Apple recently released their newest and first tracking device, the AirTag. Tile has been working with trackers for a solid decade now. There is a slight competition going on between Tile and AirTag. Let’s find out which one is a better pick-
Introduction to AirTag
AirTag is a circular polished metal that looks white or some say silver. There is no other model of Apple AirTag. The battery is removable but there is no direct way to attach your AirTag with other items. To attach an AirTag, users have to invest in third-party AirTag accessories. AirTag operates with the help of Bluetooth and ultra-wideband. Single AirTag costs $29 but a pack of four is only $29.
Introduction to Tile
However, Tile has four variations to choose from. Each of them has its own distinctive features.
Tile Mate: This is the basic version of tracker offered by Tile. They cost around $24.99 only.
Tile Slim: Tile Slim, as the name suggests is the slimmer version of Tile tracker. This variant also offers a longer range. Tile Slim is waterproof and very thin that you can keep in your wallet. The dimension is similar to a credit card. Tile Slim will cost you 24.99 only.
Tile Pro: Tile Pro is the premium version of Tile Mate. Tile Pro has longer coverage, built-in loudspeakers, and there are different colors to choose from. Tile Pro comes with a $34.99 price tag.
Tile Sticker: This is the smallest tracker produced by Tile. The tracker has adhesive to stick with your valuable items. Two Tile stickers cost 39.99 and four of them altogether costs $59.99 as a pack.
Where to use which Tile?
Different Tiles are made for different purposes. Tile Mate and Tile Pro can be attached with a keyring or such kinds of things, where Tile slim is mostly used with your wallet or credit cardholders. On the other hand, a Tile sticker is for smaller things like remotes, or such accessories. Tile provides you with your necessities. You need to pay for what you exactly need, that’s how Tile designed these variants.
Similarities
There are several similarities that both of the trackers have. There is Bluetooth tracking for close range, community-integrated tracking for longer range, built-in loudspeakers, replaceable batteries(For some Tile variants), water resistance, and so on.
Differences: That Made Them so Unique
Overall Design
AirTag is simply designed as a circular object with a slightly convex-shaped center. There is polished metal at the back of the AirTag. However, you can choose emoji or text to be printed or engraved on your AirTags by Apple when purchasing. Sadly, there is no direct way to attach an AirTag as mentioned before.
Tile is much different than AirTags when it comes to design. Both Mate and Pro versions of Tile have a hole punch in one corner on the square-shaped base. A keychain or any other such thing can be attached easily to this device. Tile Mate is mostly plastic made but Tile Pro is made of premium metal designs. However, Tile Slim does not have such a hole in it. As it would go with wallets or cardholders, there are no direct attachment facilities for this variant. Apart from these, Tile Sticker comes with adhesive at the back of it to stick with other objects. The build quality seems pretty great for such a small device.
Tracking with AirTag and Tile
AirTag and Tile use Bluetooth as their basic tracking protocol. When the owner remains within the Bluetooth range, they can use their Smartphones to trace the location of both trackers. Being out of the range, the user can check the last location of the trackers as well. Tile Pro has a range of 400ft max where Apple did not mention anything about AirTag’s Bluetooth range.
Out of Bluetooth Range Tracking
If the owner is out of the Bluetooth range of these trackers, then both the trackers can use their community to connect with their owners. AirTag uses other Apple devices to send location anonymously to its owner when out of range. There are more than one billion Apple users in this world right now. As a result, AirTags will get more coverage and possibilities to communicate with the owner when out of range using other Apple devices even if they are on offline mode.
On the other hand, Tile uses a feature called “Community Find.” This does pretty much the same thing but uses devices where Tile App is installed. The community is not so expanded right now because very few people use Tile trackers these days.
Precise Tracking
AirTag has an additional feature that is Ultra wideband which Tile lacks at the moment. There is a U1 chip inside the AirTag. As soon as the owner approaches closer towards the AirTag they can use AR to see the location of the AirTag with more precise information. Only owners of iPhone 11 and later models will have the feature.
Pairing with AirTag and Tile
To pair an AirTag with your Apple device, you just need to turn on the Bluetooth of your Apple device and hold the AirTag closer. There will be a pop-up on your device for pairing. Confirm that and you are done.
To pair the Tile tracker with your Smartphone, you need to download their app and install it, Then create a Tile account and activate the account. After that press and hold the button on the Tile tracker until audio is played. Hold the tracker with your device to complete the pairing with a confirmation notification.
Compatibility and Battery Life
AirTag is only compatible with Apple devices but Tile is compatible with iOS and Android.
AirTag and Tile Pro uses the same CR2032 removable batteries. Tile Mate uses a CR1632 battery which is also removable. When the battery dies, the owner can open the back panel of these trackers to replace the battery. AirTag, Tile Pro, and Tile Mate are water-resistant trackers.
Apart from these, Tile Slim and Tile Sticker do not come with replaceable batteries. However, they both offer a long three-year battery life and they are completely waterproof.
Reverse Tracking
Tile trackers can track your smartphone. If your phone is within the Bluetooth range then you can press the Tile’s button twice which will make your Phone ring. Thus you can do reverse tracking with Tile. Apple has not developed such a feature yet for their AirTags.
NFC
If an AirTag is lost and the owner puts it in lost mode with their contact information provided, then anyone with an Apple device or NFC-enabled device (which includes Androids as well) can get the owner’s information from the lost AirTag to return it to the owner. Tile does not offer such a feature at this moment.
Privacy
Apple AirTags are claimed to be focused on privacy. Apple advertises that they do not store any sort of information in the AirTag. Tracing is totally encrypted. Even when AirTag tries to communicate with the owner through other Apple devices that communication is done as a background task on the leverage devices with complete encryption.
If AirTag is not with the owner but someone else is carrying it, AirTag will notify this. If an AirTag is out of range from its owner for more than three days, It will start to play sound so that someone else can notice and return it to the owner.
Subscriptions
Tile app offers premium in-app subscriptions. The premium services are smart alerts, unlimited sharing, location history, free battery replacement, extended warranty, and customer support with all features unlocked. The subscription schemes are $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year.
Wrapping Up
AirTag or Tile? This is not a tough decision to make. Both of them serve their purposes. Both of these trackers offer unique features. If you are an Apple Fan, AirTag will suit you more. If you want to have a tracker for a very specific reason, then it is better to choose a Tile variant. Both have flaws and both of them will improve over time. Therefore, the tracker that suits most of your needs picks that up.
Comment below which tracker you will pick and why? Share your thoughts with us. Tell us what you want us to cover next. We will be happy to hear from our Friends!
