Plaud Note review: Smart, simple AI transcription in a tiny package

The Plaude Note is built for users who want to capture conversations and quickly convert audio into text. If I’d had one of these when I started writing over 30 years ago, I could’ve saved myself weeks of work! But the Plaude Note isn’t just for journalists, it’s equally handy if you need to record a doctor’s advice during an appointment and later share it with the Social Security office, an insurance company, or anyone else who needs the information in writing.

Plaud Note: Small but powerful

Crafted from aluminum alloy, the Plaud Note takes up as much space as a credit card. In the package, you get a small credit card holder that attaches magnetically to the back of your phone. If you don’t have such a phone, take comfort in knowing it comes with a magnet you can tape to the back of your phone. Plus, at just 30 grams, it’s impressively lightweight.

The Plaude itself has two buttons: one to switch it on or off and one to start and stop recording. The charging cable is attached to the Plaude via a magnet while the other end plugs into any USB-C port. Plug it into the computer and it pops up as an external disc. I understand that it requires a special kind of cord, but if you lose it, you’ll have to buy a new one.

When you want to record, press and hold the appropriate button. After a couple of seconds, Plaude will vibrate and a red light turn on indicating that recording is in progress.

Plaud Note: Requires the app

Like everything else these days, you need an app. Plaude supports both Android and iOS (I tested it on an iPhone) and it requires you to create an account to gain access to the AI features.

Plaude supports transcription in up to 112 languages using AI models like GPT-4 and Claude 3.5 Sonnet. The basic package includes 300 transcription minutes per month. Transcription is done in the cloud, so you’ll need an internet connection to convert audio files into text.

And it works better than expected! The different AI models have their own strengths. For example, Claude is better at transcribing text while ChatGPT is better at summarizing and analyzing text.

There are also paid subscriptions, though they’re not much cheaper than other online services already out there. Still, 300 minutes (five hours) is a long time and Plaude says the free service tier will be around forever.

Plaud Note: Take the shell off

The Plaude Note uses a dual recording mode system: an ambient microphone for in-room calls and a vibration sensor (V.C.S.) that records phone calls when the device is magnetically attached to your phone. You can switch between these modes depending on the situation.

However, if your phone has a protective case, it won’t work. You’ll only hear your own voice.

The battery is 400 mAh and reportedly provide up to 30 hours of active recording and 60 days of standby time. Recordings are stored in the cloud via AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure.

Plaude Note: Final thoughts

The Plaude Note Black is a really nice and useful little gadget, and you can supplement it with an external microphone kit if you want. It’s easy to use, lets you import recordings you’ve already made, and will save you loads of time!