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 yearlong 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 AI-powered voice dictation apps like Wispr Flow, Willow, Monologue, and Superwhisper by allowing users to dictate in any app using the voice buds. The company claims the buds deliver five times fewer errors than AirPods Pro 3 combined with OpenAI’s transcription model.
In a demonstration seen by TechCrunch, the earbuds successfully captured audio in a noisy background. They also managed to accurately transcribe a voice note while Subtle’s co-founder and CEO, Tyler Chen, was whispering.
Chen explained the company’s vision, 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 its noise-isolation model, Subtle aims to give consumers a way to experience a voice interface through its earbuds.
This launch follows announcements last year from companies like Sandbar and Pebble, which revealed forthcoming rings for note-taking. Chen said that with its buds 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 preorder on the startup’s website and come in black and white color options.
To date, Subtle has raised $6 million in funding and has been working with consumer companies like Qualcomm and Nothing to deploy its noise-isolation models.