Apple AirTag vs Tile vs Galaxy SmartTag: How do the trackers compare?

(Pocket-lint) - In 2021 Apple joined the Bluetooth tracking fray, moving into the marketplace that was precise overmuch established by Tile a fig of years earlier.

Samsung's Galaxy SmartTag and SmartTag+ was announced successful aboriginal 2021, but is really a second-gen instrumentality from Samsung, who primitively launched the SmartThings Tracker, an LTE device, successful 2018.

Suddenly the Bluetooth tracker marketplace is simply a congested space, truthful here's however these 3 platforms compare.

System compatibility

• Apple Find My
• Samsung SmartThings Find
• Tile app

Let's commencement with the evident points: Apple AirTag works with Find My, which is lone connected Apple devices. Samsung Galaxy SmartTag works with SmartThings Find, which is lone connected Samsung Galaxy devices.

Both these trackers enactment wrong a walled garden: lone Apple devices volition find the AirTag, lone Samsung Galaxy devices volition find the SmartTag. Both of these networks are perchance immense arsenic they are marketplace leaders successful smartphone income - but there's a drawback for Samsung.

Apple requires you to usage an Apple ID for your iPhone (meaning there's imaginable for each iPhones to find an AirTag), but Samsung doesn't necessitate the usage of a Samsung Account connected a Galaxy device.

For Galaxy SmartTag to work, you person to beryllium signed into a Samsung Account, truthful determination is the imaginable that not each Samsung phones volition observe Galaxy SmartTag, due to the fact that immoderate radical volition take not to usage the Samsung account.

This means Apple's web is perchance larger, the cardinal iOS devices that Apple likes to speech about.

Tile, connected the different manus has a marque agnostic attack and tin beryllium utilized by iPhone oregon Android devices. This opens the doors to each devices capable to find Tiles, but there's a drawback here: lone Tile users with the app installed volition observe a Tile, though successful the aboriginal this volition perchance see each Amazon Sidewalk devices too, which would let Tile detection from a wider scope of devices.

That means that Tile is simply constricted by the fig of existent progressive users, facing a bigger situation than Samsung, but with Apple having a wide vantage with the sheer fig of imaginable detection devices. The summation of Sidewalk could adhd an vantage to Tile successful the future.

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How these services work

• Bluetooth Low Energy
• Location logging from smartphone

In essence, there's precise small quality successful however these devices really work. All usage Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to support a transportation to the tracker device, logging the determination from the phone's determination information truthful it knows wherever that instrumentality is.

While you're successful interaction with the device, you'll beryllium capable to get it to play a dependable to find it.

When you suffer a device, you'll beryllium capable to see, successful the respective app, the past determination wherever you were connected to that device.

If you suffer a device, the process is overmuch the aforesaid again. You tin people the point arsenic lost, astatine which point, if the tracker is detected by compatible phones successful the wider web - utilizing BLE successful the inheritance - you'll get an anonymous and unafraid notification, telling you wherever your instrumentality was found, truthful you tin spell and get it.

Bluetooth Low Energy is particularly bully astatine this due to the fact that it needs precise small artillery powerfulness to accidental "I exist!", meaning the artillery volition past for astir a twelvemonth crossed each these devices - though successful the latest procreation of Tile devices launched successful 2021, the Tile Mate, Tile Slim and Tile Sticker connection 3 years of artillery life.

In essence, each these devices enactment the aforesaid way.

What astir ultra-wideband?

• Apple U1
• Samsung besides has UWB
• Tile Ultra volition connection successful 2022

Ultra-wideband - or UWB - plays a portion erstwhile it comes to precise determination finding. This is erstwhile you've mislaid your keys astatine location and you conscionable can't spot them - UWB tin usher you to the precise location, giving a precise range, which is simply a bully feature.

For Apple, this is provided by the U1 spot successful some the iPhone (11/12/13) and the AirTag to springiness you a graphical usher backmost to your device. It's a clever usage of this exertion but Apple isn't unsocial successful offering it.

Samsung besides offers UWB for precise determination tracking connected the Galaxy SmartTag+, but not the regular SmartTag.

Of course, you besides request to person a Samsung telephone with UWB and that's presently lone the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, the Galaxy S21+ and the Galaxy S21 Ultra. Again, Apple has enactment UWB successful much devices (iPhone 11 models and iPhone 12 models) truthful it's easier for Apple users to instrumentality vantage of the precocious UWB tracking.

Tile volition beryllium launching a UWB-compatible instrumentality successful 2022 called Tile Ultra. This volition look the aforesaid arsenic the Tile Pro (2021). The vantage that Tile offers is that it's marque agnostic, truthful volition enactment with the UWB spot connected some Apple and Android devices - but determination aren't galore Android devices that presently enactment this extracurricular of the Samsung phones we've mentioned.

Design

• AirTag: 39.1 x 39.1 x 8.0mm, 11g
• Tile Pro: 42 x 42 x 6.5mm, 12g (old); 58 x 33 x 7mm (2021)
• Galaxy SmartTag: 38 x 38 x 8mm, 12g

The sizes of these instrumentality are close, with AirTag similar a circular button, Samsung adopting the squircle and the older Tile Pro a square, portion the 2021 update to the Tile Pro is shaped similar a keyfob. 

The large quality is that Samsung and Tile person a spread successful truthful it's casual to connect to things, but for Apple, you'll request to buy an accessory - a full caller marketplace - though Apple seems to person designed the AirTag to beryllium shown off, whereas Tile and Samsung consciousness similar devices you'd person tucked away. 

All connection h2o resistance, Apple with IP67, Tile Pro (2021) with IP67 and Samsung with IPX3. Apple and Tile connection the aforesaid waterproofing - but it's besides worthy noting that Tile offers a scope of styles, including the Tile Sticker, Tile Mate and Tile Slim, each of which are IP67 excessively and suit a scope of antithetic uses.

The AirTag, SmartTag and Tile Pro each usage a CR2032 artillery which is replaceable. Tile Mate, Slim and Sticker don't person replacable batteries - but bash connection 3 years of life.

Detection range

• AirTag: Unstated, 10 metres effective
• Tile Pro: 120 metres claimed, 80 metres effective
• Galaxy SmartTag: 120 metres claimed, 40 metres effective

Apple didn't officially declared the scope astatine launch, but some Samsung and Tile springiness a maximum scope of astir 120 metres. This is simply a method maximum scope dictated by Bluetooth, but volition beryllium affected by the instrumentality you are utilizing to observe it and the situation that you are in. We've tested each these devices outdoors connected level crushed to comparison the range.

Comparing the 3 devices side-by-side is revealing. The AirTag is the archetypal to suffer interaction and we recovered we needed to beryllium wrong astir 10 metres to beryllium connected to it. The U1 spot volition usher you into the precise determination erstwhile it comes to finding, but you'll person to beryllium overmuch person than the different devices to trigger that process.

The Samsung Galaxy SmartTag volition marque interaction astir 40 metres away, allowing you to trigger the dependable and usage the awesome detector to get you adjacent to it.

The Tile Pro offers considerably much scope and we recovered it was inactive successful interaction astir 80-100 metres away. This would let america to play the dependable to assistance find it. Tile Pro's talker is besides a batch louder, truthful you're overmuch much apt to perceive it.

The vantage of longer scope is you're overmuch much apt to beryllium connected to the Tile, oregon reconnect to the Tile erstwhile you travel adjacent to it - the different devices volition trust connected others reporting the determination oregon utilizing the past known determination to get you adjacent to it. Tile is the casual victor erstwhile it comes to range.

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Additional features

• Apple: NFC interaction details
• Tile: Smart Alerts (Premium), Tile sharing
• Samsung: Programmable button

While the determination tracking features of these devices is similar, determination are antithetic functions offered extracurricular of UWB precise determination finding.

Apple's unsocial diagnostic is the quality to usage immoderate NFC instrumentality (yes, adjacent an Android phone) to pat an AirTag and get interaction details for the proprietor of that tag - if they've provided them. The thought is truthful you tin telephone the proprietor if you find their bag.

Apple besides has a diagnostic that volition fto you cognize if you look to beryllium moving astir with an unrecognised AirTag. This is to halt idiosyncratic slipping 1 into your container truthful they tin way you. Samsung besides offers the aforesaid feature. Tile volition beryllium adding a akin diagnostic earlier the extremity of 2021.

Samsung's unsocial diagnostic is that the fastener connected it is programmable. A treble property volition ringing your phone, successful lawsuit you've mislaid that, which Tile besides offers.

Samsung goes further allowing azygous property and agelong property functions, which tin trigger SmartThings actions. For example, you tin agelong property the fastener to crook connected your SmartThings-compatible location information cameras, oregon your invited location lights - oregon whatever, arsenic agelong arsenic it's successful SmartThings. Of course, the SmartTag request to beryllium connected to your telephone for this to work.

Tile allows sharing of Tiles. This volition fto you stock a Tile with idiosyncratic other truthful they tin assistance you find it. This is large if you person 2 of you wanting to find the car keys, for example. You don't request the Tile proprietor astatine home, the shared idiosyncratic tin find it themselves. Samsung volition fto you adhd different users to your SmartThings Find web to assistance you find mislaid things.

Tile offers a QR codification connected the backmost of its 2021 Pro, Mate and Slim trackers, which anyone tin scan if they find the Tile. This tin either alert the idiosyncratic that a Tile has been found, oregon supply interaction details to the finder.

Tile offers a postulation of Premium features which outgo other ($2.99/mo). The astir utile of these is the Smart Alert which volition notify you if you permission thing behind. This is the notification which would archer you that you person near your keys successful the java shop. It's fundamentally a disconnection alert erstwhile you're separated from your Tile.

Tile's Premium offering besides includes things similar escaped artillery replacement, though the batteries aren't hard to bargain oregon expensive, truthful that's improbable to beryllium a cardinal motivator for paying a subscription.

Of each these things, Tile's Smart Alert is the astir useful, telling you erstwhile you've near thing behind.

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What astir third-party devices?

Tile works with a fig of different devices - HP, Skullcandy, Fitbit, Bose, and much - to connection a wider system. Tile has been gathering this strategy to broaden the entreaty of Tile and propulsion unneurotic devices that different mightiness not person specified tracking offered.

Tile besides keeps way of phones that person the Tile app installed connected it, arsenic they are efficaciously different Tile device.

Apple, of course, uses Find My to find each devices that you've signed into - AirPods, iPad, MacBook and truthful on. Apple has precocious announced third-party compatibility done the Works with Find My programme.

This includes Van Moof bicycles, for illustration - but fixed the size of the Apple network, is apt to spot wide adoption.

Samsung offers akin done SmartThings Find, keeping way of your Samsung Buds for example, arsenic good arsenic your SmartTag, but it isn't arsenic acold reaching arsenic Tile oregon Apple successful this sense.

Prices and options

• AirTag: $29.00/£29.99/€35.00
• Tile: From $24.99/£19.99/€24.99
• Galaxy SmartTag: $29.99/£29.00/€35.00

Apple's AirTag comes successful 1 benignant which does everything. That makes it cheaper and simpler to choose, but you'll request to bargain an accessory if you really privation to connect it to something. Samsung's Galaxy SmartTag is the aforesaid terms - but the SmartTag+ including UWB, i.e., the equivalent of Apple's device, is £10 more.

We fishy Samsung volition beryllium forced to set the terms to marque it competitory with Apple.

Tile starts cheaper than each the others, but this is for the Tile Mate. The Tile Pro is the aforesaid terms arsenic Apple, portion determination are options for the Tile Slim (a paper which volition acceptable into your wallet) and the Tile Sticker which is tiny and adhesive and tin beryllium attached to anything.

Ultimately, Tile offers mode much options than different providers, giving you a batch much versatility successful however your tracking tin beryllium arranged - but immoderate devices don't person swappable batteries, truthful erstwhile they are dead, they are dead.

Conclusions

Apple's large play present is the size of the network. It plays precisely into what Apple is bully at, which is having each its devices aligned and drafting them each successful to play a part. Ultimately, that's astir apt going to marque the AirTag a no-brainer for Apple users, bearing successful caput that if you permission Apple, your AirTag volition past beryllium redundant. With third-party integration, the Find My web is lone acceptable to expand, but the effectual detection scope of the AirTag is truthful overmuch shorter than different devices. 

Tile has a batch to offer: cross-platform compatibility, prime of instrumentality to suit a wider scope of usage cases, and a overmuch longer moving range. Tile stands to payment the astir if Apple and Samsung's determination into the marketplace alerts radical to Bluetooth tracking and convinces radical that Tile's solution suits them amended - and this is simply a increasing market.

Samsung's regulation is the request to beryllium utilizing the Samsung account: if it worked with each Samsung phones conscionable utilizing a Google account, it would perchance rival Apple's instrumentality reach. Currently, if you permission Samsung for a antithetic Android device, your Galaxy SmartTag would go useless.

In presumption of the exertion itself, astatine its halfway there's precise small quality betwixt them: some Samsung and Apple person utilized the strategy that Tile established and refined implicit the champion portion of a decennary and fixed it a twist. But Tile's acquisition shows with the effectual scope of its devices.

Writing by Chris Hall. Originally published connected 26 April 2021.