Verdict
Despite not carry GPS or Ultra - broadband connectivity , the Tile Slim remains a subject Bluetooth tracker thanks to its power to lurk unseen within a wallet or pocket . Its size and physique are perfect for this , and while its tiny speaker is hampered by the extreme thinness of the Slim ( the cue was in the name ) it features just enough Bluetooth range , speaker volume and battery life to be really useful , along with a subscription option that add a few ready to hand characteristic . Its only problem is its price , which is close enough to that of rival tracker to make you wonder if the Slim is worth it .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
A common word that comes up when talking about Tile ’s Bluetooth tracker is ‘ faux pas ’ . you could slip them in bag , slip them behind physical object of time value , drop away them in your railcar so you could discover it again once you ’ve parked , and splay them inside your passport so you could find it the one time of the year that you ask it .
The Tile Slim is one missive away from ‘ slip ’ but easily the most slippable Tile of them all , thanks to its credit menu - like build factor that allows it to discreetly take up spaces other Tiles might not be capable to manage .
Its 350 ft ( 105 m ) claimed Bluetooth range and a speaker system you’re able to just about hear over the background noise if you ’re penny-pinching by rest unaltered from late version , but new for the 2024 good example is the SOS button , which allow you to send an emergency alerting with a triplex - insistency .
Design
It ’s pretty clear from looking at it that the Tile Slim has been work up with wallets in mind , though it can be insert just about anywhere else you ’d put a plastic poster .
It ’s perceptibly thicker than an actual credit card , which may hamper its insertion moderately , but the fact is you ’re not going to desire to put it in an existent wallet , stuff up against other payment options and surrounded by hard cash and soft leather , as this will muffle the speaker and make it laborious to get , especially if there ’s ground noise to contend with .
If you have a slot for it and do n’t cerebrate you ’ll be trust on its power to make a noise , then the Tile Slim is perfect for invest in pockets , under the storey of a gym bag , through a slit in the lining of your hike pack or even pucker inside the detritus jacket of a book .
Its form factor is its gravid effectiveness , and it ’s going to regain its way into a heavy bit of unusual places than any other Tile , except perhaps theSticker – though a bit of doubled - sided mag tape will help the Slim get a grip on things too .
It ’s an uncomplicated design , with no lanyard hole or replaceable battery access door , but you do get a push button , newly decorated with the logo of Tile ’s parent fellowship Life360 , that operate the pairing , two - way finding , and SOS alerts depending on how many times you weigh it .
Little has changed since the last refresh of the range , but the Slim now has an IP68 ingress protection evaluation so that it can take a stuff shot in the duckpond or trip to the beach without fritzing out forthwith . The case of the sample I was sent for review was a rather fantabulous blueish , but other colours are available , including pink and gullible as well as plain honest-to-goodness lightlessness .
Performance
Tile is n’t just one connection between your phone and the tracker , but a whole connection . Whoever ’s closest to the tracker when you pink it ( with the app installed ) will generate placement data for you establish on Bluetooth range - determination .
This means that if you misplace the Slim and whatever it ’s hidden inside in a populated area , there ’s a pretty serious prospect of getting it back . Lose it somewhere few people tread , and you might have to retrace your steps with your phone held in front of you like a sci - fi gesture tracker .
This think of the range of the Tracker is all - important , as it require someone to step close enough to recognise it ’s there before it can get off you a location signal .
TheTile Prois the current king of detection kitchen range , take to commit a signaling as far as 500ft/150 m under ideal conditions . The Tile Slim ca n’t quite manage this , and due to its conformation , is much more likely to be inside something that will block both the Bluetooth signaling and the sound its petite speaker unit makes . It ’s bum and bothersome enough to hear over some desktop haphazardness if you ’re close by , but with something soft block the lattice , it ’s operate to get muffled .
In trial , which involve leaving it on a chairman and then walking aside to various pre - mensural points , all with a line of heap to the Slim , it showed similar execution to the Tile Sticker .
A 30 m aloofness seemed to be the good it could manage , with rampart and other obstructions lowering this . As you move further aside , not only does the Bluetooth signal fall but so does its audability . Lose contact , and you ’ll be able-bodied to see its last known attitude on a map , and be capable to localise a notification for when it reconnects .
Software
Tile count on its app ecosystem for its functionality , and you get a choice .
There ’s the standard Tile app , which kick in you most of the functionality , or there ’s the app from parent company Life360 , which does everything the Tile app can do and add the ability to send an SOS alert from the Tile Slim to a contact coif up in rise by pressing the Slim ’s push three times .
Unlike the Tile Sticker , the clitoris on the Slim is easy to get at and pressing , and the required triple - click will make it strong to set off by accident .
There are some hoops to leap through first , and you ’ll need to send Tile a pic of your item with the Tile seize . Another subscription lineament is the free replacement of damaged or incorrect Tiles , which sound excellent if you ’re regularly have into scratching .
Luckily , most of the Tile Slim ’s affair operate without a subscription . If you just want to observe your wallet from across the room , then you may probably live without locating history and client care supporting over text message – though alert , like if you bequeath the house without a Tile - protected item such as your keys , could be deserving give for .
Latest deals
Should you buy it?
The Slim ’s credit card - like form element makes it ideal for slip into a wallet or bag .
Despite its thickset dimensions , there are no holes to attach the Slim to a circle of key .
Final Thoughts
Tile ’s Slim tracker is made for discreetly tucking in blank space and being exit there , ready to jump into action mechanism when involve , rather than being swing from your keys or baffle to a telecasting remote .
As such , it makes some compromises , and other tracker can put up better glasses and greater versatility ( Life360 ’s Modern SOS feature article adds to the Slim ’s charm ) , but the canonic idea is so good that if it meet your motive there ’s no need to get anything else .
Trackers fromAppleand Samsung may catch your eye too , but there ’s nothing as slim as the Slim . For more tracker inspiration , take a facial expression at our aggregation of thebest Bluetooth trackers .
Trusted Score
How we test
We check that to spend at least a calendar week with each tracker , testing all of the advertised feature . We ’ll also prove the reach of the mathematical product , and how gentle it is to do up .
FAQs
Unfortunately not ; once the Slim ’s battery conk out , you ’ll have to ( responsibly ) dispose of the product .
Yes , it offer both body of water and dust resistance with an IP68 rating .
