Plaud Note

Overview

Plaud Note is an ultra-portable AI-powered voice recorder that combines hardware recording capabilities with cloud-based AI processing. It’s designed for professionals, students, and content creators who need to document conversations, lectures, meetings, and interviews with automatic transcription and summarization.

2024 IF Product Design Award Winner

Physical Specifications

Dimensions and Portability

• Size: 3.37 x 2.13 x 0.117 inches
• Weight: 30 grams (1.06 oz)
• Design: Ultra-thin aluminum alloy with magnetic case
• Carrying: Magnetic ring for convenient attachment
• Colors: Black or dark blue

Recording Performance

• Recording Duration: 30 hours continuous
• Total Storage: 480 hours (64GB capacity)
• Recording Quality: 1536 kbps
• Microphone Setup:
  • 2 MEMS microphones (ambient/conference mode)
  • 1 VCS (Vibration Conduction Sensor) for phone audio capture
• Effective Range:
  • Standard: 10 meters
  • Pro model: 16.4 feet with AI beamforming

Battery and Charging

• Battery Capacity: 400mAh
• Recording Time: 30 hours continuous
• Standby Time: 60 days
• Charging Time: 2 hours

Recording Modes

Dual-Mode Recording System

• Air Conduction Mode: Captures ambient sounds for meetings and group conversations
• Vibration Conduction Mode: Captures internal phone audio for calls
• Automatic switching between modes based on context

AI Transcription and Processing

Language Support

• 112 languages with automatic detection
• No manual language selection required
• Accurate transcription across diverse linguistic contexts

Speaker Diarization

• Automatic speaker identification - labels “Speaker 1”, “Speaker 2”, etc.
• Tracks who said what in multi-person conversations
• Integrated with supplementary context for accuracy

Custom Vocabulary

• 10+ built-in glossaries for specialized industries:
  • Medical terminology
  • Legal jargon
  • Financial terms
  • Technical vocabulary
  • Industry-specific language
• Ensures accurate transcription of specialized terminology

Summarization and Analysis

Multidimensional Summaries

• Process audio with supplementary inputs: notes, images, highlighted moments
• AI understands what matters most through real-time highlighting

Template-Based Summaries

• 10,000+ professional templates for different perspectives
• Role-specific templates for different use cases
• Industry-tailored summary frameworks

360° View Capability

• Convert single conversation into multiple summaries
• Compare insights from different angles
• Preserve original recording for reference

Additional Features

• Mind maps and workflow integration
• Structured knowledge representations
• Connection to productivity tools

Multimodal Input

Beyond audio recording, Plaud captures:

• Text notes alongside audio
• Images for visual context
• Highlights during recording via short-press
• Real-time human-AI alignment where device learns what matters most

Connectivity and Integration

Connectivity Options

• Bluetooth (BLE)
• Wi-Fi
• USB-A
• USB-C

Software Ecosystem

• Plaud Desktop software for recording online meetings and phone calls
• Plaud App for iOS/Android management
• Plaud Web platform for browsing and organizing
• AutoFlow for integration and sharing
• Unlimited cloud storage for recorded files

Subscription Model

Included with Device

• 300-minute monthly transcription quota in initial purchase
• Covers basic transcription needs out of the box

Extending Capacity

• Pay-as-you-go for additional transcription minutes
• Subscription tiers available for heavy users

Compliance and Security

Meets rigorous security and privacy standards:

• ISO 27001 - Information security management
• ISO 27701 - Privacy information management
• GDPR - European data protection regulations
• SOC II - Security controls and operations
• HIPAA - Healthcare information protection
• EN 18031 - European cybersecurity standards

Suitable for: Healthcare, legal, financial, and other regulated industries

Use Cases

Professional

• Meeting and conference recording
• Interview capture and documentation
• Legal proceedings and depositions
• Medical consultations and patient documentation

Educational

• Lecture recording and documentation
• Classroom note-taking
• Research interviews

Content Creation

• Podcast recording and transcription
• Interview transcripts for articles
• Content research and documentation

Multilingual

• Cross-language communication
• International meetings
• Research in multiple languages

Advantages

✓ Extreme portability - Fits in pocket, independent of smartphone
✓ Premium design - Award-winning industrial design
✓ Long recording time - 30 hours per charge
✓ Multilingual - 112 languages with auto-detection
✓ Privacy-focused - On-device security certifications
✓ Hardware independence - Doesn’t rely on smartphone battery/performance
✓ Professional features - Glossaries, mind maps, 360° summaries
✓ Dual-mode recording - Optimized for meetings and calls

Limitations

• Hardware cost - More expensive than software-only solutions
• Cloud dependency - AI processing requires internet connectivity
• Subscription for transcription - Beyond included 300 minutes/month
• Limited API access - Not designed for programmatic integration
• Smaller ecosystem - Fewer integrations than established SaaS tools

Comparison

vs. Smartphone App (Otter, Granola):

• ✅ Physical portability
• ✅ Longer battery life
• ❌ Higher upfront cost

vs. Hardware + Cloud (Plaud + Fireflies):

• ✅ Integrated ecosystem
• ✅ Optimized for the device
• ❌ Less flexibility in transcription choice

vs. Self-Hosted (Whisper):

• ✅ No infrastructure needed
• ✅ Optimized hardware/software
• ❌ Cloud dependency
• ❌ Ongoing subscription costs

Ideal User Profile

• Professionals requiring always-available recording
• Those working across multiple languages
• Regulated industries (healthcare, legal)
• Content creators prioritizing portability
• Users who distrust smartphone-based recording
• Teams working in noisy environments

Related Tools

• Granola - Software alternative for Mac/Windows/iOS
• Fireflies - Advanced meeting analytics alternative
• Jamie - Privacy-focused transcription platform
• Whisper - Self-hosted transcription technology

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Last updated: 2026-01-23