iFixit Teardown: New Apple AirTag Details Revealed
iFixit has published a teardown of the new Apple AirTag. The analysis has revealed several insights into its design and functionality.
Speaker Functionality
Despite rumors of a harder-to-tamper-with internal design, the AirTag's speaker can still be disabled relatively easily without affecting the device's core functionality. iFixit demonstrated that by removing two fine wires from the speaker coil leading to the PCB, the speaker can be disabled.
The AirTag's speaker can still be disabled relatively easily without affecting the device's core functionality.
Apple increased the speaker's volume and introduced new protections against unwanted tracking. These protections include cross-platform alerts and frequently changing unique Bluetooth identifiers.
Internal Components
The teardown revealed the underside of the printed circuit board (PCB). This PCB includes an upgraded System-on-Chip (SoC) for Bluetooth and NFC functions. It also features Apple's U2 Ultra Wideband chip.
Precision Finding
The U2 Ultra Wideband chip enables enhanced Precision Finding capabilities when the AirTag is tracked with an iPhone 15 or later.