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The best Bluetooth tracker
By Nick Guy This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, Wirecutter and Engadget may earn affiliate commission. Read the full Bluetooth tracker guide here. After 30 hours of research and 40 hours testing the top contenders over the past four years, we've found the Tile Pro is the best Bluetooth tracker for keeping tabs on your stuff. It has longer range, a louder alarm, and a larger crowd-finding network than anything else we tested, and unlike previous Tile models, it even has a replaceable battery. Bluetooth trackers let you use a smartphone app to monitor the location of whatever they're attached to, and the Tile models have the best Bluetooth range by far, letting you find stuff that's farther away. You can also remotely trigger a sound on the tracker to locate it when you're nearby (say, when you've misplaced your keys in your house), and the Tile trackers are the loudest and easiest to hear. When the tracker is out of Bluetooth range, a crowd-finding feature lets other people help you locate your item, and Tile has the largest crowd-finding network of its kind. Tile's trackers also look better than most. The Bluetooth range of the Tile Mate is shorter than that of the Pro and its alarm isn't as loud, but it's still better than the trackers from any other company, and it's fine for finding your keys around the house. It's a good choice if you're looking to spend a little less money, and like the Pro, it has a user-replaceable battery. The Tile Slim has the shortest range and quietest alarm of Tile's trackers, and its battery isn't replaceable. But it still performs well compared to other company's trackers, and because it's the thickness of about three credit cards, it can fit places where other Tile models might not, such as in your wallet or stuck to the top of a portable hard drive. It's also the only slim tracker that benefits from Tile's crowd-finding reach.
Tile unveils a smaller take on its original bluetooth tracker
In the three years since it first introduced its Bluetooth trackers, Tile has accepted that less can be more and worked to reduce the profile of its location-aware squares. Less than two months ago, we saw the launch of the Tile Slim -- a thin tracker designed for use in wallets, purses and laptops -- but that wasn't all that Tile has been working on. Today, it's taken the wraps off the Mate, a smaller take on the Original that comes with the all-important loop.
Tile's slimmest Bluetooth tracker won't bulk up your wallet
Tile, which raised over a million dollars on Kickstarter over three years ago, is a popular Bluetooth tracker that helps you find your missing stuff. Aside from Bluetooth, it also uses a crowd-finding feature where other Tile app users can ping you the whereabouts of a Tile that's out of Bluetooth range. There was an update last year to Tile 2.0, which has a louder alarm plus it'll help find your phone as well. The problem with the existing Tile, however, is that it's a little chunky. That's why Tile has now introduced the Tile Slim, a much thinner version of the tracker that'll fit more comfortably in tight spots like wallets and passport holders. But that's not all. Tile has also announced a new initiative that just might bring Tile's location-finding smarts to anything and everything.
