Do you often leave your wallet lying around and do you sometimes lose it? Then the Chipolo CARD Spot what for you. This smart Bluetooth tracker, the size of a credit card, supports Apple’s Find My network. This allows you to access it directly from the Find My app so you can find and find the location of the Chipolo.
The Chipolo ONE Spot is the direct competitor of the Apple AirTag and is therefore already a perfect alternative. Many users have tried to put an AirTag in their wallet, but that is not such a success because of the round shape and thickness. We have tested the ultra-thin Chipolo CARD Spot for you and you can read our findings in this review.
Chipolo bluetooth trackers
Meanwhile, Chipolo is no longer an unknown name to many people, the company has grown considerably in recent years since investing in products for Apple’s Find My app. The company was founded in 2013 by seven friends and since then they have been making smart Bluetooth trackers. The Chipolo ONE and Chipolo CARD have been available for a while, but since the opening of Apple’s Find My network, they also have a special SPOT version of the ONE and CARD released.
Exclusive to the Find My Network
The Chipolo products are trackers that help you find your belongings, such as keys, bags and much more. The Chipolo ONE and CARD trackers must be located and operated via the Chipolo app, but this is not the case for the Spot. These smart trackers use Apple’s Find My network and can therefore only be used in combination with Apple devices.
With the Find My application for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac it is possible to find suitable objects in addition to your Apple products. Even when they are offline. This is possible because Apple’s Find My network consists of hundreds of millions of Apple devices that communicate with each other anonymously and securely.
Apple has officially opened up the Find My app and its network to third-party accessories. This allows manufacturers, including Chipolo, to use the Find My app, Find My features and network.
Chipolo CARD Spot Specifications
The Chipolo CARD Spot is only available in black and is made of plastic. The dimensions of 85.1 mm by 53.6 mm with a thickness of 2.4 mm are impressive. For comparison, a credit card has a standard thickness of 0.76 mm (excluding any punched letters and numbers).
The CARD Spot has a built-in battery that lasts up to two years. Unlike the Chipolo ONE Spot, you can charge the CARD Spot’s battery do not replace. The tracker can be located using Bluetooth and has a range of over 60 meters. In addition, you can also play a sound on the Spot up to 105 decibels. That is quite loud, but you have to take into account that the CARD is also in a wallet that muffles the sound.
Differences with the AirTag
Although the AirTag and Chipolo CARD Spot are two different products, many Apple users will undoubtedly want to know the difference between the Chipolo OE Spot and AirTag. After all, they both use the Find My network and are similarly priced. However, there are some notable differences.
Of course, we will only discuss the differences with regard to the use in a wallet. The AirTag has a large size to place between your bank cards. For example, the AirTag is 8 mm thick and is rounded, the CARD Spot is flat with a thickness of 2.4 mm.
The AirTag has a U1 chip that enables ultra wideband. This allows you to pinpoint the exact location of the AirTag with an iPhone that also has an ultra wideband chip. The Chipolo CARD Spot can only be located via Bluetooth and by sound.
Another option that is missing on the Chipolo is NFC. When someone finds an AirTag, it can be scanned via the Find My app via NFC, for the Chipolo this is only possible via software via Find My app ▸ Objects ▸ Identify found object.
Water resistance limited
The Chipolo CARD Spot has a water resistance of IPX5, also called splash-proof. This means that the item will not be damaged if it is sprayed with 12.5 L/min of water for 3 minutes, from a distance of 3 meters. The angle does not apply here. It can easily withstand a rain shower. And accidentally dropping it in a puddle of water will not be so bad either, as long as you remove it immediately.
The AirTag is splash, water and dust resistant and has an IP67 rating under IEC standard 60529. This means that the Tag can be submerged in water up to 1 meter deep for up to 30 minutes.
How Chipolo CARD Spot works
Pairing the CARD Spot tracker is very easy. Open the Find My app and via the ‘Objects’ tab you can add a new item. Then choose ‘Other supported object’. Now hold the button on the CARD until you hear a sound and follow the steps in the app.
Then you can locate the CARD Spot using the Find My app and network. Here the Chipolo tracker has the same functions as the AirTag namely:
- Play a sound
- Enable Lost Mode
- Receive notifications when left behind
- Anti-stalking
- Notification when a strange CARD Spot has been nearby for some time
Find Chipolo CARD Spot
Have you lost an item containing the Chipolo CARD Spot? You can try to find it via the Find My app. The last registered location can be found in the app and you can start a route to this location via ‘Search’.
Just like the AirTag and all other Apple products, you have to be lucky that the Chipolo CARD Spot is near other Apple devices. Only then can it communicate anonymously and can its location be requested. Fortunately, since iOS/iPadOS 15 you will immediately receive a notification if the connection with the tracker is lost.
Once you are near the Chipolo CARD Spot (within a radius of 60 meters) you can in most cases reconnect and play a sound. This is easy to hear thanks to the loud speaker, but that also depends on the thickness of your wallet. I myself use a wallet of Secridthis is provided with an aluminum housing so that RFID chips can not be read. Despite this addition, the bluetooth connection remains strong enough.
No replaceable battery
The CARD Spot has a built-in battery that lasts up to two years. Unlike the Chipolo ONE Spot, the battery of the CARD Spot is not replaceable. To accommodate customers, Chipolo has created a ‘Recycle & Renew program‘. This allows you to replace the Chipolo CARD Spot for half the price.
When purchasing, register the Chipolo CARD Spot and 2 years after registration you will receive an email with a 50% discount code for a new Chipolo product. After that, you can return your old CARD Spot to Chipolo for recycling free of charge.
Previously we tested the Ekster Parliament wallet with bluetooth tracking. Together with Chipolo Ekster developed a tracker-CARD that is comparable to the standard Chipolo CARD, however this one contained a solar panel to charge the tracker. This would be a nice addition for the future of the CARD Spot.
Would you rather have a Chipolo where you can replace the battery? Then ONE Spot might be an alternative. It is thinner (6.4 mm) and especially flatter than the AirTag.
Conclusion: Chipolo CARD Spot
REVIEW SCORE
If you are looking for a smart tracker for your wallet, the Chipolo CARD Spot with Find My app support is a good choice. Chipolo is the alternative to the AirTag and actually benefits from all the Find My advantages. The design of the CARD Spot is particularly interesting because it looks like a credit card and is easy to store. This makes the CARD Spot not only interesting for wallets, but also for other (small) possessions.
The Chipolo CARD Spot does not have ultra wideband like the AirTag. Ultimately, it would have added value, but you will not really miss it. The ultra wideband function only has a range of 15 meters. Because the Chipolo CARD Spot has a loud speaker, you can hear it well and you can search for it perfectly when you are nearby.
- Ultra-thin and perfect for a wallet
- Support for Apple Find My Network
- Loud speaker of 105 dB
- Benefit from all Find My features such as Lost Mode and Anti-stalking
- Beautiful design of high quality
- Battery is not rechargeable or replaceable
Buy Chipolo CARD Spot
The Chipolo CARD Spot has a suggested retail price of €39. A pack with two smart trackers costs €66. When purchasing, make sure that it is the Spot-version, the white Chipolo CARD does not support the Find My app. The Chipolo CARD Spot can be used, among other things, order via the Chipolo Website and at web shops such as bol.com, Tink and Amazon.