Plaud's new AI earphones add an eSIM case for remote agent commands

Hardware makers have increasingly packed microphones into pendants, rings, credit-card-sized pucks, and wristbands, betting that note-taking is one of the easiest AI use cases to build for — but few products have stood out. Plaud, which says more than 2.5 million people already use its hardware or software, is now entering a new form factor: earphones styled simply, like Apple’s AirPods, that can record calls, while their case can capture in-person conversations or notes. Rivals Viaim and Anker already sell similar note-taking earbuds.

Plaud is betting its AI software can differentiate the product: once the earbuds transcribe a conversation, its AI agent — which connects to tools like Gmail, Google Calendar, Notion, and Slack — can write follow-up emails or draft documents and presentations from what was discussed, a workflow already offered by software note-takers like Granola, Fathom, and Read AI. Plaud One goes further with a case that supports an eSIM card, letting users instruct its AI agents remotely without a phone or computer nearby.

The earphones use 12mm drivers with active noise cancellation; the case can capture voices clearly within five meters, and the earphones record up to six hours of in-person meetings or three hours of calls per charge, extending to 25 hours combined with the case. Buyers get 300 minutes of free transcription monthly before needing an additional plan starting at $8.33 a month, paid annually — and this launch appears to be more of a trial run, with limited quantities as Plaud gauges demand.

“[For AI] we need to have a wearable and an always-ready interface, one that people love to wear, is socially acceptable, and private by design,” Plaud CEO Nathan Xu said in a briefing. Plaud is also building broader agentic capabilities due in coming months, with a credit-based system for tasks; buyers of the Plaud One get $200 in credits toward it. The company claimed an annual run-rate revenue of $100 million in June, a milestone also reached by YC-backed rival Pocket, in a field that also includes Anker, Comu, Viaim, and software startup Genspark.

Why it matters

Plaud’s biggest obstacle may not be its rivals in AI note-taking hardware, but the AirPods, Pixel Buds, and Galaxy Buds people already own and can pair with any note-taking app.