Amazon's Bee announced two new AI devices on October 15, 2026. They are the first new Bee products since Amazon bought the company in 2025.
The Bee Frontier costs $74.99 and is available now on Amazon. It is a small pod you wear on a band on your wrist or clip to your clothes. It replaces the older Bee Pioneer, which Engadget says is now discontinued.
The Bee Eclipse costs $99.99. It is a thin magnetic card that snaps onto the back of your phone and can capture both sides of a phone call. Amazon only says it is "available soon". There is no ship date yet.
Both devices do the same core job. They listen to conversations, then turn them into summaries, to-dos and notes you can search later. Bee also launched a paid Bee Pro plan at $11.99 a month.
Key dates and prices
| Date | Price | |
|---|---|---|
| Bee Frontier and Bee Eclipse announced | October 15, 2026 | |
| Bee Frontier on sale (Amazon) | October 15, 2026 | $74.99 |
| Bee Eclipse on sale | "Available soon", no date | $99.99 |
| Bee Pro subscription | Now | $11.99 a month |
| Bee Pioneer (old model) | Discontinued | Launched at about $50 |
| Plaud Note (rival) | On sale now | $159 (TechCrunch) |
A note on price: Bee's own site and TechCrunch list $74.99 and $99.99. Engadget rounds these to $75 and $100. They are the same prices.
Bee Frontier vs Bee Eclipse vs Plaud Note
| Bee Frontier | Bee Eclipse | Plaud Note | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $74.99 | $99.99 | $159 |
| How you carry it | Wristband or clip | Magnetic card on the back of your phone | Magnetic case on the back of your phone |
| Phone calls | No call mode listed | Yes, both sides of a call | Yes, call mode and in-person mode |
| Microphones | Dual mics with noise filtering | 3 or 4 mics plus a vibration mic (see below) | Vibration conduction sensor for calls |
| Battery | Up to 7 days | 3 weeks or more | Up to 30 hours of recording |
| Thickness | Not listed | 4.6 mm | 0.12 in (about 3 mm) |
| Water resistance | IP67 | Not listed | Not listed |
| Charging | USB-C | Not listed | Charging cable included |
| Audio kept? | No, processed then deleted | No, processed then deleted | Yes, up to 64GB on the device |
| Languages | 40+ | Not listed | 112 |
| Subscription | Free tier, or Bee Pro $11.99/mo | Free tier, or Bee Pro $11.99/mo | Free Starter plan (300 min/month), paid plans |
| Colors | Onyx, Lavender, Sage | Silver, Midnight, Honey, Blush | Black, Dark Blue and others |
| Status | On sale now | Coming soon | On sale now |
Bee specs come from Bee's website, Bee's Amazon listings, Engadget and TechCrunch. Plaud specs come from Plaud's Amazon listing. The Plaud price is the one TechCrunch quotes.
The sources disagree on the Eclipse microphones. Engadget says the Eclipse has three mics. Bee's Amazon listing says it uses a vibration microphone for calls plus four MEMS mics. We have listed both. Wait for reviews if mic count matters to you.
What is new
Bee Frontier. Engadget says it is smaller and lighter than the Pioneer. The big upgrade is IP67 dust and water resistance. The Pioneer was not water-resistant. Battery life stays at about seven days, with USB-C charging. You press the button once to start a recording session, or press and hold to ask Bee's assistant a question or leave a voice note. An LED shows when it is listening.
Bee Eclipse. This one is a new idea for Bee. You do not wear it. It sits on your phone, so you cannot forget it at home. Amazon's listing says it is MagSafe compatible, 4.6 mm thin, and snaps on with an included magnetic accessory. It can pick up both sides of a phone call using a vibration mic. Engadget says it has three times the battery of the Frontier, which Bee puts at more than 21 days.
Bee Pro and the new apps. The mobile app was redesigned, and there is a new desktop app for Mac and Windows. TechCrunch says summaries and recaps stay free on all Bee devices, with 14 days of memory. Bee Pro at $11.99 a month adds unlimited summaries, suggested to-dos, daily memories, a chat assistant, conversation templates and integrations. Engadget says new customers get 30 days of Pro free, and long-time Bee owners keep their current features for free.
Alexa+ and Amazon.com links. With Pro you can connect Bee to Alexa+. Then you can ask an Echo, "What are my Bee to-dos?" Bee can also suggest shopping items from your conversations on Amazon. Both of these are opt-in, according to Engadget.
Privacy: what you should know
This device listens to people around you, so privacy matters more than specs.
- Audio is not stored. Bee says audio is processed in real time and then deleted. Only the text is kept.
- Encryption. Bee says transcripts are encrypted with keys your device creates and controls. It says not even Amazon can read your data unless you choose to share it.
- Private Compute. Engadget reports the processing runs in an isolated system built on AWS Nitro that Bee says no one at Amazon or Bee can access.
- Consent. Engadget says you need to get permission from the people in the conversation each time you start recording. Recording laws also differ by state and country, so check yours.
- You can delete it. You can delete transcripts and summaries at any time.
TechCrunch notes that some buyers are still wary of Amazon and data, given past concerns around Alexa. If that is you, a recorder like the Plaud Note that stores audio on the device may feel more under your control.
Which should you buy?
- Buy the Bee Frontier if you want a cheap, always-on memory helper for daily life. At $74.99 it costs less than half of a Plaud Note, it is waterproof, and you can use it free before deciding on Pro.
- Wait for the Bee Eclipse if most of your important talks happen on the phone. It captures both sides of calls and lasts about three weeks. It has no ship date yet, so do not plan around it.
- Buy the Plaud Note if you record meetings, interviews or client calls for work. It keeps the audio file, records for up to 30 hours, and is built for long sessions you want to replay.
- Buy the Plaud NotePin S if you want a Plaud you can wear. It works as a pin, clip, necklace or wristband, weighs 0.61 oz and records for up to 20 hours.
- Wait if you are not sure. No full reviews of the Frontier or Eclipse are out yet, and Bee Pro costs $143.88 a year if you keep it. Try the free tier first, or wait a few weeks for reviews.
Want to compare more gadgets side by side? Try our compare tool. Interested in AI you wear on your face instead? Read our Ray-Ban Meta Audio vs Gen 3 vs Gen 2 guide.
Other tech news this week
- Beats put the Pokémon x Beats Pill on sale October 15 for $149.99. See our Pokémon Beats Pill vs Beats Pill guide.
- Xbox showed the tiny Xbox Nano Controller, which Engadget says is just over five inches long. Read our Xbox Nano Controller guide.
- iPhone Duo pre-orders open October 16 ahead of an October 23 US release. Our iPhone Duo pre-order guide has the details.
Sources
- Bee: official website
- Amazon: Bee Frontier listing
- Amazon: Bee Eclipse listing
- Engadget: Bee unveils two AI note-taking devices, its first new products since being acquired by Amazon
- TechCrunch: Amazon's Bee launches two new personal AI devices, starting at $75
- Amazon: Plaud Note listing
- Amazon: Plaud NotePin S listing
Image: Bee Frontier and Bee Eclipse, via Bee / Amazon.
