Disclosure: This article is published by Relay. Author Raymond Zhu is a founding member. Relay Q has not shipped; everything here describes the design as published on Relay’s product page and checked on October 29, 2026, not measured performance. Sources: Relay Q, Relay for macOS and Windows, Relay Privacy Policy.
Relay Q is an input device, the way a keyboard is.
A keyboard is made for typing and a mouse is made for pointing. Relay Q is designed as the equivalent for voice: a physical control whose only job is to start, finish and send what you say to your computer. It belongs to a category Relay calls active input: voice used deliberately while you work.
That makes it different from most voice AI hardware people already know. Many devices are built to record a meeting or a day and summarize it later. Relay Q is built for the moment you want to tell the computer something now and see the result in the app in front of you.
The main control is a click at the top, pressed like a pen.
Relay Q’s talk control is a click mechanism at the top of the device. You press and hold it to start capture, speak, then release to get the result. A double-press sends that result, so you don’t need to reach for the Enter key. That sequence is the whole interaction: push to talk, release to output, double-press to send.
The round button on the front is for pairing only, and the two dots above it show pairing status. It isn’t a talk button and the dots aren’t a recording or AI-status light. Relay Q’s designers explored an AI-status light and dropped it because your attention usually stays on the screen.
It’s designed for handheld or collar use.
Relay Q is a compact magnetic modular device. In the handheld configuration, the microphone tip connects to the grip with a magnetic latch to form one tactile controller, and a flexible rubber loop links the two parts. For wearable use, the tip detaches and works as a magnetic collar clip.
The tip has two microphones on opposite sides, so there’s no wrong way to hold it. The design intent is a grip for longer desk sessions and a detachable mic for shorter moments away from the desk. That’s the design team’s intent; comfort and runtime figures haven’t been published.
Putting the mic close to your mouth is the point.
Bringing a microphone close to the mouth improves acoustic pickup, and Relay Q is designed to capture speech at whisper-level volume. That’s where the “Push to whisper” line comes from. Relay believes this can make voice input less disruptive for people nearby in open-plan offices and public spaces.
It won’t make you inaudible, and results still depend on the room.
It only listens when you press it.
Relay Q has no always-on listening. Capture starts only when you press the device. Besides the privacy benefit, that’s a battery decision: no standby listening keeps power use low and lets the batteries stay small. Relay hasn’t published battery-life figures.
Once you press, the request is processed like any other Relay request. Audio passes through Relay to its AI providers and isn’t retained by Relay; the Privacy Policy lists those providers. Relay Q also adapts to you over time, including your preferred tone of voice, and that preference memory stays on your devices rather than as a profile on Relay’s servers. Push-to-talk vs a keyboard shortcut vs voice activation compares the ways to start voice input.
The dock comes with it; the MagSafe Remote is separate.
Every Relay Q comes with a Magnetic Charging Dock. The back of the grip has a magnetic charging port that snaps onto the dock, so charging happens when you set the device down. Near the base there are lanyard-loop holes.
The optional MagSafe Remote is sold separately; the preorder guide explains how it fits into the Early supporter bundle.
What Relay Q is not.
It isn’t required. Relay for macOS works on its own with the recording key you assign, and Relay for Windows is in public Beta. It isn’t a meeting recorder. It doesn’t give answers of its own; it’s a way to put your words into the apps and AI tools you already use.
Relay Q is designed to work with all your devices, but that’s a hardware design goal, not a statement that Relay software runs everywhere today. Relay for iOS and Android are in development and expected closer to January 2027.
When it ships and how to get one.
Relay Q ships in January 2027 and can be preordered on the Relay Q page. Finishes listed for the Early supporter bundle are chrome, pastel and brass. If you want to try the software first, Relay for macOS starts with a 14-day trial of Relay Unlimited without a credit card. Does Relay require Relay Q? explains why the software works on its own.