Plaud Note Pro review: The dictaphone is back with AI, but can you afford to leave it on?
Journalism's favorite gadget, the dictaphone, has made a comeback with AI assistance thanks to Plaud Note Pro. This premium device, though stylish, raises questions about its affordability and practicality. The gadget is compact, fitting in a shirt pocket or attaching to an iPhone via MagSafe. It boasts a sleek design with a back button for note-taking and an LED strip indicating battery, recording, and highlighted segments.
The Plaud app provides transcripts, which need manual syncing, although auto-transfer is available. With over 180 languages supported, the device excels in multilingual transcription, converting notes into various languages and creating visual mind maps. However, the device's reliance on OpenAI and other AI platforms for processing raises privacy concerns, as the recording is sent to these platforms after syncing with the app.
The single-button operation, combined with the LED indicator, can be difficult to use, leading to accidental recordings. The 300 minutes of free transcription per month is quickly exhausted for heavy users, making the unlimited plan at Rs 2,075 a month a significant cost for the device priced at Rs 20,990. The annual plan at Rs 9,900 caps transcription at 1,200 minutes, which may be sufficient for many users but still leaves room for improvement compared to other transcription apps like Granola, which offer unlimited minutes.
Despite its strengths, the Plaud Note Pro faces stiff competition and pricing challenges that may hinder its widespread adoption.
Written by urgent.news from The Indian Express's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
