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Explore which Philips HearLink type is best for you

A granddaughter holds a teddy bear while sitting on the back of her grandfather who wears Philips HearLink hearing aids. Her mother also reaches out to hold her daughter.

Hearing aid types

Hearing aids today are customized to best fit your personal needs and preferences. Hearings aids are worn either behind the ear or in the ear. They vary in style, color and functionality. When selecting your hearing aids, several aspects come into play. Your hearing care professional will help you choose the right style depending on the degree of your hearing loss and your individual preference for form, function and color. Hearing aids today can also be connected to a range of multimedia devices including your cell phone, TV and tablet.

  

Philips HearLink rechargeable hearing aids in the portable Charger Plus placed on a wooden table, with a magazine, glasses and yellow plant pot

Rechargeable hearing aids

Rechargeable hearing aids are considered more convenient because they can save you time and money on changing disposable batteries. They are powered by an internal rechargeable battery that you can charge by placing your hearing aids into one of two types of chargers. The desktop Charger which is great for at home use or the portable Charger Plus for on the go. A Philips HearLink hearing aid is rechargeable if it has an "R" in the title, which stands for rechargeable. Philips HearLink rechargeable devices include the miniRITE T R and the miniBTE T R hearing aid styles.

Philips HearLink non-rechargeable hearing aids placed on a wooden table, with a magazine, glasses and yellow plant pot

Non-rechargeable hearing aids

Non-rechargeable hearing aids use batteries that need to be replaced every five to seven days, to ensure your hearing aid is fully powered. Batteries can be purchased at a hearing clinic, in other types of stores and can also be purchased online.

Drawing of an ear with an Philips HearLink behind-the-ear hearing aid showing the exact positioning

Behind-the-ear hearing aids

Behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids are worn on the outside of the ear. The main part of the hearing aid sits behind the upper part of the ear. The part going into the ear defines the two different types of behind-the-ear hearing aids. The traditional BTE has the speaker behind the ear in the main part of the hearing aid and the sound arrives into the ear through a tube. The receiver-in-the-ear (RITE) hearing aids have the speaker directly in the ear.

  • Philips HearLink behind-the-ear hearing aid (BTE)

    BTE

    These hearing aids can fit the largest range of hearing losses, up to profound hearing losses. They are robust and easy to handle.

  • Philips HearLink behind-the-ear hearing aid with a reciever in the ear (RITE).

    RITE

    This kind of hearing aid can have different speakers for mild to severe hearing losses. RITEs are small and barely visible. 

Open-fit hearing aids are a type of hearing aid that sits behind the ear and has a thin tube or receiver in the ear canal.

Open-fit hearing aids

Open-fit hearing aids are a type of hearing aid that sits behind the ear and has a thin tube or receiver in the ear canal. This style of hearing aid keeps the ear canal more open, allowing for low-frequency sounds to enter the ear naturally and for high-frequency sounds to be amplified through the hearing aid. This makes the style a good choice for people with better low-frequency hearing and mild to moderate high-frequency hearing loss.

Open-fit hearing aids are placed discreetly behind the ears and don't plug the ear like the in-the-ear hearing aid styles, often making your voice sound more natural to you.

Drawing of an ear with a Philips HearLink in-the-ear hearing aid showing the exact positioning

Custom hearing aids

In-the-ear (ITE) hearing aids are worn in the outer ear and ear canal. These hearing aids are customized for a personal fit by taking an ear impression of the individuals ear, which is used to build the hearing aid. There are different styles and options available. The invisible-in-the-ear (IIC) hearing aids, the completely-in-the-canal (CIC) hearing aids, and the in-the-canal (ITC) hearing aids sit in different positions in the ear canal.

  • Philips HearLink completely-in-canal in-the-ear hearing aid (CIC)

    Completely-in-the-canal hearing aids

    A completely-in-the-canal (CIC) hearing aid style is for mild to moderately severe hearing losses. It is less likely to pick up wind noise when placed within the ear canal. It uses very small batteries, which have a shorter power supply, but otherwise, the CIC hearing aids are very convienent.

  • Philips HearLink in-the-canal in-the-ear hearing aid (ITC)

    In-the-canal hearing aids

    An in-the-canal ITC hearing aid is a custom-molded device that fits partly in the outer ear. This style can be beneficial for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss. ITC hearing aids are slightly larger than the CIC, which allows for the addition of more features.

The largest custom hearing aid style is called in-the-ear (ITE). An ITE hearing aid is usually custom-made in two styles.

In-the-ear hearing aids

The largest custom hearing aid style is called in-the-ear (ITE). An ITE hearing aid is usually custom-made in two styles — one that fills most of the bowl-shaped area of your outer ear - this is called a full shell - and one that fills only the lower part - which is called a half shell. Both types of hearing aids are helpful for people with mild to severe hearing loss and are available with directional microphones, which comprise two microphones for better hearing in noise.

An in-the-ear hearing aid includes features that don't fit on smaller style hearing aids, such as volume control. They may be easier to handle compared to CIC and ITC hearing aids.

  • See an example of the non-rechargeable Philips HearLink in the ear half shell hearing aids also called ITE HS from Philips Hearing Solutions

    ITE HS

    This hearing aid style is for slight to severe hearing losses. It is worn in the ear canal and fills about half of the concha (bowl-shaped area outside the opening of the ear canal). The larger size enables the full range of features like a volume control and directional microphones for added support in noise.

  • See an example of the non-rechargeable Philips HearLink in the ear full shell hearing aids also called ITE FS from Philips Hearing Solutions

    ITE FS

    This hearing aid style is for slight to severe hearing losses. It is worn in the ear canal and fills most of the concha (bowl-shaped area just outside the opening of the ear canal). The larger size enables the full range of features like a volume control and directional microphones for added support in noise.

Philips HearLink invisible-in-canal (IIC) in-the-ear hearing aid

Invisible-in-the-canal hearing aids

This invisible-in-the-canal (IIC) hearing aid style is for slight to moderately severe hearing losses. It is worn deeply inside the ear canal and is almost invisible for maximum discreetness.

Benefits of treating hearing loss

Even though hearing loss is one of the most common health conditions, there are many myths and misunderstandings about it. Treating your hearing loss can put you back in control of your life.

Animation of a man wearing Philips Hearlink hearing aids doing a presentation at work
Man wears Philips HearLink rechargeable miniRITE T R hearing aids while arranging oranges in his sustainable farmer's market stand

How does a hearing aid work?

All hearing aids utilize the same essential components to carry environmental sound into your ear and make them louder. Most hearing aids are digital and powered by a traditional hearing aid battery or a rechargeable battery.

Small microphones gather sound from the surrounding environment. A computer chip processes the sound based on your hearing loss and listening environment and delivers it to the ears via the loudspeaker sometimes called the receiver.

Which type of hearing aid should I choose?

The choice of a hearing aid is solely based on your specific needs. The first thing you should do is to research the different types of hearing aids that are currently available. If you find similarities between your needs and the features of a specific hearing aid, that may be the one to choose.

What features should you look out for in different types of hearing aids?

Depending on your specific situation, additional features may improve your hearing in certain situations. A professional hearing care specialist will also give you advice, and as such, you can rest assured that you will find the right type of hearing aid for your specific situation. Below, you will find a list of the most common features of different types of hearing aids that are currently available.

  • Noise reduction

    All modern hearing aids have noise reduction available to some degree, though the level of noise reduction depends on the type of hearing aid. Some also offer wind noise reduction, which can be useful in certain situations.

  • Directional microphones

    Directional microphones can improve your ability to hear in environments with a lot of background noise. These microphones are aligned front to back to improve sound reception from the front, while reducing the background noise from the back and sides. Reducing background noise with directional microphones helps when trying to hear in a noisy environment.

  • Wireless connectivity

    More and more often, hearing aids can connect wirelessly to certain Bluetooth-compatible devices, such as mobile phones, music players, computers and televisions. This makes it much simpler to hear the television, for example, without increasing the volume.

  • Application control

    Some hearing aids have the ability to connect wirelessly to remote devices. Remote devices can include a separate remote control or a mobile phone and smartphone app. These devices allow the user to control certain settings, such as volume or program changes, without touching the hearing aid.

  • Custom programming

    Advanced hearing aids can store several pre-programmed custom settings for various listening needs and environments. You can select it by using the program button on your hearing aid, from your mobile phone app or remote control.

  • Synchronization for simple control

    If you have two different hearing aids, it can be beneficial to have them synchronized to each other's volume and settings. If you turn up one hearing aid, the other will automatically be adjusted accordingly.

  • Telecoils

    Telecoils make it easier to hear when talking on a telecoil-compatible telephone. The telecoil lessens the noise from your surroundings and picks up the sounds from the hearing-aid-compatible telephone. Telecoils also work with other induction systems that may be in other areas like theaters and conference centers.

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Need help understanding common hearing terms?

In our hearing terms guide, there are many explanatory articles. These articles were written to help you better understand the terminology around hearing loss and hearing aids.

A man at a consultation at a hearing care specialist or an audiologist

Contact a hearing care specialist

We can help you find your closest hearing care specialist who can provide you with Philips HearLink hearing aids.