As you step out into the blazing sun this summer, it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll have to squint to see your phone’s display. While smartphone displays have gotten stupidly bright in the last few years, many are still difficult to see in direct sunlight.

That’s where the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra comes in. While some of the best Android phones have brighter displays, the Galaxy S25 Ultra turns the tables by implementing a brilliant anti-glare layer that makes it dead easy to see in the sunlight, and that’s great for anyone who spends a lot of time outdoors, especially this time of year.

But not all is rosy with Samsung’s latest flagship display. While the display excels in several areas, lingering problems from the Galaxy S24 Ultra haven’t been properly addressed. Let’s take a deeper dive into what makes the Galaxy S25 Ultra so good to use outside and why it’s a little tougher to enjoy indoors.

And with Prime Day right around the corner, be sure to check out some Galaxy S25 Ultra deals ↓, as some pretty hot ones are already live.

Comfort is key

In the modern era, all flagship phone displays look good. This applies to most phone specs these days, from performance to camera quality, which means differentiating products usually comes down to one or two categories that a product is strongest in.

Most display reviews and analysis focus too much on lab tests and not enough on the human part of the equation. Most people don’t care about the difference between 97% and 99% color accuracy, and it’s unlikely most people will ever notice that difference anyway, even if you hold two phones next to each other. Instead, I want to focus on the human quotient for these display reviews.

In the case of the Galaxy S25 Ultra, its display is weakest in the comfort category, but it has some standout attributes that are noteworthy. Let’s start with the positive!

Reflectivity

Image 1 of 2

Samsung’s anti-glare filter, first introduced on the Galaxy S24 Ultra, is one of the best things Samsung has ever done for screen visibility. In the above images, I compare it to the OnePlus 13, our current favorite Android phone, and one with higher peak brightness capabilities than the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Despite being a brighter display, the OnePlus 13 is harder to see outdoors because of the reflectivity of the glass. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is incredibly clean and vibrant, while it’s just plain difficult to see the OnePlus 13. Now, to be clear, I’m not picking on OnePlus here. Nearly every other phone on the market is just as hard to see, and it’s because almost no other company uses the type of anti-glare glass the S25 Ultra has.

The only problem here is that most screen protectors for the phone don’t have an anti-glare layer applied, meaning everything that makes the display so visible outdoors gets ruined. Make sure you get one like this official Samsung anti-reflection film to keep the display’s best attribute from being ruined!

Eye comfort settings

Samsung’s blue light filter, which the company calls “Eye Comfort Shield,” helps block blue light by reducing the intensity of blue subpixels. This makes the display appear much yellower and does a good job of reducing blue light emissions.

You can see this in action in the image above, which I captured with a microscope using a pure white image on the screen. Note how the intensity of the blue subpixels is notably reduced when Eye Comfort Shield is enabled.

By default, the mode will automatically adjust blue light based on the time of day. During daylight hours, blue light will be close to the default setting as if the mode were disabled. At night, the blue light will be automatically reduced to help better match the circadian rhythm of the human body, since most natural blue light only occurs during the day from sunlight.

Unfortunately, Samsung’s only real eye care solution is blue light blocking, a problem that you’ll learn more about in the brightness section below.

Color accuracy and depth

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When the Galaxy S24 Ultra first launched, the display was considered “washed out” by some long-time Samsung fans. Samsung answered by adding in a vividness slider and enhancing the colors of the display. These same tweaks also made it to the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

The color calibration looks identical between both phones, but the Galaxy S25 Ultra does a better job of keeping colors more accurate when viewing the screen from an angle than the S24 Ultra does.

Samsung’s AMOLED panels on both the Galaxy S24 Ultra and Galaxy S25 Ultra exhibit color banding that’s not seen on most other modern flagship phones. The main problem is that Samsung continues to use 8-bit panels in their phones despite the entire industry switching to 10-bit as the standard.

For the test, I used an 8-bit and 10-bit gradient comparison image found on GitHub. On the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s panel, there’s little to no difference between the 8-bit and 10-bit gradients. The OnePlus 13 shows additional colors throughout all the gradients, although the green gradient showed up best on camera.

Many users have complained about color banding on wallpaper and other images, even ones taken with the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s camera, since that camera can capture 10-bit images. And while Samsung absolutely needs to upgrade their displays to 10-bit to keep up with the pack, I want to commend them for not stooping to using color dithering to fake 10-bit color. Some other companies, like Xiaomi, use color dithering to fake deeper colors and it’s painful for some users because of the flickering pixels.

Brightness and dimming

Everything this phone tells you about its brightness levels is a lie. Setting the brightness slider at 100% never actually means 100% brightness under any circumstance.

Normal “100%” brightness, like most phones, doesn’t come close to the advertised peak brightness. That’s normally reserved for the dedicated “sunlight mode” that gets activated when a bright light, like the sun, shines on the screen’s light sensor. We can force this by holding a flashlight up to the display and measuring the nit output. Even in sunlight mode, the display tops out at around 2,000 nits.

At normal 100% brightness, this number sits at around 800 nits, which is surprisingly low for a modern phone. Extra brightness mode brings this number up to around 1,500 nits, which is closer to an expected value from “100% brightness,” but that’s not the biggest problem with this display’s brightness capabilities.

Instead, that comes down to Samsung using Pulse Width Modulation (PWM dimming) to control brightness. This means there is no point in time where the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s display hits its maximum brightness potential, the way the Galaxy S24 FE’s display does, for example.

Worse yet, Samsung is still using a very low frequency 480Hz PWM rate for the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s display. Phones like the Honor Magic 7 Pro use 4320Hz PWM dimming and, even then, Honor’s phones only use this at low brightness to keep colors accurate and pixels evenly lit.

Despite all this, the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s display still suffers from mura, an effect that means pixels are not evenly lit across the entire panel.

At 20% brightness, a grain pattern is clearly visible on the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s display. While you can see it at varying ranges of brightness, it’s most visible at low brightness levels and was a problem even back when the Galaxy S24 Ultra launched. While we thought Samsung had fixed this in the S25 Ultra’s display, clearly the problem has not gone away.

Compare it with the OnePlus 13’s display above on the same flat grey background at the same brightness level, and you’ll see the difference. The OnePlus 13’s pixels look evenly lit across the board, while the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s have a clear “dirty” or grainy pattern.

Some people are more sensitive to this than others, and the effect tends to be worse on some colors than others. In other words, your mileage may vary depending on what you do and how much this effect annoys you.

Good, but not the best

While the Galaxy S25 Ultra represents the best Samsung phone the company has ever made, that doesn’t mean that every component is the best the company has to offer. The display on the Galaxy S25 Ultra shines particularly bright outside, where the anti-glare filter makes it more easily visible than any other phone I’ve ever used. It’s a brilliant spot of engineering that I wish more phones would copy!

But while blue light control and color accuracy are good, Samsung’s continued use of 8-bit panels means color banding is more common on the Galaxy S25 Ultra than on any other competing phone in this price range. Luminance consistency and brightness management are also mediocre, with noticeable grain at low brightness and low-HZ PWM dimming at all brightness levels.

While the display looks good on the surface and does a great job of highlighting the strengths of AMOLED — vibrant colors, deep blacks, and no ghosting — the quality of the panel Samsung is using leaves a lot to be desired for a $1,300 phone. Even budget Android phones offer better dimming methods and faster PWM rates, native 10-bit depth, and no mura.

Does this mean the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s display is bad? No, not at all, but there’s plenty of room for improvement on the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

Investors are often bombarded by floods of information about macroeconomic indicators and political events. Such news and the short-term impacts it can have on markets can distract them from what’s more important from an investing perspective — buying strong growth stocks and holding them for the long term. The right investments can provide you with steady capital appreciation, allowing your portfolio to grow over time and positioning you for a comfortable retirement.

If you’re looking for companies to add to your portfolio, ideally, you’ll want to pick ones that have a robust track record of growth, a strong business model, and pending catalysts that could take the business to the next level. Here are three such stocks that should continue to exhibit strong growth in the years ahead.

Image source: Getty Images.

Dycom Industries

Dycom Industries (DY -0.04%) provides a range of services, such as program management and planning, to companies in the telecommunications and utilities industries. It has been growing its revenue and net income steadily over time, and after a rough patch during its fiscal 2022, returned to being free-cash-flow positive in its fiscal 2023.

Data source: Dycom Industries. The company’s fiscal years end in January of that calendar year.

The company continued to demonstrate steady growth for the first quarter of its fiscal 2026. For the period, which ended April 26, revenue rose 10.2% year over year to $1.26 billion, but net profit dipped by 2.4% because of higher expenses. However, the company reported a record order backlog of $8.1 billion, 28% higher than in the prior-year period. Based on its fiscal Q1 results, management updated its fiscal 2026 outlook, increasing its guidance range for contracted revenue to between $5.29 billion and $5.425 billion. That would equate to growth of between 12.5% to 15.4%, compared to the previous forecast for growth of between 10% and 13%.

Dycom management is seeing several positive trends that should boost its sales. The telecommunications industry is increasingly investing more capital to deploy and operate high-capacity connections and digital infrastructure. There is also increasing demand for fiber infrastructure to support new AI data centers. And the modernization of wireless networks to adapt them to handle higher digital demand is also in progress.

The company also carries out periodic acquisitions to broaden its customer base and geographic coverage. In 2023, it purchased Bigham Cable Construction to expand its offerings into rural broadband deployments. Last year, Dycom acquired Black & Veatch’s public carrier wireless telecommunications infrastructure business, which is expected to contribute $250 million to $275 million in contracted revenues to the top line in the current fiscal year.

Trane Technologies

Trane Technologies (TT -0.15%) sells climate solution products for homes, commercial buildings, and transportation systems under its Trane and Thermo King brands. The heating and cooling specialist’s revenues and net income have been growing steadily, and its free cash flow has more than doubled over the past couple of years.

Data source: Trane Technologies. 

Trane continued its strong performance in Q1 2025, when revenue rose 11.2% year over year to $4.7 billion. Operating profit climbed 29.2% to $819 million, while net profit surged 39% to $605 million. The company also continued its track record of strong free-cash-flow generation, churning out $221 million for the quarter, up 35% from the prior-year period. The quarterly dividend of $0.94 per share that it paid was 12% higher year over year. Impressively, since 2020, Trane has raised its dividend by more than 75%.

Management sees long-term tailwinds for its business, as the markets that it serves are growing faster than gross domestic product. Moreover, it’s introducing innovative products that have helped it to outgrow its sector and improve its margins. Trane Technologies intends to invest in new technologies and is guiding for its 2025 free cash flow to be greater than its adjusted net earnings. The business aims to keep growing its dividend payouts, and says it will repurchase shares when they fall below management’s calculated intrinsic value.

Like Dycom, Trane carries out periodic acquisitions to strengthen its business. The most recent was its purchase of Brainbox AI in January, which it will use to infuse AI into its building management solutions and improve its digital capabilities.

Roblox

Roblox (RBLX 1.53%) operates an online gaming platform that allows users to design games and features that others can play and make use of. Its virtual worlds feature a variety of genres, and players spend money in the form of Robux — a virtual in-game currency — to purchase items within them. The company’s revenue has been trending higher over the years as a growing number of users spend more time on its platform.

After a down year during 2022’s macroeconomic turmoil, the business returned to being free-cash-flow positive in 2023, and its free cash flow soared significantly higher in the following year.

Data source: Roblox. 

Roblox continued with its impressive financial performance for the first quarter of 2025. Revenue jumped nearly 30% year over year to $1.04 billion, while gross profit margin improved further from 77.7% in the prior-year period to 78.3%. Free cash flow also more than doubled year over year, from $191 million to $427 million. Average daily active users (DAUs) jumped 26% to 97.8 million, while the total number of hours engaged climbed 30% year over year to 21.7 billion.

There could be more to come for the gaming platform. Bookings — which largely come from users’ purchases of the Robux virtual currency — rose 31% to $1.2 billion, signaling that it should see higher revenue in the coming year. The company expects revenue of between $4.29 billion and $4.365 billion for 2025, which would be a 20.1% increase at its midpoint. Free cash flow is projected to be around $907.5 million at the midpoint of management’s guidance, which would be a 41.5% increase.

In April, Roblox launched rewarded video ads and collaborated with Alphabet‘s Google to scale up its immersive advertising slate. These video ads are inserted within Roblox games and experiences, and users who choose to view them are rewarded with in-game benefits, thus promoting higher engagement levels between ad agencies and the users they target. In the months ahead, Roblox will introduce more immersive ads onto Google’s ad manager, which will help to broaden its audience reach and allow it to target more potential users.

Here at Macworld we’re extremely fond of Apple’s AirTag, which we consider by far the best Bluetooth tracker for an iPhone or Mac user. However, one complaint raised in our AirTag review was that it doesn’t have an attachment (or keyring) hole, which means you’re forced in most situations to buy an accessory to put it in.

Want to attach it to your keys? You need to buy a special key ring. Want to attach it to your luggage? Special luggage label. An ecosystem has quickly sprung up offering straps, loops, pet tags, cases and holders for AirTag owners.

But which ones are worth buying? We’ve been testing out all the AirTags accessories we can get our hands on, so we can help you find the best AirTag holder for your needs from key rings, luggage tags, wallets and more. We have also included a growing list of trackers and accessories that might not be AirTags themselves but work seemlessly with Apple’s Find My app and ecosystem

Best AirTag Key Rings

Apple AirTag FineWoven Key Ring

There are cheaper alternatives, but this is the classic AirTag key ring—replacing the previous Apple Leather Key Ring, now that Apple has gone fully vegan in honor of its legendary co-founder Steve Jobs. It’s light, attractive and reassuringly well-made. It’s easy to put the AirTag inside, but the metal popper won’t let it escape. And we love the large, chunky (but quite flat) ring, although we’d recommend testing it out in a shop if you’re planning on attaching car keys with a small aperture. This reviewer’s Nissan and Skoda keys were both a tight fit.

The fabric covering protects the AirTag’s edge from drop damage but leaves most of its chassis, both front and back, open to the elements and liable to scuff a little—a complaint publicly made about Apple’s FineWoven iPhone cases. We think this is worth it for the pleasing look, and scuffing is both inevitable and minor, but if you want total protection you’ll need to look elsewhere.

It’s available in five colors: Black, Deep Blue, Blackberry, Dark Green and Chartreuse–David Price

Belkin Secure Holder with Wire Cable for AirTag

Pros

• Feels more secure than Apple ring

Price When Reviewed:

$19.95

Best Prices Today:

$19.95

$19.95

Belkin’s Secure Holder is made of hard plastic, which gives it more of a budget feel, but it’s reassuringly robust, and looks tough with its wire cable that includes a hex key to lock the AirTag in place.

As with Apple’s key ring, both faces of the AirTag are left exposed, but the plastic surround sticks out more and thus provides more drop protection. It’s available in white or black.–David Price

OtterBox Rugged Case for AirTag

Price When Reviewed:

$19.95

OtterBox is a company known for its ultra-protective phone cases, and its Rugged Case for AirTag continues this tradition, as its name suggests. The protective perimeter is increased to allow for larger bumps and mishaps than most AirTag key rings.

OtterBox also has a Rugged Passport Series of the Rugged Case that is styled with the coordinates of iconic cities, such as New York, London, Paris and Tokyo, as well as a large range of other AirTag cases and key rings.–Simon Jary

Nomad AirTag Keyrings

Pros

• Range of AirTag keychain options

Price When Reviewed:

From $15

Available in black and white, the Nomad Rugged Keychain is built with a polycarbonate frame and TPU overmold, and ships with two enclosure options: a closed back option and an open speaker option. It is rated IP66 for water and dust resistance.

With a Rustic Brown option, the Nomad Leather Keychain carries your AirTag in a good-looking, thermoformed, American Horween Leather holder. Over time, the raw, vegetable-tanned leather will patina to create a unique lived-in look.

Adding a third available Natural (tan) color, the Nomad Leather Loop for AirTag is a Horween leather loop that attaches to your AirTag with a powerful 3M adhesive. The AirTag battery, however, remains easily accessible for replacement.–Simon Jary

OtterBox Core Series Case for AirTag

Price When Reviewed:

$19.95

Best Prices Today:

$10.99

The OtterBox Core Series Case is the most sustainable AirTag key ring—made from a FSC-certified recycled and recyclable material. Its speckled looks shows off an authentic recycled appearance.–Simon Jary

ElevationLab TagVault: Keychain

Cons

• Reduces volume of AirTag sounds

Price When Reviewed:

$12.95 (single); $39.95 (4 pack)

Best Prices Today:

$12.99

Elevation Lab’s TagVault: Keychain claims that it is fully waterproof. This rugged case has a gasket that prevents water intrusion while passing through ultra-wideband and Bluetooth signals and allowing about two-thirds of the AirTag’s sound volume. It has an integral loop for a keychain ring and comes with a simple but robust one.–Glenn Fleishman

Read our full

TagVault: Keychain review

Caseology Vault

Pros

• Rugged
• Karabiner attachment

Price When Reviewed:

$14.99

Best Prices Today:

$14.69

How about a properly rugged key ring accessory for your AirTag? The Caseology Vault is made from military-grade thermoplastic polyurethane, with a nicely grippy sandstone finish that makes it less prone to drops.

Like the Olixar Silicone it features a karabiner attachment. This is removable, which makes the Vault a versatile accessory. It’s just as happy tracking rucksacks as keys.–David Price

Apple AirTag Loop

Price When Reviewed:

$29

Best Prices Today:

$16.69

$29

Although it now looks to be discontinued you can still find Apple’s fine AirTag Loop on sale. It is made of polyurethane and feels and looks smart, with two of the color options (Electric Orange and Sunflower) particularly bright and cheerful. This will also help you to spot your suitcase on the conveyor belt.

The AirTag clips in using a metal clasp that’s easy to use and secure; you then put the strap around your luggage’s handle and loop the head part back through the slit in the tail. It looks slightly delicate at first glance–the strap gets quite thin at a certain point–but proved resistant to moderate tugging and should be fine under non-military usage conditions. Like Apple’s key ring, it protects the edges of the AirTag but not the center of its two faces, so expect some scuffing.–David Price

Belkin Secure Holder with Strap for AirTag

Price When Reviewed:

$12.95

Best Prices Today:

$8.48

$12.95

$12.95

$12.99

Belkin’s Secure Holder is also available with a robust string for attaching it to the handle of a suitcase or bag. Like the strap-style loops provided by other manufacturers this threads back through itself to easily attach to your luggage.

It’s available in white, black, blue, and pink with a matching string. Since the front and back sections, string and key ring are all detachable, you could create a multicolor accessory by mixing and matching more than one holder.–David Price

Casetify Customisable AirTag Holder

The principal appeal of Casetify’s AirTag holder is the sheer range of designs and colors you can choose from. The ones pictured are, from left, Colorful Floral in Turquoise and Pink (with Peach background); Flowers for you by Matthew Langille (with Licorice); and Egg Tart with Mice (with Avocado). That last one is our favorite, but there are hundreds of options.–David Price

OneAdaptr AirLock – Best Find My travel lock

Pros

• Physical padlock
• Works with Apple Find My

Add extra security to your luggage as well as an Apple-certified location tracker with OneAdaptr’s AirLock. This TSA-approved travel lock

It’s not an AirTag accessory as it is its own Bluetooth locator but it works just like one and is fully compatible with Apple’s Find My app and ecosystem. It even uses the same reusable battery as the AirTag.

As with an AirTag you can play a sound to easily locate your AirLock, check the most recent location of your luggage and receive notifications if your AirLock is left behind—which might save you a cab ride back from the airport when you realize that you left your suitcase at the hotel. If your lugge gets lost by the airline or other travel operator you can activate Lost Mode in the Apple Find My app,

Aside from the locator, the AirLock is an old-school physical zinc alloy padlock with P64 water resistanc, available in either black or silver.

Best AirTag wallet and card holders

It’s not just keys and luggage that’e easy to lose. Misplacing your wallet or card holder is a common occurance, and as long as you also haven’t lost your iPhone, finding one with an AirTag pocket is an easy solution.

Artpaxy Wallet with AirTag Holder

Pros

• Full bifold wallet with AirTag pocket

Price When Reviewed:

$29.99

Best Prices Today:

$29.99

This traditional-looking bifold wallet includes a front-mounted pocket for an Apple AirTag, and then does the usual wallet business with 13 card slots, two cash pockets and two ID windows. It also claims to include Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) blocking to stop device scanning.

Bosca Old Leather AirTag Seven Pocket ID Card Case

Pros

• Slim and stylish AirTag wallet
• ID window

Cons

• High International shipping fees

Price When Reviewed:

$85

Best Prices Today:

$85

This slim, stylish and minimalist hand-stained, vegetable-tanned leather card case comprises of a surprising seven small pockets to store your cards and cash, with a snap-close AirTag pocket on the front so you be able to loate it when it’s left in another jacket or trouser pocket—or left behind on the bar.

Two or three of the pockets can be sued for bank notes or business cards, three are definitely for creadit or other types of card, and there’s a clear ID card window on the side opposite the AirTag.

It’s available in three colours: Saddle (tan), Dark Brown and Black.

Customers outside the U.S. will encounter quite stiff customs and shipping charges.

Bazza AirTag Card Wallet

Pros

• Colorful, fun AirTag card wallet

Price When Reviewed:

$22.99

This super-lightweight card wallet from Italy nicely nestles an AirTag in a selection of attractive and fun colors. It feels a little plasticky but is in fact made from sustainable, recyclable plant-based materials—there’s not even any glue introduced into the manufacturing process.

You can buy with the AirTag preinstalled, or fit in your own. The Bazza AirTag Card Wallet is available in pink, yellow, red, dark blue, light blue, white, black and green.

Best AirTag pet collars

ElevationLab TagVault: Pet

Price When Reviewed:

$19.95

Best Prices Today:

$13.99

$30.81

The TagVault: Pet uses screws with the small Torx T6 star-shaped drive for the portion that contains the AirTag and maintains the waterproof seal. These screws are piercing, self-tapping screws with a T10 slot. They’re used to hold a hard plastic anchor to provide further stability when attached to a pet collar that you provide–though the case may be too big for smaller collars. The kit includes a steel Torx T6 L-shaped wrench with screw tips on both ends.–Glenn Fleishman

Read our full

Elevation Lab TagVault: Pet review

Best AirTag wallet holders

ElevationLab TagVault: Wallet – card holds AirTag

Price When Reviewed:

$9.99

Best Prices Today:

$9.99

Designed to hold an AirTag firmly in place in a wallet, it comes in two form factors: standard, 3.25 by 1.5 inches (83 by 38 mm), and compact, 2 by 1.5 inches (51 by 38 mm). Both are 0.05 inches (1.3 mm) thick. The more rectangular style works well in billfold slots; the squarer design in other parts of a wallet. With the AirTag exposed front and back, there’s no additional blocking beyond your wallet to block wireless signals for tracking and Precision Finding.–Glenn Fleishman

Read our full

TagVault: Wallet review

Ugreen Bluetooth Wallet Finder Tracker Tag for Apple

Pros

• Super thin tracker
• Works with Apple Find My
• IP68 protection
• Rechargeable

Price When Reviewed:

$26.99

Best Prices Today:

$26.99

Even thinner than a wallet card holder or AirTag-holding wallet is this 1.7mm thin tracker from Ugreen. It works with Apple’s Find My app so is like an AirTag that is completely flat and barely noticeable tucked up alongside the cards in your wallet. It will shriek out at 80dB if you want to find your lost wallet nearby.

Best AirTag mounts

Price When Reviewed:

$11.99

If the thing you want to track hasn’t got a handle you can loop the AirTags to, or a pocket you can slip one inside, then the next option is stickiness. These neat silicone pockets (which come in a pack of four) both protect the tracker from external damage, and give it a strong and reliable adhesive surface to cling to a jewel box, schoolbag or games console.

Despite the unobtrusive look of the pocket the AirTag is still fairly obvious and easily slipped out, so this solution isn’t ideal for tracking down stolen property (unless there’s a more discreet internal surface you can stick it to). But for locating TV remotes–and for sheer versatility of application–they’re indispensable.–David Price

KeyBudz Covert Mount for AirTag

Pros

• Tamperproof lid
• Extreme environment protection

Price When Reviewed:

$14.95

Best Prices Today:

$14.95

The KeyBudz Covert Mount for AirTag is made of rugged fiberglass reinforced copolymer and built to withstand submersion in water and extreme temperatures with IP68 waterproof and dustproof protection. Clamp it onto just about anything—from your bike, vehicles, camera gear, suitcases, construction equipment and trailers. Tamper-proof, it can form continuous bond with surfaces while submerged underwater for over 60 days and is nearly impossible to remove once placed.

Pelican Protector Sticker Mount Case for AirTag Devices

Pros

• Strong adhesive connection

Cons

• No built-in water resistance

Price When Reviewed:

$19.99

Best Prices Today:

$9.99

If you’re looking for an AirTag mount that can stick to almost any surface and allows for easy AirTag removal, the Pelican Protector fits the bill. It’s not discreet, it’s not rugged, and it doesn’t offer additional water protection, but as a mount, it works well. Pelican relies on 3M VHB adhesive for attachment, which creates a near-permanent mount that becomes stronger over time.—Glenn Fleishman

Read our full

Pelican Protector Sticker Mount Case for AirTag Devices review

Other types of AirTag cases and holders

ElevationLab TagVault: Bike – AirTag bike tracker

Price When Reviewed:

$19.95

Best Prices Today:

$19.99

The TagVault: Bike is a lozenged-shaped plastic shell that houses the AirTag AirTag nestles inside its waterproof seal. It attaches to a bike via the bike’s water bottle mount, using longer screws to attach the bottle cage, or shorter screws if you don’t attach the cage. The case is a matte black, rendering it unobtrusive. Screwed in between a cage and the frame, a thief would first have to recognize it and then work hard to remove it quickly.–Glenn Fleishman

Read our full

Elevation Lab TagVault: Bike review

Journey REEVUS – Insulated bottle iPhone stand and tracker

Pros

• Works with Apple Find My
• Water bottle included
• Magnetic carry loop works as iPhone stand

Price When Reviewed:

$89.99

With this multi-purpose Apple Find My friendly gadget you should never lose your bottle again as it includes a rechargeable tracker in its clever lid that means can you can track its live location on your iPhone. You’ll get out-of-range alerts, and can easily locate the bottle when nearby as it has a built-in 100dB speaker.

That lid is smarter than just a tracker as the hinged carry loop includes a MagSafe magnet that will hold your iPhone (12 and later) even when the bottle isn’t full—which is great as a secure camera tripod, gimbal or phone stand. It’s one of the best water bottle carry loops we have tested, and all its extra features really are bonuses.

The chic soft-touch matte-finish stainless Steel bottle itself holds up to 23.67 fluid ounces (700ml), and will keep your drink cold (24 hours) or hot (12 hours) with its double-walled vacuum insulated interior.

The tracker works with Find My on an iPhone but isn’t an AirTag. Its battery should last 120 days before needing a wireless recharge that takes just an hour.

Nomad Hydro Flask AirTag Tracker

Pros

• Easily track your Hydro Flask

Cons

• For specific models only
• Requires Medium Flex Boot

If you already own n insulated bottle and its a HydroFlask, there’s another solution. Hydro Flask water bottles are popular but also surprisingly easy to leave behind after a run, bike ride, or visit to the park. The Nomad Hydro Flask Tracker is a hidden inner AirTag compartment in a slim TPU body that fits between your Hydro Flask and the Medium Flex Boot (accessory sold separately) and features It works with 32oz or 40oz Wide Mouth Hydro Flasks.

Pitaka PitaTag – Get your lighter back

Price When Reviewed:

$69.99

Lighters are easy to leave behind or lend to someone and forget to ask for it back. One solution is to hide an AirTag inside the lighter so you can track it down and get it back when this happens.

This refillable lighter, crafted like the company’s iPhone cases, from military-grade aramid fiber and premium zinc alloy, looks like a card case rather than a cheap off-the-shelf lighter. Pitaka claims that the lighter’s blue pyramid-shaped flame is unaffected by wind, and that it features a built-in gravity lock pin to ensures that it can’t create a flame when upside down.

If the Apple AirTag is just not right for you, check out these Bluetooth tracker recommended AirTag alternatives.

What you can expect in an AirTag case

Because the AirTag comes in a single variety, you don’t need to choose which kind to acquire. Apple sells them singly ($29) and in a four-pack ($99). Engraving is free.

An AirTag regularly broadcasts 2.4GHz Bluetooth signals with an encrypted device ID for other Apple devices to pick up and relay along with those devices’ locations. The 2.4GHz band penetrates solid objects well, but case designers need to be mindful of materials that have the potential to block the signal. In our survey of AirTag cases, we didn’t find a case so far that had that design problem.

AirTags also use ultrawideband (USB) technology for Precision Finding, exclusive to Apple’s own Find My items. Precision Finding lets an iPhone with UWB identify the direction and distance within inches when it’s within about 15 to 30 feet (4.5 to 9 m).

Consider to what use you may put an AirTag to determine the features you want:

• Purpose: Cases exist in enough variety that you can find one designed as a luggage tag, another as a stylish keyring, and another to resist enormous amounts of damage. Figure out where you want to put the AirTag and match the case to it.
• Water resistance: Many cases feature some degree of water resistance, some using the IP rating that defines precisely how much. If you’re using an AirTag outside or on a pet’s collar, you may want one with a high degree of resistance. When attaching to a bag or keyring, it may seem less important or not important at all.
• Ring, clip, loop, or carabiner: Case makers offer many variants on attachments. Some include a simple hole to attach a keychain, while others incorporate a keychain as part of the product and may include a keyring. You can purchase multiple cases built into a carabiner, including one with a three-digit combination lock. You can also get a string or similar loop design, in which the case passes through a loop and pulls tight on a handle without a knot.
• Removable or adhesive: You might want an AirTag case that’s easy to move about or attach and reattach. Other cases include adhesive for semi-permanent fixed attachment.
• Hidden for theft recovery: Some cases are designed to hide an AirTag, making its presence less apparent and thus less likely to be discovered if stolen; others are obvious, such as in a keychain or luggage tag. Temper hideability with the knowledge that Apple’s anti-stalking features built into AirTag tech makes them discoverable to criminals with a smartphone.Shows the front: Conversely, some cases show off an AirTag, revealing its front where you might have had added custom engraving from Apple with an emoji or text. You might want to see that engraving to differentiate among AirTags you own.
• Cost: Cases generally cost from about $20 to $35—around the price of a single AirTag. However, there are outliers below $10 and above $40. It’s all about the function, ruggedness, and complexity of purpose. Some charge extra for style.

How we test AirTag case features

For each kind of case, we rated them based on specific features around which they were designed. These include:

• Easy to insert the AirTag for secure retention: Every case has a slightly different approach to getting an AirTag inside. Some cases have an elaborate locking procedure or require removing and restoring four tiny screws to preserve a waterproof seal. Others are simple as sliding the tag into a holding or popping it into a rubber ring.
• Attaches securely for attachable cases: We tested cases that market themselves as attachable at how well they succeed at that task. Cases may come with or be part of a keyring, carabiner, wrist strip, or pet collar, or may have an adhesive to stick on to objects, like the inside of luggage.
• Access for battery replacement: Apple expects an AirTag battery to last for about a year in everyday usage, which it defines as one case of Precision Finding and four tones played per day. A case should allow access that isn’t maddening for replacing the battery every several months to a year.
• Robust against bumps and bangs: Only a few kinds of cases can avoid the wear and tear of bumping against other objects. Most need to be constructed with that in mind. For cases exposed to other surfaces, we look at whether the materials and build quality give confidence in them provide lasting value.
• Blocks access to remove: A handful of cases provide a security element intended to prevent access to an AirTag without excessive force—the AirTag would have to be destroyed to remove it. We rate these cases on whether they seem able to prevent or deter everything but destruction.

Apple AirTag 4 pack

Price When Reviewed:

$99

Best Prices Today:

$69.99

$69.99

$79.98

$84.99