Phonak Infinio Sphere versus Starkey Edge AI hearing aid comparison
- Koorosh Nejad
- May 1
- 7 min read
Updated: May 3
These two are some of the best hearing aids of 2025. In this article, I will provide an unbiased comparison between the Phonak Infinio Sphere and the Starkey Edge AI hearing aids. Please feel free to leave your questions at the end of this page or contact me if you have any questions.
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Common ground
Phonak Infinio Sphere and Starkey Edge AI hearing aids are both:
Good for mild to profound hearing loss, starting from fitting with silicon domes up to minimoulds and full earmoulds.
Both use artificial intelligence (AI) and deep neural networks (DNN) for improving the understanding of speech in noisy spaces.
Water and dust resistance up to IP68 with double coating for extra protection.
For a better comparison between Phonak Infinio Sphere and Starkey Edge AI hearing aids, I will compare them in 6 different categories:
Speech intelligibility in a noisy environment
Natural sound and music
Form factors, severe to profound, ALD
Connectivity, Bluetooth, LE audio, Auracast
Battery life
Vanity, size, colours
Phonak Infinio Sphere | Starkey Edge AI | Discussions | |
Speech intelligibility | Deepsonic chip in Phonak Sphere also uses DNN, trained with 22 million sound samples, performs 7.7 billion operations to separate speech from noise. It offers 10 dB SNR improvement. Phonak Sphere is intentionally designed with two processors for hearing better in a loud, noisy background. The DEEPSONIC chip is switched off until the noise floor is up to a certain dB, then the ERA chip (the main one which is always on) gives it the signal to do the noise control processing through DNN and AI. Phonak Infinio Sphere uses 20 channels for gain adjustment. | Starkey Edge AI uses G2 DNN, resulting in 13 dB SNR improvement. Starkey Edge AI 24, 20 and 16 use 24, 20 and 16 channels for gain adjustment, respectively. Activation of the AI and DNN processing in Starkey Edge is rather manual. You can activate the AI-DNN processing by double-tapping the hearing aid on through the Starkey app on your mobile phone or Apple Watch. The Edge mode can then stay activated, which will automatically adapt to the soundscape. | Based on independent lab tests and tons of customer feedback who had a chance to try both Phonak Infinio Sphere and Starkey Edge AI hearing aids, the Phonak Sphere does a better noise management and speech intelligibility in a noisy environment. Please note that the profile of your hearing loss, the fitting, and the setting of the hearing aids can have a direct impact on any hearing aid's ability in noise management and SNR improvement. |
Natural sound and music | Phonak Infinio hearing aids use the 3.0 generation of Phonak receiver units. The sound of the hearing aid is reprocessed with a hint of the sound of nature. It is a step up in dynamic range and sound timbre from generation 2.0 Phonak receivers. | Starkey Snapfit 2.0 receivers were also upgraded for integrity, shape and a wider dynamic range, which resulted a better sound quality, especially for listening to streaming music. | I have tried both hearing aids myself, and I can say that I like the sound of both almost equally the same. If you try these two hearing aids, please note that the fitting and the setting of the aids can have a major role in the quality of the sound you perceive. |
Form factors, tech levels, ALD | Phonak Infinio Sphere comes in i90 and i70 technology levels. You can purchase battery-powered Phonak Infinio IIC and CIC, and Phonak is committed to releasing ITE and ITE rechargeable models in 2025. However, all Phonak Virto Infinio custom-made will have the standard Phonak Infinio technology level, but not the Sphere level technology for noise management and speech intelligibility. | Starkey Edge AI comes in a full range of form factors and is much more complete than any other model. The flagship comes in 312 RIC T and mini RIC, and battery-powered, as well as a miniRIC and a RIC T rechargeable. The Edge AI has a full range of custom-made products, including invisible IIC and CIC and rechargeable ITE and ITC. The Starkey Edge CIC takes a 312 battery, and it is the only CIC that has Bluetooth capability. Starkey Edge also has a 312 battery-powered and rechargeable CROS system. | Starkey Edge, without doubt, offers the most complete form factor models of hearing aids for its Starkey Edge AI platform. The platform lacks a strong range of remote microphones that Phonak Roger can offer, but still, in my opinion, the Starkey Edge can satisfy a much bigger customer group with different needs right away. So my vote goes to Starkey Edge AI. |
Connectivity, mobile app | Phonak Infinio Sphere uses universal Bluetooth connectivity. It is ready for LE Audio Bluetooth and Auracast, which, according to Phonak, can be activated with a firmware update. The Universal Bluetooth is an advantage for those with Android devices and those users who need multi-device connectivity, and those in need of demanding phone calls and Zoom meetings. Phonak Sphere can be paired to 8 devices and can be connected to two at the same time. | Starkey Edge uses ASHA, LE Audio Bluetooth, and Auracast. I found the Starkey app adequate in terms of functionality, but it falls way behind the level of functionality and adjustments that myPhonak app offers to the users. Starkey Edge can receive Auracast broadcasting, but since Auracast is not widely accepted yet then this does not provide a meaningful benefit to the user right away. | I use my aids for phone calls, as well as listening to music and podcasts, and commuting to the clinics. I really enjoy the seamless switching of the Phonak Sphere between my iPhone and my laptop. myPhonak app is also much more flexible compared to the Starkey app. It provides a wide range of adjustments to the user. So my vote on connectivity and the app goes to Phonak Infinio Sphere. |
Battery life | 16 to 20 hours of battery life on a fully charged Phonak Sphere. If used in Spheric mode, the battery drainage will be faster and can drop to 7 hours only. | Starkey Edge can be in Edge mode as needed and still gives the user a 30-40 hours run time in the miniRIC and 50 hours of run time in the case of RIC T rechargeable models. Such a battery life is the longest in the industry for any type of hearing aid, yet with the one with AI-DNN processing. | There is not much to discuss here; my vote on battery life goes to Starkey Edge AI. |
Vanity | The Phonak Infinio Sphere is a tad bigger than the other RIC hearing aids on the market in 2025. This may be an issue for users with small-sized ears. | Starkey Edge AI miniRIC is the smallest hearing aid on the market in 2025. Also, Starkey Edge comes in a much wider range ot colour. | Phonak Infinio Sphere is much bigger than Starkey Edge AI. If your ears are small or the vanity of the hearing aids is a dealbreaker, then you might select Starkey Edge AI. |
Tips on how to choose between Phonak Infinio Sphere and Starkey Edge hearing aids:
Lifestyle: If based on work or lifestyle, you find yourself in holding conversations in a very noisy environment, then Phonak Infinio Sphere will be your choice.
CROS and biCROS: The Phonak Infinio Sphere does not have a CROS system. On the other hand, Starkey Edge AI offers a rechargeable and battery-powered CROS system.
Vanity and size: Starkey Edge AI is quite smaller than Phonak Infinio Sphere, hence the choice is very clear here.
Connectivity: Phonak Infinio Sphere offers a universal Bluetooth connectivity with multiple devices. At the time of this report, no hearing aid in the market can beat Phonak Infinio Sphere in the range and stability of Bluetooth connectivity.
Battery life: If you are determined to have a pair of rechargeable hearing aids but you are concerned about the decline of the rechargeable batteries, then my best advice is to buy your next hearing aids from an audiologist who can offer you the longest warranty. Nevertheless, some people work shifts and have irregular work/rest programs. If too concerned about the battery run time, then you might want to choose Starkey Edge AI over Phonak Infinio Sphere.
Which hearing aid is better: Phonak Infinio Sphere or Starkey Edge AI?
No audiologist has a direct answer to this question. There are several factors in play. The answer to this question very much depends on the lifestyle of the patient. The best is to reflect on the content of this article and book an online telecare session to discuss your options for the best hearing aid on the market with an audiologist.
Which one does a better job of hearing speech in background noise, Phonak Infinio Sphere or Starkey Edge AI?
As you can see below, as per an independent assessment by HearAdvisor, Phonak Infinio Sphere ranks higher in the First Fit tuning and the tuning with REM. Als,o in a speech in noise assessment again, Phonak Sphere ranked higher than Starkey Edge AI.
How does the fitting of the hearing aid impact its ability in noise management and speech understanding in a noisy environment?
I need to emphasise that just like older generation hearing aids, the AI and DNN-driven hearing aids need to be professionally tuned up to be able to provide the clarity and the best performance in noise management and speech intelligibility in a noisy space. Doing a REM (real ear measurement) is necessary to boost the speech patterns in such a hearing aid. If the fitting of your hearing aid is open, then the hearing aid will be amplifying the sound for the frequencies that you have hearing loss, but it cannot do much to control the noise. It is simple physics, the noise will travel through the open domes. For better noise management, you need to consider a closed and ideally a power fitting (double dome fitting, or earmould). In a closed fitting, the hearing aid can use the processing ability it has to control the noise and help improve the hearing of speech in a noisy environment.
Which one is bigger, Phonak Infinio Sphere, or Starkey Edge AI?
Phonak Infinio Sphere is quite bigger than Starkey Edge AI. In my experience, patients with smaller-sized ears tend to choose Starkey Edge AI over Phonak Sphere. However, I also noticed that even patients with smaller ears have chosen Phonak Sphere over Starkey Edge AI based on the superior ability of Phonak Sphere in managing speech in a noisy environment.
At the end of this article, I would like to draw your attention to Dr Cliff's comparison of Phonak Infinio Sphere versus Starkey Edge AI hearing aids:
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