Oleap Archer AI Meeting Headset review: a solution in search of a problem

Tom's Guide

2 days ago

The Oleap Archer is an AI Meeting Headset that (with the help of its companion app) can transcribe voice memos or meeting recordings with the push of a button. It can also create summaries of the recordings, which I found useful so I didn't have to trawl through recordings or transcripts to find what I was looking for… but is it offering anything new?
In short… no, it's not.
When transcribing interviews, meeting notes, and voice memos in the past, I have used my trusty AirPods 3 and transcription software to get the same (if not better) results.
The audio quality of the Oleap Archer is below par and the microphone is nowhere near as good as my AirPods 3 or my Beats Studio 3 headphones.
You can find out more in my full Oleap Archer review.
Price
$129
Weight
13.8g
Dimensions
3.4 x 1.8 x 0.9 inches
Connection
Bluetooth 5.3
USB-C dongle
AI
Transcription
Summary
Accessories
Charging cable (80cm)
Four sizes of ear tips
Charging case (Purchased separately for $39)
USB-C dongle (Purchased separately for $19)
Operating systems
Windows, MacOS, IOS, Android
The Oleap Archer is priced at $129 for the headset. There is also the option to purchase a $39 charging case for the headset, which extends the battery life from seven to 28 hours, and also a USB-C dongle for $19.
The Oleap Archer isn't currently available for public purchase, but has sent out its first units to backers on Kickstarter. Public release was expected in April but we have not heard anything as of yet. I will update this review on the full availability of the product once it launches.
Feedback on the Kickstarter campaign suggests the brand is having difficulty fulfilling all orders so I would advise waiting for the full public launch before committing.
The Oleap Archer comes in black or white, looks very sleek, and is actually pretty discreet for a headset. It hooks over one ear in the same way open ear headphones like the Honor Earbuds Open do.
The arm of the device hooks around the top of the ear, while the ear tip sits in the same position as in-ear earbuds would. This felt very secure to wear. The headset can be worn on either ear by rotating the arm and microphone to face the opposite direction.
The mic comes out of the device and stretches halfway across my cheek. I was able to move this up and down to make sure I was getting the best sound, which I tested by recording myself in the Oleap app (more on that later) and listening back.
The headset comes with four different sizes and styles of ear tips to choose from to get the best in-ear fit.
The device has two hours of local storage but connecting to the phone app grants further storage where you can save audio recordings and transcriptions.
The controls of the headset look overwhelming at first with a lot of tap controls, but are easy to follow after some use. There is a mute button on the stem of the microphone to easily mute yourself during calls. The volume buttons are on the panel in front of the ear piece where there is also a secondary microphone.
The power button is on the bottom of the ear hook. This also controls the connection between the headset and devices. Like with any new earbuds, headphones or headset, the controls took a little getting used to. But after around 30 minutes of continuous use it became second nature.
The Oleap Archer can connect with up to two devices at once via a Bluetooth 5.3 connection. You simply click the power button three times to connect to a second device. This meant I could play music from my phone and then dial in to a video call on my laptop without needing to disconnect anything.
You can be up to 10 meters (33 feet) away from the headset and it will stay connected — something I confirmed during my testing. You can also purchase a USB-C wireless dongle separately for $19 if you want to roam further beyond that distance.
However, when using my MacBook Air M2, I had to manually select the Oleap as the audio input as it didn't automatically pick it up. It's an extra unnecessary step that, for example, I don't have to worry about when I'm using AirPods.
Initially, I had a few issues with the Oleap Archer headset's sound quality, where my colleague said I sounded awful and muffled. Likewise, I couldn't understand a word I said upon listening back but, funnily enough, the transcription was perfect.
After speaking with the Oleap team, it turned out this was a common manufacturing issue so I was sent a replacement.
With the new headset, I called my colleague on Google Meet and the microphone performance was much better! She could actually hear and understand me. Through the ear piece I was able to hear her speaking, however it sounded more like I was on a phone call with static, rather than what I usually hear when on a video call through regular headphones.
Oleap states the headset uses dual beamforming microphones for 50db noise reduction. Upon listening back to the recordings, I could still hear some background noise from other conversations coming through, but it completely erased any ambient sound like my typing on my keyboard.
I tested out the mute button and the response was instant, but it doesn't say on the Bluetooth device that the microphone is muted, so you need to be aware when you turn it on and off.
The Oleap Archer comes with a companion app which is what gives it the AI angle. In the app you can store audio recordings but it also transcribes the recordings. It also summarizes the transcriptions, so I knew exactly what was in each recording without having to listen back.
The app is available on iOS and Android, and means you can use your device's storage to save all of your recordings and transcriptions. The app is easy to navigate and well designed to give an organized view of recordings.
The app is free for 12 months but after that it is $19 for a year. Previously I've used Otter.ai to transcribe my work and that sets you back $20 a month, so the Oleap subscription is much cheaper, but you obviously need to factor in the initial price of the headset.
The app has four recording modes to choose from depending on what you need. There is call mode for recording calls, media mode to record, transcribe and provide summaries on videos, environment mode to record speeches and discussion, and memo mode to capture notes and ideas.
To be frank though, all of these modes do the same thing. You can record, and then have the option to transcribe.
The recording is easy to use by just clicking the microphone button and my voice was easy to understand when listening back, but I get better audio recording results when just using my AirPods 3.
The transcription feature works really well and it picked up everything I said word for word with no errors. I was impressed as I have a thick Welsh accent and transcription tools usually struggle to pick up what I say.
I was able to turn on speaker recognition which split up the conversation between myself and my colleague with ease.
There is also a transcription summary feature which gave me a quick overview of the conversation I was having. I found this useful as it picked up the key points without me having to trawl through the entire transcription or listen to the whole recording again.
But an alternative like the Plaude NotePin does all this and more, and you can give it prompts to aid the transcription process.
The Oleap Archer has seven hours of talk time, so you'll be all good for a working day. This can be extended to 28 hours if you also use the charging case (which is purchased separately for $39). And Oleap says charging the headset for 10 minutes will give an hour of use.
There are indicator lights on the headset to let you know its charge status, but you can also view the percentage in the app.
The device comes with a magnetic charging cable that fits on to the headset. It can also be charged in the charging case using the USB-C port.
While I like the concept of the Oleap Archer AI Meeting Headset, I can't help but feel this device is a little redundant. Everything it offers can be achieved with a set of earbuds and AI transcription software like Otter.ai or even Google's Gemini, which is now built-in to Google Meet.
You aren't able to command the Oleap to organize your meeting transcriptions like with the Plaude NotePin, and you have to pay for a subscription to unlock additional storage. These are tall hurdles to overcome but that being said, the transcriptions it provides are fast and clear.
The microphone performance (once we were sent a replacement unit) still wasn't brilliant and since I use a MacBook, I got a simpler and better experience with a pair of AirPods. While I want to like the Oleap Archer AI Meeting Headset, I can't help but feel it's a solution in search of a problem and therefore would advise you to approach it with caution.