Phonak hearing aid models, prices, and reviews

It can be challenging to understand all the different Phonak models on the market.

Our recommendation is to narrow down their list of models by focusing on models that are either the newest (which usually means they’re the best), and models that offer something unique that other models do not. There is no sense in purchasing an outdated model unless it offers something unique that you need that can’t be found in a newer model.

With that in mind, we’ll start with Phonak’s best model, the Phonak Audéo Sphere Infinio, which was launched with great fanfare in August of 2024 at Las Vegas’s new Sphere entertainment venue.

Audéo Sphere Infinio is Phonak’s first (and one of the industry’s only) hearing aid with a Deep Neural Network (DNN) on the hearing aid chip. The purpose of this DNN is to enhance speech clarity in noisy environments, and at ZipHearing we are very optimistic about this technology, as we’ve seen another manufacturer have success with it.

Audéo Sphere Infinio comes in a receiver-in-canal (RIC) style form factor, and is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. Like most Phonak hearing aids, Audéo Sphere Infinio comes with Bluetooth Classic, allowing it to pair and stream audio from just about any Bluetooth device, such as smartphones, tablets, PCs, and more. Audéo Sphere Infinio is also Auracast ready, meaning as soon as there are more devices on the market that have Auracast, Audéo Sphere Infinio hearing aids will be ready to pair with those devices and use this exciting new feature.

This is the model we are currently recommending to most customers.

However, at the same time Audéo Sphere Infinio was released, Phonak also released a similarly named model, Audéo Infinio.

Audéo Infinio is technically not as good as Audéo Sphere Infinio (it doesn’t have the DNN on board), so it’s not going to be able to separate speech from background noise as effectively as the Audéo Sphere Infinio, but there are a few reasons you may want to purchase Audéo Infinio.

First, Audéo Sphere Infinio is only available in Phonak’s 90 and 70 technology levels, which are their more expensive levels, whereas the Audéo Infinio is available in the more affordable 50 and 30 technology levels.

Next, because Audéo Sphere Infinio actually has (2) chips on board, it is noticeably larger than the Audéo Infinio model, and some people are going to prefer the more sleek appearance of the Audéo Infinio.

Finally, if you have single-sided deafness (SSD), or a very asymmetrical hearing loss, you may benefit from what is called a CROS transmitter, and the Audéo Infinio model is compatible with a CROS device, whereas the Audéo Sphere Infinio is not.

Since the majority of people buy receiver-in-canal style hearing aids, and the majority of people prefer to buy the newest hearing aids on the market, most people are currently buying one of these two models, the Audéo Sphere Infinio or the Audéo Infinio.

Up until August of 2024 and until this new release, the majority of people buying Phonak were buying the Phonak Audéo Lumity model, but we really can’t see any strong reason to purchase this model anymore and would steer almost everyone towards one of the newer models.

The Audéo Sphere Infinio and the Audéo Infinio are suitable for mild to profound hearing loss, but if you need Phonak’s most powerful hearing aid, you’ll be better suited by the Phonak Naída Lumity.

If behind-the-ear or receiver-in-canal hearing aids are not your cup of tea, Phonak does currently have an in-the-ear model available, called Phonak Virto Paradise. However, we’ve recently learned that this model is soon to be outdated, as Phonak has announced they will begin shipping their next generation Phonak Virto Infinio in-ear hearing aids sometime in September of 2024, so we’d recommend waiting for that model.

While the chart below provides a high-level comparison of Phonak models, your local Phonak provider is also a valuable resource. They can assist in determining the most suitable model for your specific needs and situation.