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Apple AirTag vs. Tile: Battle of the Bluetooth trackers

Apple AirTags and the Tile Mate, Pro, Slim and Sticker are part of a growing category of Bluetooth trackers. You attach them to an item so you always know where it is. If you lose the item, you can use an app to locate it. But as similar as AirTags and Tile trackers may seem,…

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Apple AirTags and the Tile Mate, Pro, Slim and Sticker are part of a growing category of Bluetooth trackers. You attach them to an item so you always know where it is. If you lose the item, you can use an app to locate it. But as similar as AirTags and Tile trackers may seem, they’re actually quite different.

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64 Comments

64 Comments

  1. Christopher Smith

    May 10, 2021 at 6:49 pm

    Hey I live just outside of Greenville SC that’s cool!👍🏾

  2. Paul Stahly

    May 10, 2021 at 6:51 pm

    Can I put this on my dog?

    • Kristian Lundin

      May 10, 2021 at 7:41 pm

      No, the dog starts barking until it is found on the find my network….

  3. David Tanner

    May 10, 2021 at 6:53 pm

    I have had Tile for 4-5 years. Have put it in golf bags, travelling by air and could never see a location until I was nearby. Limitation has always been the network I feel. If you’re on a beach in Sicily, the chances of finding your “Tile” is very very limited. On the other hand, the Air Tag [I don’t own yet] seems to have a leg up since there are so many iPhones. Time will tell and I’ll wait to post Covid-19 travel to buy them. If I were in downtown Toronto and could move about [we’re still in lockdown] to restaurants, etc, then maybe now.

  4. Tim Twining

    May 10, 2021 at 7:10 pm

    I think Apple is Apple, so the fact that Tile is platform Agnostic is pretty hot. Better for more people.

  5. Percy Luciano

    May 10, 2021 at 7:22 pm

    Ugh this is just making me want AirTags even more

  6. Morton Hamlette

    May 10, 2021 at 7:59 pm

    IMO I think Tile is the better solution heres why,, Amazon just launched a partnership with Tile and the sidewalk so have enhanced features more tracking,,, how many households have a Amazon account, ,, my point exact… everyone doesnt have a Iphone…

  7. Efone

    May 10, 2021 at 8:15 pm

    you really didnt talk about the price tiles are way less expensive. Airtag$59 or Tile pro $30. That is not a comparison that is just an Apple robbery. Tiles also work with a ton of third party accessories devices natively for example tile is built into some Bose and Plantronics headsets.

  8. thumbtak

    May 10, 2021 at 8:19 pm

    You also have Keysmart Pro or Max with built in tile.

  9. water cooled

    May 10, 2021 at 8:24 pm

    I’ve had very good experiences with Tile (no premium membership) over the years using my iphone. Found my luggage after an airport mess-up using the Tiles stowed in them. Located misplaced keys twice. Batteries last over a year. Annoyed with having to buy holders for Airtags….will stick with Tile.

  10. Vikhnesh AR

    May 10, 2021 at 8:30 pm

    Would you put a hole on your Air tag or would rather buy an accessory like the Apple keychain

  11. Vikhnesh AR

    May 10, 2021 at 8:36 pm

    I want a small tracker with a GPS

    Comeon Apple make it happen

  12. Don 1 Design CEO

    May 10, 2021 at 8:50 pm

    I’m waiting for google to make there own
    because the network will be bigger

  13. Steven

    May 10, 2021 at 8:58 pm

    Whats an An-dro-id phone lol

  14. SpikeTiger0

    May 10, 2021 at 9:00 pm

    did apple think if people went on vacation they might be away from their tags for more than 3 days…

  15. Frank Rose

    May 10, 2021 at 9:34 pm

    Great video

  16. Fred Eddy

    May 10, 2021 at 10:36 pm

    Airtag has the “beep when separated” feature that will make a noise if your airtag is separated from your phone for 3 days. I wish this could be temporarily disabled by the owner.. I would like to keep an airtag always in my knapsack or briefcase, but I often leave these items at home when I’m away for a few days. Apple COULD make this possible by software, but will they?

  17. Tomek C

    May 10, 2021 at 10:59 pm

    Tile has reminders if you leave your item behind. Does airtag?

  18. Alex McCaffrey

    May 10, 2021 at 11:03 pm

    Can you also compare them to Samsung’s tracker. I’m considering Samsung’s (supports UWB) or Tile’s (isn’t locked to Galaxy Phones only). Will probably get Tile as I may not stay with Samsung.

  19. M M

    May 10, 2021 at 11:12 pm

    So the airtag doesnt have the feature that lets you page your phone, correct?

  20. nuyou21

    May 10, 2021 at 11:26 pm

    It’s safe to say the writings on the wall for Tile, especially now that they’ve partnered with Amazon as get ready for AmazonTags. 😂

  21. abel Mposha

    May 11, 2021 at 12:11 am

    Hundreds of billions of apple devices….are you delusional?

  22. TheAtomic Soul

    May 11, 2021 at 12:41 am

    Haven’t we hit a point where these tags should be CELL NETWORK BASED instead of BT?

  23. Freddie the Fly

    May 11, 2021 at 12:48 am

    Can you do a comparison between the AirTag and the Samsung SmartTag?

  24. Kevin - 6Y8

    May 11, 2021 at 1:00 am

    Tile for us Android users, Air Tags for iPhone users. ✌🏼🧔🏻👍🏼

  25. Adam Roach

    May 11, 2021 at 1:15 am

    1:47 hundreds of billions

  26. Sean Lewis

    May 11, 2021 at 1:54 am

    Leaving out samsung I see

  27. User

    May 11, 2021 at 2:35 am

    I feel more confident about the Airtag using the network of Apple devices. Here in suburban Australia, practically everyone has an iPhone but I’ve yet to meet someone using a Tile so I think the Tile network here is nowhere near as extensive.

    Edit: And in my opinion the AirTag with its polished metal front and personalised engraving looks smarter on a keychain in a leather loop I got off eBay than a chunk of black/white plastic. Most people choose a keychain based on appearance, it only makes sense that the key finder is attractive too.

  28. Bholu Whoop

    May 11, 2021 at 2:57 am

    Only if someone made a tracking device that uses all Android devices as a network….. Apple’s Find my network will be crushed…. There are like 2.5 billion android devices, excluding Tablets…..

    • User

      May 11, 2021 at 6:53 am

      Maybe for developing markets like India, but countries like Japan, Australia, US, Canada, all have a massive iOS market share. Also only IF it happens, but I guarantee you the fragmentation between Android versions and OEMs means that this is only a pipe dream. Yes it would be great but I don’t see Google doing anything like this, even Samsung went ahead and made one relying on the Samsung network. People don’t trust Google as it is and opt out of tracking as Google makes it revenue selling user data as their main business anyway.

  29. rakim

    May 11, 2021 at 3:09 am

    Damn, looking great dude, stay fit 😁

  30. DCJ DCJ

    May 11, 2021 at 3:25 am

    How about the subscription service in tile you didn’t talk about that. I rather do air tag 80% of the time Tile doesn’t work

  31. Cameron Mulder

    May 11, 2021 at 6:30 am

    No mention at all of Chipolo ONE Spot?

  32. James Ebenger

    May 11, 2021 at 8:30 am

    Love my Tiles. Don’t have to buy something extra to attach it to my keys. 🙂

  33. bad65dad

    May 11, 2021 at 8:57 am

    Samsung beats them both with the push to locate features built-in plus more ready to attach to anything

  34. Mike Zedalis

    May 11, 2021 at 10:25 am

    Many will think Apple invented this

  35. Peter Frank

    May 11, 2021 at 10:27 am

    Doesn’t know if someone already mentioned it in the comments but.. there will be third party “tags” out soon, and I would be surprised if there wouldn’t be a wallet size tag among them later on.

  36. O D

    May 11, 2021 at 10:37 am

    Hey CNET, you have withheld the most crucial difference between the Airtag and Tile. With Tile you need to have the Tile app open and running 24/7 with access to GPS in order for any phone to pickup a lost Tile. Out of those 10mil. sold you probably have 1-2 million in use and probably a couple of thousand that have their app open all the time and GPS permission on. In summary, the chances of finding a lost tile outside of bluetooth range are close to finding your lost item without any tracking device. Airtags on the other hand utlize ALL active iphones out in the wild. You also didn’t mention the bluetooth range difference between the 2 trackers, sorry but I can’t take your work seriously anymore even amature youtubers are able to do a much better job

  37. Prince Hassan

    May 11, 2021 at 12:20 pm

    Tile seems much better 👍

  38. Bruce Pelton

    May 11, 2021 at 12:48 pm

    As Dan said the lack of Family Sharing is a fatal flaw. We have Tile and AirTags but the AirTags will go into a drawer right now. They are not family friendly

  39. TH

    May 11, 2021 at 1:51 pm

    100’s billions of apple devices ??? 😂

  40. ros

    May 11, 2021 at 1:58 pm

    Whoever is here, watch @brian tong review it’s better

  41. James Vincent

    May 11, 2021 at 4:20 pm

    I’ve been using Tile for some years. It’s great. Really helpful if I leave the house without my wallet ‘cos my phone will tell me.
    That’s one thing you left out. But that’s part of the yearly extra subscription service for extra features on top of everything you’ve mentioned.

  42. Brandon

    May 11, 2021 at 7:02 pm

    Apples network is what is going to put tile out of business unless they choose to utilize their network.

  43. VEGANSAM

    May 11, 2021 at 7:36 pm

    So…a self-proclaimed ‘environmentally conscious’ company…offers LEATHER…vs sustainable vegan hangers for its Air-Pods.
    What else is new?! :-/

  44. David DeLuna Jr

    May 11, 2021 at 8:10 pm

    take that thing out of ur damn mouth

  45. Owen Hoover

    May 11, 2021 at 9:12 pm

    Could you do a video on how each tag works with apple and android? like an apple tag with android, and tile with apple.

  46. Walter Maddox

    May 11, 2021 at 9:13 pm

    getting a tile I have android

  47. Daniel Hudson

    May 11, 2021 at 9:57 pm

    Ok looking at them side by side apple funny for not just making a little hole in the air tag to just attach a loop thingy

  48. chrluc

    May 11, 2021 at 11:03 pm

    Tile is no different for all the other trackers that exist and that have come and gone, it’s just another tracker. The only one who has innovated in the space is Apple.

  49. Michael Taylor

    May 11, 2021 at 11:16 pm

    Ayyyy Greenville sc

  50. Emil S

    May 11, 2021 at 11:58 pm

    I am in Greenville South Carolina 🙂

  51. Mark Silverman

    May 12, 2021 at 3:06 am

    Can the air tag be attached to luggage when traveling by plane? If the luggage is lost will the air tag permit recovery?

  52. Internet User

    May 12, 2021 at 6:30 am

    Can barely hear the vocal track of this video.

  53. MOBELEASH

    May 12, 2021 at 1:12 pm

    Tiles and Apple Air Tags are just Cool. Tags you’re IT. mobeleash

  54. Yifan Liu

    May 12, 2021 at 1:54 pm

    I like the LEGO space shuttle in the background.

  55. Tenzing Ngodub

    May 12, 2021 at 2:41 pm

    There will be millions of iPhone around but who keeps their Bluetooth on, unless they are connected to their AirPods or Apple Watch?

  56. Karan Amin

    May 12, 2021 at 5:37 pm

    My guy said 100s OF billions LOL

  57. Michael Duke

    May 12, 2021 at 5:58 pm

    Long-time Tile user who has switched to AirTags. I’ve used them side by side, and AirTags wins easily when it comes to finding things. The Apple Find My network seems to dwarf the Tile network. And these things are ultimately about finding lost or misplaced stuff. Not to mention that the biggest evolution for Tile over recent years was adding a replaceable battery in its main product offering. I imagine Apple will out innovate Tile, and already has a significant lead. Sorry Tile.

  58. w570

    May 12, 2021 at 6:08 pm

    looks good. ill wait for a black version thats thinner

  59. J C

    May 12, 2021 at 7:44 pm

    I’d go with air tag.

  60. Larry Shackle

    May 12, 2021 at 7:55 pm

    If you’re a man and keep your wallet in your back pocket, what level of butt pressure will the tile stand up to?

  61. Devin LaTray

    May 13, 2021 at 12:42 pm

    Bought a few air tags last week and it’s nice to have, but I’m struggling with my wallet. I found an item online that you can put your air tag in to basically make it the size of a thick card. That way you don’t have a bulge. But other then that, the precision finding if a fun gag that I show people at work and events!

  62. David de la Bastida

    May 13, 2021 at 11:33 pm

    Great video. How about Apple vs Samsung tags comparison?

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