Jeff Hall
President at ZipHearing
Brad Ingrao
Editor & Doctor of Audiology
A recent survey by Consumer Reports indicated that 53% of hearing aid wearers consider rechargeability to be one of the most important features when they buy hearing aids.
With the average hearing aid wearer needing to change their batteries 120 times a year, not to mention the environmental impact of disposable batteries, the demand for rechargeable batteries shouldn’t come as a surprise.
In the last few years, rechargeable hearing aids have massively grown in popularity, and before you buy your next hearing aids, make sure you understand why
Before you can use your rechargeable hearing aids - you guessed it - you have to charge them!
Any rechargeable hearing aid you buy will come with a proprietary charger that was made by the manufacturer of your hearing aids.
Your hearing aids will be fully charged in 3-5 hours, depending on brand of your hearing aids.
Your fully charged hearing aids will last between 16-30 hours before they’ll need to be charged up again.
When they do need to be charged, they’ll play a tune letting you know your battery is dying. In many cases, you can also check the battery life of the hearing aids via a smartphone app.
If you expect to wear your hearing aids longer than 16 hours a day, we recommend choosing a hearing aid brand that offers mobile chargers and mobile power packs, which provide a quick way to charge your hearing aids when you’re on the go- without the need to even plug the charger in.
At the end of your day, just set the hearing aids back in their charger so they’re ready for use the next day.
Most people do this before bed. Don’t worry about over-charging them. After they’re fully charged, they’ll stop charging, and sitting in the charger won’t hurt the hearing aids.
Finally, keep an eye on the warranty of your hearing aids. Towards the end of your warranty period, we recommend getting your hearing aids sent back to the manufacturer (via your hearing provider), so you can get a new rechargeable battery put in the hearing aids(s).
Behind-the-ear rechargeable hearing aids
Most people buy this style.
Why?
Lithium-ion batteries are, well, big. They’re not huge, they’re just too big to sit deep down inside the ear canal in an in-the-ear hearing aid.
This behind the ear style hearing aid is large enough to house the rechargeable battery, while still being discreet.
As an added benefit, the larger sizes allow for other features, like Bluetooth, and state-of-the-art background noise reduction.
We know, we know.
You probably don’t love the idea of something sitting behind your ears.
But we promise - they’re super discreet!
Check out the model to the right.
Hopefully you have more hair.
But even if you don’t, these hearing aids look like a sleek Bluetooth headset.
If you’re like most of our customers, you’ll be surprised how no one notices them, and you’ll probably end up showing off their discreet style and cool Bluetooth features.
In-the-ear rechargeable hearing aids
You’re probably thinking- dang, that thing is huge!
And you’re not wrong.
These aren’t the most discreet hearing aids available, but cut the manufacturers some slack.
It was only a few years ago that rechargeable battery technology was reliable enough for behind-the-ear hearing aids.
So it’s taking some time for that rechargeable battery technology to find its way into custom, in-the-ear hearing aids.
Pictured right, is the smallest rechargeable in-the-ear hearing aid from a major hearing aid manufacturer.
It’s visible- sure, but we’ve been pleasantly surprised by customer feedback.
They’re comfortable enough for all day use and come in a variety of colors to match your skin tone.
We expect them to get smaller in time, but for now, options are limited, and we’re thrilled to watch this category grow.
Pros
Convenience and ease of use
You just can’t beat the convenience of rechargeable hearing aids, and never having to replace batteries. Simply set the hearing aids in their charger station at night and wake up to fully-charged hearing aids that should last all day. For wearers with dexterity issues, rechargeable devices are a huge help.
Environmentally friendly
It is estimated that about 1.4 billion disposable batteries go into landfills each year. A single rechargeable battery essentially replaces hundreds of single-use batteries, preventing a great deal of environmental contamination.
Cons
Dependency on your rechargeable battery
While rechargeable batteries are increasingly reliable and long-lasting, there is always the chance that your battery could die midday. For example, this may happen if you stream heavily from your TV or phone, or if you interrupt the previous night’s charging cycle.
Additional cost
It’s a commonly held and incorrect belief that rechargeable hearing aids will save you money, as you don’t need to buy disposable batteries. However, rechargeable hearing aids usually have a higher upfront cost, and replacement rechargeable batteries can run up to $200 each.
The hearing aids shown below are rated based on objective data, such as return rates and user reviews. We've done our best to use this data to create a comprehensive and unbiased hearing aid rating algorithm, but it's not perfect.
Review Standarts:
Oticon Intent Revolutionizes Sound with 4D Sensor Technology
Released by Oticon on February 22, 2024, Oticon Intent is Oticon’s flagship line of hearing aids for mild-to-severe hearing losses. Oticon Inten... READ MORE
Conversations shine with Lumity
Released by Phonak on August 23, 2022, Audéo Lumity is Phonak's flagship line of hearing aids for wearers with mild-to-severe hearing loss. Audéo... READ MORE
Next-era hearing
Released by ReSound on October 12, 2023, Nexia is ReSound's flagship line of hearing aids for mild-to-profound hearing losses. Nexia is most well-... READ MORE
Ready to wear, rechargeable CIC
Released by Signia on October 3, 2023, Silk Charge&Go IX is Signia’s best, smallest, in-ear rechargeable hearing aid. Silk Charge&Go IX most wel... READ MORE
Unleash the power of conversation
Released by Signia on October 3, 2023, Pure Charge&Go IX is Signia's most popular rechargeable hearing aid for mild-to-severe hearing losses. Charg... READ MORE
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