At a Glance
- Subtle launches $199 earbuds with AI transcription, promising five times fewer errors than AirPods Pro 3.
- Earbuds ship with a year-long subscription to an iOS and Mac app and include a chip that wakes the iPhone while locked.
- Pre-orders are now open; shipping in the U.S. is slated for the next few months.
Why it matters: These earbuds could make voice the default way to interact with devices, especially in noisy environments, by delivering clear calls and accurate notes without a keyboard.
Voice-AI startup Subtle has taken a big step toward making spoken conversation the new computer interface by unveiling a pair of wireless earbuds that combine advanced noise-isolation with AI-powered transcription. The $199 buds, which ship with a year-long subscription to an iOS and Mac app, are set to hit U.S. shelves in the coming months.
Launch Details
The earbuds were unveiled ahead of CES in Las Vegas, with Subtle announcing plans to ship them in the U.S. in the next few months. The $199 price includes a year-long subscription to the company’s app, which lets users take voice notes or chat with AI without pressing any keys. A custom chip allows the iPhone to wake while it is locked.
- $199 price
- Year-long subscription
- Wake-while-locked chip
Technology & Features
Subtle’s noise-isolation model lets the buds capture clear audio even in noisy settings, and the app supports dictation, AI chat, and voice-note transcription. In a TechCrunch demo, the earbuds captured a whispered voice note from CEO Tyler Chen in a loud background. The company claims the earbuds deliver five times fewer errors than AirPods Pro 3 paired with OpenAI’s transcription model.
Tyler Chen stated:
> “We are seeing that 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 voice is rarely an interface people use when others are around. So that using our noise isolation model, we will give consumers a way to experience a voice interface in the form of our earbuds.”
- Noise-isolation model
- Whisper-level capture
- Five-times lower error rate
Market Position
Subtle is positioning its earbuds against AI-powered voice dictation apps such as Wispr Flow, Willow, Monologue, and Superwhisper, offering a hardware-software bundle that claims superior accuracy. The company says its buds will reduce errors by a factor of five compared to the combination of AirPods Pro 3 and OpenAI’s transcription model.
| Model | Relative Error Rate |
|---|---|
| Subtle Earbuds | 1× |
| AirPods Pro 3 + OpenAI | 5× |
With $6 million raised to date and partnerships with Qualcomm and Nothing, Subtle is working to deploy its models in consumer devices.
Pre-orders & Availability
Customers can pre-order the earbuds through Subtle’s website, choosing between black or white colorways. The earbuds will ship in the U.S. within the next few months, and the app subscription lasts for one year.
Key Takeaways
- Subtle’s $199 earbuds combine noise-isolation and AI transcription, offering a new voice interface.
- The company claims a five-fold reduction in transcription errors versus competitor setups.
- Pre-orders are available now, with U.S. shipping slated for the near future.
By bundling hardware and AI software, Subtle aims to give users a seamless voice-based experience that could reshape how we interact with technology in noisy settings.
