Support our independent tech coverage. Chrome Unboxed is written by real people, for real people—not search algorithms. Join Chrome Unboxed Plus for just $2 a month to get an ad-free experience, access to our private Discord, and more. Learn more about membership here.
START FREE TRIAL (MONTHLY)START FREE TRIAL (ANNUAL)
We’ve all been there, right? You’re on a video call, and the neighbor decides its time to crank up the leaf blower in the middle of the day. It could be kids, background music, animals, or just the din of the coffee shop; sometimes it feels like there isn’t a good way to escape the noise of your surroundings.
With the new Chromebook Plus feature called Studio-style mic arriving in ChromeOS 130 in just a week or so, you’ll now have a secret weapon to squash all of that disruption and make it sound like you are in a sound-controlled studio for your next call. This isn’t your average noise cancellation, either. We’re talking about AI that intelligently identifies and isolates your voice, effectively silencing everything else around you.
This works way better than I expected
I just gave this new feature a spin with a basic recording and I was pretty shocked at how well it works. It’s eerily good at filtering out background noise, making even the most distracting environments sound like a quiet room. White noise, humming appliances, even low-level music – it all fades away, leaving just your voice, clear as day. Check out this sample I made for you to see and hear it in action:
While Google doesn’t provide a ton of technical background on exactly how this feature works, we know it involves some serious AI magic. The microphones don’t just muffle background noise; they actively analyze the incoming audio, identify your voice patterns, and then use that information to separate your speech from everything else. It’s really simple to use, and I’m really impressed by how well it works in practice.
It is important to note that this feature is rolling out to Chromebook Plus models and not all Chromebooks. And this is the sort of feature I think they need to keep including in updates for Chromebook Plus to truly differentiate this class of device with purpose. It’s fair to assume that you’ll need some solid computing power under the hood to pull something like this off, so keeping Studio-style mics firmly in the Chromebook Plus playbook makes a ton of sense. Look for it to arrive with ChromeOS 130 later this month.
SUBSCRIBE TO UPSTREAM
Get Chrome Unboxed delivered straight to your inbox
Upstream is our flagship, curated newsletter with the top stories, most click-worthy deals, giveaways, and trending articles from Chrome Unboxed sent directly to your inbox a few times a week. Join 31,000+ subscribers.
