I tried the Soulog Sense, and now it’s staying attached to my phone until further notice

The Soulog Sense is an AI note-taking device with a great design, awesome features like the Rewind tool, and more chances to avoid monthly fees. It can also double as a cardholder, blending seamlessly into your EDC setup.

What is the best AI note-taking device? Aside from doing its job well, I would like something that blends into my EDC gear enough to be unnoticeable, but I know it’s there whenever I need it. After testing the Soulog Sense for a couple of weeks, I feel like it is much stealthier than any other alternative, but is the whole package up to standard? Let’s check it out.

Hidden in plain view

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The AI note-taking hardware market may not be overpopulated, but the Soulog Sense definitely has some good competition. A few main names include the Plaud Note and Pin series, Anker Soundcore Work, and Vibe Dot. Love them or hate them, they all have one thing in common: They’re pretty much yet another thing you have to carry around and worry about.

You won't even notice you're carrying the Soulog Sense, yet it will become the most powerful note-taking tool you own.

The Soulog Sense is slightly heavier at 46g, but it has a neat trick up its sleeve. The cool thing about the Soulog Sense is that it kind of disguises itself because of its dual-purpose nature. It is designed to magnetically attach to your phone, and a magnetic wallet can stick right over it. The Soulog Sense is sandwiched between the phone and the cardholder. It’s there when you need it, but can go mostly unnoticed when not in use, because the wallet comfortably holds two cards (and I was able to fit three, snugly), offering all-day utility.

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This implementation of a wallet and magnetic attachment makes the Soulog Sense a much more seamless integration into my everyday routine, even if it is significantly larger than its main competitor, the Plaud Note series. Plaud’s offering may be super small and thin, but the device itself isn’t magnetic; it relies on the wallet-like holder for that. This holder is only meant to keep the Plaud Note in place and leaves no space for your cards.

By the way, this cardholder is included for free as of this writing, but it usually has a $19.99 price point, so grab one early if you want to make sure you get it as a freebie.

Oh, and there’s one very important factor to keep in mind, especially if you intend to have the device/wallet attached to the back of your phone all the time. The Soulog Sense has no protection against water. Soulog explicitly mentions it should be kept dry, so you’ll need to be careful with it or put it away if it’s raining or you’re around liquids.

That said, this is a common issue with AI note-taking gadgets. None of the main ones really offer water resistance. The Plaud NotePin and NotePin S are the most protected against liquids, and they are only “splash resistant”. They can handle light rain for short periods, pretty much.

A bit more about the hardware

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Wallet functionality aside, the Soulog Sense has some other benefits I am really enjoying. For starters, it uses USB-C for charging. It’s common to see proprietary chargers in this specific corner of the market. Seeing a standard connector we all already have all over the place is a breath of fresh air here.

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The back is made of fiberglass, while the rest of the body features an aluminum design that offers a sleek look and a solid feel. The magnet strength is also nothing to scoff at. I’m not sure how to measure it, but I sometimes have a hard time pulling it off, and feel confident that it won’t just fall off accidentally.

The Soulog Sense looks and feels amazing. Even the cardholder is outstanding.

It has two satisfying toggles and a clicky button. All offer good feedback, but the device also has haptic feedback in case you need to be sure an action was taken.

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Overall, I am loving the design and build quality of the Soulog Sense. And if you must know, even the cardholder feels amazing, with a contrasting soft leather texture and awesome construction.

My experience using the Soulog Sense

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The Soulog Sense is a competent device. I quickly noticed that voice recognition is pretty good. That’s thanks to the two MEMS microphones and VPU (Voice Pickup Unit). These work alongside AI noise reduction to produce the clearest audio possible, so it can be deciphered and transcribed. The hardware and software enhancements ensure that the Soulog Sense can pick up audio from up to 16ft (5m). For a moment, I wondered why adding a VPU made sense, as these are usually meant to pick up vibrations through bone conduction, but the Soulog Sense isn’t meant to be anywhere close to your face. It turns out the technology also works for recording calls by picking up vibrations from the phone’s speakers.

After a quick setup and enjoying the view of the high-quality device and wallet, I moved on to test this thing. I first tried it while having a conversation with my girlfriend. We’re planning a trip to Mexico City next year, and I wanted her to tell me about the food experience in town. You know, just to visualize how much I’ll be eating (and spending).

We talked a bit about the street food around her area, what types of food there are, and how much we would spend. After finishing the conversation, I toggled off the recording button and opened the app. After a few minutes of transferring, transcribing, and summarizing, I was off to the races. The application gave me a quick summary of the conversation, along with notes and sectioned annotations.

It was a good summary, covering the basics. Then I noticed a Regenerate option, which allowed me to add specific instructions on what I wanted changed. I told it to add a list of food types and specify the two different speakers, and it did pretty well. Now I have a cool little guide to remind me what to try, how much it will cost, and that the busiest stalls are where the good food is!

I was using this thing wherever I could, but here’s one of my favorite uses of the Soulog Sense. Those who know me will know I am a sucker for watches, whether traditional or smart. I saw that our long-term review of the Fitbit Air went live and wanted to know all about it, but I was about to run out for an errand. I stopped for a second and realized I can ask the Sense to give me a summary.

I set up the Soulog Sense, hit play, and walked out the door. When I came back, I simply toggled off the record switch and let the magic happen. And just like that, I got a simple summary telling me what the Fitbit Air is all about (it turns out the Fitbit Air isn’t really for me).

I also saw that my colleague, Paul, uploaded a video regarding the Googlebook, which apparently is a disaster. I wanted the gossip, but was about to take a shower. Again, I let the Soulog Sense take a look for me. In essence, the summary tells me the laptop hardware is great, but the price doesn’t match the experience, especially considering that the software really isn’t up to par.

Another really cool feature is that it can recall up to 30 minutes of unrecorded content if you press the main button for two seconds. While I never needed it, I tried it once just to check it out, and it worked like a charm.

Overall, I see the value in AI notes from the Soulog Sense. Is it better than the competition? I don’t think the transcriptions, performance, and summaries beat the Plaud devices. I’d say my experience with note results has been pretty similar with both. The difference here is that I prefer the overall experience of the Soulog Sense, and, of course, it helps that the price is lower (more on that later).

You won’t need to worry about storage, either. It has 8GB of storage, which may not seem like much to us, but that is apparently enough to hold 96 hours or more in recordings.

How is the Soulog Sense’s battery life?

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In terms of battery life, we’re looking at something very substantial here. According to Soulog, the Sense can record for over 50 hours straight. Obviously, I haven’t managed to reach this number, but I believe it. So far, I’ve only been able to drop the battery percentage by a few units at a time, and I have yet to see it drop below 90%.

I also like the fact that you can actually turn it off. Toggling off the side power switch ensures there is absolutely no power being used, especially if you have the Rewind feature enabled.

When it’s time to recharge, you can get it all the way to 100% in just 100 minutes. So, yeah, it pretty much charges at 1% per minute, on average. If you’re in a rush, plugging it in for 10 minutes will give you about 8 hours of recording time, too.

Does it cost money to use the Soulog Sense?

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Soulog does have a free plan, but it has its limitations. Whether you’ll need to pay extra depends on your needs. The free plan gets you 200 credits a month. Recording and transcribing don’t use any credits, which is great, but I’ve found that the recaps are the most helpful, and those do use credits.

Based on my usage, an 8-11 minute recording summary requires about 12-15 credits. Your mileage will vary, but that should give you a good approximation. This means I could easily get by with a few short meetings and recordings a month, if I want the summaries (I do).

If you’ll be using the device more heavily, the Pro plan costs $19.99 per month (or $9.99/mo billed annually) and gets you 2,000 AI credits. There’s also a Max plan for heavy users that costs $29.99 per month (or $19.99/mo billed annually) and includes 6,000 credits. Alternatively, you can buy credit bundles separately, at the equivalent of $12 per 1,000 credits.

The good news is that you can get a 7-day free trial when you sign up. By the way, something to keep in mind is that Rewind is a free feature for now, but won’t be forever. This feature is clearly labeled as being included with the Soulog Sense for a “limited time”.

Should you buy the Soulog Sense?

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If you’re looking to get an AI note-taking device, the Soulog Sense can’t be ignored. It should at least be on your list of top options. The competitive pricing, awesome form factor, and capabilities are up there with the best.

If you're looking to get an AI note-taking device, the Soulog Sense can't be ignored.

As an added bonus for those of us who like magnetic accessories, this one attaches easily to the back of your phone. And if your device doesn’t have MagSafe or Qi2, the box includes a metal ring you can attach to the back of any phone or case.

While the main competitor uses the wallet to house the AI device itself, the Soulog Sense adds a cardholder for your valuables, adding a dual-purpose functionality like no other. Battery life is impressive, and all the features work very well. The app is simple to use, and most of us can get away without a monthly plan.

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I also love that learning the switches and buttons is easy. One toggle turns the device on/off, while the other starts and stops the recording. The single button can highlight important parts with a single tap, and holding it for two seconds activates the Rewind feature to recall up to 30 minutes before the recording starts. That’s it!

There isn’t much I can complain about. Not to mention, the $139.99 price point is quite competitive for a high-end, well-designed product like this one. Its closest competitor is the Plaud Note series, which costs $159-$189. Additionally, that one limits free transcription to 300 minutes, whereas the Soulog Sense offers unlimited free transcription. You are more likely to be forced to pay with Plaud, and its monthly subscriptions start at $17.99.

Honestly, the Soulog Sense will stay on the back of my phone through my daily life, at least until something better comes around.