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Humane AI Pin

“Seven hundred dollars to feel the future fail on your chest”

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2.8

Inside Scoop Score

Skip · 2.8 / 10

auto_awesome INSIDE SCOOP

The Inside Scoop

THE VERDICT

The Humane AI Pin is a genuinely ambitious piece of hardware that is let down by nearly everything else: slow and frequently wrong AI responses, brutal battery life measured in hours, no third-party apps, and a laser projector that is largely unreadable in daylight. It costs $700 plus $24 a month for a standalone device that does less, slower, and worse than the smartphone already in your pocket. The Verge called it 'not even close,' MKBHD called it the worst product he has ever reviewed, and the company has since shut down — which tells you everything.

Anchored by Marques Brownlee's review

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battery_charging_full
Genuinely impressive hardware build

The aluminum Pin, strong magnets, hot-swappable booster batteries, and well-made charging case represent real engineering craft that MKBHD singled out as the best part of the product by a wide margin.

speed
Hot-swap battery is clever

Including two boosters and a charging case so you can swap batteries without powering the device off is a legitimately smart hardware solution to an otherwise terrible battery situation.

verified_user
Translation feature actually works

Real-time language translation that auto-detects speech and translates back and forth was called out by MKBHD as the Pin's single best live demo feature, and it performed reliably in testing.

warning WATCH OUTS

Before You Buy — What Nobody Tells You

We analyzed the expert reviews and owner discussions to surface the surprises buyers only learn after.

  • heart_broken

    Device runs hot all day long

    The Pin is warm against your chest constantly because the booster is inductively charging through your clothing at all times, and multiple owners reported it overheating and shutting itself down mid-use with no warning — something no demo or marketing material prepares you for.

    — from MKBHD top reviewer transcript, r/AI_Application

    lightbulb No real fix; Humane never resolved the thermal throttling issue before shutting down.

  • construction

    Laser screen is invisible in daylight

    The projected hand interface — the signature feature shown in every demo — is nearly unreadable in bright rooms or outdoors, which covers the majority of real-world usage situations buyers actually encounter.

    — from r/AI_Application thread, MKBHD top reviewer transcript

  • emergency_share

    Throwing away packaging kills your return

    At least one owner discovered they could not return the device because they had discarded the elaborate packaging, meaning the company's investment in a premium unboxing experience doubled as an accidental return barrier.

    — from r/AI_Application

    lightbulb Keep all original packaging until you are fully certain you want to keep any expensive gadget.

groups VERDICT

Who it's for

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Best For

Collectors or researchers who want a physical artifact of a notable failed first-generation AI wearable and understand they are buying a non-functional curiosity.

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Skip If

Anyone who wants a device that actually works as a daily driver — which is everyone else.

forum REDDIT

Voices of Reddit

humane device wearable laser screen apple completely projection brightly packaging company user hype einem smartphones design flaw fundamental interact awkward extremely invisible room dimly outside suggests seen existing users technology landed gimmick futuristic curious genuinely setting common smoothly worked projected situation manage paperweight office outdoors review unnecessary return aesthetics prioritize
Praised Criticized Mentioned · Drawn from 5 threads · 0 comments
warning warning

"This needs to be a warning to all AI hardware startups: invest your VC money in the thermal throttling solution, not the unboxing experience."

r/AI_Application
smart_display VIDEO REVIEWS

Video reviews

10:26
person

Humane AI Pin Downfall

Jump To Future • 842

"What happens when Silicon Valley's most-hyped gadget can't survive the real world? Meet the Humane AI Pin—a $699 ..."

Show 6 more reviews expand_more
23:10
person

I tested the Humane AI Pin - It's not good.

Mrwhosetheboss • 3011746

"I spend a LOT of time trying to make my videos as concise, polished and useful as possible for you - if you would like to support ..."

16:47
person

Humane AI Pin review: a $700 gamble

The Verge • 330711

"Humane's AI Pin has been a highly anticipated, too-good-to-be-true device that promises to replace your smartphone, and now ..."

16:52
person

Humane Ai Pin Review: Vanguard Of A New Era

MrMobile [Michael Fisher] • 180050

"The Humane Ai Pin is a Star Trek combadge for 2024. It's a mobile phone designed to save us from our phones, a wearable ..."

11:14
person

The Humane AI Pin is No More

Waveform Clips • 92190

"In this clip, Marques, Andrew, and David discuss the news that HP bought Humane! Specifically, the patents and some employees ..."

rocket_launch TIKTOK

TikTok takes

@canoopsy

i tried the humane ai pin - this might just be the future 🫢 #Tech #techtok #apple #iphone #design

favorite 24.8K

@navtech_

IS THE HUMANE AI PIN WORTH IT? #tech #humaneai #aipin #ai #techreview

favorite 29

@customadventurist

What Happened to the Humane AI Pin? wait until the end because this AI gadget failure is wild #HumaneAIPin #HumaneAI #AIPin #AITech #fyp

favorite 486

Show 5 more expand_more

@canoopsy

my thoughts on the humane ai pin after now using it for a few days. #Tech #techtok #humaneaipin #design

favorite 6.4K

@574whitegirl.fan_28

Humane Ai Pin Review Vanguard Of A New Era-2

favorite 3

@samsheffer

two mins of @humane ai pin interactions! we cover ai mic, laser, translate, catch me up

favorite 18.7K

@sabrina_ramonov

Humane exits to HP for less funding than it raised. Humane made an AI pin that you wear and it has sensors, generative AI, and can project a display onto a surface. I never got to try it sadly. Not sure what the main use cases for it were… #ai #humaneaipin #techtok #startup #aistartup #techstartup #sabrinaramonov #greenscreen

favorite 460

@cnetdotcom

nuff said 😅🫠 (@scottstein89) #humane #humaneai #humaneaipin #aipin #artificialintelligence #Tech #TechGadgets #techfails #techfail #techtok #ai

favorite 45.0K

menu_book Editorial reviews · 5 expand_more
article
Mudita Forum. A Community of Minimalist Technology Enthusiasts • Apr 12, 2024
Editorial

Check out the Humane AI Pin Review - Mindful Discussions

Despite its sleek design and potentially less distracting user experience compared to smartphones, the AI Pin struggled with reliability and practical ...

article
The Verge • Apr 11, 2024
Editorial

Humane AI Pin review: not even close

For $699 and $24 a month, this wearable computer promises to free you from your smartphone. There's only one problem: it just doesn't work.

format_quote What people are saying · 3 expand_more

"This thing is bad at almost everything it does, basically all the time."

person

MKBHD

"For $699 and $24 a month, this wearable computer promises to free you from your smartphone. There's only one problem: it just doesn't work."

person

The Verge

"This needs to be a warning to all AI hardware startups: invest your VC money in the thermal throttling solution, not the unboxing experience."

person

r/AI_Application

The Humane AI Pin is a $700 lesson in how stunning hardware means nothing when the software, battery, and business model all fail simultaneously — and the company's shutdown means you cannot even buy this mistake new anymore.

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Scoped 16 days ago across 39 sources on 5 platforms.