I've been testing key finders for a decade — and this is my new top pick
Tile Mate 2024 specs
Size: 1.5 x 1.5 x 0.29 inches
Listed range: 350 feet
Tested range: 60 feet
Water-resistance: IP68
Battery: 3-year, non-replaceable
Colors: 8 color options
The Tile Mate often finds itself playing second fiddle to the Tile Pro in Tile's key finder lineup, but not so with the 2024 models. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that if you're looking for a Bluetooth-based tracker to help you pinpoint the location of any object, the Tile Mate 2024 is the best key finder you can buy.
In part, that's a reflection of the current edition of the Tile Pro, which felt like a step backward after I got done testing it. But it's also because of the superior value that the Tile Mate has to offer, delivering the same tracking tools, but at a lower price. My Tile Mate 2024 review explains why this is the tracker most people should get. Tile Mate review: Price and availability
At $25, the Tile Mate joins the Tile Sticker as least expensive options in the Tile lineup. The Mate costs $10 less than the Tile Pro while sharing many of the same capabilities. It's also less expensive than both the Galaxy SmartTag 2 and Apple's AirTag, both of which cost $29. Unlike those two trackers, the Tile Mate works across both Android and iOS, connecting to a wide array of phones over Bluetooth. You may like
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The Tile Mate also offers more color options than the Tile Pro, which is only available in black and white. In contrast, you can pick from a variety of colors for your Tile Mate, including a two-tone design. For example, my review unit comes with a green front, with an aquamarine frame and backing.
(Image credit: Future)
Not much has changed with the look of the Tile Mate since the 2022 version. The part of the tracker where you latch on your keys is a little more subdued compared to the round circle of its predecessor, but that makes the device easier to attach in my opinion.
The Tile logo in the center of the tracker has been replaced by a Life360 logo, now that the location tracking and family security specialist has snapped up Tile. The new tracker also has a better IP68 water resistance rating, so it can survive a deeper dunk in water than the 2022 version.
Unlike the Tile Pro and its replaceable battery, the Tile Mate is completely sealed up. You use the tracker until it runs out of juice, which should be about three years after purchase. That's going to put off some people who prefer to repurpose their tech instead of constantly replacing it, but at least Tile trackers can be turned in to e-cycling facilities.
The basic feature set for the Tile Mate hasn't changed at all since the last version came out. You pair the tracker over Bluetooth to your phone using the Android or iOS version of the Tile app, and you can press a button in the app to sound an alarm on the tracker. That helps you track down your misplaced item if its in range, and if not, you can mark it as missing. That way, other Tile owners who pass by the item will be able to detect it and anonymously pass on its location to you.
(Image credit: Future)
Pressing the middle of the Tile Mate twice makes your phone ring — a very helpful feature if you misplace your phone as often as I do. New to the 2024 version of the Tile Mate is the ability to set an SOS alert though the Life360 app; when you press the button on your Tile Mate, three times, an alert will be sent out to your Life360 contacts notifying them of your location. The feature includes the ability to cancel the alert within 15 seconds of that triple press.
Concerned parents may appreciate the addition of SOS alerts to Tile trackers, but the implementation is a bit limited. You can either set the tracker to buzz your phone or send an alert, but you can't do both. I wish I didn't have to choose.
As part of the Life360 integration, you can now manage Tile trackers like the Mate through the Life360 app (Android, iOS). But you can access those trackers and the SOS feature without having to upgrade from the free membership tier. Tile Mate review: Performance
(Image credit: Future)
When I test key finders, I head to an open space like a park, set down the tracker and walk away to see how far I can get before I lose the connection with my phone. The Tile Mate 2024 promises a 350-foot range, but across multiple tests, I feel well short of that distance.
In fact, the furtherest I could ever get from the Tile Mate was 60 feet before the app would warn me that I was out of range. While I never expect to reach the maximum range in these tests, I do think the Mate 2024's performance is short of what I've come to expect from Tile products historically, though it has been a consistent issue with the 2024 Tile models that I've tested, be it the Mate or the Pro.
If there's any consolation to be had from lackluster range, it's that you'll never have any problem hearing the 100-decibel alarm from that distance. And in the most common use case — trying to track down keys you've misplaced in your home — the Tile Mate will perform admirably. Across larger areas, though, I'd be a little less confident.
(Image credit: Future)
Tile continues to offer a $30/year Tile Premium subscription that adds features like alerts when you leave behind your tracker (and whatever valuable you've attached, too.) The alerts can be helpful, but they also appear on your phone after a delay — in my testing, I was a mile away by car when a Smart Alert appeared on my phone. That's not a terribly long gap, but I still believe you can skip the Premium subscription and still get a lot of use out of any Tile product.
It's also worth noting that the Tile Mate doesn't offer Ultra Wideband activity like trackers from Samsung and Apple do. (In fact, no Tile tracker currently has this feature.) That means you're missing out on the precision finding features you'd get with the SmartTag or AirTag, but in my experience, Tile's Bluetooth connectivity has met my key-finding needs. Tile Mate review: Verdict
Range issues with this iteration of the Tile Mate aside, I've found the Mate to be fairly dependable for tracking down the location of objects around my home. Its low price, colorful look and durability make it the optimal choice if you're looking at Tile's lineup of key finders and are trying to decide which one to buy.
The Tile Pro delivers a louder alarm and promises longer range (at least on paper). But those advantages don't account for the $10 price difference between it and the Mate. If you don't mind the non-replaceable battery powering the Tile Mate, it's the key finder you should attach to your keychain.
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Kingston Business School is located about 30 minutes from central London and enrolls about 2,500 business students a year. Courtesy photo Some of the skills that I think really resonate right now are things like creative problem-solving, digital competencies, a questioning mindset, and things like resilience and self-awareness. Those are all part of the nine core skills we identified through our research. Kingston's approach is a structured, three phase model for each year of the undergrad experience. In the first year, called the Navigate phase, students reflect on those nine skills and where their strengths and gaps are. It might turn out a student is already strong in critical thinking, but needs to build more confidence in collaboration. That becomes a foundation for their development throughout the rest of the program. The second year is Explore, where they work on projects beyond their own discipline. 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So yes, many universities talk about skills and employability, but I haven't seen this level of strategic implementation before. Structuring the student experience around Navigate, Explore, Apply, that's something tangible. It gives students a clear developmental journey and gives us a language to talk about how our programs are different. In terms of purpose, we want to be a human-centered business school that delivers future skills and truly walks the talk for a progressive society. We aim to shape businesses through people and knowledge. This human-centered approach runs through everything. Our curriculum already integrates future skills, and now we want to align our research around that same ethos. For example, in our future-of-work research cluster, we're looking at behavioral insights and how employers and employees interact. Even in traditionally technical areas like economics, we're asking: can we explore the behavioral side? In marketing, how do consumer behaviors reflect deeper societal trends? The question we keep asking is: where does the human add value? That's the identity I'd like us to build: A business school that doesn't just equip students with technical knowledge but also prepares them to think critically and act responsibly. One that I think has huge potential is our , Behavioural Research Analytics in Neurotechnological Systems. While many universities have similar labs, they're often used primarily from a psychology perspective. What's great here is that we're integrating it into business-focused research and teaching. The lab is equipped with tools like eye-tracking and monitoring equipment to study human decision-making. For instance, you can run simulations like a financial market crash scenario and study how people make decisions under stress. You can analyze sentiment, track attention, and evaluate reactions in real time. There's also a team collaboration room that allows you to observe and study how people interact and work together in group settings. So whether it's for marketing research, financial behavior, or workplace team dynamics, it offers a wide range of business-relevant use cases. I really see this as one of Kingston's best-kept secrets, a resource we need to spotlight and scale up. Our current MBA program is undergoing a complete overhaul, and that's one of the key places where the human-centric philosophy is really taking shape. The MBA is an important offering for us both for talent development and for those already in business who want to upskill. Kingston had strong recognition for its MBA in the past, but it's a very crowded market now. So we asked ourselves: how can Kingston's MBA stand out? Sankar Sivarajah: 'We want graduates to be future-focused and open-minded, people who can navigate complexity and misinformation and still move society forward' We've centered the redesign around three key themes: digital intelligence, human value, and sustainability. One of the new features we're excited about is a leadership component called the 'MBA X.' It's designed to help students build confidence and presence. We leverage Kingston's strength in the arts and use creative spaces like a media studio where students can record podcasts, deliver presentations, and really learn to project themselves with authenticity. It's about helping them bring their unique 'X factor' into leadership. We're also embedding leadership development and coaching throughout the program in our 'The Kingston Impact: Leadership and Personal Growth' module. Currently, the MBA is offered full-time on campus, but we've just had the business case approved for launching an online version potentially in September 2026. Through my experience running an FT-ranked online MBA at Bradford, I know how saturated that space is. But I think there's a real opportunity for Kingston to stand out by leaning into our human-centric approach. Our MSc in International Business remains a flagship, as it does in many institutions. But we're also launching new programs in areas like Digital Marketing and Business Analytics. We are working on developing a new program in AI for Business with a clear emphasis on the human good and responsible application, which will set it apart. One final standout is our MSc in Occupational and Business Psychology. It's accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS), and it bridges social science and business in a meaningful way. That's quite rare in UK business schools, and it naturally supports the human-centered identity we're building. Our current mix is about 70% regional, 30% international. In the current climate where UK higher education is facing challenges with international student numbers, we're in a stronger position than many other institutions. That said, our postgraduate programs are where we see most of our international enrollment. We have a strong contingent from South Asia, and we also receive European students through our partnership with BI Norwegian Business School. Our MBA in particular has seen a big uptick in international interest. In the current MBA cohort, out of 35 students, 70% were from South Asia. But here's the surprising part: the second-largest group was from the United States. When I asked them why they chose Kingston, many mentioned wanting the UK and London experience. But they also did their research. A lot of the decision came down to word-of-mouth recommendations, which was encouraging to hear. So while we continue to serve a strong regional student base, especially at the undergraduate level, we're definitely building momentum internationally, particularly in our postgraduate and MBA offerings. At the institutional level, Kingston has a broader strategy for embedding AI across teaching and assessment. But within the business school specifically, we've developed a structured approach to how AI is integrated both in terms of policy and practice. We're using a three-level framework to guide how AI can be used in assessments: Level 1, AI not allowed. For example, live presentations where students must demonstrate their own thinking. Level 2, AI-assisted work is allowed. Students might use ChatGPT or Grammarly but must disclose it. Level 3, AI use is required. Students may have to build models or chatbots as part of the brief. This tiered model helps us stay consistent and intentional. It gives faculty the tools to design assignments that either exclude, allow, or mandate AI use, depending on the learning objectives. And because it's embedded into modules across subjects, we're able to build students' digital fluency in a clear and structured way. So it's not just about offering one AI course or launching a degree; We're taking a much broader, integrated approach that aligns with our human-centered philosophy. We're asking: how can AI augment learning while still developing the critical thinking, creativity, and ethical awareness that make human contributions valuable? On top of that, we're also developing a new program specifically designed to build AI skills for non-technical learners, particularly for future business leaders. It's still in the design phase, but the idea is to help students and professionals who don't have a technical background understand how to engage with AI in a responsible, ethical, and strategic way. I think one of the biggest is staying relevant in such an uncertain and fast-changing environment. The more I reflect on it, and the more I attend conferences and conversations across the business school space, the more it becomes clear that we need to constantly redefine what our value add is. Today's learners, especially Gen Z and the upcoming Gen Alpha, are different. They've been exposed to vast amounts of information, screen time, and digital tools from an early age. So, when they come into the classroom, it's not enough to just deliver knowledge. They've already encountered much of it, or at least the surface of it, online. So we have to ask ourselves: What is the real value of coming to a business school? For me, it's about depth. It's about knowledge creation, critical thinking, intellectual debate, and the human touch – the philosophical and behavioral side of business. That's where our strength lies: in helping students question, evaluate, and apply knowledge with purpose. Especially with the rise of AI, we need to ensure that students still understand the fundamentals. You need the depth to be able to assess whether AI is giving you the right answer. You can't do that without understanding the foundation behind it. But we also have to keep pace with how businesses are operating right now. That's the real tension: staying academically rigorous while also remaining industry-relevant. Businesses are using tools and technologies at a pace that's hard to match in education, and we have to make sure our teaching and our programs reflect that. For example, in one of our Future Skills surveys, we asked businesses whether they thought graduates were fit for roles involving AI. Fewer than 30% said yes. That's a clear signal. One thing that stands out to me is the increasing role of geopolitics and how that intersects with business education. More and more, we're having to think about how political and cultural shifts affect not only what we teach but how we build partnerships and engage with students. Things like equity, diversity, inclusion, all of those are critically important. But they can also become very personal, very emotive topics. So I think a key challenge for business education, and for Kingston specifically, is how we help students navigate that complexity. How do we equip them to operate in global business environments where diplomacy, relationship-building, and cross-cultural understanding are essential? How do you hold onto your values while still learning how to engage constructively in partnerships, even with people or entities you might disagree with? That's something we need to continue reflecting on as educators: how to keep students ready for the world as it is, not just the world as we wish it would be. One more thing I think is really important is the role of place. Business schools shouldn't operate in a bubble, and one thing I learned from my previous role was how deeply a school can engage with its local community. At Bradford, for example, it's a city with high levels of deprivation, very different from London. We did programs to support social mobility, rehabilitation projects for prisoners, support for Ukrainian refugees, and training initiatives for people who had never had access to higher education. We worked with local government and played a role in the city's cultural and economic development. Now at Kingston, the context is different, but the responsibility is the same. Kingston is known as a safe and prosperous borough in London. We have Richmond Park and Wimbledon Common right next to us. But even here, we have students who come from less privileged backgrounds. Just because it's a wealthy area doesn't mean every student has had the same opportunities. We're already working with large organizations – Unilever's headquarters is here, for example – but the question is, how do we make sure all of our students, regardless of background, have access to those opportunities? We're partnering with the local council, the Kingston Chamber of Commerce, running Future of Work summits, mock assessments, and leadership events—not as optional extras, but as built-in parts of the student experience. We want our students to be the first choice, not the insurance choice. That means developing their skills, yes, but also giving them high-value experiences and networks. And by doing that, we also give back to our community. That's how I think business schools should operate: Not just as institutions of learning, but as civic partners helping shape the places they're in. DON'T MISS: LONDON BUSINESS SCHOOL DEAN SERGEI GURIEV AND IVEY DEAN JULIAN BIRKINSHAW HAS GLOBAL AMBITIONS FOR ELITE CANADIAN B-SCHOOL The post The P&Q Interview: Kingston's Human-Centered, Future-Skills Approach To Business appeared first on Poets&Quants. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
