Voice AI startup Subtle has developed exciting wireless earbuds designed to help users communicate clearly during calls and get accurate transcriptions for notes, even in noisy environments.
The company introduced these earbuds ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, announcing plans to ship them in the U.S. within the next few months. Priced at $199, the earbuds come with a complimentary one-year subscription to their iOS and Mac app, which allows users to take voice notes or interact with AI hands-free, even while the iPhone is locked.
Subtle aims to go head-to-head with AI-powered voice dictation apps like Wispr Flow, Willow, Monolouge, and Superwhisper. Their earbuds promise to reduce transcription errors significantly, claiming five times fewer mistakes than AirPods Pro 3 when paired with OpenAI’s transcription model.
In a demonstration featured by TechCrunch, the earbuds effectively captured audio despite background noise. They even transcribed a voice note when Subtle’s co-founder and CEO, Tyler Chen, spoke in a whisper.
Chen commented on the growing trend of using voice as an interface: “There is a huge move towards voice as a new interface that a lot of folks are adopting. You can do much more with voice in a natural way than with a keyboard. However, we saw that people rarely use voice when others are around. Our noise isolation model provides consumers a way to experience a voice interface through our earbuds.”
Last year saw the launch of note-taking rings from companies like Sandbar and Pebble, but Chen believes their earbuds, combined with the app, offer a unique blend of dictation, AI chat, and voice note functionalities.
Pre-orders for the earbuds are available on Subtle’s website, with options in both black and white.
Subtle has raised $6 million in funding so far and is collaborating with consumer brands like Qualcomm and Nothing to implement their noise isolation technology.
