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Phonak Hearing Aids Review


ConsumersAdvocate.org Rating: 3.9 / 5 (Very good)
30 Customer Comments & Reviews - see all comments
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Phonak is a medical devices company based in Switzerland, and a subsidiary of Sonova Holding AG. They have designed and distributed hearing aid systems across the globe for more than 70 years. Their products and accessories are designed with accessibility and practicality first in mind.

How is Phonak rated?

Breakdown

3.5/5
Hearing Aid Style
4.0/5
Features and Price
3.5/5
Battery Life
5.0/5
Customer Experience

Overall Rating: 3.9 / 5 (Very good)

Phonak offers some of the most technologically advanced hearing aids in the industry. The company has been in business for over 70 years, enjoys a good reputation and provides customers with education resources to help them make the most appropriate purchase decisions.

With a focus on high technology and innovation, Phonak prices tend to be on the high side. Since Phonak doesn't sell its hearing aids directly, but rather through hearing clinics and resellers, cost markup is also a factor in its high prices.

Phonak doesn't offer financing, but some of the resellers it works with may. Some health insurers also cover hearing aids, to be sure to consult with your provider to see whether your plan provides coverage.

Phonak Product Offerings

Hearing Aid Style - 3.5 / 5

Phonak offers over 20 hearing aids with a variety of unique features to satisfy specific customer needs. Their hearing aids are all outfitted with an operating system that automatically adapts your hearing aid to its surroundings. Phonak also has various wireless accessories to enhance their hearing aids' performance.
Product Type
True Hearing Aid
Types of Hearing Aids
IIC
BTE
Mini BTE
RIC
ITE
CROS
Accessories
Charger Plate
Cleaning Kit
Bag
Remote Control
Mobile App
Mobile Phone Compatibility
iOS
Android

Features

  • Preset Sound Profiles
  • Directional Mics
  • Digital Noise Reduction
  • Digital Feedback Reduction
  • Bluetooth & Internet Connectivity
  • Frequency Shifting
  • Tinnitus Maskers
  • Wind Noise Reduction
  • Binaural

Phonak Additional Services

Features and Price - 4 / 5

Phonak does not have prices listed anywhere on their website, explaining that the cost of hearing aids depends on the products and services that each hearing care provider offers. This is because Phonak manufactures and distributes their products, but does not sell them directly. After further inspection, we found most of their devices land in the $1,500 and $3,000 price range.

Phonak offers a free, three-minute online hearing test. The test consists of an examination for perception of low, mid, and high pitch sounds, as well a series of questions with answers ranging from "always" to "never." The test is not meant to replace a consultation with an expert, but it can provide customers with some quick information about their hearing capacity. Phonak can connect you with a hearing services provider and hearing aid reseller in your location.

Phonak has a 30-day trial offer, but only for their Lyric™ hearing aid.

Financing Available
No
Trial Offer
Yes
Trial Offer Period
30 days (only for Lyric™)
Online Hearing Test
Yes
Modes of Contact
Phone
Email

Phonak Pricing

Battery Life - 3.5 / 5

Phonak offers a very wide range of products. Battery life, charging equipment, and charging times vary depending on the hearing aid model you and your hearing loss expert decide is right for you.

Phonak After-Sale Service

Customer Experience - 5 / 5

Phonak's website provides a catalog of all of its hearing aid products and accessories. It also publishes the handbooks for its products online so you can learn more about each product the company offers than is provided by the product summaries provided. Phonak also publishes educational articles on hearing loss to better inform hearing loss sufferers about the signs, causes, and types of hearing loss.

Phonak offers a free online hearing test to help customers gauge the extent of their hearing loss. This test is provided as a precursor to an in-person consultation with a hearing specialist and authorized Phonak distributor.
Warranty Length
One year (international warranty)
Warranty Extendable?
No
Warranty Coverage
Phonak company provides a one-year non-extendable warranty on its products. This covers factory defects and damage, but does not cover damage caused after the product has been sold.Phonak recommends that customers ask their hearing care professional about the terms of the warranty. Phonak offers a one year limited warranty that covers any of the hearing aid's manufacturing or material defects, but not accessories such as batteries or ear modules. The warranty can only be applied if proof of purchase is shown. It also does not cover any expenses from damages the hearing aid suffered as a result of mishandling or tinkering.
Text of Warranty
Deductible/Copay
No

Phonak Reputation

Reputation - 3.5 / 5

Phonak enjoys an excellent BBB rating. The company doesn't fare as well on Trustpilot, where customers only give it 2.4 out 5 stars. But that rating is based on only a handful of reviews and may not be statistically significant. Phonak's parent company, Sonova, has been providing health care solutions internationally for more than 70 years.
BBB Rating
A+
Trust Pilot Rating
2.4 out of 5
Date Collected
2022-04-11
Year Founded
1989

Company Profile

Full Name
Phonak Hearing Aids
Company Website
Headquarters
4520 Weaver Parkway, Warrenville, IL, 60555

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30 Customer Comments & Reviews

Loading Reviews ...
L
Larry C
7/22/2021
5 stars. Highly recommended. As usual on the Internet, Phonak gets a mix of good and not-so-good reviews. I don't write a lot of reviews, but I know that researching HA's is time-consuming and frustrating, and I want to add my 2 cents here. My Phonak HA's are the best I've ever used, hands down. I recently bought a pair of Phonak Audeo Paradise 90R HA's. They are by far the best HA's I've owned. My first pair, from another company, died recently after 9 years of OK service. My research led me to buy a pair of Starkey Livio Edge AI In-the-Ear (ITE) HA's. Even with constant adjustments through Starkey's Thrive app on my iPhone, the HA's just did not work for me, especially in... Read More


B
Bill
4/7/2021
Your tech rechargeable battery is not compatible with modern lifestyles. Is this what I m getting for my love of the military veteran.


reachcris
4/2/2021
Phonak makes/sells a line of hearing aid that is designed in a way that magnifies noise caused by a mild breeze to create an annoying sound similar to pills rattling in a bottle. In order to abate that feature you must buy one of their more expensive models. My particular retailer charges an extra $1000 for such an upgraded pair. A nefarious business practice reminiscent of bait and switch.


Glenn G
1/27/2021
Today was one of the happiest days of my life. I exchanged my absolutely worthless Phonak Hearing Aids for another brand. They worked marvelously for two-weeks. Then no sound came through either hearing aid. Every senior in my family has had terrible experiences with Phonak. The audiologist all push them but from my experience if you have hearing loss Phonak is not the solution.


J
Jay L
1/16/2021
Is your review a commercial for Phonak. I suppose the actual hearing aids are as good if not better than any other manually controlled hearing aid. I see no comments about the being useless. It’s true, there are multiple ways to adjust the aids in the app, but as soon as you leave the app, the aids revert to a standard setting, not allowing you to customize your experience. The only way to keep your custom settings is to leave the app open, but as soon as your phone goes to sleep the aids revert. A Phonak rep to my audiologists says they are aware of the issue and are working on it, but after six months of having Phonak hearing aids no solutions have been presented to me. The... Read More


Wendy T
12/28/2020
I had my hearing aids for less than year and they both needed to be fixed. I continued to have problems with them. At the 3 1/2 year mark, they are completely not working and I am told it'll be $800 to fix. Connect Hearing was of no help. I am truly disappointed and contacted Phonak to see if they can help me? I spent a lot of money, more than $4000 for a product that has never really worked. I am waiting to see if Phonak will be standing behind their product.


Robyn A
12/4/2020
I have had my hearing aids for about 2 months and already have to send them back to the factory. I will not recommend Phonak to anyone.


J
Jan
10/8/2020
The bluetooth connectivity and stereo music streaming is awesome. Love the rechargeable battery. Very satisfied and well worth the cost ( deductable as a health expense in Quebec, Canada).


T
Timothy O
8/29/2020
Phonak hearing aids are excellent. However the Phonak app is poor. There is a default program setting which includes certain level of speech recognition, treble, setting, etc. Although the settings can be adjusted, the app constantly reverts back to the default setting. This is a glitch that tech support is aware of, but they currently have no fix. They recommend turning off sound settings to apps etc, which still does not work. The product is being sold with certain functionality that does not work, only the volume can be adjusted. Tech support states this is a problem with both Android and Apple platforms. If one looks at the app reviews for Phonak, reviews are not favorable. This... Read More


Traci E
8/27/2020
This company protects its retailers. Phonak has the ability to recast inner ear hearing aids for the original owner. However if you donate to a family member or someone in need Phonak will NOT recast as a policy. Phonak has the capability and will take the hearing aids back as a donation. However this company makes the device obsolete in order to protect its market share. Not a consumer friendly company. Avoid Phonak - not Senior or consumer friendly!



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