Apple AirTag vs Tile Pro

Tile has ruled the roost in the world of Bluetooth key finders and item trackers for years, assisting individuals in reuniting their lost belongings with their owners. Since its inception in 2012, however, rival item trackers have entered the market, gradually eroding the company's supremacy.

Tile is no longer alone in the key finder market; firms like Chipolo, Esky, and Key Ringer have all entered the fray. Samsung introduced its own version of the item tracker - the smart tag and smart tag+ – in January, but Apple's own Tile competitor was launched last month, dealing the largest blow to Tile.

Apple unveiled the AirTag — the long-rumored item tracking device — at its Spring Loaded event in San Francisco on April 20. Without getting into the politics of the case, suffice it to say that Tile was not pleased, and the following day testified against Apple at a congressional hearing on antitrust claims.

Tile, as previously said, has been in the key-finding game for quite some time. It's been around for so long that it now has four item tracking devices — the Tile pro is the most similar Tile tracker to the AirTag, and both of these item trackers have their own set of advantages and disadvantages. We put the Tile pro against the AirTag to help you make an informed decision before parting with your money. We compared their design, battery life, features, how well they both work at accomplishing their jobs, and, of course, their pricing.

Apple AirTag (pack of four)

Price: $99.00 (without tax)

Size: H 31.9mm x W 31.9mm x D8mm

Weight: 11g

Water resistance: IP67 (maximum depth of one meter up to 30 minutes)

Battery: Replaceable CR2032 coin cell battery (one year)

System requirements: iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch running iOS/iPad OS 14.5 or later

Range: Unknown

Features: Bluetooth for proximity finding, Apple U1 chip for ultra-wideband precision finding, accelerometer, NFC tap for lost mode, in-built speaker

The AirTag is an Apple product that features a tiny 32mm disc that fits inside a white cover. Its removable battery is not an Apple-like component. You'll also get a notification on your phone when the battery dies. This is a good idea, as it lets you check in on the battery life. However, it is a bit of a pain to attach to your key. The AirTag is capable of making chirps when it needs to. To do so, simply ask Siri to make the AirTag chirp. It also works seamlessly with other devices on the Find My network. If you add your contact details to the AirTag, it will give them a way to find you. Another neat feature that's included in the tracker is precision finding. Tile told us that it wants to add an AirTag feature to its app, but we cant provide more details at this time. It is very affordable especially since it's from apple. A single AirTag is $29.00 and the 4 pack is $99.99.

Tile Pro (pack of four)

Price: $89.99 (without tax)

Size: W 42mm x H 42mm x D6.5mm

Weight: 15.5g

Water resistance: IP55 (splashproof)

Battery: Replaceable CR2032 coin cell battery (one year)

System requirements: An Android or iOS device with the Tile app

Range: 122m

Features: Bluetooth for proximity finding, in-built speaker measuring 128 decibels, 26 million-strong Tile community, choice of sound alert, works with Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri

Unlike the AirTag, all of Tile's products are meant to be easily attached to your belongings. The Tile pro is square in design, with a keyring hole in one corner for convenient connection. It's noticeably larger and heavier than the AirTag, but that's merely due to the square form, which we think the business chose in order to accommodate a larger speaker. That big speaker has a lot of clout.The Tile pro has a much greater volume than the AirTag, which we measured at roughly 65 dB versus 128 decibels on the Tile pro. It also plays a continuous sound until you turn it off in the app, which the AirTag doesn't do, and you can choose from a variety of tones. It also comes in a range of colors, including black, ruby red, azurite blue, rose pink, and white, as opposed to Apple's characteristic white. It's powered by the same coin cell battery as the AirTag and lasts about as long (one year). The Tile pro also has a long Bluetooth range, allowing you to ping it from up to 122 meters away. The AirTag's range has yet to be revealed by Apple. Tile, on the other hand, does not function as well as the AirTag when it comes to actually finding your belongings. If you're within Bluetooth range, a sequence of concentric circles will light up as you come closer to your tracker. Tile doesn't employ ultra-wideband communication, therefore it's not as exact as the AirTag, which literally takes you to your goods. “Tile has built a UWB product,” a spokeswoman told The Independent, “but consumers are unable to use it because Apple has refused to give Tile access to the UWB chip in their phones.” When a Tile user comes into contact with a lost Tile tracker, you'll be notified of its last location, just like with the AirTag. However, with only 26 million Tile trackers compared to Apple's almost a billion, this isn't always ensured. However, Amazon said in May that it was teaming with Tile to allow its trackers to connect to Amazon's network of Echo devices, which will vastly improve their accuracy. It is set to take effect on June 14th. However, one feature we particularly loved was the ability to engage the Tile community to assist us in finding our item if we misplaced it by granting other users access to its position.

Both the AirTag and the Tile pro are great item trackers, with Tile having spent years perfecting the finder. If you don't want to spend any money on extras, the Tile is the way to go. Every item tracker has a hole, unlike the AirTag, which requires a casing. The Tile Pro is also louder than the AirTag, so if the volume is important to you, the pro is the way to choose. However, if you have an iPhone, the ability to leverage the company's massive network of devices through the Find My app is unbeatable, and we adore the accuracy tracking function provided by the ultra-wideband chip. Tile's current difficulty is that it can't compete with Apple's nearly billion devices, which means that you'll almost always be able to discover an AirTag faster than a Tile tracker. However, when Tile teams up with Amazon in June, that might all change. In terms of pricing, there isn't a clear victor; it all depends on what you want to get out of your item tracker, as they are nearly the same in price.