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The better beaconTile Slim (2024)
$24 $30 Save $6The latest edition of the Tile Slim brings a huge boost in battery life to the table. You can expect up to three years of Bluetooth tracking from this credit card-shaped device, along with a slew of helpful location and community features in the Tile app.
Pros- 350-foot detection range
- Lasts up to three years
- IP68 rating
- Discrete SOS button for pinging phone
Cons- App could do with some simplifying
- No UWB support
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The lesser locatorChipolo Card Point
$28 $35 Save $7The Chipolo Card Point is small enough to fit in your wallet and designed to withstand a little bit of water, too. While Google’s Find My Device network gets in the way of this tracker operating at its full potential, we’re hoping there are some big changes down the line.
Pros- Easy to set up
- Battery should last up to two years
- IPX5 rating
- Decent price
Cons- Google Find My Device network needs some work
- No way to recharge the battery
- No UWB support
When it comes to Bluetooth trackers, Tile and Chipolo are two of the most popular brands. Renowned for energy-efficient devices that do a nice job of keeping tabs on the property we can’t part with, both Tile and Chipolo trackers are easy to set up, simple to use, and can even be controlled by certain smart home devices and voice assistants.
But how does the latest edition of the Tile Slim (2024) compare to the Chipolo Card Point? And which helpful tracker is best? We’ll be weighing in on criteria like range, battery life, and price to help you find out.
Read our ranking
Price, availability, and specs
Tile trackers cost a little less
The Tile Slim (2024) has a $30 retail price for a single tracker. Sold by major retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and Target, the Tile Slim can be purchased in two- and four-packs directly through Tile and on Amazon, too. At the time of writing, a Slim two-pack costs $45 and a four-pack (only sold by Tile) is $84. You will also find the Tile Slim as part of a few larger Tile product bundles.
The Chipolo Card Point sells for $35 for a single tracker, $70 for a two-pack, and $140 for a four-pack. The Point can be purchased at Best Buy or directly through Chipolo. And like the Tile Slim, the Point is currently on sale for $28 (for a single tracker), $48 (two-pack), and $89 (four-pack).
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Tile Slim (2024) Chipolo Card Point Brand Tile Chipolo Material Plastic Plastic Connectivity Bluetooth Bluetooth Battery Up to 3 years, non-replaceable 2 years, internal battery Range Up to 350 feet 200 feet / 60m range to play sound Water Resistance IP68 IPX5
Read our review
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Plus, it comes in jazzy new colors
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Chipolo Card Point review: A smart tag to keep your wallet in check
Why on earth doesn’t Apple make an AirTag in the shape of a credit card?
Design
One is tough, but the other is tougher
The Tile Slim and Chipolo Card Point are credit card-shaped, making it easy to slip them into just about any wallet, purse, backpack, or laptop sleeve. The Tile Slim (2024) measures 3.36 inches wide, 2.12 inches tall, and 0.09 inches thick and is available in Black, Green Surf, Navy Blaze, Pink Punch, and Aqua Lemon. The tough plastic casing gives the Slim its IP68 ingress protection rating, with the latter digit indicating the tracker can still operate for a time if dropped in a puddle.
The Chipolo Card Point is 2.11 inches tall, 3.35 inches wide, and 0.09 inches thick, so it’s a bit smaller than the Tile Slim. As for IP rating, the Point has an IPX5 rank, which means it isn’t protected from dirt and debris and isn’t completely waterproof. The Point is only available in an off-white color and uses textured plastic similar to the Tile Slim.
As far as buttons go, both the Tile Slim and Chipolo Card Point feature an action button (Tile calls it an SOS button) that pings whatever phone or tablet you use to manage your Tile and Chipolo devices. The phone will then play a tone, even if it’s set to silent.
Detection
Bluetooth to the rescue
The Tile Slim and Chipolo Card Point negate traditional GPS tracking in favor of Bluetooth. And while the absence of ultra-wideband (UWB) support means you won’t get down-to-the-nail-head location info for your missing items, the onboard Bluetooth tracking works pretty well on the Tile Slim. Unfortunately, the results are less than stellar with the Chipolo Card Point.
In the case of the Tile Slim, Life360 claims the 2024 Slim can detect devices up to 350 feet away. Chipolo isn’t too far behind these estimates, as the company claims the Card can connect to a device up to 200 feet away.
Regarding decibels, the Tile Slim emits 104dB, while the Chipolo Card Point gets as loud as 105dB.
Conveniently, the Tile Slim and Chipolo Card Point can lean on community networking when an item is lost, and you’re not anywhere near where you think you lost it. On paper, the Tile network relies solely on Tile hardware and Amazon Sidewalk-connected gear. Tile estimates that is about 70 million users, whereas Google’s Find My Device app uses Android devices to hone in on your Point’s last-known location.
And while you would think that Android’s global range of users would make it easy to locate your missing Point, some oddball red tape around the Find My Device network acts as a hindrance. To provide an estimation of where the Point is located, you’ll need to be in a high-traffic area, with multiple Android devices operating in range. Even then, the suggested location proves inadequate. While no UWB support is partly to blame, the other issue is that Google’s Find My Device app is set to “high-traffic areas” by default. Users can enable Find My networking “in all areas,” a setting that, if it were enabled by default, would make the Google Find My network far more reliable.
We were also pleased to learn that the Tile and Chipolo apps can be used to share tracker location(s) with friends, family, and colleagues. The other person will just need to download the respective app, set up an account, and accept the tracking invitation you send them. It’s also worth mentioning that anyone who locates your lost Tile Slim can simply scan the QR code on the back to let you know the tracker has been located.
Neither the Tile Slim (2024) nor the Chipolo Card Point are detectable via Apple’s Find My network. You also can’t use the Chipolo app to track the Point, as it’s specifically designed to work with Google’s Find My Device app.
Battery life
Non-rechargeable across the board
Neither the Tile Slim nor the Chipolo Card Point come with a rechargeable battery. The idea is that you’ll use the trackers until they die and then buy a new one. As for the Tile Slim, the 2024 edition of this tried-and-true tracker is engineered to last up to three years.
In the case of the Chipolo Card Point, you can expect the device to last up to two years. You can also sign up for Chipolo’s Renew & Recycle program, which lets you purchase a new Chipolo Card Point at half the cost when you send your old tracker back to the manufacturer.
Software
No Apple or Google Find My support
Regarding companion apps, Tile Slim users will need to download the Tile app, which is available for both iOS and Android devices. Chipolo Card Point users must use the Google Find My Device app, which isn’t compatible with iOS.
You can use both apps to ping your Tile Slim or Chipolo Card Point should they go missing. Location tracking isn’t as accurate as what you’d get from a UWB tracker like the Apple AirTag, but the Tile app provides a decent map view of where your tracker was last located. The Google Find My Device app presents similar UI elements, but the results are far less accurate as mentioned. You also need to be operating an Android device running Android 9 or later with Google Play Services installed.
Tile device owners will be prompted to sign up for a Tile Premium membership ($3 per month or $30 per year) or Tile Premium Protect ($10 per month or $100 per year). The former unlocks a 30-day location history in the Tile app, along with Smart Alerts and up to $100 reimbursement for lost items. The latter bumps the reimbursement amount up to $1,000. No ancillary membership exists for the Chipolo Card Point.
Which is right for you?
It’s hard to ignore the Tile Slim (2024)
Weighing the Tile Slim and Chipolo Card Point’s pros and cons, we think most folks will prefer the former. The revamped Slim boasts increased range detection and stronger battery life than the 2022 edition, and paying a little extra for some subscription-only features offers an even better shot at tracking down your valuables.
Tile Slim (2024)
Great features that get the job done
The Tile Slim is our preferred Bluetooth tracker in this toe-to-toe comparison. Expect phenomenal battery life, handy app features, and up to a 350-foot detection range.
From a hardware perspective, the Chipolo Card Point isn’t a bad Bluetooth tracker, but Google’s Find My Device networking is a major obstacle.
Chipolo Card Point
Hampered by a lackluster network
With up to two years of usage and a cost-saving recycling program, the Chipolo Card Point could be a great Bluetooth tracker. Now if only the Google Find My Device network wasn’t such a pain.
