Last month, I took a look at UGreen’s Smart Finder, an Apple Find My-compatible tracker that, other than being square, looks and acts a lot like the AirTag that it’s clearly modeled on.
Today, I’m checking out the Finder Slim, which does pretty much exactly the same thing, yet looks very different. Almost exactly the width and height of a bank card, albeit about twice as thick, it’s clearly designed to live inside a wallet, key cover, or somewhere else a conventional tracker wouldn’t fit.
Considering that it generally costs more than the Smart Finder—sometimes up to twice as much—my main question before I started testing was: is it worth the extra money?
What’s in the Box?
UGreen Finder Slim and accessories
Like I said above, the Finder Slim is almost exactly the same size as my bank card: 85 × 53 mm (3.3 × 2.1 inches), and at 1.7 mm (0.07 in), about twice as thick.
What surprised me about it, though, was how light it is. It feels like it should weigh more than the 21g (0.4 oz) it does, especially since that includes the rechargeable battery inside.
Speaking of rechargeable batteries, I’m of two minds about it. Being able to charge the battery instead of finding a replacement when it runs flat is an undeniable advantage, but needing to use a weird little non-standard cable to do it isn’t great.
Proprietary cables like this are a hassle, especially ones that only get used once or twice a year. The chance of losing it in the meantime seems fairly high, and since UGreen doesn’t currently sell replacement cables, you’re stuck buying a new tracker if you do.
One end of the cable is a tiny circle, which attaches magnetically to the metal ring you can see on the top left of the tracker. The magnets are fairly strong, at least, with a matching beep and blinking light, so you definitely know when it’s connected.
The other end of the cable is USB-A, which I also don’t like. I’m sure most people will still be able to find an appropriate wall charger for a few more years yet, but even so, USB-C is where it’s at in 2025.
Some other third-party trackers available use Qi wireless charging instead, which seems like a better approach: being able to use almost any wireless charger from the last decade or so is a much easier option.
It really doesn’t weigh much
Along with the tracker itself, inside the box there’s a stack of paperwork (instructions and safety info), a lanyard for attaching the tracker to other items, and of course that charging cable I just spent several paragraphs complaining about.
The tracker itself is made from a plain matte black plastic, with subtle UGreen branding on the front, the charging port, a small hole for threading the lanyard through, and a tiny power button just below it.
A bunch of technical specs are printed on the back, but one thing not listed there is the level of ingress protection. Most trackers like this don’t have much water or dust resistance, but that’s not the case here: the IP67 rating means it can handle dusty and wet environments just fine, even if you somehow manage to go swimming with it.
Note that the Finder Slim is only compatible with Apple’s Find My network, not the equivalent versions from Google, Tile, or anyone else. So, it will mostly interest those who already own an iPhone or other Apple gear.
Setup and Use
My battered old wallet with cards and tracker inside
After charging the tracker until the red light turned off, I held the power button for a few seconds until a series of beeps and a light show told me it was in pairing mode.
The power button is quite small and requires a fairly firm press to activate: if you’re struggling to get it to do anything, try pressing a bit harder. Selecting an “Other” type of device in the Find My app on iPhone 16 saw the tracker detected instantly.
Once paired, the Finder Slim worked much like the AirTag I already own and the Smart Finder I reviewed last month. The Find My app shows its last known location, which you can get directions to as long as you have Apple Maps installed.
From the app, you can also make the tracker beep for an audible clue to help locate it. The feature works, but I wish the speaker were louder: inside my wallet, the sound was audible from a nearby room when the wallet was visible, but I could barely hear it inside a coat pocket.
To test how well the tracking worked, I slipped the device into my wallet, left all my gadgets at home, and headed to the shops a few blocks away. As I walked down a busy street and through the aisles of my local supermarket, my partner could see my location updating every minute or two as the tracker pinged off nearby iPhones.
Since you can also get notified whenever you and the tracker separate, I tried the opposite approach too: leaving the Finder Slim on my kitchen bench and then going for a run. Sure enough, as soon as I got a block or more from home, a Find My notification appeared.
Because third-party trackers can’t access the Ultra Wideband chip in the iPhone, however, you don’t get Precision Tracking. That’s the feature that gives exact distances and directions once you’re within a few feet of the AirTag or whatever other Apple device you’re looking for.
That’s a bit of a shame for a device like this that’s likely to be inside something relatively small. It’s not UGreen’s fault, of course, but combined with that quiet speaker volume, finding a wallet that’s fallen behind the couch isn’t going to be as easy as it might be.
Should You Buy This?
UGreen Finder Slim on a wooden table
At the start of this review, I said my biggest question about the Finder Slim was whether it was worth the extra money over UGreen’s cheaper Smart Finder that I looked at a few weeks ago.
For some people, it will be. It’s a well-made, lightweight device that’s much more convenient for keeping an electronic eye on things like your wallet and ticket than any of the more traditionally shaped trackers, AirTags included.
If those are the kinds of things you’re most worried about losing or misplacing regularly, the few extra bucks will feel like money well spent the first time you don’t have to spend half an hour turning your house upside down looking for them.
Also, if you need to keep tabs on something that’s likely to get splashed or covered in dust and dirt, the water and dust resistance available is something you rarely find in other trackers.
If that’s not the case, though, the Finder Slim is a harder sell. As much as I like the idea of a rechargeable battery, the non-standard, non-replaceable charging cable feels like a problem waiting to happen.
Additionally, the relatively quiet speaker is a bit of a concern since it’s likely to be muffled by whatever it’s placed inside. Add in the lack of Precision Tracking that makes it harder to get close enough to hear the speaker in the first place, and you might still spend quite a while flipping over couch cushions.
All in all, the Finder Slim is still a useful, lightweight, and well-made device that will fit some people’s specific tracking needs very well. With a few limitations and questionable design choices, though, it’s just not quite the slam dunk that the inexpensive Smart Finder is.