TILE ULTRA

Coming in 2022, the Tile Ultra brings the original tag tracking brand up to UWB speed

It can’t have been easy for Tile watching the AirTag reveal back in early 2021. Apple effectively reinvented Tile’s solidly dependable tracker and utilised the millions strong iPhone network for a better chance of finding your lost items when you’re out and about. But that doesn’t mean that Tile is out of the game. In 2022 comes the Tile Ultra, Tile’s first tag to use Bluetooth and UWB tech for precise accuracy.

Importantly, it’s also the first tracker to use UWB that will work with both iPhone and Android. Just like the Samsung SmartTag+, UWB means the Tile Ultra app will be able to give you on screen augmented reality instructions for exactly where to find your lost items in your house.

We don’t know too many details of the Tile Ultra beyond this tech but we can expect it to have the same useful, easily replaceable battery as the current range, as well as the ability to ring your phone with a button in case that’s gone walkabout.

Tile’s vast current offering of trackers are already rich with features but the company is rolling out a suite of upgrades including a better Lost & Found system. There will now be a QR code on the back of every Tile that can be scanned for the relevant contact information. This is a far more obvious way of identifying an item than Apple’s more subtle NFC option.

Tile is also making sure its tech can’t be used for unwanted tracking and a new Scan and Secure Tile app can be downloaded to make sure that there are no unknown Tile devices nearby. When the Tile Ultra arrives, it looks like we’ll have an AirTag competitor on our hands. £TBC, uk.tile.com

BENEFITS AND DRAWBACKS

+ Works with iPhone and Android • First Tile with UWB • Scannable QR code - Tile’s network is more limited than Apple’s or Samsung’s