Plaud Unveils Earbuds with 4G Connectivity in AI Gadgets Push

Plaud Inc., a startup that makes note-taking devices, announced a pair of wireless, 4G-connected earbuds that lets users record conversations and complete tasks with artificial-intelligence assistants on the go, adding to a nascent category of gadgets built for the AI era.

The $250 Plaud One earbuds, announced Thursday, are shaped like Apple Inc.’s AirPods and come with a charging case that’s about the size of a ring box. The built-in eSIM allowing for cellular connectivity works with networks in more than 80 countries, it said. The earbuds purchase includes $200 in credits for users to put toward the use of Plaud’s AI features, including transcription, translation and meeting summarization tools. The credits can also be used to pay for new third-party integrations with Gmail, Google Calendar, Notion and Slack.

The startup is making 2,000 units, which are available for pre-order in select markets, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Nathan Xu said in an interview. Shipments are expected to begin in the fourth quarter. Shoppers can place pre-orders in the US, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands, a Plaud spokesperson said.

The device is the latest in a crop of smarter wearables that are emerging as AI chatbots become more capable of holding spoken conversations and interacting with third-party services that consumers already use. Apple and Meta Platforms Inc. are also racing to broaden their offerings of screenless, AI-powered gadgets. Apple has released premium AirPods that allow real-time translation, and is working on camera-equipped earbuds that can tell users about their surroundings, Bloomberg has reported. Meta’s camera-equipped Ray-Ban smart-glasses have meanwhile gone mainstream, despite mounting privacy concerns.

The “always online” earbuds pair with the Plaud assistant, which is built on popular AI models such as OpenAI’s GPT, Anthropic’s Claude and Google’s Gemini. It can proactively listen for conversational context and execute the tasks mentioned on users’ behalf, according to Xu. Users can, for example, ask Plaud’s AI assistant to draft an email or document based on various action items discussed in calls or in-person meetings that they recorded.

Users can summon Plaud’s assistant via the earbuds by saying “Hey Plaud” or by holding down a button on the charging case.

Read More: Plaud Plans New Wearable as AI Note-Taking Startup Eyes $500 Million in Sales

Plaud has said it expects that its new earbuds will help it reach $500 million in sales this year. The new gadget represents an evolution from its popular pocket-sized, card-shaped devices that require a companion mobile app to sync and transcribe audio. But it is still unclear whether this new category of earbuds will go mainstream.

Plaud plans to solicit user feedback in dedicated Discord groups and make product improvements before deciding later this year on a larger-scale release. In light of that, the company is calling the limited earphone debut an “Explorer Edition,” Xu said. He expects the startup’s team of five community engagement staff members in San Francisco and Singapore will conduct surveys and hold user interviews, as well as answer any user queries within 24 hours.

“We hope to learn from them, how are they using the product, what are the potential challenges and what are the things that we can further iterate and improve and update before we decide on the next step about general accessibility or further iterations,” he said.