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Best Bluetooth hearing aids in 2024
Jabra
Hearing loss can be a big roadblock to a happy and healthy life. Hearing aids can be life-altering in the best of ways — self-reported hearing loss has been associated with increased rates of depression and anxiety across the board. With hearing aid technology improving all the time, there’s never been a better time to invest in a new pair of hearing aids. One feature that’s worth looking at in many newer models is Bluetooth connectivity, which lets wearers listen to entertainment — TV shows, songs, podcasts — with ease.
With so many brands and hearing aid models to choose from, you might be wondering which is the best. Prescription hearing aids can be custom fit and pre-programmed by an audiologist, for example, while many over-the-counter hearing aids (OTC) are more affordable. One thing that hearing aid brands are working to perfect is seamless Bluetooth compatibility.
Below, we highlight the best Bluetooth hearing aids — OTC and prescription models alike — to help you find the perfect pair for you.
What is the best Bluetooth hearing aid in 2024?
The best Bluetooth hearing aids make it easy to listen to your favorite shows, songs, podcasts and more on the go. If you want hearing aids that rival the latest and greatest wireless headphones, these are the top hearing aid brands of 2024 that should be on your list.
Check out the best hearing aids for Bluetooth streaming and wireless connectivity below.
Best overall: Jabra Enhance Select 300
Jabra
One of the best hearing aids you can buy online today is also our top pick for quality Bluetooth hearing aids. The Jabra Enhance Select 300 offers improved sound quality, an impressive battery life and a lightweight design.
With some OTC hearing aids, a common customer complaint you may come across is a flat or distorted sound quality. That’s not the case with Jabra’s smallest hearing aid model to date. This hearing aid rivals most prescription hearing aids, with decent sound boost and exceptional noise filtration features.
The Jabra Enhance Select also offers high-quality Bluetooth streaming for TV, music, podcasts and more. As Jabra’s newest and most impressive model, the Enhance Select does come with a price tag that starts at $1,795.
Pros:
- Seamless Bluetooth compatibility that can be managed and adjusted via the Jabra Enhance mobile app.
- Top-notch sound amplification and background noise reduction features that justify a higher-than-average price tag.
Cons:
- High price for OTC hearing aids — check our runner up pick below for a more budget friendly pick from Jabra.
Budget-friendly runner up: Jabra Enhance Plus
Intrigued by Jabra’s impressive hearing aid tech but less interested in paying over $1,500 for a single pair of hearing aids? Consider the Jabra Enhance Plus hearing aid: Available for $800, the Plus is our unflinching choice for best OTC hearing aids thanks to a sleek design, 10-hour battery life, crisp speech amplification, and yes — fully compatible Bluetooth connectivity.
Unlike many prescription hearing aids that can cost thousands of dollars a pair, these hearing aids — Jabra’s first OTC model — offer impressive sound quality and features for a great price that’s under $1,000.
Most comfortable fit: Lexie B2 Plus
Lexie via Amazon
Fully in-ear hearing aids can be great for convenience and a truly seamless look, but if you want something that balances comfort with functionality — look no further than the Lexie B2 plus hearing aid.
Powered by Bose, this OTC hearing aid offers prescription-grade sound quality and audio design without the high prices that typically come with prescription hearing aids.
The sound quality here is exceptional, thanks to sharp background noise cancellation and crisp sound amplification. The design of these hearing aids offers the best of both worlds when it comes to in-ear vs. behind-ear styles: the receiver-in-canal build means all that impressive tech sits in a casing behind your ear while the earbud portion sits snugly in the canal. If you want a hearing aid that won’t get loose or grow uncomfortable after long periods of use, this is the device for you.
You can buy a pair of Lexie B2 Plus hearing aids powered by Bose from Amazon or Lexie directly today for $999.
Pros:
- A comfortable design that isn’t too small for button control nor too big to be comfortable for long periods of use.
- Exceptional sound quality all around.
Cons:
- While the price is low compared to most prescription models, it’s still higher than many of its OTC hearing aid competitors.
Cutting edge tech: Starkey Genesis AI
Starkey
Launched in February of 2023, the Genesis AI is the latest and greatest hearing aid offering from Starkey. AI, or artificial intelligence, has been powering hearing aid devices since 2018 (with Starkey’s Livio AI hearing aid model).
The Genesis AI hearing aid aims to minimize the number of times you need to make manual adjustments by improving your hearing automatically. This is backed by sound technology that tracks adjustments and gauges incoming sounds in real time. These AI-powered hearing aids then use this information to pick certain listening modes (restaurant mode, TV mode, etc.) or make adjustments on the fly so that you don’t have to.
Along with features like crisp Bluetooth connectivity, health tracking, and the best battery life we’ve seen yet in our reviews (51 hours on a single charge according to Starkey), this hearing aid already earned its spot on our list. But it’s also the only hearing aid available right now that offers fall detection and language translation services.
This new and innovative hearing aid is available starting at around $2,400 per pair, but prices can vary considerably from one retailer to the next.
Pros:
- Robust sound amplification features make this hearing aid worth the high price tag.
- AI-powered “deep neural network” feature learns what sound programs and adjustments you need to offer an easy and automated listening experience.
- Unmatched battery life that lasts longer than 50 hours on a single charge.
Cons:
- Starkey mobile app may be confusing and overwhelming to new users.
Best sound quality: Phonak Audéo Lumity
Phonak
Hearing aid technology is always improving, and if you want to be at the forefront of it all where all that cutting edge technology is, we recommend the latest flagship hearing aid by Phonak, the Audéo Lumity. This hearing aid has several new and impressive features over the Phonak Audéo Paradise such as patented speech-focused tech for front-facing conversations and improved hearing from the sides and back.
This hearing aid offers seamless Bluetooth integration for both iOS and Android devices, as well as fitness-tracking features like step counts via the MyPhonak mobile app. Couple this with a long-lasting battery charge and high quality sound, and you have a great hearing aid for anyone with moderate to severe hearing loss.
As a prescription hearing aid, the Phonak Lumity is available in four technology tiers, with more functionalities (and a higher price) tied to higher ones. These include L30 (essential), L50 (standard), L70 (advanced), and L90 (premium).
Prices start at around $1,800 for the lowest tier, the Lumity L30 hearing aid.
Pros:
- Some of the best audio quality we’ve seen, thanks to the latest hearing aid tech for amplifying incoming sounds and conversations.
- Universal Bluetooth technology that can stream phone calls, music, podcasts and more — and doesn’t lose its connection intermittently like some other budget OTC hearing aids.
Cons:
- Some negative customer reviews highlight poor usability with myPhonak mobile app, which may take some getting used to.
Most affordable: Go Hearing Ultra OTC
Go Hearing
Looking for a comfortable behind-the-ear hearing aid that ensures a secure fit all day long? The Go Hearing Ultra OTC hearing aid is another super comfortable hearing aid with Bluetooth capabilities, but that’s not all: It’s also the cheapest hearing aid on our list.
This wireless hearing aid comes with several standout features besides full Bluetooth streaming capability including hands-free calls and a whopping 20-hour battery life.
Thanks to an included measuring tool, this hearing aid is also easily fitted and configured on your own — no visits to an audiologist or specialist required if you’d prefer a DIY approach.
Pros:
- Comfortable and lightweight, especially for behind-the-ear hearing aids, which can sometimes be on the bulkier side.
- Impressive 20-hour battery life for OTC hearing aids.
Cons:
- Sound performance may not be as robust as other hearing aids.
- No mobile app, so daily adjustments are limited to the device’s buttons.
How we compared the best Bluetooth hearing aids of 2024
For a closer look at how we rate certain products and services, here is what we prioritized while looking at the best hearing aids for wireless connectivity:
- Affordability: We looked plenty of budget-friendly OTC devices to make sure we only highlight the highest-quality hearing aids.
- Tech features: Alongside the obvious (full Bluetooth streaming capabilities), we paid attention to features like consistent sound quality and crisp noise amplification to make sure we highlight the best of the best.
- Sound quality: We looked for important features like deep background noise cancellation and crisp speech amplification.
- Customer reviews: All of our hearing devices hold a four-star review or higher from happy customers just like you.
- Comfort: We paid attention to the design, shape, and fit of each hearing aid to ensure only the most comfortable hearing aids made the list.
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill Saturday that would have required new cars to beep at drivers if they exceed the speed limit in an effort to reduce traffic deaths.
California would have become the first to require such systems for all new cars, trucks and buses sold in the state starting in 2030. The bill would have mandated that vehicles beep at drivers when they exceed the speed limit by at least 10 mph.
The European Union has passed similar legislation to encourage drivers to slow down. California’s proposal would have provided exceptions for emergency vehicles, motorcycles and motorized scooters.
In explaining his veto, Newsom said federal law already dictates vehicle safety standards and adding California-specific requirements would create a patchwork of regulations.
The National Highway Traffic Safety “is also actively evaluating intelligent speed assistance systems, and imposing state-level mandates at this time risks disrupting these ongoing federal assessments,” the Democratic governor said.
Opponents, including automotive groups and the state Chamber of Commerce, said such regulations should be decided by the federal government, which earlier this year established new requirements for automatic emergency braking to curb traffic deaths. Republican lawmakers also said the proposal could make cars more expensive and distract drivers.
The legislation would have likely impacted all new car sales in the U.S., since the California market is so large that car manufacturers would likely just make all of their vehicles comply.
California often throws that weight around to influence national and even international policy. The state has set its own emission standards for cars for decades, rules that more than a dozen other states have also adopted. And when California announced it would eventually ban the sale of new gas-powered cars, major automakers soon followed with their own announcement to phase out fossil-fuel vehicles.
Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener, who sponsored the bill, called the veto disappointing and a setback for street safety.
“California should have led on this crisis as Wisconsin did in passing the first seatbelt mandate in 1961,” Wiener said in a statement. “Instead, this veto resigns Californians to a completely unnecessary risk of fatality.”
The speeding alert technology, known as intelligent speed assistance, uses GPS to compare a vehicle’s pace with a dataset of posted limits. If the car is at least 10 mph over, the system emits a single, brief, visual and audio alert.
The proposal would have required the state to maintain a list of posted speed limits, and it’s likely that those would not include local roads or recent changes in speed limits, resulting in conflicts.
The technology has been used in the U.S. and Europe for years. Starting in July, the European Union will require all new cars to have the technology, although drivers would be able to turn it off. At least 18 manufacturers including Ford, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Nissan, have already offered some form of speed limiters on some models sold in America, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
The National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 10% of all car crashes reported to police in 2021 were related to speeding. This was especially a problem in California, where 35% of traffic fatalities were speeding-related — the second highest in the country, according to a legislative analysis of the proposal.
Last year the NTSB recommended federal regulators require all new cars to alert drivers when they speed. Their recommendation came after a crash in January 2022, when a man with a history of speeding violations ran a red light at more than 100 mph and struck a minivan, killing himself and eight other people.
