Review: Tile Pro Sport and Style Bluetooth trackers

It wasn’t that long ago the Tile released the revamped Tile Mate and Tile Slim, two distinctly different Bluetooth trackers meant for different purposes. One small and tiny, the other larger, but slim enough to slide into a wallet. Tile is at it again with an all new Pro series of the popular BLE locators.

You can pick up either the Sport or Style version, which are pretty clearly geared towards men and women respectively. The sport model has a matte finished, space grey metal exterior. It seems to hold up really well too. I was worried, as I was threading a key ring, that all that metal-on-metal would scuff or scratch the anodization, but it didn’t leave a mark. The middle section, which funny enough is the same size as the Tile Mate, is still plastic, but still feels less prone to scratching than the other Tiles.

The Style version is very similar, with a metal ring around it, but instead of that matte finish, it is a glossy gold color. The inner section is still plastic, but this time white with a simple pattern.

Those stunning exteriors aren’t the only changes in store, however. Inside you will find a speaker that is twice as loud. It’s even adjustable inside the app itself to be at your ideal volume. The Bluetooth range is also twice as nice, connecting up to 200 feet. In testing, this is super handy. The range really makes a difference in finding your gear.

While other Tiles were splash-proof, the Pro series takes it a step further. They are now more water resistant, being able to be fully submerged in 1.5 meters of water for a full hour. That will easily withstand any drop in a pool, or being out in the rain.

I’ve been a Tile user since the initial crowd funding campaign, and have sworn by them ever since. Of all the Bluetooth trackers I’ve spent time with, I still come back to Tile. One story I always go back to, was when my girlfriend had inadvertently lost her keys in the woods outside her house. The next day she starts looking for her keys and is unable to locate them. She searches in the bedroom, kitchen, car, everywhere. Then she remembered that she had a Tile attached to them. She opens the app and starts walking around. As she goes outside to check her car, she hears a familiar chime out in the woods. She starts walking back there, and sure enough, she found her keys. Which would have been entirely impossible without Tile.

My biggest disappointment is I wish they included (or even sold separately) some form of keyring to attach with. I’d love a rugged clip, or paracord carabiner. Seems like an easy upsell they are missing here. I didn’t really have anything on hand to use to attach the Tile to my bag and had to go digging for a keyring or clip to use.

The Tile Pro series do cost more than a standard Tile, and since the battery is still not replaceable, it may be hard to justify for some people. After testing them out for a bit though, I can easily see how the range, volume, and to a lesser extent the looks make that price worth it. You can find either version from the Tile website for $35.