Tile Slim (2022)

Verdict

The Tile Slim (2022) will sit unobtrusively in your wallet or other tight space, allowing you to find its location for as long as the battery lasts. However, the range is a bit tighter than advertised, and the increase in price for this new 2022 version means alternative products have become more attractive.

Introduction

The Tile Slim (2022) is a specialised member of the Tile locator family that’s designed to go into places you might not be able to fit another model, allowing you to track the likes of a wallet or passport.

As a result of this, it has some design compromises, notably the non-removable battery and lack of any way to secure it. However, it’s also a triumph of engineering to get that battery, plus Bluetooth and a speaker, into something only a few millimetres thick and the approximate size of a credit card.

Design

• Thicker than a credit card
• Fits in wallet
• QR code if found

There’s little to say about the design of the Tile Slim. It’s black – the chunky dark charcoal colour that’s so popular in electronics design – and lives up to its name.

It’s not as slim as a credit card, and it’s stiffer too, but it’ll fit right in your wallet where one would usually live. Its tracking abilities mean it’s worth leaving out a store card or other less important item for, but once it’s nestled in the slot it’s largely unobtrusive.

There’s no way to attach it to anything, though – unlike other Tile locators, it doesn’t have a hole to thread a keyring through, so you’re reliant on gravity or friction to keep it in place – though a bit of double-sided tape might encourage it to stay put too. However, with nothing to hold it, a thief might simply pluck it out and chuck it down the nearest drain before absconding with your wallet.

The front surface is broken by a button, embossed with the Tile logo, which you’ll use to pair the Tile Slim with the app or double-tap to find your phone (it plays a jaunty tune). There’s also a tiny speaker grille so the Slim can play a ditty of its own – expect sound quality worse than that of a ZX Spectrum, but it’s enough to find the Slim if triggered, and is surprisingly loud when not muffled by layers of leather and plastic.

On the back, alongside the usual regulatory small print, there’s a new QR code with the legend ‘SCAN ME IF FOUND’ printed above it. Doing this opens a web page that informs you that the item is lost, and that the location might be visible to its owner. It also explains what Tile is, including a link to the FAQ, in case someone thinks they’ve stumbled on alien technology.

As the owner, you get a notification on your phone that the Tile’s QR code has been scanned, and can then see where it is through the Tile app. It’s similar functionality to the Lost and Found stickers Tile makes, each with a QR code, and it’s good to see it spread to other products in the range.

Performance

• Bluetooth connectivity
• Requires app network
• Non-replaceable battery

Tile devices only work when they’re in range of devices with the Tile app installed. It communicates via Bluetooth, with a claimed range of 76m, and the location of detected Tiles is constantly updated by the app.

This means that if a Tile falls in a forest and no one’s there to hear it, you won’t get an updated location until someone with the Tile app on their phone, and their Bluetooth switched on, wanders past.

Still, there are lots of people with phones about. Having the app on your phone or tablet allows you to find that device using the network, alongside any dedicated Tile locators you may have (or items from other companies with Tile functionality built in) so there’s a good chance it will be found in a populated area.

Tile claims it’s the largest location network in the world, and while there are premium plans available that add clever things like reminder notifications if it detects you’ve left your keys somewhere you shouldn’t, it’s perfectly possible to use the system without a subscription.

You also don’t have to worry too much about the Slim getting wet, thanks to IP67 ingress protection, but the sealed casing means that the battery isn’t replaceable – once it’s used up all of its juice, it’s dead. This should take three years, but it’s best not to get too attached as, once it’s flat, it’s not coming back.

Software

• Easy to set up
• Good accuracy
• Detection range shorter than advertised

The Tile Slim communicates with your phone or tablet via the Tile app. Pairing the two is as easy as tapping ‘new’ in the app and pressing a button on the Tile, which then starts playing its chirpy tune so you know it’s working.

Once it’s set up you can largely forget about the app unless you need it, and as long as the Tile Slim was in range I found no problems in finding it, with the location appearing on a map in the app and the ability to trigger the Slim to play its tune making it easy to home in on it.

The stated range of 76m (250ft) seems a bit optimistic, however – I found the signal dropped off at a shorter distance, unable to connect at just 25m (82ft) with the Slim on the seat of a car with the windows open.

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