Tile Mate (2020)

Product Information

While the mate can last much longer – a claimed three years compared to one – its lack of a replaceable battery means it can no longer function once it’s out of juice. Not that the mate feels at all fragile, but the pro’s metal build makes it more suitable for life outside, perhaps strapped to the rucksack you take mountain biking, or a suitcase subjected to anything baggage handlers can throw at it. It’s also good that Tile is committing to some anti-stalking features, but they’re not available at the time of writing and not as impressive as Apple’s. Nothing's really changed with the Tile Slim in terms of range — it still should be able to track missing wallets at up to 250 feet.

Tile Mate (2022) review: Living with longer limits - Android Tile Mate (2022) review: Living with longer limits - Android

You can also pair your Tile Mate with either Android or iOS and enjoy the same suite of tracking features. As for range, Tile has increased the distance you can stay connected to the new Tile Mate, boosting its listed range from 200 feet to 250 feet. While the Tile Pro (2021) continues to offer a battery you can swap out — Tile claims the CR2032 battery inside the Pro will last about a year — the Tile Mate has gone back to a non-replaceable battery.The plastic itself may wear out by then anyway, but it means that the free battery replacements in Tile Premium are now exclusive to the Tile Pro (2022) in the new Tile line-up.

Tile’s 2022 lineup has longer battery life, longer range, and Tile’s 2022 lineup has longer battery life, longer range, and

These two products fundamentally do the same thing; they attach to your things, like keys and bags, then use Bluetooth, a speaker and the anonymous location of other Tile users, to help you find them when they go missing. The setup process for the Mate is simple on both Android and iOS: Download the Tile app, create an account, and follow the prompts to update a few settings. Beyond that, having a location on a map showing where something was last connected to your phone is really useful. We’ve also previously taken issue with Tile’s anti-stalking features because, well… there weren’t any.With all AirTags also offering UWB detection, they are a step ahead in technology - but the range is no where as good as that of Tile. The tracker connects to your phone via Bluetooth, and you use a companion app (Android, iOS) to tap the misplaced item and sound an alarm. The Mate’s polyphonic ringtones are high-pitched, and we could hear them in an apartment with multiple white noise machines running. Essentially, the differences are in the different form factors to suit how you want to use the devices. As well as better battery life, the pricier pro also benefits from a sturdy metal chassis that feels more robust than the Tile mate.