Tile Sticker (2022) is nearly identical to its predecessor, but this version of the tile minimum key tracker will be virtually indistinguishable The original Tile Sticker, released two years earlier, was an interesting concept but of disappointing workmanship and inconsistent scope Lacks sophistication," I concluded in my review of the original Tile Sticker, "and I'm not sure I've ever seen anything like it

Since then, the tile has undergone numerous refinements The new Tile Sticker retains the compact design of its predecessor and adds even better performance: a Tile tracker that can be attached to a surface rather than to a keychain like Tile Pro or Tile Mate, a key that serves a very specific purpose While it is still a finder, it is one that I would recommend more enthusiastically to those looking for something to stick to a flat surface, such as luggage or a laptop Tile Sticker deserves to be one of the best key finders, and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for something to stick to a flat surface, such as a piece of luggage or a laptop

The Tile Sticker is priced at $30, placing it between the $25 Tile Mate and the $35 Tile Pro and Tile Slim in Tile's key finder lineup

Apple's Key Finder does not have the sticky back of the sticker, but Apple's AirTag pays the same amount as the Tile Sticker; trackers like the AirTag and Samsung's SmartTag Plus use ultra-wide bands to locate valuables more accurately

The Tile Sticker (2022) has the same circular shape as the previous model, but this new version is slightly taller at 031" versus 028" This would seem to solve the problem I had with the original sticker, namely that it is designed to be applied to smooth surfaces, which could interfere with the sleek design of devices such as laptops and tablets For example, when the Tile Sticker was applied to the passport, it looked as if a small knob had been added to the cover This made it cumbersome to get the passport in and out of my pants pocket

Tile has now adopted a more stylish design to unify the look of all key finders; the Tile logo remains in the center of the Sticker, but the tracker's invaluable two-way search to sound an alarm to find a misplaced cell phone button to activate the function While I found the button a bit difficult to press, it does slim down the appearance of the Sticker

As before, interchangeable batteries cannot be placed in this little tracker Instead, the Tile Sticker relies on a non-replaceable battery, which is supposed to last for three years (In my experience, the sticker remains securely attached to most surfaces It takes some force to remove it, as it may weaken the adhesive's grip This is a tracker, meaning it stays in place until it is time to replace it with a new one)

The compact size of the Tile Sticker also means that it lacks features found on other Tiles in the current lineup Instead, you are at the mercy of the Tile's old system, in which other nearby Tile users passing by will detect the lost Tile tracker and send you the last known location

As before, pair the Tile sticker to your smartphone using the Tile app for Android or iOS From that app, an alarm can be triggered with the tap of a button to help locate a misplaced item with a Tile sticker attached

According to Tile, the range of this version of the sticker is up to 250 feet, the same as the range of the Tile Mate and Tile Slim In my testing, Sticker did not reach that far, but when I tested the tracker in a public park, I was able to get a signal from up to 150 feet away; Sticker typically went out of range between 150 and 170 feet in this test area

Reliable up to 40 feet at best, definitely an improvement over the old tile stickers, which were rarely connected beyond 70 feet One can expect more reliable performance from this year's stickers

While the Tile Pro boasts the loudest alarm sound in the Tile lineup, this year's Sticker's alarm sound is loud enough to be heard from 120 feet away This is roughly on par with the performance of the Tile Mate

Tile offers the Tile Premium service for $299 per month, which adds the ability to share Tile with unlimited users, in addition to additional features such as alerts when you leave the house without an item attached to your Tile Sticker While Tile Premium is not so much a necessity as a necessity, it is the best of the Tile Key Finders, which are best suited to Tile Premium's Smart Alert feature

Tile Stickers serve a very specific purpose: they can be affixed to smooth-surfaced valuables that are not specifically compatible with traditional key finders While the first Tile Sticker felt like an unfinished product, this 2022 version is a more sophisticated product that delivers on the promise of the tile