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AirPods Pro 3 Case Features U2 Chip With Improved 'Find My' Range

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Last week, we listed eight new AirPods Pro 3 features, including a U2 chip in the charging case. The addition of the U2 chip has been receiving a lot of attention since then, so we wanted to single out its inclusion and discuss it in more detail.

AirPods-Pro-3-Case.jpg

Until now, Apple only referred to the U2 chip as a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, but it is no longer shying away from using a name that might remind Apple fans of the free U2 album that was infamously added to everyone's iTunes account in 2014.

Apple's second-generation Ultra Wideband chip debuted a few years ago, in all iPhone 15 models and the Apple Watch Ultra 2. The chip allows the Precision Finding feature in the Find My app to work at longer distances compared to Apple's first-generation U1 chip in the AirPods Pro 2 charging case, AirTag, and more.

Accordingly, the main benefit of the U2 chip in the AirPods Pro 3 case is up to 1.5× longer Precision Finding range compared to the U1 chip in the AirPods Pro 2 case, according to Apple's website. This improves the ability to find your AirPods Pro 3 case, in the unfortunate event that you lose or misplace it somewhere around you.

airpods-pro-2-precision-finding.jpg

Apple says the increased Precision Finding range requires both AirPods Pro 3 and any of the new iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, or iPhone Air models.

The long-rumored AirTag 2 is also expected to be equipped with the U2 chip.

AirPods Pro 3 are available to pre-order now, and they launch on Friday.

Article Link: AirPods Pro 3 Case Features U2 Chip With Improved 'Find My' Range
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2025/09/14/airpods-pro-3-case-has-u2-chip/
Last edited:
OK, that's a small but welcome improvement to the case.
Is there any change to the range at which the AirPods can be tracked/located (not the case, but the AP's themselves)? Is there a U2 or equivalent chip inside each of the two AirPods? If not, how is tracking functionality implemented in AP's? Might it be a part of the H2 chip?
 
I can’t work out whether these are going to be a big enough improvement over the Pro 2’s to shell out the asking price. I guess if the differences aren’t that immediate obvious I don’t need them, right? Right???
 
xmach said:
OK, that's a small but welcome improvement to the case.
Is there any change to the range at which the AirPods can be tracked/located (not the case, but the AP's themselves)? Is there a U2 or equivalent chip inside each of the two AirPods? If not, how is tracking functionality implemented in AP's? Might it be a part of the H2 chip?
Click to expand...
Buds are Bluetooth only. They communicate with Bluetooth, not just to your phone but to anyone’s iPhone on the Find My network. So they can be tracked anywhere with other people nearby who have iPhones, but the precision finding is not available. They can also know approximately how close the buds are (but not the direction of the buds), Bluetooth lets you see that using signal strength.
 
I've been quite impressed with the range using my 13 Mini and AAP2 to find the case (within 1m). But that's also within the home's WiFi only, so I'm guessing the U2 capability speaks volumes outside this scenario?
 
Alpha Centauri said:
I've been quite impressed with the range using my 13 Mini and AAP2 to find the case (within 1m). But that's also within the home's WiFi only, so I'm guessing the U2 capability speaks volumes outside this scenario?
Click to expand...
U1 was rated for up to 20 meters, or 66 feet range. The U2 is rated for up to 60 meters, or 200 feet, range. So the difference is one whole house versus like 2/3rds of a football field. Also real range is affected by anything blocking the signal, so U1 was basically good for 1 room tracking only, maybe 1 floor tracking, U2 should cover your whole house unless your house has lots of steel in the frame which blocks all radio signals.
 
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jaytv111 said:
U1 was rated for up to 20 meters, or 66 feet range. The U2 is rated for up to 60 meters, or 200 feet, range. So the difference is one whole house versus like 2/3rds of a football field. Also real range is affected by anything blocking the signal, so U1 was basically good for 1 room tracking only, maybe 1 floor tracking, U2 should cover your whole house unless your house has lots of steel in the frame which blocks all radio signals.
Click to expand...
thanks for explaining with examples of range. My rental is small (51 square meters) BUT it's from 1901. This means it has straw, steel, gold? and anything else they found lying around as insulation at the time. Because of the thick walls I actually had to put in three mesh routers just to cover the other rooms that are just some footsteps away.

ps still looking for that gold btw ;)
 
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