Teenage Engineering’s TP-7 field recorder costs an eye-watering $1,499

Teenage Engineering has launched a new field recorder called the TP-7 that was designed to record interviews, music and any kind of audio with, in the company’s words, “zero friction in the highest possible quality.” It’s the latest entry to its “Field” series of interoperable products, which includes the OP-1 synthesizer and the TX-6 mixer released last year. Like the TX-6, the TP-7 is about as big as a deck of cards and can fit comfortably in your hand. It has a motorized “tape reel” at the center that you can use to easily scrub through or pause your recording and to navigate the menu. 

There’s also a rocker on the left side of the recorder that you can also use to scrub through audio, along with a button right below it that quickly changes recording modes. While you can use its built-in microphone to record audio just fine, you can also plug in external mics through its three stereo two-way jacks. Take note that the jacks can accommodate other audio equipment, as well, such as Teenage Engineering’s other Field devices. 

The TP-7 also has a USB-C port that you can use to transfer data or to charge it. If you use the device for interviews, you can connect it to an iPhone through that USB-C port or via Bluetooth and fire up the company’s iOS app to get automatic transcriptions. The recorder can last up to seven hours between charges, has a built-in speaker in addition to the microphone and 128GB of internal storage.

Teenage Engineering calls the TP-7 “a device engineered in every detail to do only one thing and to do it well,” one that’s “perfect for… journalists, lawyers and medical professionals.” But like most of the company’s products, the TP-7 doesn’t come cheap. It’s listed for $1,499 on Teenage Engineering’s website with a note that says it’s coming sometime this summer.