Apple launched AirTag 2 this week at the same $29 MSRP as its predecessor, betting that incremental improvements justify replacement. The upgrades are real but situational: 50% extended Precision Finding range (call it 27 feet vs 18 feet), a louder 87dB speaker (up from 66dB), and expanded Bluetooth connectivity hitting 100 feet outdoors in testing versus roughly 30 feet for gen 1.
For enterprise IT managing asset tracking across APAC offices, the calculation gets interesting. The second-gen Ultra Wideband chip enables tighter location accuracy for warehouse inventory or equipment tracking through Apple's Find My network. But here's the trade-off: gen 1 units frequently sell at discount, making them significantly cheaper for bulk deployments where centimeter-level precision isn't critical.
Notably, Apple added Apple Watch Precision Finding support (Series 9 and later), but the feature requires iOS 26.2.1 and iPhone 15 or newer to leverage the improved UWB chip. Organizations running older device fleets see minimal benefit beyond the louder speaker - useful for noisy environments, less so for quiet offices.
What didn't change matters as much as what did. Battery life remains identical (roughly one year on a CR2032). No built-in attachment loop, so you're still buying accessories. Most significantly, no new anti-stalking hardware beyond gen 1's protections, which remain a legitimate security consideration for enterprise deployments.
The math for enterprises: if you're starting fresh and need precise asset tracking with recent iPhone deployments, AirTag 2 makes sense at list price. If you're managing existing gen 1 units or prioritizing cost per tracked asset, the older model still does the core job - finding things through Apple's network.
ZDNet's framing as "not so obvious" is accurate. This isn't a revolutionary upgrade; it's iterative improvement at the same price. The winner depends entirely on your tracking requirements, device ecosystem, and whether you're buying at MSRP or waiting for discounts. History suggests gen 1 pricing will drop further now that gen 2 has shipped. Worth noting for procurement teams planning Q2 deployments.