A new report has revealed an interesting functionality regarding the Apple AirPods Pro hearables. A study has found that the company’s truly wireless earbuds can serve as a cheaper alternative to hearing aids.
The new study was published in the iScience journal and basically focuses on the “Live Listen” function on the Cupertino based giant AirPods models and some of its Beats earbuds as well. For those unaware, this feature on Apple branded hearables basically lets your iPhone act as a microphone, which then relays enhanced audio the the user’s AirPods earbuds. Keep in mind that this feature isn’t made with the intention of helping people that suffer from a hearing loss issue and require a hearing aid.
Rather, it was made to filter out certain sounds in noisy situations for those with normal hearing. At the moment, hearing aids can range anywhere between 1,000 US Dollars to 10,000 US Dollars in the US alone. But researchers at Taipei Veterans General Hospital have found that Apple’s AirPods Pro model can surprisingly work well as an affordable hearing aid, in comparison to actual hearing aids. In the study, the researchers uses the 2nd Gen AirPods and first gen AirPods Pro, which was paired with the iPhone XS Max.
The hearables was pitted again both the top of the line OTICON Opn 1, which costs 10,000 US Dollars and the Bernafon’s $1,500 MD1 hearing device. The results with 21 participants with different degree of hearing loss found that the AirPods Pro ranked high in the list of hearing aids as well. Ranking between the two dedicated hearing aid devices. But while it can serve the function as a hearing aid alternative, it is only a temporary solution and not a true alternative to hearing aids.
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