Chip vs Chip

NTAG215 vs MIFARE Ultralight EV1

NTAG215 offers 504 bytes memory with 32-bit password security, making it ideal for Nintendo amiibo, product tags, marketing posters. MIFARE Ultralight EV1 provides 128 bytes with 32-bit password security, suited for limited-use transit tickets, loyalty tokens.

NTAG 215

系列NTAG
内存540 bytes (user: 504 B)
价格$0.080 – $0.200

MIFARE Ultralight EV1

系列MIFARE
内存80 bytes (user: 48 B)
价格$0.040 – $0.120

NTAG215 vs MIFARE Ultralight EV1: Rich NDEF Tag vs. Transit Counter Chip

NTAG215 and MIFARE Ultralight EV1 are both NXP NFC-A tags for high-volume, cost-sensitive applications. They diverge in memory capacity, hardware features, and application domain.

Overview

NTAG215 offers 492 bytes of usable NDEF memory with password protection, ideal for smartphone-centric applications requiring multi-record NDEF payloads — and the only chip compatible with Nintendo Amiibo.

MIFARE Ultralight EV1 is available in 48-byte and 128-byte configurations and adds three 24-bit hardware one-way counters that can be incremented but never decremented. This makes it the chip of choice for transit ticketing, limited-access passes, and any application requiring a hardware-enforced usage counter without full DESFire complexity.

Key Differences

  • Memory: NTAG215 — 492 bytes. Ultralight EV1 — 48 or 128 bytes. NTAG215 has dramatically more NDEF storage.
  • Hardware counters: Ultralight EV1 has three 24-bit one-way counters — NTAG215 has none. This is the defining differentiator for ticketing applications.
  • Amiibo compatibility: NTAG215 only — Ultralight EV1 is not Amiibo-compatible.
  • Originality signature: Ultralight EV1 supports NXP ECC-based originality checking. NTAG215 does not.
  • Smartphone readability: Both are NFC Forum Type 2 / NFC-A and readable by modern smartphones, but Ultralight EV1's primary use is with dedicated reader infrastructure.
  • Price: Both are low-cost; Ultralight EV1 (48-byte) is often cheaper than NTAG215 at equivalent volumes.

Use Cases

Choose NTAG215 when: - Amiibo compatibility is required - Large NDEF payload (up to 492 bytes) is needed - Smartphone is the primary reader device

Choose MIFARE Ultralight EV1 when: - Hardware counter is a functional requirement (transit, event ticketing) - A dedicated reader infrastructure handles the tag - Originality signature (NXP chip verification) is needed

Verdict

NTAG215 is the consumer NDEF champion. MIFARE Ultralight EV1 is the transit ticketing champion. If the application counts usage events with hardware enforcement, Ultralight EV1 is required. If the application delivers rich NDEF data to smartphones (or Amiibo), NTAG215 is correct.

推荐

Choose NTAG215 when you need mid-range Type 2 tag used in amiibo; choose MIFARE Ultralight EV1 when you need improved Ultralight with password protection.