If you’ve ever stood in a parking lot, patting down pockets and emptying bags while your brain short-circuits between “I left it at home” and “I left it somewhere in the car,” Chipolo’s new trackers are pitched squarely at you. The company, best known for colorful Bluetooth pucks and wallet-sized tags that work with Apple and Android locating networks, has launched two rechargeable models — the Loop and the Card — that swap disposable cells for on-board batteries and modern charging options. They’re available to preorder at $39 apiece.

Battery replacement has been the annoying, recurring footnote of Bluetooth trackers. Cheap replaceable batteries are light and tiny, but they force you to open the device, buy a CR2032 and hope the contacts don’t corrode. Rechargeable trackers remove that chore — and, importantly, the waste. Chipolo says both the Loop and Card run for about six months on a charge, which puts them a hair ahead of some rival slim trackers that advertise roughly five months. For people who hate fiddly battery swaps — or who would rather drop a wallet tracker on a wireless pad than wrestle with watch-style coin cells — that’s a meaningful convenience win.

The two models: one for keys, one for cards

Chipolo kept it simple: two shapes, two charging approaches, the same core mission.

Loop is the round token — think Pop with a silicone loop built in so you can snap it onto keys, bag zippers and clips without buying an accessory. It comes in a handful of playful colors and charges over USB-C. Chipolo rates its maximum ring volume at up to 125dB, which should be audible even if your keys are buried in a couch.

Card is the wallet sled: a slim, credit-card-style slab designed to slide into a phone case pocket or wallet card slot. It’s compatible with Qi wireless charging rather than a cable, and Chipolo says its speaker tops out at about 110dB — slightly quieter than the Loop but still loud enough to be noticed when tucked into a purse or billfold. The Card is sold in a charcoal/black finish (Chipolo apparently assumes most wallets like to fly under the radar).

Both trackers support Apple’s Find My network and Google’s Find Hub/Find My Device network (you pick one at a time), they’re IP67 rated for water and dust resistance, and both claim a Bluetooth range somewhere in the neighborhood of 120 meters / ~400 feet in ideal conditions — noticeably more reach than Chipolo’s earlier Pop puck. Those specs matter: longer range and louder rings make the device useful outside the immediate “lost on the couch” case.

Two practical things to note before you toss a preorder into your cart: Chipolo does not include charging cables or Qi pads in the box, so you’ll need to supply your own USB-C lead for the Loop and a wireless pad for the Card. And while six months is a headline figure, actual battery life will depend on how often you ping and ring the tracker and whether you leave network features on.

One more trade-off: Chipolo’s Loop and Card use Bluetooth locating and the Find My/Find Hub networks — they do not include ultra-wideband (UWB) radios for centimeter-level “precision finding.” That’s the same limitation previous Chipolo devices have had, and it’s why features like on-screen directional arrows (which Apple’s AirTag or Samsung’s SmartTag+ can provide with compatible phones) don’t appear here. Instead, Chipolo leans on louder speakers, longer Bluetooth range and the crowd of other phones on the respective networks to get your item back. If you need laser-accurate indoor guidance, UWB-equipped trackers are still the ticket; if you mostly lose stuff in couches, bags or between car seats, a loud rechargeable tracker could be the better day-to-day solution.

Where Chipolo fits in the broader tracker market

Chipolo’s strategy — multiple form factors, cross-platform compatibility, a focus on design and louder speakers — positions it as a direct competitor to the handful of companies trying to beat Apple at its own game. It’s Pop puck, released earlier this year, leaned hard on color and visibility; Loop refines that idea with an integrated loop and rechargeable power. In the wallet-card space, Nomad’s Tracking Card was an early, thin wireless charger-compatible entrant and advertises about five months per charge; Chipolo’s six-month claim gives it a modest endurance edge on paper. Price is competitive, too: $39 is close to where other premium third-party trackers sit, and it undercuts the AirTag only if you value the rechargeable feature over AirTag’s small size, tight Apple integration and UWB precision.

Design and sustainability cues

Chipolo highlights design chops here — the Loop’s silicone loop and the Card’s matte finish both read like small luxuries — and it’s also leaning on eco messaging: some product pages and press coverage mention recycled plastics in the shells and Red Dot recognition. That won’t sway everyone, but for a product meant to be carried every day, small material choices can matter over time.

Who should buy this — and who shouldn’t

Buy a Chipolo Loop or Card if:

• You hate replacing tiny coin cells and want wireless charging or USB-C convenience.
• You want loud, reliable find-and-ring behavior for keys, wallet or luggage.
• You use Android or iPhone and want a tracker that won’t lock you into a single ecosystem (Chipolo works with one network at a time).

Hold off (or buy something else) if:

• You need precision, on-screen directional finding (UWB). AirTags and a few other niche tags are still better at that.
• You want everything in the box — Chipolo expects you to have a cable or wireless pad.

Chipolo’s move to rechargeable hardware was inevitable: the convenience wins are obvious, and the environmental argument makes for tidy PR. But the company’s real gamble is user behavior — will people trade the “set it and forget it” simplicity of disposable cells for the occasional five-to-six-month top-up? For many of us who misplace phones, keys and wallets more often than we like to admit, the answer will probably be yes. Preorders start now at $39 a unit; how these things hold up in real life — long-term charge retention, speaker durability and app reliability — will decide whether Chipolo’s rechargeable era becomes the new normal or just the latest cool gadget.