Tile Pro (2021) review
One-minute review
Tile’s best tracker - The Tile Pro - offers users a great tool for keeping an eye on your most important items whether you’re on Android or iOS.
Its sleek design makes it well suited for use on your keys or bag, while its IP67 waterproof rating means it can survive pretty rough conditions.
Thanks to its one-year replaceable battery the Tile Pro will last you a long time too, as every time it’s about to run out of juice you can plug in a new battery so it can get back to looking after your belongings.
The 400ft range and loud ringer should mean you’ll never lose track of your stuff at home ever again; with the Tile network’s over 90% success rate at returning missing items to their owners you can rest easy knowing your most important belongings will come home eventually.
Thanks to new features like the Lost and Found QR code printed on the back we expect this success rate will only go up, and as services like Amazon Sidewalk reach regions outside the US you’ll have an even larger network of devices to rely on to locate your lost Tile Pro.
While you won’t find the ultra-wideband tracking that is used by the Apple AirTag - despite paying the same price - you won’t need any additional peripherals to make the Tile Pro work with a majority of items meaning it ends up a fair bit cheaper than Apple’s tracker.
Price and availability
You can pick up the Tile Pro from Tile’s official store as well as a handful of third-party vendors across different regions. The 2021 Tile Pro will set you back $34.99 / £29.99 / $49.95.
If you’re looking for a cheaper alternative, check out our review of the Tile Mate (2021) which includes details about the Tile Slim and Tile Sticker too.
Design and Features
The Tile Pro tracker has had a slight design refresh for 2021, adopting a more slim rectangular shape to better differentiate it from the square Tile Mate. In addition its holepunch is placed next to a thinner piece of material, making it much easier to slide onto your current keys.
You can nab one of these trackers in either black or white, and you’ll want to choose your design carefully as it’ll stick with you for a while thanks to its 1-year battery life with replaceable battery (so when it’s running low you can just put a new one in).
Once the Tile Pro has been registered on your Tile app you’ll be able to use its BlueTooth tracking to detect it within 400ft (121m) of you and you can make it ring to make finding it a breeze.
If it isn’t in range your Tile will be registered as lost where - much like Tile’s other offerings - the Find Far Away function should pin your Tile’s last known location on a map. Its location can be updated by the Notify When Found option which relies on Tile’s global network (which includes other users and Amazon Sidewalk in the US) to update its position.
In addition the Tile Pro is now stamped with a QR code on its back. If a person discovers the lost Tile tracker (whether they’re in the Tile network or not) they can scan it to receive contact information you have chosen to give out. With this information the good samaritan can now contact you to return your item to you.
The Tile Pro has an IP67 water and dust resistance rating. This score means it is completely dustproof and can survive being submerged in up to 1 metre of water for up to 30 minutes.
Lastly, our favorite feature on the Tile trackers has to be the reverse track. By double tapping the Tile logo on the Tile Pro you can make your in-range smartphone ring out like a Tile tracker. You wouldn’t believe how helpful this tool is.
Performance
From our own experience, the Tile Pro is a big time saver when you’re trying to get out the front door. It makes finding important items - like your keys - much quicker than blindly searching for where you last put them down.
It’s also good peace of mind if you’re worried you’ve left your item somewhere else to be able to quickly double-check that you did bring it home with you (or where it was lost if you in fact left it behind).
The ringer can get pretty loud, and inside our home we were able to hear it clearly enough from far away to focus in on where the Tile Pro was hiding.
If you do lose an item outside of your home though, Tile has told us its trackers have a 90% return rate - meaning the vast majority of items marked as lost are later found by their owners. We imagine this number will only increase thanks to the addition of the QR code and as Tile’s network grows (for example when Amazon Sidewalk launches outside the US).
Buy it if...
You want a tracker that works with every smartphone
If you aren't a dedicated Android or iOS user and like swapping each time you need to upgrade, these platform-agnostic trackers are a great choice.
You have a large home
Unlike Tile's other trackers, the 400ft range on the Tile Pro pretty much guarantees you'll be able to detect and find your missing item even if it's at the other end of the house.
You want a tracker that will last
With its IP67 waterproof rating and replaceable battery this hardy tracker will be looking after your stuff for the long haul.
Don't buy it if...
You want an affordable tracker
As Tile's best tracker the Tile Pro is also its most expensive. If you're after a cheaper solution you might prefer the cheaper Tile Mate (2021).
You want a wallet tracker
The Tile Pro has a great looking design but it's too bulky to fit in your wallet - and is best suited to tracking keys and bags. If you want a more trim tracking solution we'd recommend the Tile Slim which is roughly the size of a credit card.
You want ultra-wideband tracking
If you want to use the high-tech UWB tracking you'll find on the Apple AirTags you'll want to grab one of those instead (if you use an iPhone) or wait for the Tile Ultra taht's coming in 2022.
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