Which would you rather, a single $29.99 AirTag for tracking your stuff, or some surprisingly great $29.99 earbuds that can also track your stuff? The new Skullcandy Dime 2 headphones feature Tile tracking in each earbud. That means you essentially get two AirTags for the price of one, plus these also play music!
Of course, it’s not that simple. There are comparisons between the Find My network AirTags use and the Tile Network used by Tile devices. Plus battery life concerns as well as size and ease of use. But I don’t think it’s an unreasonable comparison. These new Tile-enabled headphones are a bit brilliant. Cheap but surprising truly wireless earbuds in a case that functions as a keychain, bringing your music with you everywhere and preventing you from losing your keys What’s not to love?
Dime 2: What’s New?
I reviewed the Skullcandy Dime headphones before. I was honestly surprised with just how good they were. Sure, they weren’t up to the same quality level of the AirPods Pro, but they also don’t have any issue charging. The first Dime headphones didn’t have terrible sound quality, could be used for conversations, and had some thumping bass. You’re not going to write home about these incredible headphones with crystal clear sound, there’s definitely some muddling of mids and highs, but they’re not terrible, especially considering their price. The original Dime headphones are just $21.99 right now, and the Tile versions are $29.99.
So what’s new between the two versions? Pretty much just Tile integration and color options. The originals have six color options including a vibrant red one I would have liked to have available when I first got these. The Dime 2 earbuds come in black or blue and gray. Then there’s Tile, which helps you find your earbuds when you lose them. I’ve definitely dropped these before and searched for far too long before realizing they somehow made their way into my office chair. The new ones use Bluetooth 5.2 instead of the 5.0 of the original versions, however, battery life is no different, which would be the primary benefit of Bluetooth 5.2 over 5.0. However, it’s possible the new versions may have slightly better range. That range will come in handy for finding devices connected to the Tile Network for object location.
The Tile Network?
How do you locate an item that doesn’t have access to the internet or GPS? You piggyback off of something that does have access to the internet and location data. Essentially you can create a peer-to-peer network between devices like the Tile tracker or Skullcandy Dime 2 headphones and devices on the Tile Network. These devices could be apps with the Tile app installed and other comparable devices. For example, Amazon’s devices create a mesh network for Sidewalk, and those devices also support the Tile Network. Any Tile-enabled device can connect to any internet-connected device supporting the Tile Network. With that and location information from the internet-connected device, you can triangulate for an accurate location for your stuff.
Is it secure? That’s hard to say. With Amazon involved and their Sidewalk network, I’m suspicious about data privacy. I don’t trust any company that makes money collecting data with personal data. Still, Tile claims they protect your privacy, that all transmitted information is anonymous.
Combining Products
One of these does the job of two of these… well, the new version of one of these, anyway.
I sometimes check in on the Skullcandy website because the Dime headphones are often near the top of my list of suggestions for headphones. They sound better than they cost, connect quickly to new devices, they’re compact, and they look cool. I only noticed the Skullcandy Dime 2 headphones came out last week, when I was writing about the creepy silent AirTags. At first, I thought about how cool it was that these little, inexpensive headphones had a feature that you normally only get in more expensive models. Then it hit me: these are way more dangerous than AirTags for tracking people because no one would suspect them. “Whoops, must have dropped it when I bumped into you! Thanks for returning it!” While this is also true of AirPods, the Skullcandy Dime 2 headphones cost as much as an AirTag, far less than the cost of other Find My connected devices.
I don’t anticipate thieves and stalkers being so clever, but some are. Fortunately, Tile’s network is smaller than Apple’s, so it’s not as good for stalking, and more for finding something you lost in a public area or in your house or apartment. Tile probably wants to change that, and, by working with Amazon, they likely will. In places where iPhone ownership is lower, like outside of the U.S., it may actually be a better adhoc network. Convenience for many will be a danger for some.
The new Skullcandy Dime 2 headphones are my new cheap recommendation for people who think they might want truly wireless earbuds, but don’t like the high price tag. While I haven’t gotten to test them myself, the previous version was a delight for under $30, and these new ones improve on them in a fantastic way: making them far more difficult to lose. You can even put them on your keychain and you’ll never lose your keys either. The Skullcandy Dime 2 headphones are $29.99, and you can find them on Skullcandy’s website and other retailers. You can still grab the originals, without tracking, for $21.99.
And no, this wasn’t paid content, I just think they’re neat.