This Android AirTag competitor just saved my luggage, and it’s down to $24

A few months ago, I was waiting for my luggage to be delivered at the airport in Athens when the “Last bag” notice came up on the board with no sign of my own bag. Thankfully, I had a Pebblebee Clip tracker in my luggage, and I knew it had landed with me, but it was still sitting right next to the plane and hadn’t moved since. I could see it thanks to Google’s Find Hub network, which was using nearby Android devices to update the tracker’s location even though it was far away from me.

After talking to airport staff, I managed to explain what happened, showed them my bag on the map, and got my luggage — plus several other travelers’ bags, which were in the same situation — delivered to us in less than 30 minutes. You can read the full story here, with screenshots detailing how things unfolded.

So why am I telling you this? Well, it’s because this same tracker — actually, the slightly newer version with a louder siren and an extended Bluetooth range — is down to $24.14 on Amazon now from its recent launch price of $34.99. I’ve spent 18 months testing Bluetooth trackers for Android Authority, so when I say this is a good deal on a good tracker, I’m not just throwing words at my keyboard; I have the experience to back it up.

First, here are the deals on Amazon. You can also find them on Pebblebee’s official site, too, but they’re not as cheap there. Amazon is a better option.

Both the Pebblebee Clip 5 in its three colors (graphite, amethyst, and emerald) and Card 5 (black only) are discounted, which gives you an option to pick between a round tracker that attaches to keys, bags, or backpacks, and a thin credit-card-style tracker that slips into wallets and other thin pockets.

What makes these trackers special, and the reason I can easily recommend them, is that they’re compatible with both Google’s Find Hub network and Apple’s Find network. You can’t use both at the same time, though, but you can reset the tracker and pair it with an iPhone or Android phone, depending on which device you buy next. That makes them a good future-proof purchase or an easy gift for anyone. And the fact that these use an entire network of Apple devices or Android devices to be located

I’m also relieved to see Pebblebee ditch the proprietary charging of its older Card (I had to write down exactly where I put that cable so I didn’t lose it), and adopt wireless charging with MagSafe or any Qi pad on the new Card 5. But since the battery lasts up to 18 months on a charge on the new model, it’s not something you’ll be doing very often. The Clip 5, meanwhile, just like the previous Clip, charges over USB-C and lasts up to 12 months. I’ve only had my test units for a month, so I can’t speak to the year-plus of battery longevity, but I can say that I’ve had my older Clip and Card for over a year, and I only charged them once so far.

Pebblebee claims that the Clip 5’s siren can go up to 130dB. In my testing, I only saw around 90dB from 2cm away, or about 1 inch. It is, though, significantly louder than the older Clip, which only went up to 75-80dB in the same tests. Oh, and the flashing lights are always a perk, especially if you lose your keys between the couch cushions or in the depths of a dark backpack. Both models are IP-66 rated for water and dust resistance, and both have a Bluetooth range of up to 150m. Plus, both have a reverse phone-finding feature through the Pebblebee app that lets you ring your phone from the tracker.

The downsides? There’s no Ultra Wideband like in the Moto Tag to help direct you toward them in the Google Find Hub app. You’ll have to trust the range as well as the siren sound to get there, and the lights if they’re not obscured behind something. Personally, I rarely use the UWB function on my Moto Tag, plus I find it finicky enough to trigger that it almost feels not worth it. Besides, the Moto Tag still takes coin cell batteries and goes through them so fast — four months on average in my tests! — which is why I prefer the USB-C charging features of Pebblebee and Chipolo’s new trackers.

The other downside of Pebblebee, compared to the excellent and very similar Chipolo LOOP and CARD, is that the Card 5 and Clip 5 don’t offer a left-behind alert function. My Chipolo trackers, on the other hand, notify me when I walk away from them, which is excellent if I don’t want to leave my wallet at home or walk away from my backpack at a café. But, Chipolo’s trackers have shorter battery life so you win some, lose some.

However, neither the Moto Tag nor the Chipolo trackers are discounted for Black Friday. They’re both at $40 or so per tracker, which makes Pebblebee’s Clip 5 and Card 5 an easy deal recommendation for me. I’d buy them, well, if I didn’t already have them.

And in case you’re wondering, I no longer travel or go anywhere without one of these trackers in my bag, backpack, sling, and wallet. I’m using all three brands — Moto, Chipolo, and Pebblebee — and I’ve noticed significant improvements and a higher reliability in Google’s Find Hub network performance across France, Greece, Belgium, and the Netherlands. This is why I can wholeheartedly recommend these trackers now.