Plaud’s Note Pro Reinvents AI Note-Taking With One Button

Since launching their first Kickstarter-funded device in 2023, Plaud has carved out something of a niche in the AI hardware space. The San Francisco-based company, founded by Nathan Xu and Charles Liu, built their reputation on integrating AI note-taking into your practical daily workflow. With over a million users across 170 countries now relying on their credit card-sized recorders, Plaud has managed what few bootstrapped tech companies achieve: profitability without venture backing. Their latest release, the Note Pro, doubles down on that momentum with a feature that could reshape how we think about human-AI collaboration.

Pushing Buttons and Taking Names

What makes this device unique is the “Press to Highlight” button, which allows you to tap the device mid-conversation to flag important moments, rather than AI listening the entire time. The system then weighs that input heavily when generating summaries, action items, or insights later on.

This approach addresses a fundamental frustration with current AI note-taking tools. Too often, you’ll get a perfectly transcribed conversation but a summary that misses the forest for the trees. The Note Pro’s highlight feature creates a feedback loop that should theoretically result in more useful outputs.

Engineering Excellence in Miniature

Plaud packed impressive hardware into the Note Pro’s credit card footprint. At just 2.9mm thick and just over 1oz, it houses four MEMS microphones with AI beamforming that can capture clear audio from up to 16ft away. The 50-hour battery life means you’re looking at week-long recording sessions on a single charge, and the new 0.95-inch AMOLED display provides visual confirmation that recording is active for transparency in meetings.

The Smart Dual-Mode Recording automatically detects whether you’re capturing a phone call or in-person conversation, eliminating the manual toggle from the original Note. It’s paired with 64GB of onboard storage and Find My integration.

Plaud Intelligence Gets Smarter

Beyond the hardware, Plaud is rolling out App 3.0 in October with multimodal capabilities. You can now combine audio recordings with text notes, images captured through your smartphone, and those highlighted moments into a single, contextually rich summary. The updated Ask Plaud feature lets you query your recordings and trace answers back to specific audio segments — essentially turning your conversation history into a searchable knowledge base.

The platform routes requests across OpenAI’s GPT, Anthropic’s Claude, and Google’s Gemini models dynamically, which should improve output quality depending on the task. With over 2,000 professional templates for different industries and use cases, the software feels purpose-built for actual workflow integration rather than tech demonstration.

Keeping It Professional

The rippled aluminum finish gives the Note Pro a more premium feel than its predecessor, though the fundamental design language remains unchanged. The included magnetic MagSafe case means it can live on the back of your phone without adding bulk. For professionals who find themselves in frequent meetings, interviews, or client calls, this kind of seamless integration is a game-changer.

Spec Sheet

Pricing & Availability

Delivering this October, the Plaud Note Pro is priced at $179 and available for pre-order now through Plaud’s website, included with 600 transcription minutes and a magnetic case. The device includes 300 minutes of monthly transcription; subscription plans start at $99.99 annually for 1,200 minutes or $239.99 for unlimited usage.

Recap

Plaud Note Pro AI Note Taking

Plaud’s new credit card-sized Note Pro introduces a “Press to Highlight” feature that lets users signal important moments during recordings in real-time, creating better human-AI alignment for more accurate summaries and insights.

Learn More: Plaud