Plaud unveils Plaud One, a $250 pair of 4G, eSIM-enabled AI earbuds with coverage in 80+ countries and $200 in AI feature credits; Plaud is making 2,000 units (Natalie Lung/Bloomberg)

Plaud, a hardware company, is set to launch an earphone product called Plaud One that includes an eSIM-enabled case for interacting with AI agents. The earphones, which look similar to Apple's Airpods, can record calls and conversations. The case, however, offers unique functionality. It can be used with an eSIM card to instruct Plaud's AI agents remotely, allowing users to perform tasks like writing emails, creating documents, and generating presentations based on the conversation without the need for a phone or computer.

With a range of five meters and up to 25 hours of recording on a single charge, the Plaud One also offers a 300-minute free transcription per month, with additional plans starting at $8.33 per month. The company's CEO, Nathan Xu, believes that earbuds provide an ideal interface for talking to AI due to their always-ready, wearable, and socially acceptable nature.

Despite intense competition in the market from rivals like Viaim, Anker, and software startups, Plaud is confident in its AI capabilities and has already reached $100 million in annual revenue. The Plaud One is expected to start pre-orders in the fourth quarter of 2026 at a price of $249.