What you need to know
- Tile updates its line of object trackers with new models and features.
- The Tile Ultra is the company's first UWB-enabled tracker with new AR tracking features.
- Tile Ultra will be the first UWB-enabled tracker to work with both Android and iOS devices.
After Apple and Samsung entered the market of object trackers with their own Ultra-Wideband (UWB) enabled devices, Tile is now updating its best Bluetooth trackers with new features and a new product.
On Tuesday, the company announced the new Tile Ultra, its first product powered by both Bluetooth and UWB.
With the benefits of UWB, Tile touts more precise tracking capabilities thanks to the new Point and Locate feature. Similar to devices like the Apple AirTag or Samsung Galaxy SmartTag+, Point and Locate allows users to hone in on a lost item using the power of AR, directing users to the device with visual cues.
Tile says it's working with Google optimize support for Ultra-Wideband support on the best Android phones running Android 12. The Tile Ultra will be the first UWB tracker to support both iOS and Android when it launches in early 2022.
Scan and Secure is another new feature coming to Tile trackers that will inform users if there is an unknown tracker nearby, so users can avoid being tracked themselves. This will be available to anyone with the Tile app, although the company is working with experts on ways to expand the feature, which is smart considering it was a big point of contention for the Apple AirTag.
Lastly, Tile is introducing a new Lost and Found feature that lets non-Tile users help locate items. With a QR code printed on the back of some of the latest Tile devices, non-Tile users will be able to access the owner's contact information to coordinate the item's safe return.
These new features are launching alongside Tile's updated lineup of trackers. Apart from the UWB-touting Tile Ultra, there's the new Tile Pro which features a new design and 400ft of range, the Tile Mate with an updated look and 3-year battery life, and the Tile Slim and Sticker with improved range. All new models are IP67 rated and feature louder volume and 250ft of finding range, but no UWB.
The UWB-powered Tile Ultra will arrive early next year, while the Pro, Mate, Slim, and Sticker are available starting today.
Keep your things close
The new Tile Pro is perfect for those of you who often misplace things, thanks to its improved 400ft of finding range and a new design that makes it ideal for keys. It also has an IP67 rating, so it'll still work even when submerged.
