What Is the Raycon AI Notetaker? Price, Specs and How It Compares

The Raycon AI Notetaker is a thin, card-shaped AI voice recorder from Raycon, the earbud brand. You tap it to record a meeting or, attached to the back of your phone with MagSafe, a phone call, and the Raycon app turns the recording into a transcript, summary and action items. It lists at $199, was showing at $99.50 with an automatic launch code on 21 September 2026, and is on pre-order to ship by the end of October. Every figure below was checked at rayconglobal.com that day.

Image: Raycon

What the Raycon AI Notetaker Is

It is a press-to-record device in the same shape as the Plaud Note: a flat slab you carry in a pocket or stick to the back of your phone. Raycon describes it as 0.19 inches thin and MagSafe compatible, with 5 microphones "to record calls and in-person chats." The pitch on the product page is "Tap. Talk. Done."

It started life as a crowdfunding project. The Kickstarter campaign ran from 17 February to 3 April 2026 and raised $49,056 from 408 backers against a $5,000 goal. It is now sold directly from Raycon's own store.

Price, Promo and Availability

The list price is $199 for all three colours: Carbon Black, Royal Blue and Blush Violet. On 21 September 2026 the product page showed "$199.00 $99.50 SAVE 50%" with the code "NOTE50" "applied automatically." Raycon does not say when the offer ends, so check the page before you buy.

The button reads as a pre-order, with the line "Ships by the end of October." Raycon's store data lists all three colours as available to order. Raycon lists 30-day returns, a 1-year warranty and free shipping.

Raycon AI Notetaker Specs

How It Captures and What Happens to the Audio

You decide when to record. Tap once for an in-person conversation, or switch to call mode with the device on the back of your phone. Raycon does not publish how call audio is picked up, only that the device records "calls and in-person chats." It records without the app open and "syncs with the app whenever you're connected."

Transcription is not automatic. The FAQ says "You choose which recordings to transcribe and summarize, giving you full control of usage and privacy." That matters because your monthly hours only get used on the recordings you pick.

The device keeps an audio recording. Raycon's FAQ says "Audio is stored on your personal device to support end-to-end encryption," and that an encrypted copy of the transcript and summary is stored after processing. Speaker identification and "Ask AI about recordings" are included on every plan.

Subscription: 5 Free Hours a Month

You don't need a subscription. The free plan gives 5 hours of transcription a month with summaries, action items, speaker identification and unlimited cloud storage. The paid tier raises that to 25 hours a month for $15.99 a month or $99.99 a year, and adds early feature access. At the annual rate, the device on the launch offer plus three years of the paid plan comes to $399.47. At list price it is $498.97.

How It Compares to Plaud Note and NotePin S

Plaud is the obvious comparison, and it holds up well. Here is how the three line up on each maker's own figures.

On paper Raycon claims twice the Plaud Note's battery and five more paid hours a month for about the same annual price, and the launch offer undercuts Plaud on hardware. The free tiers are the same size: 300 minutes is 5 hours. Plaud's advantages are real, though. You can buy one today, it is thinner, it publishes its storage, it has a mature app with integrations and its compliance certifications listed, and it has been reviewed widely. The Raycon is a first-generation product still on pre-order from Raycon's own store, so its battery and app claims haven't yet been tested by many owners.

If you want something you wear rather than carry, the NotePin S is the Plaud to look at, but it doesn't record phone calls. Our Legend vs Plaud NotePin S comparison covers it in detail, and Plaud vs Pocket AI looks at another card-style recorder. For the full field, see the best Plaud alternatives in 2026.

Who It Suits

The Raycon AI Notetaker makes sense if you mostly record scheduled meetings and phone calls, you want a MagSafe card on the back of your phone, and you are happy to wait until the end of October to save on the launch price. If you need it this week, or you want a longer track record, the Plaud Note is the safer choice.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is the Raycon AI Notetaker?

The list price is $199. On 21 September 2026 Raycon's product page showed it at $99.50, with the code NOTE50 applied automatically for 50% off. The price is the same for all three colours: Carbon Black, Royal Blue and Blush Violet.

When does the Raycon AI Notetaker ship?

It is on pre-order. Raycon's product page says it "Ships by the end of October".

Do you need a subscription for the Raycon AI Notetaker?

No. The free plan includes 5 hours of transcription a month. A paid plan raises that to 25 hours a month for $15.99 a month or $99.99 a year, and adds early feature access.

Can the Raycon AI Notetaker record phone calls?

Yes. Raycon says you can toggle between recording live conversations and phone calls, and it attaches to a phone with MagSafe. Raycon does not publish how the call audio is picked up.

Is the Raycon AI Notetaker better than the Plaud Note?

They are close. Raycon claims longer battery (60 hours versus 30), more monthly hours on its paid plan (25 versus 20 on Plaud Pro) and more languages (120+ versus 112), and costs less during the launch offer. Plaud Note is thinner, ships now, publishes 64 GB of storage and has a longer track record.

Where Legend Fits

Raycon and Plaud both make recorders you switch on when you know a conversation matters. Legend One works differently. It is a pendant worn at chest height that is always on, with nothing to press, so it catches the conversations you didn't plan to capture. It turns speech into text on the device as it is spoken, and no audio file is ever created, so there is nothing to play back and no recording to store. It is built for people with ADHD, for whom the forgotten conversation is usually the one nobody thought to record. It costs more, at $499 including the first year of unlimited processing. See how the two approaches differ on our comparison page, or read about Legend One.

Sources, all checked 21 September 2026. Raycon: Raycon AI Notetaker product page (price, promo, plans, specs, FAQ) and its store product data. Plaud: Plaud Note, NotePin S and plan pricing. Crowdfunding figures from Kickstarter. Image: Raycon.