Top 5 Hearing Aids of 2020 / 2021
So, what are our best rated hearing aids for 2020 / 2021?
You might be thinking if it is worth upgrading your hearing aids yet, but it all depends on what you buy. 2020/2021 has brought some significant advances in hearing aid technology, other hearing aid makes have barely improved in years. Here is a breakdown so we can help you know which is which and what we think are the top five best digital hearing aids of 2020 / 2021 and best rated hearing aids on the market.
Winner - Oticon More 1
In March 2019, the predecessor of this aid, the Oticon OpnS1 hearing aid was considered by many to be the best hearing aid on the market. In January 2021 they brought out the new generation - the Oticon More 1. It's even better.
Improvements over the OpnS1
- Better hearing in background noise.
- More natural sound, easier to pick up speech.
- Feedback canceller is amazing, completely stops feedback.
- Decent integrated rechargeable battery.
Any reasons not to buy?
- No custom in-ear options (however, the Opn1 does have).
- The Oticon More hearing aid is a rechargeable model - so it carries a premium price tag.
In our opinion, Oticon's More 1 hearing aid gives you one of the most powerful platforms on the market. With advanced Brain Hearing technology and OpenSound Navigator, plus its impressive processing speed – we predict this digital hearing aid will be hard to beat.
Second Place - Starkey Livio Edge i2400 AI
Starkey Livio Edge 2400 AI wins second place for pure innovation and for providing great product support and improvements since the Livio launched. The 2020 Livio Edge model is the only hearing aid to feature the only rechargeable custom made hearing aid - the ITE/ITC and a variety of other sensors and functions from foreign language translators to heart rate monitors.
As of November 2019, they have added more Bluetooth options for all smartphone users, especially Android.
So, what's good?
- Big improvement over the previous Starkey IQ range.
- As with the winner, the Oticon More 1, the sound quality and background noise reduction are excellent, if not quite as good as the Oticon.
- Good customer care, repairs to hearing aids are normally turned around very quickly.
- New ITE model that is both stylish and rechargeable.
Why not to buy? The AI model is a lot more expensive, make sure you will get good use out of the extra features.
Third Place - Signia Silk 7X
The new Signia Silk 7X model is still a "modular CIC", meaning a completely in the canal hearing aid, very hard to see on most people and includes the new Xperience platform. It does not need to be custom made to the shape of the ear and does not block the ear canal in the same way either.
The beauty of this hearing aid is really down to the great design which allows those who require an open fitting to still wear a CIC. You might have been told that you can't wear an in-ear hearing aid. The good news here is that you might be able to wear this one.
So, what's good?
- Same great quality processing as you get in the behind the ear Signia 7X hearing aids.
- They have a CROS system in both BTE and now ITE, with the new Silk X model. People with this type of hearing loss cannot usually get discreet in-ear aids.
- Comfortable and open fitting CIC.
Why not to buy? This hearing aid isn't suitable for everybody, please contact us as we would need to check your ear canal shape.
Notable Runner Up - Widex Moment 440 Passion
Nobody wants style over substance, but style over features that you don't need? That seems like a fair trade. The Widex Moment is a great aid and the main form factor, the "Fusion2" has all of the features of Moment 440 - Bluetooth, machine learning, rechargeable option. However, if you don't need these then the much smaller "Passion" shape is a good pick.
So, what's good?
- Smallest RIC and most realistic hearing experience on the market.
- Arguably the most attractive RIC on the market.
- Has most of the features of the Moment range including very natural sound quality.
Notable Runner Up - Phonak Paradise P90
Phonak Paradise has been a popular aid since it launched in August 2020. This new model has continued to improve on the previous missing features of the original Marvel, which was re-launched as Marvel 2.0 - adding said missing features. One feature, in particular, was the introduction of Roger compatibility - Roger is a system of accessories mainly aimed at those with severe losses.
So, what's good & why not buy?
From a Bluetooth connectivity perspective, it works very well at receiving and now you can pair up to eight devices and have two active at the same time. However, the sound quality experienced by people on the other end of the phone is less successful than we have found with people using an external clip-on mic type device, or just speaking into the phone like they would do normally.
Affordable Hearing Aids 2020 / 2021
We also thought it might be beneficial to list a few hearing aid devices that we consider to be good value for money. Here is our top pick for the most recent affordable hearing aid of 2020 / 2021 and below the best hearing aids under 1.2K (for a pair).
Winner - Oticon Ruby 1
Oticon extended its 'essential' range with the launch of Ruby. A Behind-the-Ear hearing aid that raised the standards of the essential hearing aid category in the industry. Oticon Ruby provides great sound quality that's historically not seen in essential hearing aids of the past. Along with Oticon's Siya In-the-Ear styles - there is a wide product range that is both reliable and affordable.
3 Best Hearing Aids Under 1.2K (for a pair)
This hearing aid has a Channelfree system, which means it is the best core technology for this price point.
This hearing aid is old technology now, but still good value for basic aid.
Another hearing aid with old technology and therefore set at a reduced price, but far better than the older North 500. The main difference between this and the new Discover range is only the rechargeable battery.
Read Next: Hearing Aid Costs Explained
Hearing Aids - What's included in our Prices?
Below are all the hearing aids mentioned in this article
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New
When we refer to a product as 'New', we mean that the product is new to the market.
When we refer to a product as 'Superseded', we mean that there is a newer range available which replaces and improves on this product.
Older Model
When we refer to a product as an 'Older Model', we mean that it is has been superseded by at least two more recent hearing aid ranges.