Hearing aid features are more complex today than ever before, with both benefits and frustrations for consumers. While many recent advancements have made hearing aids better than ever at providing clear and understandable speech, other less critical features make it easy for prices to get inflated without significant improvements to your hearing experience.

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So how do you know what you should be spending your money on and what should just be an expected feature in today’s hearing aids? Here’s our take on which hearing aid features you should focus on, and which ones shouldn’t cost you a dime more.

What Features Are Important in a Hearing Aid?

It’s easy to get caught up in flashy advertising that touts connectivity, smartphone integrations, and health trackers. But when it comes to your best dollar-for-dollar hearing aid investment, you should focus on hearing aid features that improve sound clarity, programming flexibility, and ease of use. And your hearing aid’s processor is the key to these three qualities.

Dynamic Program Switching

As you go through your day, your environment is going to change. Past hearing aid models required you to change your programs manually to meet your changing needs. But today’s hearing aids switch between programs dynamically so you have less to fuss with to communicate with the people around you.

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Now, the key indicator of higher quality is how fast your hearing aid can adapt to your listening environment. That processing power, which grows better every year, makes these on-the-fly adaptations more seamless than older technology.

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So if you find yourself frequently switching between programs, or needing new programs to deal with different environments, it might be time for an upgrade. And if you’re new to hearing aids, it’s worth investing in this technology right away rather than getting frustrated because your hearing experience is uncomfortable or unmanageable.

Noise Management

Hearing aids are designed to make speech easier to understand. Part of that design is noise management. Quality hearing aids have technology to filter through noisy backgrounds like busy restaurants, as well as reducing wind noise when you’re outside. Other important noise-related features include feedback suppression and speech enhancement.

Sound Quality

Along with managing noise and enhancing speech, hearing aids should provide high-clarity sound quality. Programming that allows for multiple frequency bands gives your audiologist more control over which frequencies are amplified. So, if you’re struggling with high-pitched sounds but your middle and low frequencies are fine, your hearing aids can target the trouble frequencies without increasing the volume in your unaffected frequencies. That leads to better sound quality and a better experience overall.

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The New Standard Features for Hearing Aids

Five years ago, many of the features you’ll find standard today were considered luxuries for hearing aids. But many audiology offices still charge a premium for them. When you start looking for the perfect hearing aids, keep in mind that you shouldn’t have to pay extra for these now standard features for hearing aids.

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Streaming and Connectivity

Bluetooth is no longer a special feature, but it’s still an important one for many people with hearing loss. Bluetooth allows you to connect to devices for streaming and media, as well as listening devices and other hearing aid accessories.

IP68 Rating

The IP rating of a device defines its resistance to both dust and water. A few years ago, the highest rating, IP68, wasn’t a number you’d see on every hearing aid model. Now nearly every model offers this kind of waterproof and dust-proof protection for your hearing aids. It’s an important feature, but it should be a standard feature, not an upgrade.

Smartphone Apps for Hearing Aids

Many brands advertise their apps as one of the most important features of hearing aids today. They’re not entirely wrong. Smart apps allow hearing aid wearers to make on-the-spot adjustments, connect and stream media seamlessly. But smart apps aren’t a unique feature: nearly all hearing aid brands have an app for their newest models.

In-Person and Virtual Support

Your audiologist is the most important part of fitting your hearing aids and getting them to work right for your needs. But most hearing aid brands now offer virtual consultations and adjustments as well. It’s one of the features that many resellers use to justify upcharges, but it shouldn’t be an extra expense in today’s market.

Rechargeable Batteries

You can still purchase hearing aids with disposable batteries, but it’s becoming far more common to find rechargeable hearing aids now. The big improvements today are in battery life and recharging time. Some models can give you more than 24 hours of use time, along with fast charging options. But this isn’t one of the hearing aid features you should be spending on. It’s a standard part of almost all of today’s models.

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Which Hearing Aids Are Right For You?

That said, many of these extras still add convenience to your daily routines. So once you’ve found a model that offers the most important hearing aid features, you can figure out which features would make your life a bit easier, a bit more fun, and a bit more relaxing. Here are some of our favorite “extra” features.

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The Best Hearing Aid Features for Everyday Use

Beyond better sound quality and more effortless program switching, you’ll likely run into situations where you’ll want to utilize your hearing aids that go beyond speech. Whether it’s picking up a phone call without picking up your phone or getting near-instant language translations through your devices, these hearing aid features make life a bit simpler.

• Instant language translation
• Streaming from your television and smart devices
• Telecoils for listening loops in arenas, churches, and other public places
• 24-hour wearability
• Discreet designs

The Best Hearing Aid Features for Active Lifestyles

If you’re an athlete, or if you just like staying active, your hearing aids shouldn’t keep you from your passions. And with standard features like water resistance and media streaming, most hearing aids already have some great benefits for active lifestyles. But if you want to go the next step, think about finding a hearing aid with these features:

• Easy media streaming
• Fitness tracking technology
• Custom-designed earpieces for a more secure fit
• Low-profile designs for headgear and helmets
• Portable charging packs for multiple off-grid charges

Hearing Aid Features that Will Cost You More: Accessories

If anything costs extra when you purchase your hearing aids, it should be accessories. Devices like partner mics, TV connectors, and power pack chargers. Not only do these accessories typically have to be purchased separately, but they also add more usability to your hearing aids.

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Choosing the Perfect Pair: Ask for Help

Whatever you do, don’t let the extra features bump the price point of your hearing aids. Save on fun features and instead invest in better processing and sound quality. You’ll enjoy wearing your hearing aids much more, and you’ll be able to connect with your friends and family even better.

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If you’re not sure where to start, we’d love to help you out. Contact us today for a consultation and to find out more about today’s most powerful hearing aid features, models, and brands. It’s our passion to bring you better hearing!