Best hearing aids of 2026 - A review by a deaf audiologist
- Koorosh Nejad
- 5 days ago
- 6 min read
Updated: 20 hours ago
I have a mild to moderate cookie-bite hearing loss, and I try every hearing aid that is released in the UK market. 2025 was a very busy year for the manufacturers with a load of new products. In this article, I reflect on my experience with different models of hearing aids in 2025 and discuss the best of them in different categories, including in-the-canal (ITC), receiver-in-canal (RIC) and best hearing aids for speech in noise. I will try to keep this article digest and instead provide links to the dedicated articles about each hearing aid for more in-depth reviews. This article can be noted in conjunction with the best hearing aids in 2025.
Note: The hearing aids nominated for the best hearing aids of 2026 are based on my experience and by no means suggest that other products in the market should not be considered by patients. Also, please note that the profile and severity of your hearing loss and the fitting strategy of the hearing aids should be considered when ranking and comparing hearing aids. And last but not least, I emphasise that patients should try a few models at a local audiology clinic to ensure they have had enough experience to make an informed decision about the choice of hearing aids, especially first-time users.
The best hearing aid for hearing speech in noise in 2026
At the release of this post, the best hearing aid in the market for hearing speech in noise is Phonak Infinio Sphere Ultra i90. A quick Google search reveals that there is such a strong consensus among professionals and hearing aid users about this hearing aid. Phonak released their artificial intelligence hearing aids later than Oticon and Starkey, but they did such great engineering work that from begining of 2025 the Phonak Infinio Sphere set a benchmark for AI and DNN-driven hearing aids and pushed Oticon Intent 1 to the second-best hearing aid for speech in noise. Please see our article referring to the HearAdvisor technical review on Phonak Sphere Ultra i90 here.
Why is Phonak Infinio Sphere i90 the best hearing aid for speech in noise?
Phonak Infino Sphere has a dedicated AI-DNN sound processor chip. The second processor is dedicated to noise and speech processing. Here are the specs that make Phonak Sphere i90 Ultra the best hearing aid for speech in noise:
Unmatched Speech Clarity: Thanks to its proprietary DEEPSONIC chip, the Audéo Sphere™ provides remarkable clarity of speech from any direction. Users experience an impressive 10dB improvement in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), making conversations clearer than ever before—up to 3.7dB better than competitor devices.
Revolutionary AI Processing: The DEEPSONIC chip, with 53 times more processing power than existing industry technologies, employs a Deep Neural Network (DNN) with over 4.5 million connections. This allows for dynamic, real-time adjustments, enabling users to actively participate in conversations, regardless of background noise.
Significant Reductions in Listening Effort: Studies show that users experience a 45% reduction in listening effort and 21% less fatigue during prolonged use. This means that you can enjoy social interactions longer and with more ease.
Sound quality: Phonak introduced generation 6.0 of hearing aid speaker units, which improved the sound quality of the Phonak Infinio series, superior to Lumity and Paradise. The sound quality is richer and fuller, and the experience of music streaming is unrival to any other hearing aid in the market.
Connectivity and streaming: The universal Bluetooth connectivity in Phonak infinio has the longest range of all hearing aids in the market. The Phonak Infinio can be paired to 8 devices and connect to 2 devices at the same time. This makes the Infinio family the hearing aid of choice for those working from home or those with demanding streaming, hands-free, and connectivity to laptops and computers requirements.
Roger Assistive Listening Devices - If you have a severe or profound hearing loss, you must know about the Phonak Roger assistive listening devices. The Roger remote microphones have noise cancellation processors, so they are much more than just a remote microphone. They work seamlessly with Phonak Sphere to improve your experience in hearing speech and the conversation in a noisy environment. Please read more about Phonak Roger ALD here.
Please see my full review on Phonak Infinio Sphere in this article. Also, a comparison between Oticon Intent and Phonak Sphere Ultra i90is presented in this article.
Please see this link for the price range of Phonak Infinio Sphere Ultra.
The best RIC (receiver in the ear) hearing aids of 2026
My pick of the best RIC hearing aids in 2026 is as follows:
Phonak Infinio Sphere Ultra i90 - I think I covered enough about Phonak Sphere Ultra in the above. Please refer to this link for my full review on Phonak Sphere Ultra i90.
Oticon Intent R1 - Oticon Intent R1 is my second choice, and the reason is that the AI is not as good as Phonak Sphere Ultra, but it is smaller, and the AI is always in action. Also, it is one of the best hearing aids for high-frequency hearing loss. The downside is that the hearing aid is the most expensive one in the market, and the Bluetooth connectivity and the app are not as good as the Phonak Infinio series. I encourage you to read through our dedicated review of Oticon Intent R1 in this article. Please keep in mind that the Oticon Intent R1 was released in late 2024, so we do expect a new release from Oticon in 2026.
Starkey Omega AI 24 - The Starkey Omega AI was released in late 2025. It keeps the shape of its predecessors, Starkey Genesis and Starkey Edge, but with a more powerful AI processing capability. As discussed in our full report on Starkey Omega AI, the hearing aid is one of the best in the market for hearing speech in noise, one of the smallest RICs, and is Auracast-ready. However, my only reservation is that its Bluetooth connectivity does not offer the best sound quality and range. You can count on Auracast if your mobile phone has Auracast capability. The battery life is also one of the best in the market.
Signia Pure Charge & Go and Rexton Reach - Since both these hearing aids use identical electronics inside, I go through them together in this section. Both Signia Pure Charge and Go and Rexton Reach released a wider range of products with classic Bluetooth. I am pleased with this because now they can satisfy those patients with Android mobile phones and those who wish to connect to devices without an intermediary Bluetooth gadget. Signia Pure and Rexton Reach do not use AI technology; the noise processing in these hearing aids proved very effective. Please refer to the full review of Signia Pure Charge and Go BCT IX and Rexton Reach Plus IX for more information. The size of the hearing aid is one of the smallest in the market, and both support Auracast. A T model of both products comes with a telecoil, which makes them backwards compatible. Another point to keep in mind is that the 34 hours batter life of these hearing aids makes them a good option for rechargeable CROS and BICROS systems.
The best CIC and ITC (in-the-canal) hearing aids of 2026
I am pleased to let you know that in late 2025, we had new entrants into the in-the-ear and in-the-canal categories of hearing aids. Here are my picks of the best in-the-ear hearing aids of 2026:
Phonak Infinio Virto i90 ITC - The Phonak Infinio Virto is the smallest ITC with the new speaker unit and universal Bluetooth, offering unrivalled features for picky patients. I strongly suggest this product specially if you have moderate to severe or severe low-frequency hearing loss. Please see my full review on Phonak Infinio Virto here.
Rexton Reach ITC and Signia Insio ITC - The dual-pass processing of speech and noise in Rexton Reach IX and Signia Insio ITC hearing aids is unique. The noise is separated from speech, and each path goes through a different processing channel and is then combined again. This processing philosophy helps with speech in background noise. I do recommend these ITC hearing aids for those with moderate to severe low- to mid-frequency hearing loss.
Oticon Zeal CIC - Oticon Zeal R 1 is the only rechargeable CIC with ASHA Bluetooth and Auracast. The range of the Bluetooth is not very impressive, but this does not affect the rating of the product. It can be fitted with silicon domes or a custom earmould. Oticon Zeal is suitable for a mild to moderate range of hearing loss. Please read through my dedicated article about Oticon Zeal here.
Starkey Omega AI CIC - Starkey Omega AI CIC is an invisible, custom-made CIC hearing aid with a 312 battery size. There are several articles in our blog about this product. Please see this article that compares Oticon Zeal with Starkey Omega AI CIC.
Signia Silk and Rexton Reach inoX CIC - If your budget for CIC invisible hearing aid is tight, then my best advice is to consider Signia Silk IX or Rexton Reach inoX CIC hearing aids. It is rechargeable and easy-fit. Sound quality is all right and a happy medium for sound quality and budget.
Questions?
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