Chipolo One Ocean Edition review

You don't have to sped a lot of time around electronic gadgets to know that there's too much plastic in the world. When those gadgets stop working, that plastic can wind up in landfills and oceans. Chipolo wants to do something to combat that, so it's making a new variation of its Chipolo One key finder entirely out of recycled practice.

Specifically, the Chipolo One Ocean Edition is made out material recovered from fishing nets, trawls and ropes found floating in the oceans and turned into pellets, which then form the key finder's polypropylene plastic case. Other than that unusual origin story, the Chipolo One Ocean Edition packs the same features as the standard Chipolo One — and that's good news since that's one of the best key finders you can buy.

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I've had a chance to test out this more environmentally friendly tracking device for this Chipolo One Ocean Edition review. And this device provides everything you'd get from a regular Chipolo One along with the added satisfaction of helping out the planet.

Chipolo One Ocean Edition review: Price

The Chipolo One Ocean Edition costs $30/£30. That's $5 more than both the standard Chipolo One and the Tile Mate, but $5 less than the Tile Pro, our pick for the best key finder. You can buy the Chipolo One Ocean Edition from Amazon as well as Chipolo's own website.

For each version of the Chipolo One Ocean Edition sold, Chipolo says it's donating $1 to Oceanic Global, an organization that promotes ocean conservation efforts.

Chipolo One Ocean Edition review: Features

The Chipolo One Ocean Edition may get its plastic from a different source than the original Chipolo One, but in terms of design, there's nothing separating these two key finders. Like its sibling, the Chipolo One Ocean Edition is a circular disc, 1.5 inches in diameter. Whereas Chipolo offers a host of colors for its $25 tracker, the Ocean Edition is available in a deep blue dubbed Ocean Blue.

The Chipolo One Ocean Edition works the same as Chipolo's other tracker. Pair the device with your phone over Bluetooth and launch the companion app (Android, iOS) to tap a button and sound a very loud 120-decibel alarm so that you can find your keys (or anything else you attach the Chipolo One to). You can double press the Chipolo One Ocean Edition to make your smartphone ring in case you're having a hard time tracking down that device.

The Chipolo One Ocean Edition retains all the other features from Chipolo's other devices, including the ability to use the key finder to remotely snap a picture by pressing the key finder. But really Chipolo's marquee feature is its ability to send you a notification when you've left the key finder behind. That's included with the Chipolo One Ocean Edition — a contrast to a similar feature on Tile that's only available via a monthly subscription.

Chipolo One Ocean Edition review: Performance

I've only been testing the Chipolo One Ocean Edition for a little bit, but I like what I've seen so far. Leaving the key tracker behind in a public park, I was able to keep a connection between the Chipolo device and my phone from 200 feet away — exactly the range Chipolo promises. I could even hear the alarm from that distance, though from about 110 feet on, the noise sounded pretty faint to my aging ears.

That's particularly impressive performance considering that in the same park five months ago, I often had trouble keeping a connection with the standard Chipolo One beyond 50 feet. Why the differing performance between two key finders that are essentially the same? I'll chalk it up to the vagaries of Bluetooth and the fact that park was relatively empty and therefore free of any potential interference when I tested the Chipolo One Ocean Edition. I'll keep an eye on the new key tracker to see if it continues to deliver this extended range.

When I lost a connection with the Chipolo One Ocean Edition after wandering beyond 200 feet away, I usually picked the signal back up between 120 and 150 feet feet away. That's something other key finders sometimes struggle with, so it's good to see some consistent performance from Chipolo's devices.

Chipolo's out-of-range alerts are great—when they work. I've had some mixed results with the Chipolo One Ocean Edition. In the park, I never got an alert even when I had wandered more than 300 feet away from the tracker. At home, though, I left my keys on my desk for a walk and hadn't even gotten more than a minute from the house when a notification flashed up on my iPhone screen.

Chipolo One Ocean Edition review: Battery

Like the Chipolo One, the Ocean Edition features a replaceable CR2032 battery. Chipolo says you can expect to go two years before you need to swap out the battery.

I hope the battery lasts as long as possible because like its sibling, the Chipolo One Ocean Edition does not make it easy to swap batteries. There's a small notch on the outer rim of the key finder that you pop open with a screwdriver or fork tine. Do it carefully, though, because it's really easy to scuff up that plastic case.

Chipolo One Ocean Edition review: Verdict

When we previously reviewed the Chipolo One, we thought it was a very capable alternative to the Tile Pro. That same assessment goes for the Chipolo One Ocean Edition, which delivering everything Chipolo's other tracker does while also helping reduce some of that plastic floating around in the ocean. You'll pay a little more for the Ocean Edition than you would a standard Chipolo One tracker, but the notion that you're making a small contribution to the environment will appeal to eco-minded shoppers.