- Elevation Labs has launched an AirTag case with a ten-year battery life
- The TimeCapsule uses AA batteries to boost your AirTags’ juice
- It also boasts IP69 protection from dust and water
Apple’s AirTags are great for finding your lost items, but their batteries don’t last forever. And while their button cells are easy enough to swap out, wouldn’t it be better if you just didn’t have to worry about changing their batteries at all?
That seems to be the motivation behind an opinion-splitting new product from Elevation Labs that promises to extend your AirTags’ battery life to a decade or more. Dubbed the TimeCapsule, the device is essentially a large case for your AirTag that boosts its battery life to ten years.
The black housing is roomy enough for two AA batteries, which offer up to 14 times the longevity of the CR2032 cell inside a regular AirTag. To use it, you just take the top half of an AirTag and attach it to the white plate inside the TimeCapsule, which is what sends the AA batteries’ power to your AirTag.
The enclosure can be screwed securely shut and is nondescript enough to not attract attention from a would-be thief. According to the TimeCapsule’s Amazon page, it also has an IP69 rating, enabling it to keep out dust and high-pressure liquids.
Size compromise
You might be noticing the elephant in the room here: namely, the TimeCapsule seriously compromises the AirTag’s portability, which is one of its key selling points.
After all, it’s harder to slip a TimeCapsule into your compact flight luggage than a tiny AirTag. And attaching one to your keyring? Forget it. Sure, it’s not obnoxiously large, but it’s still much bigger than a regular AirTag.
Whether that’s a problem depends on how you intend to use it. If you want something that has better weatherproofing than Apple’s AirTag, it might be a good option. Similarly, if you’re not bothered that it takes up a little more room in your bags, you likely won’t be put off by its added bulk. But if you want a small tracker that can fit pretty much anywhere, it’s a little less viable.
The TimeCapsule costs $20 for a single pack (around £15 / AU$32), $30 for two and $40 for four. It can be bought from the Elevation Labs website or from Amazon. With an updated AirTag 2 reportedly on the way, we’ll have to see if battery life is something Apple improves, or if the TimeCapsule continues to hold its own.