Airtags VS Tile: Where to Turn When You Lose Your Stuff

The Apple Spring Loaded Event has millions of Apple users excited over its new announcements and updates. Among them is the Airtags, and it’s part of Apple’s “Find My” collection. However, the tracker faces stiff competition from an established brand called Tile. It’s way ahead of Airtags, but does Airtags give Tile a run for its money?

Here’s our take on the Airtags vs. Tile debate.

Airtags vs. Tile: Look and Feel

The Airtag comes in one color and shape so far: white and round. On the back, it has a small stainless steel cover that gives you access to the replaceable battery.  But, if you want to add some color to your Airtag, Apple made colorful keyrings available for buyers. You can make it classy by buying a Hermès keyring, charm, or luggage tag.

Meanwhile, Tiles come in different colors and shapes, depending on which ones you’ll buy.

The Pro and Slim Tiles have four available colors:

• Ruby Red
• Black
• Azurite
• Rose
• White (only comes in the two and four-packs for Pro)

The Pro is a square plastic with a small hole on the upper left. You can slide a part of the back when you need to replace the battery. The speakers are also at the back. It has a button that will pair your Tile to the phone for the first time or help you locate your phone.

On the one hand, the Tile Slim is rectangular, and the speakers are at the front of the Tile. On the other hand, unfortunately, the battery is built-in, so you can’t replace the battery.

The Mate is white and looks similar to the Pro.

Meanwhile, the Sticker is round and comes in black. As the name implies, you can stick this anywhere. Like the Slim, the battery is built-in. This one is closest to the Airtag look.

Aside from colors, Mate also has different Limited Edition designs available.

You can fit the Airtags and all Tile products inside your bag. In addition, you can stick Tile Stickers on items such as your remote control, water bottle, and wallet.

Verdict: Let’s give this to Tile. It’s cool to choose between colors and different Tile types.

Versatility and Functionality

Tile has been in the tracker game longer. Since 2013, the company has expanded its line of Tile products. As of 2021, the current Tile line consists of:

• Pro
• Mate
• Slim
• Sticker

Tile has the upper hand in terms of versatility. After all, they are ahead of the game.

When using Tile, both Bluetooth and location should be active to pair the device to any item. You can choose an item to assign to your Tile. From there, you can select a ringtone that you want to stick with. And that’s it. It’s all paired up.

Customers can use Tile on Windows, Android, and iOS devices.

For the Airtag, you need to open the Bluetooth first. Once you unwrap the Airtag from the plastic, place it near your device, and it will pair after a few seconds. You can even choose the category of where you’ll put your Airtag (e.g., keys, backpack).

Airtags are exclusive to iOS devices. Its Precision Finding feature is compatible only with these devices:

• iPhone 11, Pro, and Pro Max
• iPhone 12, mini, Pro, Pro Max

Verdict: Tile wins this round again. After all, Tile has had the upper hand for almost ten years and has developed different products ideal for the needs of its various users.

Finding Your Things

Once you set up your device to your respective tracker, it’s time to test which is the best.

If you want to find your items using Tile, open the Tile App, click on the Tile, and click Find. It will alert you with the ringtone you set for the Tile.

Tiles aren’t the only things you can find. For example, you have your Tile on hand but need to find your phone, press the button on your Tile twice, and it will help you locate your phone. In addition, the 2020 Tiles are updated to notify you even if your phone is on Silent mode.

On the other hand, you have two options when finding an item with Airtag. That is, of course, you have compatible devices for the Precision Finding feature. You can locate an item through sound or Precision Finding. If an item is within range, it will direct you to the item and notify “Here” when you’ve reached your destination.

Finding Items in Public

In instances where you do lose an item in public, how are these trackers in action?

Tile has the Tile Network. So, for example, you lose your Tile. But another user may be within range of your Tile. The app will notify you that someone has found your Tile.

Airtags follow the same method. But Apple goes the extra mile by activating Lost Mode for an Airtag. You’ll immediately get notified of your item’s location, even if the person who found your item doesn’t have an iOS device. It’s all thanks to NFC.

Verdict: This one’s a tie. Airtags don’t have buttons that will help you locate your phone, but it has Precision Finding. Meanwhile, Tile can help you locate items through sound only, but it can help you find your smartphone with a push of a button (or two).

Airtags vs. Tile: Prices

Tile has more products in its tracker line. While they may have an advantage over versatility, let’s see which one is worth buying.

As a new release, there’s only one type of Airtags available for Apple users.

The cost of a one-pack Airtags is $29.99. Meanwhile, the four-pack is $99.99.

But what about Tile? Here is a breakdown of their prices for each type of Tile.

Pro

• One-pack: $34.99
• Two-pack: $59.99
• Four-pack: $99.99

Mate

• One-pack: $24.99
• Two-pack: $47.99
• Four-pack: $69.99

Slim

• One-pack: $29.99
• Two-pack: $53.99

Sticker

• Two-pack: $39.99
• Four-pack: $59.99

Verdict: Once again, Tile gets the win here. You can get a Tile based on your budget.

Airtags vs. Tile: Other Specs

Range

Tile specifies the range of how you can find your tracker in your home or anywhere else. But, of course, this also depends on which Tile you want to get.

Tile range:

• Pro: 400 ft.
• Mate and Slim: 200 ft.
• Sticker: 150 ft.

On the other hand, Apple didn’t specify the range for their Airtags. However, TechCrunch estimates that it could be 40 ft. Meanwhile, TechRadar suggests that it could be as wide as 800 ft., considering it uses Bluetooth 5.0.

Water-Resistant or Waterproof?

Airtags are water-resistant, but Tile Pros and Mates are too. The Tile Slim and Sticker are waterproof.

Customization

Apple offers free engraving on the Airtags. On the other hand, Tile doesn’t have personal customization options, but they have different colors, as mentioned above. Also, for Tile, you can set the ringtone to whichever sound you like.

Privacy

Trackers like Tile and Airtags may pose the issue of privacy because you can slip a Tile or an Airtag in another person’s bag or belonging. Based on news reports, it appears that Apple has addressed potential privacy concerns. Airtags have a “Pairing Lock” that won’t pair an Airtag with another device.

If, in any case, someone could be stalking you, you will receive a notification that there’s an Airtag with you. Even those without an iOS device or smartphone can still benefit from this feature since the Airtag will make an alarm if it’s out of range after three days.

On the other hand, Tile says that they don’t sell or save any of their users’ data. They keep your data anonymous and of other Tile users.

Integrations

Users can connect Tile to their partners. Here’s where you can integrate Tile:

• Fitbit (Inspire 2 has a built-in Tile)
• HP (has products with built-in Tile)
• Amazon (Amazon Alexa)

Conclusion

Tile has the upper hand as it’s been in the market for almost ten years. In addition, it has different product lines and prices for various budgets. But it doesn’t mean that Apple’s tracker isn’t inferior. Even if it’s a new release, it’s a worthy competitor to Tile. It’s way ahead in the privacy and precision tracking game.

Regardless of what you choose, both trackers do their job in helping you locate items instantly. Plus, you can be sure that trackers have privacy features in place and will give you peace of mind.

Check us out for more tech reviews.