Aaron Tassin, MLIS

I own both the Samsung SmartTag2 and Tile.  As an Android phone owner, I searched for an Apple Airtag-like option for my Samsung smartphone. 

My application is simple…finding my stuff, should it ever go missing.  I am especially interested in the ability to track and locate luggage.  At first, I had hoped that Android could see Apple Airtags.  No luck, and switching over to an Apple phone for the sole purpose of being able to use the Airtag technology isn’t something I am interested in doing.

My research first pointed to the Tile.  I learned the Tile interfaces with Android and Apple smartphones for tracking utility.  I bought one and tested it.  The results were underwhelming. 

Before giving up on Android trackers altogether, I bought the Samsung SmartTag2.  This is what I was looking for!  While it only sees enabled Android phones, I found the precision and refresh rates much more satisfying.  I had tested both, but never side-by-side in an actual field test until now.

I used both the Tile and SmartTag2 for this test, testing them in a major California metropolitan area.  I had four points of known reference and the ability to see the actual locations of the trackers in real time using cellular technology.  Each tracker had sufficient battery strength.  I used the native phone apps (free versions) for both Tile and Samsung (Smart-Things).  Each tracker was tucked safely (and knowingly) away in my wife’s leather purse.  My wife’s Android phone was opted out of tracker assistance. 

I watched them from home, noting the locations reported by both, and comparing these to known locations.  I also captured the refresh rates for both trackers. 

My test ran from 2 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on a Saturday.  My four known locations consisted of two residences and two businesses.  My wife drove to each of them and reported seeing an equal number of Apple and Android phones.

Comparing each side-by-side, I noticed something I had missed in my first experiment with Tile.  The free app does not provide address data of any kind.  I saw this at the first residential location, and it was the same all day.  Moreover, the Tile free app does not keep (or show) location history.  The SmartTag2 and Smart Things app give address data and a history of the locations and times it is seen at each. 

Looking first at the two known residential locations, SmartTag2 reported a nearby address within seven minutes and the correct address in 12 minutes.  The Tile reported only the street name in nine minutes.  At the second residence, the SmartTag2 was never seen at the proper address but was seen at the house immediately behind it.  This took longer this time, 23 minutes.  The Tile never got the street right, let alone the address.  The Tile reported a location 2.2 miles away and remained consistent in this report for well over an hour. 

I found similar results when comparing the trackers at the two known business locations.  SmartTag2 got the correct address at the first location in five minutes and the second one in four minutes.  The Tile faired much worse.  For this first business, it only gave reports from nearby major thoroughfares.  The second business was about 40 minutes away from the first, and the Tile never gained a modified report – it kept reporting the same near location information from the first business, even 39 minutes after its last inaccurate report. 

In the end, the Samsung SmartTag2 won hands down!  SmartTag2 outperformed Tile on all vectors and is especially useful because of its ability to report exact address data.  Moreover, the app interfaces share similar contrasts.  The Tile app looks, feels, and performs like the free app it is.  It lacks any location history; comparatively, the Smart Things app (also free) excels in this category. 

The SmartTag2 provides everything I need to hope for a recovery of missing property: exacting near real-time location reports, quick refresh rates, and detailed location history.