Table of Contents
-
Tile Mate (2022)
Platform-agnostic tracker
Tile Mate is the corporate’s most reasonably priced general-purpose sensible tracker that contains a everlasting battery and is backed by Tile’s personal tag community.
Execs- Work with each Android and iOS gadgets
- Constructed-in cutout
- Compact design
Cons- Everlasting battery
- No UWB assist
- Some options require a paid subscription
-
Apple AirTag
Precision discovering for iPhone
$25 $35 Save $10
The AirTag is Apple’s lone however extremely in style sensible tracker. It solely works with Apple gadgets and is backed by the corporate’s huge Discover My community.
Execs- UWB assist for precision monitoring
- Enormous tag community
- Consumer-replaceable battery
Cons- Restricted to Apple gadgets
- No option to ping iPhone
The Tile Mate and Apple AirTag are two of the preferred sensible trackers immediately. Nonetheless, they’re fairly completely different in most respects, together with the tag community, which is used to find tagged objects outdoors the Bluetooth vary. These variations make every tracker extra appropriate for sure forms of customers. So, we’re pitting the Tile Mate towards the Apple AirTag to find out which is finest for you.
Finest sensible tags in 2024
By no means lose your treasured belongings once more with these sensible tags
Worth, availability, and specs
The Tile Mate has an inventory value of $30. Nonetheless, it can save you cash on multipacks, which value lower than particular person models, which is useful when shopping for in bulk. It’s additionally extensively accessible and is available in black, white, and a number of other limited-edition variants.
The AirTag has the same price ticket of $29, and you will get the four-pack at a reduced value of $99. The Apple sensible tracker is out there by way of the standard suspects, and should you order it from the corporate’s on-line retailer, you will get it engraved. Sadly, there is just one white/silver coloration choice.
Right here’s a take a look at the uncooked specs of the 2 sensible tags earlier than we get into the nitty-gritty.
-
Tile Mate (2022) Apple AirTag Connectivity Bluetooth LE Bluetooth, Extremely Wideband, NFC Battery As much as 3 years; non-replaceable As much as one yr, user-replaceable CR2032 coin cell battery Water Resistance IP67 IP67
Design, construct, and battery
Supply: Tile
The Tile Mate and the Apple AirTag have very distinct designs. Whereas the Tile Mate is all plastic with a sq. form and curved corners, the AirTag combines plastic with aluminum in a round design. Nonetheless, each are rated IP67 for mud and water resistance.
Tile has included a cutout on the Mate to make attaching the tracker along with your belongings simpler. Sadly, there is no such thing as a cutout on the AirTag. So, you’ll need to shell out further for an official or third-party accent to connect it to valuables.
Moreover, the Tile Mate has a printed QR code on the again to supply your contact info when an merchandise is misplaced. The AirTag doesn’t have a QR code. As a substitute, Apple has included NFC to transmit your contact particulars to any Android or iPhone with NFC assist.
AirTag has a transparent benefit over the Tile Mate on the battery entrance. It makes use of a user-replaceable CR2032 coin cell battery that may last as long as a yr. The Tile Mate, however, has a built-in everlasting battery that can final you round three years. However after that, the Tile Mate is nearly as good as a really small paperweight.
Options
Supply: Justin Duino / Android Police
Like all fashionable sensible trackers, the fundamental performance of the Tile Mate and the Apple AirTag is similar. Each use Bluetooth to trace and find the tagged objects at shut vary. The tag community is used when the tagged objects depart the Bluetooth vary. So, Bluetooth and respective tag networks are equally very important to how nicely a wise tracker capabilities.
Based on Tile, the Mate has a Bluetooth vary of 250 ft. However it is a line-of-sight vary that you’re unlikely to get in the actual world as a result of it is stuffed with obstructions, like partitions, home goods, and extra. Apple doesn’t share an official determine for the AirTag’s Bluetooth vary, however it’s more likely to be just like the Tile Mate, if not higher.
Networks
By way of the tag community, all Tile trackers, together with the Mate, depend on the corporate’s community. This community consists of cellular gadgets with the Tile apps put in and Amazon Sidewalk gadgets. Whereas the Tile community in all fairness good, it falls behind the Apple Discover My community, which the AirTag makes use of and consists of most iOS gadgets worldwide. As such, there’s a higher probability of discovering an AirTag outdoors of the Bluetooth vary than a Tile Mate.
AirTag additionally has UWB (ultra-wideband) assist. This expertise permits precision monitoring at shut vary, which Bluetooth doesn’t supply. It may well come in useful when your tag isn’t seen, because the iPhone makes use of it to indicate the tag’s distance and route.
Extra built-in perks
Supply: Tile
Nonetheless, the Tile Mate’s built-in speaker is noticeably louder than the AirTag’s speaker. Within the absence of UWB, the speaker is used to find the tag at a detailed vary. Pinging your cellphone can also be a nifty Tile Mate characteristic unavailable on the AirTag. There’s a button on the Mate, which you’ll press, and your cellphone will make a sound even when it’s on silent.
Moreover, the Tile Mate provides one thing known as an Anti-Theft Mode, which, as soon as enabled, hides your Tile from the corporate’s Scan and Safe characteristic. The Scan and Safe characteristic is geared toward notifying you of any hidden and undesirable trackers on you. Whereas this may help you develop into conscious of any malicious trackers, it might probably additionally notify thieves of trackers current within the stolen objects. An identical choice isn’t accessible on the AirTag.
Separation alerts, sharing, and subscriptions
Amongst different highlights, AirTag helps separation alerts. Your iPhone will ping you once you depart a tagged merchandise behind, considerably decreasing your probabilities of shedding a helpful. You may get the identical characteristic on the Tile Mate, however it’s a part of the corporate’s paid subscriptions, Tile Premium and Tile Premium Defend, including to the sensible tracker’s value.
Equally, AirTag permits it to be shared with as much as 5 of your contacts at no cost, supplied all of them have iOS 17 on their iPhone and fulfill a number of situations, like having iCloud logged in with their Apple ID and having Keychain turned on. You too can share the Tile Mate, however solely with one particular person at no cost. If you wish to share it with extra individuals, you will get limitless sharing as a part of the corporate’s paid subscriptions.
Along with limitless sharing and separation alerts, the Tile Premium subscriptions supply a 30-day location historical past, a substitute guarantee, and merchandise reimbursement for misplaced tagged objects as much as a set worth.
AirTag has numerous benefits over the Tile Mate. Nonetheless, it might probably solely be used with Apple gadgets, making it ineffective for Android house owners. In distinction, the Tile Mate can work with each Android and iOS.
Which must you purchase?
Selecting between the Tile Mate and the Apple AirTag comes right down to your smartphone’s platform. If you happen to use an Android cellphone, the AirTag will not be a viable choice, leaving you with the Tile Mate as the one alternative. The Mate is probably not as nice as its costlier sibling, the Tile Professional, however it’s nonetheless a succesful sensible tracker with an honest Bluetooth vary, entry to a fairly in depth tag community, and sturdy development.
Tile Mate (2022)
Finest for Android
Handy little tracker
Though the Tile Mate is platform-agnostic, it makes probably the most sense for Android customers. You get a sturdy construct and entry to a fairly in depth tag community.
Whereas the Tile Mate is iPhone-compatible, there is no such thing as a higher choice than the AirTag for iPhone customers. It simply trumps the Mate when it comes to options. The AirTag has UWB assist, a user-replaceable battery, and a considerably bigger tag community. The dearth of a cutout is disappointing, however you will get a third-party accent to repair this.
Apple AirTag
Finest for iPhone
Correct and dependable
$25 $35 Save $10
The Apple AirTag is among the finest sensible trackers available on the market. Because of its spectacular tag community and seamless integration, it’s a simple alternative for iPhone customers.