTags: Tile's new trackers come in all shapes and sizes (and an SOS button)
Yes, some wallets have little holders for AirTags, but in my experience, they are all too bulky.
But there's a third-party AirTag-like product that takes everything that the original Apple AirTag has to offer and solves all of the above problems and more. That tag is theKeySmart SmartCard.
The first thing I love about the SmartCard is the thickness, or more specifically, its thinness!
While Apple's AirTag is 8 mm thick, the SmartCard is less than 2 mm, or the thickness of two credit cards.
This makes it perfect for use in a wallet. The end has a luggage tag hole for attaching the SmartCard to your suitcase.
KeySmart made this card so thin by eliminating the bulky CR2032 coin cell and replacing it with a rechargeable battery. This battery is recharged using a wireless charger every five months or so.
While testing this card, I thought it'd be great if KeySmart had built MagSafe tech into the card to allow it to attach to my angled MagSafe iPhone charger. Well, KeySmart thought of everything -- this card attaches itself to wireless MagSafe chargers!
Because there are no battery compartment covers, the tag is robust, has an IPX7 rating for dustproofing and water resistance, and can survive up to 30 minutes of immersion in 3 feet of water.
Also:I found the AirTags that Android users have been waiting for
Despite being thin, these things are tough and take quite a bit of bending and squeezing, so they will survive life in wallets.
Other than all of these improvements, this device works like an AirTag. It's activated using the Find My app, and you search for it when you've put your wallet down in the wrong place.
This is the AirTag that Apple should have made.
ZDNET's buying advice
AirTags are great, but they have first-generation limitations that I'm sure Apple will one day solve with a next-generation wave of AirTags. For now, the KeySmart SmartCard is the best AirTag for those who want a thin solution for their wallet or as a luggage tag.
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