There has been a flurry of AI voice recording gadgets like Omi, Bee and Friend that want to record your voice and let you chat with an AI chatbot. While Bee was acquired by Amazon and devices like the Stream ring from Sandbar and a new AI ring from former Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky are set to hit the market next year, the jury is still out on the success of AI wearables.
Amidst all this, Plaud thrives by targeting business users with a different approach: a credit card-sized recorder that fits in your wallet. The company says it has shipped more than one million units and that more than 50% of its customers have converted to professional subscriptions.
The company’s latest version, the Plaud Note Pro, went up for pre-order in August, two years after the original Note, priced at $179. After using the device for over a month, it’s become an essential part of my daily carry — and its ultra-slim design makes it easy.
At just 0.12 inches thick – about the width of three stacked credit cards – it’s the thinnest AI recorder on the market and easily fits in a wallet or attaches magnetically to the back of your phone.
The company provides a wallet-like case and a magnetic ring accessory that attaches to MagSafe-enabled phones, allowing you to place the Note Pro on the back of your iPhone or compatible Android device. The device is also very light at 30 grams and you won’t feel the weight if you keep the Note Pro in your wallet.
One of the key differences between Plaud and other wearable AI devices is that the Note Pro doesn’t need to be connected to your phone to record audio. The device has a built-in memory of 64 GB, so it can store a large amount of recordings without transferring them to your phone or uploading them to the cloud.
The Plaud Note Pro features four MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) microphones to pick up sound from all directions. While the company advertises an effective audio range of 16.4 feet, I’ve recorded speeches at conferences while sitting away from the stage with satisfactory results. The device also has a voice processing unit for noise suppression, voice isolation and echo cancellation.
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The recorder has impressive battery life. I went to a conference earlier this month with a fully charged device and recorded some interviews and speeches there. After that, I used the device to record phone calls and take personal notes. Despite all this use, the device still had 55% charge after 15 days. The company says you can squeeze 30 hours of continuous recording and 60 days of standby time on a single charge.
Plaud’s new device comes with a proprietary charger with a USB-C cable on the other end. Charging the device takes two hours from 0%, and then you’re set for at least a few weeks unless you’re recording hours of content.
One problem with mobile AI devices is that you need to ensure, through an indicator, that the device is recording (or has stopped recording). Fortunately, the Plaud Note Pro has a tiny screen that shows your recording status. You can also press a button while recording to highlight a point a speaker is making and it will appear prominently in the AI-powered summary. The display also shows the remaining battery level.
There is purpose behind recording with this device. You also get tactile feedback when recording starts and stops. The visual cue and your button action also make it easy to signal to others in the meeting that you’re recording the session.
You can choose to simply record sessions and export them to another AI transcription service you subscribe to. Plaud natively provides 300 minutes of free transcription every month. The company also lets you customize AI-generated notes through templates that are suitable for different profiles and tasks. You can also create your own template. The transcription is accurate in most cases and now you can also access the recording, transcription and notes via a website. The company also addressed the problem my former colleague Brian Heater had of pressing the word and not having the corresponding recording play.
While a pendant or pin-like form factor is probably easier to carry, the card-sized recorder offers better microphones and more flexible placement options. The $179 gadget is worth buying if you do a lot of in-person meetings.
