One of the most common questions we hear at Now Hear This® is: “How long do hearing aid batteries last?” Battery life is a major factor when choosing hearing aids, and it can vary significantly depending on the manufacturer, technology, and how you use your devices throughout the day.
In this article, we’ll walk through how different hearing aid manufacturers approach battery life and what that means for you as a patient.
Why Battery Life Matters
Modern hearing aids do much more than amplify sound. They stream phone calls, music, and videos, connect to smartphone apps, and use advanced processing and artificial intelligence. While these features improve performance and convenience, they also affect how long a hearing aid will last on a single charge.
There are seven major hearing aid manufacturers, and at Now Hear This®, we work with all of them because we feel it is important to find the right fit for each person’s listening needs. Below are a few examples that highlight the different approaches to battery life and charging from different brands.
Phonak: Flexible Connectivity with Quick Charging
Phonak is a very popular hearing aid brand. Their latest models, including the Phonak Infinio and Ultra with firmware updates, use a universal Bluetooth system that connects to almost any phone. This flexibility is a big advantage, but it does require more power.
On a full charge, most users can expect about 16 to 18 hours of use, depending on how much streaming they do. Heavy streaming of phone calls, music, or video can reduce battery life to around 12 to 14 hours. To help with this, Phonak offers a quick-charge option that provides a helpful power boost during the day, which many of our patients find extremely useful.
Oticon: Efficient Bluetooth and Reliable All-Day Power
Oticon takes a slightly different approach. Their Intent hearing aids use a more energy-efficient Bluetooth system designed specifically for iPhone or ASHA Bluetooth for Android devices.
This efficiency typically provides about 20 to 24 hours of battery life on a full charge, even with some streaming mixed in. Oticon also offers a quick-charge power boost option. A 30-minute charge can deliver up to six additional hours of use, which is a great safety net if you forget to charge overnight.
Starkey: Industry-Leading Battery Performance
When it comes to battery longevity, Starkey stands out. Their Omega AI hearing aids are among the most powerful and energy-efficient devices on the market today.
The Omega AI can last up to 51 hours on a single charge, which is more than two full days for many users. Even with streaming and advanced AI features enabled, most patients still experience well over 24 hours of use. Starkey’s chargers also provide clear indicators for battery level and connectivity, making it easier to know whether your hearing aids are ready for the day ahead.
Choosing the Right Hearing Aid for You
While battery life is important, it’s only one piece of the puzzle. Some patients prioritize maximum battery efficiency, while others value app features, customization, or advanced programming options. The best hearing aid is the one that fits your lifestyle, hearing needs, and daily routine.
Our audiologists perform the QuickSIN to determine how much difficulty a person may have with processing background noise. Some hearing aid manufacturers are better at helping with this than others. When someone is a candidate for hearing aids, our audiologists walk through a listening needs assessment with them to determine which factors, such as battery life, background noise, musical sound quality, tinnitus support, durability, and more, are most important for that person.
Why Provider Choice Matters
This is why it’s so important to work with an audiologist who stays up to date on the latest technology and offers multiple hearing aid brands. Clinics that only work with one manufacturer limit your options and may not be able to provide the best solution for your needs.
At Now Hear This®, we take the time to understand your priorities and match you with the hearing technology that fits you best. We also follow best-practice hearing aid programming to ensure all your listening needs are met. Call to schedule an appointment at (919) 256-2898.
If you’d like to learn more about hearing aid options or schedule a consultation, visit nowhearthisclinic.com. If you enjoyed this article, be sure to check back for more hearing health tips and clinic updates.
TRANSCRIPT:
Hi, I’m Dr. Egan from Now Hear This® and today I’d like to talk to you about battery life. It’s one of the biggest questions people have when choosing hearing aids and a common topic at our clinic. I’m going to go through some different examples of how manufacturers approach battery life differently.
There are seven major hearing aid manufacturers, and we work with all seven. I’ll highlight a few to show some of the key considerations we need to think about. A very popular hearing aid brand is Phonak. They have the latest Phonak Infinio or Ultra with the firmware update. These hearing aids use a universal Bluetooth system that connects to almost any phone, which is great, but it does use a bit more energy. On a full charge, you’ll get around 16 to 18 hours of use depending on how much you stream. If you stream a lot of calls, music, or video, it can drop closer to 12 to 14 hours. However, they do have a quick-charge option if you need a boost during the day, and that has worked really well for quite a few of our patients.
Another example would be Oticon. Their Intent hearing aids have a more efficient Bluetooth setup. It’s made for iPhone or ASHA Bluetooth for Android, and that typically gives you about 20 to 24 hours on a full charge, even with some streaming mixed in. If you forget to charge overnight, they also offer a quick-charge power boost option, where a 30-minute charge gives you about six more hours of power. Manufacturers are clearly recognizing how important battery life is, especially since no one wants dead hearing aids in the middle of the day.
Another strong example of battery life is Starkey. Their Omega AI hearing aids are some of the most powerful and energy-efficient hearing aids on the market. The Genesis AI can last up to 51 hours on a single charge, which is more than two full days for many people. Even with streaming and advanced AI features turned on, you usually get well over 24 hours of use. Their charger also has the ability to shut off and provides indicators for battery level and connectivity, making it easier to understand how charged your hearing aids are and whether they’ll last through your day.
To summarize, Phonak offers very flexible Bluetooth connectivity with slightly less battery life, but they make up for it with quick-charge power boosts. Oticon uses a different connectivity approach and also includes a power boost option. Starkey currently leads the way in battery life, with up to 51 hours of use. That said, battery life isn’t the only consideration when choosing hearing aids. Some people prioritize battery efficiency, while others care more about app features, customization, or programming flexibility for their audiologist.
This is just one of many factors to think about, which is why it’s important to find an audiologist who stays up to date on all available options and works with you to find the best fit. Avoid clinics that only work with one hearing aid brand, as that limits your ability to find the best solution for your needs. I hope you learned a bit about the variety of battery life options in the hearing aid industry. If you liked this video, please subscribe to stay up to date on hearing aid and clinic news. Have a wonderful rest of your day.
