Voice AI startup Subtle, which creates voice isolation models to help computers understand you better in loud environments, has launched a new pair of wireless earbuds. These earbuds are designed to help users sound clear on calls and provide accurate transcriptions for voice notes.
The company unveiled the earbuds ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and plans to ship them in the U.S. in the next few months. Priced at $199, the buds will come with a year-long subscription to the company’s iOS and Mac app. This app allows users to take voice notes or chat with AI without pressing any keys. Subtle is using a custom chip that enables the earbuds to wake an iPhone while it is locked.
The startup is positioning itself to compete with other AI-powered voice dictation apps by allowing users to dictate in any application using these earbuds. The company claims the buds deliver five times fewer errors than AirPods Pro 3 combined with OpenAI’s transcription model.
In a demonstration, the earbuds successfully captured audio in a noisy background. They also accurately captured the text of a voice note while the company’s co-founder and CEO, Tyler Chen, was whispering.
Chen explained the vision behind the product, noting a significant move towards voice as a new interface. He stated that while voice allows for more natural interaction than a keyboard, people rarely use it when others are around. By using Subtle’s noise isolation model, the earbuds aim to give consumers a way to use a voice interface privately.
The launch follows announcements from other companies last year about forthcoming rings for note-taking. Chen said that with its earbuds and app combined, Subtle wants to provide the functionalities of different tools like dictation, AI chat, and voice notes in a single package.
The earbuds are available for pre-order through the startup’s website and come in black and white color options.
Subtle has raised $6 million in funding to date and has been working with consumer companies like Qualcomm and Nothing to deploy its noise isolation models.