Nomad’s new wallet tracking card gets a battery life boost

Nomad released a new version of its tracking card designed to be carried in wallets or billfolds that comes with a big boost to battery life. Its new Tracking Card Pro will last for up to 16 months on a full charge, while the standard version maxes out at up to five months. It’s available now through Nomad’s online store for $39 which is $10 more expensive than the older model, but buying two will get you a 10 percent discount.

A steeper price tag isn’t the only drawback to the Tracking Card Pro. To accommodate a larger battery the new version is 2.5mm thick compared to 1.7mm thick for Nomad’s standard Tracking Card, but it’s still much thinner than Apple’s 8mm thick AirTags. Made with a polycarbonate body featuring exposed aluminum edges, the Tracking Card Pro is also a bit heavier at 15 grams.

Functionality is the same as its predecessor with support for Apple’s Find My tracking network and the ability to trigger audible alerts when you’re less than 150 feet away from the card. It supports wireless charging and while the card lacks magnets of its own, it has enough metal inside to stick to MagSafe or Qi2-compatible magnetic charging pads.

Longer battery life is a welcome upgrade for those who regularly forget to charge or replace the batteries in their trackers. Even so, Pebblebee’s recently announced Card 5 wallet tracker may be a better option over Nomad’s latest. It’s cheaper at $34.99, thinner at 1.74mm, supports both Apple’s Find My and Google’s Find Hub networks, and has wireless charging with up to 18 months of battery life.