Research shows that AirPods Pro can be good allies in the fight against hearing loss.

If you find yourself in need of a hearing aid, you may be surprised by their regular prices. With an average cost of $10,000 for the best models, spending this level can be quite painful, but necessary for a more comfortable everyday life. Did you know that Apple AirPods perform a similar function and are almost as good as hearing aids? premium? This is true, and research proves it.

New study published in the journal iScience found these results. As they comment a pair of AirPods Pro are nearly as good as prescription hearing aids.. However, don’t worry too much, they are also not a panacea, although they can be a great help if you don’t have $10,000 at the moment.

A study co-authored with Yen-Fu Cheng, an otolaryngologist, found that AirPods Pro met standards in 4 out of 5 categories. Models like the AirPods 2, for their part, barely scored well in two of them, namely sound and clarity.

Here’s how well the AirPods Pro are helping people with hearing loss

For the study, the team compared different models of AirPods with prescription hearing aids made by two different companies. The results were quite surprising and, as Dr. Cheng himself described, “They will not replace hearing aidsbut it’s a good way for people to find out what the world would be like if they could get help, better hearing.”

The study took into account the experience of 21 adults with mild to moderate hearing loss.. During the process, they were given AirPods and used the Live Listening feature. In addition, they also used a pair of basic hearing aids and a premium set.

The bottom line was this: while users reported better listening experience with the $10,000 premium pair, AirPods Pro did almost as well as these. Meanwhile, the AirPods 2 got the worst score of all.

Let’s remember that AirPods Pro are priced at 299 euros.. This is just a small fraction of the $10,000 that a pair of high-quality hearing aids costs, an expense that not many patients can afford, especially in developing countries.

Apple takes the technology from its hearing aids and puts them at the service of everyone.

Although the publication iScience has done very well in this regard, it looks like Apple already knew what its iconic AirPods were capable of. In fact, they have already released several features in their iOS updates that enable people with hearing loss to get the most out of these wireless headphones.

Some of these features are live listening and speech amplification. The first one amplifies the sounds of the environment and even shows the user notifications about what makes the sound. For example, a doorbell or a car horn. The second, for its part, uses AirPods microphones to improve voice sounds participants in the conversation.

Problems with AirPods as Hearing Aids

AirPods Pro have not been FDA-approved for professional audio support. However, your result has been tested to be on par with some low tech hearing aidsbut at a clearly higher price.

However, it’s clear that not all AirPods can offer the help you need. Models such as AirPods 2, for example, failed to reduce patients’ hearing loss to an acceptable degree. These results were observed by Dr. Cheng and his team.

Michelle DiStefano, director of the Shelley Center for Audiology, and Steven Einhorn of the Center for Hearing and Communication in New York City also add to the problems with AirPods. It’s all about the battery severely limits their use as hearing aids for extended periods of time..