Whether you’re listening to lecture notes, want to take accurate minutes for a big meeting, or you’re a journalist at an important interview, a recorder or dictaphone is a very useful thing.
While most modern smartphones are fitted with excellent speakers, they can’t always be relied upon to record sound clearly - take it from someone who’s had to endlessly rewind clips and strained their ears to the point of breaking in order to type out the right transcription.
A gadget made solely for recording sound, and voices in particular, is extremely handy for scores of professions: think lawyers, actors, journalists and of course, aspiring Columbos.
Hobbyists and diarists can benefit too. Trying to nail a new language, or find it easier to speak your mind rather than jot it down? A recorder is perfect.
Having one also means that you can spare your phone’s storage space for more important content (streaming and Spotify downloads, anyone?).
If you’re in the market for a new voice recorder or dictaphone, we’ve rounded up the best options to help you decide which to add to basket.
Shop the best below
Philips VoiceTracer DVT1600
There’s no way around it; Philips’ voice recording pen is giving Q from James Bond. The ultra-slim recorder is loaded with a 360° microphone and offers a stonking 32GB of internal memory for super-long storage.
Best of all? Transcribing is a thing of the past thanks to the recording-to-text feature, which is offered in a range of European languages including English. It’s the perfect way to record sensitive interviews where someone could be spooked by a traditional bulky design. Taking minutes? Use the multi-speaker transcription for easy notes.
Buy now £80.20, Amazon
Sarmeley Digital Voice Recorder
With the ability to make 1000+ hours of recordings, this slight gizmo really packs a punch. It makes clear recordings thanks to a noise reduction feature which minimises background noise. There’s also an auto-recording function and the voice recorder works with voice activation too, making it easier than ever to use in a hurry. It has a large display, simple buttons and a microphone-style top to catch every last drop of audio.
As a bonus, you can also play your favourite MP3 tracks on it when connected to your PC or laptop.
Buy now £19.99, Amazon
Sony ICD-TX660 lightweight and ultra-thin Digital Voice Recorder
Got enough tech to carry? This ultra-lightweight tool is perfect for recording and weighs just over 28g, which means you can tuck it into a blazer or shirt pocket and just let it do its thing. It comes loaded with 16GB of memory and records in MP3, making it straightforward to transfer onto a computer or laptop.
While it comes with One Push Recording and Auto Voice Recording, it’s a recorder for light use rather than one to depend on for pin-sharp audio.
Buy now £129.50, Amazon
Livescribe Symphony Smartpen Bluetooth Digital Pen
Weighing next to nothing, this incredible pen is an excellent recording tool, something you wouldn’t immediately deduce at first glance.
Draw, doodle and take notes on Livescribe paper and it will replicate it straight to your phone or computer, eliminating one tedious step when transcribing. Our handwriting definitely isn’t what it used to be, so if you’re unsure of what a hasty scribble is supposed to say, there’s a clever feature that allows you to play sound at the moment of jotting which should help your notes.
Paired with the Livescribe+ app, you can share notes with fellow users and translate from 28 languages. With a standby battery life of 90 days, it’s the perfect piece of tech to add to your desk or bag.
Buy now £109.99, Amazon
Olympus VN-541 PC Digital Voice Recorder with Omnidirectional Microphone
A titan in the photography realm, Olympus also makes pretty great recorders. This pocket-sized one, catchily named VN-541, comes fitted with a high-quality omnidirectional microphone to catch sound from all corners of the room.
There’s one-touch recording to allow you to initiate the feature quickly while a noise cancellation option filters out ambient noise like the hum of traffic or an AC unit. It can hold up to 1570 hours of recording time thanks to 4GB of memory.
Buy now £38.90, Amazon
Philips DVT1160 8GB Dictation Machine
The best way to stall flowing conversation is by fumbling around for your voice recorder. Philips’ device keeps the tea pouring freely thanks to its voice-activated feature, which starts when it picks up sound. Just place it on a stable surface and it will do all the heavy lifting for you.
Recordings are time-stamped making it easy to see the one you’re after in the library, and you can transfer clips to your PC easily thanks to a computer connection. It offers 8GB of memory and can record up to 44 hours of content on three qualities.
Buy now £35.99, Argos
Magnetic 64GB Digital Voice Recorder
A little thicker than a credit card, this slim recorder has 64GB in storage with a battery life that hits the 40-hour mark, meaning you can stash it in your bag ready for spontaneous interviews when they occur.
Like many of its contemporaries, the recorder can be activated by voice commands, triggered when it picks up sounds exceeding 50dbs, cutting out pauses and interruptions. It can also play MP3 music files. A helpful aid for students.
Buy now £51.99, Amazon
