In an increasingly digital world, the quest for seamless productivity often leads us to innovations designed to capture fleeting thoughts and crucial conversations. Enter Plaud, the San Francisco-based artificial intelligence (AI) startup, which has just unveiled its latest offering: the Plaud NotePin S. This successor to the original Plaud NotePin, launched in August 2024, isn’t just another incremental update; it brings a significant, yet wonderfully tactile, enhancement that promises to streamline your notetaking experience.

The Plaud NotePin S: Bringing Back the Button

The most compelling upgrade in the new Plaud NotePin S is remarkably simple: a physical button. While its predecessor relied on haptic touches, the new model offers a reliable, tangible way to register input. Imagine effortlessly starting a recording with a long press, or instantly adding highlight markers with a quick tap mid-conversation – no more second-guessing if your touch registered correctly. This thoughtful design decision by Plaud reflects a deep understanding of user interaction, prioritizing reliability in high-stakes environments like meetings or interviews.

Priced at $179 (approximately Rs. 16,150) and available directly from the official website, the Plaud NotePin S arrives ready to use. It comes bundled with a full suite of essential accessories, including a clip, lanyard, magnetic pin, and wristband, ensuring versatility in how you wear or attach it. Despite its robust functionality, the device remains incredibly compact and lightweight, measuring just 2.01 x 0.83 x 0.43 inches and weighing a mere 17.2g. Internally, it boasts two MEMS microphones for clear audio capture and 64GB of onboard storage for your recordings. Powering this AI notetaking marvel is a 320mAh battery, which charges fully in about two hours, supporting both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.2 for connectivity.

Beyond the hardware, Plaud continues to leverage advanced AI-led audio transcription. Users receive a generous monthly free quota of 300 transcription minutes. For those with higher demands, subscription plans are available: the Pro plan offers 1,200 minutes for $8.33 (roughly Rs. 750) per month, while the Unlimited plan, priced at $19.99 (approximately Rs. 1,800), provides limitless transcription. The accuracy and sophistication of these transcriptions are powered by an impressive array of AI models, including GPT-5.2, Claude Sonnet 4.5, and Gemini 3 Pro, among others, ensuring comprehensive and precise digital notes.

Expanding Horizons with the Plaud Desktop App

Alongside the new wearable, Plaud has also rolled out its dedicated Desktop app, broadening its ecosystem beyond existing mobile apps and web cloud management. This application is compatible with both Windows and macOS, seamlessly integrating with popular audio and video calling platforms such as Google Meet, Teams, Slack, and Zoom. What’s truly notable is that this powerful desktop companion is free-to-use for owners of any Plaud device, making the entire notetaking and transcription workflow more cohesive and accessible across different environments. It’s a smart move, ensuring that the value of the Plaud NotePin S extends well beyond its physical form.