I tried the smart wallet Google fans have been waiting for, but it’s overrated

Apple’s AirTag and Find My ecosystem have had a big advantage over Google’s Find Hub for many years now. It’s easy to find items beyond simple Bluetooth trackers, with built-in tracking capabilities that can be quickly located from an iPhone or iPad: bikes, purses, backpacks, luggage and more. But if you use an Android phone, until now you’ve been limited to simple trackers. Versatile, but not completely optimized.

This is starting to change now, as businesses are adopting Google’s trusted and improved Find Hub in everything from luggage to this new Trackable Miniwallet from Secrid (), which arises as a collaboration with Chipolo. It’s the first smart wallet you can find with your Android phone using Google’s network, but is it worth the $140 price tag? Well, let me answer that.

Secrid’s new trackable Miniwallet is a minimalist wallet designed to house and simplify interactions with a Chipolo CARD ($39 on Amazon). I’ll talk about the rest of the wallet in a moment, but let me focus on what we’re all interested in: How is this a trackable wallet?

Well, Secrid has made sure that there is a personalized card cutout on the leather wallet case dedicated to Chipolo CARD. You don’t have to strain to insert the card, as you would in other wallets that only accommodate thin credit cards and not the 2.5mm thickness of a tracker card. The cutout is also designed to ensure that the card does not sound muffled, but instead sounds 3 dB louder than other wallets.

But the highlight is the engraved button on the outside of the wallet that lines up perfectly with the Chipolo CARD button. With the card inside the wallet and the wallet completely closed, you can double-tap the button without guessing where it is to make your phone ring. (This is a reverse lookup feature that Chipolo has implemented in its own app, because Google’s Find Hub API doesn’t natively support it yet.)

You don’t even need to take the tracker out of your wallet to charge it wirelessly via Qi; I tested it to make sure it transmits through the thickness of the leather. The problem is that you can’t see the LED light while the tracker is in the wallet to confirm if it is charging, so if you misalign it with your charging pad, it may not be charging.

And… that’s all there is to magic. There’s nothing that makes this wallet more special beyond having a dedicated slot for slightly thicker cards, an engraved design for precise pressing of the CARD button, and a decent thickness for wireless charging.

Obviously, the included $39 Chipolo CARD is great, in my opinion. I have had one for several months, without the Secrid brand wallet, and I can only say good things about it. It is one of the Android compatible trackers that I recommend the most. It has an extremely loud 110 dB siren, IP67 rating, and is future-proofed with Bluetooth 6.0 and Channel Sounding. Google has not updated its Find Hub API to support this feature in trackers and make them easier to locate (as an alternative to UWB), but the hardware is there for when it’s needed.

Chipolo is also one of the few companies that has added many additional features to its Find Hub trackers through its own app. You can receive abandonment alerts if you walk away from the tracker, which is crucial if your tracker is inside a wallet. You can also find your phone in reverse by ringing it (from the button), customize the tracker’s ringtones and volume levels, and even use the button as a camera shutter remote control. Plus, it’s also compatible with Apple’s Find network, if you ever think about switching platforms. The battery lasts a full year and Qi charging to fill it up.

Having tested Google’s Find Hub-compatible trackers for almost two years, I can say with more confidence than ever that Google’s network has improved a lot and it is very reliable nowadays. Find Hub helped me find my lost luggage at Athens airportand it’s what I rely on when I travel on trains, planes or just walk around Paris with my backpack. Also, the Chipolo CARD is actually the card I had inside my personal wallet before trying it again in the Secrid Trackable Miniwallet. I have relied on him to help me find my wallet around the house and in case I lose it somewhere else. I have no reservations about the tracking part of this traceable wallet. But the wallet?

To be clear, I like the Secrid Trackable Mini Wallet. It’s a combination of high-quality leather and aluminum that looks stunning, especially in this combination of dark blue, light blue, and orange. There’s also an all-black version, if you’re a boring person (ha!), but this color combination is so on-point. Serious, but playful.

The quality of the leather is also exceptional; The seams are perfect and the finish is impeccable. The light blue aluminum main compartment can hold up to five cards and the orange latch opens and slides open very satisfyingly. Cards slide smoothly. Add in the two additional card cutouts in the leather wrapper (one of which is made for the Chipolo tracker) and I’ll be able to easily carry everything I need here in style.

However, I have two problems with this wallet. One is the cheap, tacky black coin holder, which pops out when you open the wallet and, upon close inspection, is practically glued to the blue aluminum part. It’s not worthy of the rest of this wallet, especially at a starting price of $140. My current minimalist wallet, the €50-€60 one Cascade Slim by OgonIt has a leather cut in the same color as the wallet to hold cash, and looks much more elegant than the black plastic that Secrid has chosen.

The second issue is a matter of preference. I’m not a fan of the snap closure on this wallet. It’s a high-quality clasp that works to hold everything together, of course, but it’s pretty thick and causes the wallet to catch in my jeans pocket every time I slide it or try to pick it up. I’m much more of a fan of the magnetic closure on my Ögon wallets because they’re frictionless.

These two drawbacks, as well as the rather prohibitive price of 140 dollars (120 euros or 120 pounds), make it difficult to recommend this wallet, despite the included Chipolo CARD ($39 on Amazon). The regular Secrid mini wallet (without the tracker and engraved tracker button) costs $60-70 on Amazonand I can’t explain why there is such markup to get the traceable version. If this was $100 total with the tracker, it would have been a much easier recommendation. But paying an extra $40 for nothing more than a button etched into the leather seems like a big ask.

At this price, it’s better to buy a regular $60 Secrid Miniwallet and the $39 Chipolo CARD, and then insert it so the button faces out. Memorize where it is and you can activate it: leather is that flexible. I know, because I tested it by simply turning the card over in the same wallet and it worked on the other side. It won’t be as obvious as having the button clipped right there, but it works. Or, you know, you can still buy any other wallet and do the same thing. After testing this setup, I changed the orientation of my Chipolo CARD in my Ögon wallet so that the button faces outwards and I can now activate it from inside the wallet. Easy.