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Engadget
07-05-2025
- Engadget
A four-pack of Samsung SmartTag 2 Bluetooth trackers is down to $52 at Woot
A four-pack of Samsung SmartTag 2 Bluetooth trackers is available for just $52 at Woot. That's a record low price and a discount of 38 percent. This pack includes two white and two black trackers. There's a limit of two packs per customer. This particular model made our list of the best Bluetooth trackers , and this is particularly true for those already tied into the Samsung ecosystem. We love the design. It's an oblong fob with a big hole for attaching directly to keys and the like. This is something that Apple AirTags don't offer out of the box, as you need a case for the purposes of attaching. This is a record low price. $52 at Woot These Samsung trackers are also louder when pinged than the AirTag or the Tile Pro. This makes it a bit easier to find something when the time comes. You can also change the tag's ringtone or double squeeze it to ring the handset, both things that aren't possible with AirTags. Setup is simple and we came away impressed with how easy it was to locate lost items out in the wild. The companion app, SmartThings Find, offers an intuitive Google Maps-based interface. We found that alerts triggered reliably when we got around three to eight blocks away from the lost item. These may be the best trackers for Samsung users, but they are also exclusively tied to the company's ecosystem. Don't buy these if you use an iPhone. The finding network isn't as vast as Google's Find My Device or Apple's Find My, but it gets the job done. Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice .
Tom's Guide
06-05-2025
- Tom's Guide
I tried this wallet-sized tracker for a month — and I wouldn't recommend it
Tile Slim 2024 specs Size: 3.4 x 2.1 x 0.1 inches Listed range: 350 feet Tested range: 75 meet Water-resistance?: IP68 Battery: 3-year, non-replaceable Colors: 8 color options In addition to best key finder contenders like the Tile Pro and Tile Mate, the Tile lineup also includes speciality trackers for more specific tasks. Chief among them is the Tile Slim, a credit card-sized tracking device that slips into a wallet or purse for easy monitoring from an app on your phone. Or at least it would be easy, if the Tile Slim wasn't beset by limitations to both design and performance. I generally like the 2024 lineup of Tile tracking devices, but the Slim is clearly the weakest of the bunch. My Tile Slim 2024 review looks at why. Tile Slim 2024 review: Price and availability The Tile Slim costs $30 — more than the $25 Tile Mate but less than the $35 Tile Pro. You may like That $30 cost only applies to the black version of the wallet tracker. Tile offer the Slim in eight color combinations total, but versions in green, aqua, navy and pink raise the price to $34. Today's best Tile by Life360 Slim (2024) deals The additional colors are certainly more eye-catching than the basic black version — I certainly liked the look of the green Tile Slim I tested. But with the tracker tucked into a slot inside your wallet — and thus out of view most of the time — is that splash of color really worth an extra $3? Tile Slim 2024 review: Design and features (Image credit: Future) With its 3.4 x 2.1 x 0.1-inch dimensions, the Tile Slim was built to slip into a wallet, and at 14 grams, it's not adding any appreciable weight. A device that thin doesn't leave much room for a replaceable battery. Indeed, like the Tile Mate and Tile Sticker, the Tile Slim uses a non-replaceable battery, though the manufacturer reckons on three years of use before requiring a replacement. A Life360 logo in the lower left corner — Life360 now owns the Tile brand — doubles as a button. Press it twice, and you can make your phone ring. New for the latest model is integration with the Life360 app, which lets you set up the button for a triple press to trigger an SOS alert to your trusted Life360 contacts. It's a nice addition, though you're forced to choose either the two-way find feature for your phone or the SOS alert. None of the new Tile products can support both alerts. Tile app (left) and Life360 app (right) (Image credit: Future) Apart from that addition, the Tile Slim's feature set remains the same as its predecessor's — and indeed, for all the Tile tracking devices. You pair the tracker with the Tile app (Android, iOS), which allows you to buzz the finder from your phone. Doing so triggers an alarm to help you track down the location of your misplaced wallet or purse. The Tile Slim connects over Bluetooth, with no support for the Ultra Wideband connectivity offered by Apple's AirTag or Samsung's Galaxy SmartTag 2. Of course, neither of those products are wallet-sized nor can they work on phones that aren't either iPhone or Galaxy devices, respectively. The Tile Slim enjoys wider compatibility. Tile Slim 2024 review: Performance (Image credit: Future) The Tile Slim promises the same 350-foot range as the Tile Mate, giving you a lot of space to find your wallet, should you leave it behind. And in my testing, which I conducted in a public park by setting down the tracking and seeing how far away I could get before I lost range, the Tile Slim posted numbers consistent with the Tile Mate I reviewed. In fact, the Tile Slim even offered a longer maximum distance, even if the range was about the same on average. That's the good news. The bad news is that Tile's 2024 trackers fell far short of their promised range in my testing. The farthest I ever got from the wallet tracker was 75 feet before the connection dropped, and distances of 50 to 70 feet were more typical. That's a far cry from the 350 feet on the label. I try to take a nuanced view of these results. Results in Bluetooth trackers can vary widely in my experience, and the important thing is that tracker performs consistently — something you could certainly say of the Slim. However, I can't overlook the fact that my best range with the 2024 model was worse than the Tile Slim 2022 — and limited range was one of that device's biggest cons. A 104-decibel alarm helps you find the Tile Slim when you love misplaced your wallet or purse, though after about 60 feet, I had trouble hearing the beeping over any ambient noise. Burying the Tile Slim in a pile of laundry — hey, I can't count the number of times my wallet has stayed in the back pocket of a pair of pants I've put in a clothes hamper — I also had difficulty hearing the alarm from a room away. (Image credit: Future) There are Tile Premium accounts for all these key finders, the Tile Slim included, where you pay $30/year for some extra features, the most important of which is Smart Alerts. These alerts will send you a ping when the Tile tracker is left behind, though there's some delay before that notification arrives. Once I went for a 10-minute stroll around the block without my wallet, and the Smart Alert only arrived on my iPhone by the time I was walking back up my front steps. The bottom line? You can get plenty out of Tile's trackers, the Tile Slim included, without paying the annual Premium fee. Tile Slim 2024: Verdict Of all the things that Bluetooth trackers let you keep tabs on, wallets and purses would seem to be the most valuable — losing your keys can be an annoyance, but losing something with your cash, credit cards and ID can have serious repercussions. So naturally, you'd want a device that delivers time and time again. Despite a design that's built for wallets, the Tile Slim 2024 just doesn't deliver the kind of consistent performance I'd want to see from a wallet-specific tracker. If the range were longer in testing and the alarm a bit easier to hear at a distance, I'd be more confident in using it in a wide variety of settings. As it stands, it works best for finding where you've left your wallet in your house, but in other circumstances, it's too hit-and-miss for my taste.
Tom's Guide
06-05-2025
- Tom's Guide
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 Today's best Tile Mate deals 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.
