Introduction

Bluetooth trackers have made life easier for many people as you no longer have to worry about your lost items. These trackers are small portable devices that help you keep track of or locate items. They have around a hundred feet range and use Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) which wirelessly connects to your smartphone and establishes its connection with the item it is tagged with. A small battery provides power to these trackers and these batteries can function for several months without needing to be replaced.

The demand for trackers has increased a lot in recent times as people find it very convenient to use them. These tracking devices will just require an application to be installed in your smartphone and establish a connection with the mobile and the device. Either these devices make a loud noise to get located or you can see the location on your map. We explore some of the options to help you make a purchase decision.

Tile Tag wins the Smartphone compatibility challenge

One of the crucial factors to select a tracker would be to consider its compatibility. When it comes to selecting the device with the best compatibility, Tile Tag is the preferred choice. Tile Trackers are compatible with both Android and iOS devices which allows you to switch smartphone brands. They are also compatible with Google Pixels and other phones which do not have a dedicated tracker.

On the other hand, the comparison of Apple AirTag vs Samsung SmartTag in terms of compatibility is very straightforward. They are compatible with their respective smartphone brands only. So, if you aren’t using an iOS 14.5 or later version, AirTag won’t work So it is available for iPhone user only. Similarly, if you aren’t using Android 8 or higher, Samsung SmartTag would be useless. You also need to be signed into a Samsung account in your smartphone to detect Galaxy SmartTag.

Value for money smartphone tracker in 2022

Even the basic model of SmartTag and AirTag are a bit expensive as a SmartTag sells for around AU$ 40 while the upgraded version will cost you AU$55. The single AirTag is priced at AU$49 and the four-pack will cost you around AU$ 149.

On the other hand, Tile Mate costs you around AU$ 34.95, TileSlim costs AU$44.95, TileSticker is AU$34.95, and the premium TilePro would be around AU$49.95. Tile with reasonable cost and good quality is considered a value-for-money smartphone tracker in 2022.

Which of the following trackers works best

All three trackers have impressive ranges. The exact distance may not be accurate in real life due to barriers like walls in your house. But all of them will be able to do their job even in a large house and outside environment.
AirTag has a huge network for out-of-network finding with similar Bluetooth range finding and AR assist as SmartTag. SmartTag has a decent out-of-range tracking network but the battery life is shorter. The out-of-range network for Tile isn’t as good but the bluetooth range is bigger (400 feet) and it has a louder volume.

Is Privacy at threat because of these trackers?

There have been privacy concerns surrounding the trackers since they were introduced in the market. Particularly, Apple AirTag privacy has been questioned multiple times. Even though they built anti-stalking safety features, these fell short of users' expectations. These devices are in need of a unified cross-platform approach, but it would lead to tracking someone without their knowledge, which is also a bigger issue. With such advancement in tech seen in the past, we hope these privacy concerns are addressed by reaching a middle ground.

Conclusion

Apple bets big on the size of the network and the ecosystem that it has built. AirTag seems to be a preferred choice for Apple users. However, the effective detection range is much shorter than other devices. The compulsory use of a Samsung account instead of a Google account makes it less effective as AirTag. If you leave Samsung and use a different Android device, SmartTag would become useless. Tile has better compatibility, a longer working range, and a reasonable price making it a preferred choice for users focussing on the value of a product.