Oticon Zeal review: High standard (and price) for hearing aids

Streaming quality was better than expected, given the Zeals’ small size, with a separate three-band equalizer available while listening to media, independent of the hearing aid equalizer. This headphone doesn’t have noise cancellation, which means you won’t use it for streaming on a plane or at the gym, even with the closed-ear headphones suggested by your audiologist. (I usually wear hearing aids with open ear tips.) Closed tips proved to be the right choice, and I didn’t experience much, if any, occlusion—the uncomfortable sensation caused by blocked ear canals—during my time using the devices.

Another thumbs up goes to the Oticon app, which is very intuitive and easy to use. (It also includes a Find My Hearing Aids feature.) Pairing was quick with the iPhone, and while I wasn’t able to test the feature, Oticon also says these are the first hearing aids in the world to work with Google’s Fast Pair system on Android and ChromeOS devices. Oracast Also supported.

As expected, Zeal hearing aids do not have physical controls due to their small size, but they do offer click controls that an audiologist can turn on or off in his or her office. They can be used to manage volume, change the environmental mode, or answer incoming phone calls through various combinations, but as the audiologist notes, many people choose to turn them off because they often turn on inadvertently when inserting or removing hearing aids. I didn’t end up using them much.

Long-lasting comfort, for a price

Photo: Chris Noll

The Oticon Zeal hearing aids were surprisingly comfortable in my tests, even during long-hour use sessions. I expect their small size has a lot to do with this, but I also feel that choosing the right size ear tips is equally crucial.

However, they can be very difficult to get in and out of, not only because of their unique shape and the need to screw a retaining lock into your clamshell, but because they are so small. I expect users with dexterity issues will have a hard time handling these, as they have to be twisted right into place – and with no easy way to see them clearly, even if you’re working with a mirror.