On the 22nd October 2025, I was invited to represent Whitstable Hearing at the latest product launch by Oticon, a global leader in hearing technology.
Oticon have a 120 year history in hearing aid technology. They were the first manufacturer to develop a receiver-in-canal hearing aid system and today they announce another world’s first; the Oticon Zeal.
Oticon Zeal Hearing Aid
Oticon believe the Zeal is the most complete, discreet hearing aid on the market. Until today, when going smaller there was always a compromise e.g. loss of connectivity, or rechargeability. However, Oticon say that Zeal offers it all for the first time. This truly is a great leap forward for instant fit CIC hearing aids, which was first conceptualized by Signia with their Silk hearing aid.
Visionary Engineering
Oticon have used encapsulation technology to wrap the circuitry around the rechargeable battery within the hearing aid to optimise the limited space available. This has allowed them to offer all the features of a conventional hearing aid in a device that disappears in to the ear.
Rechargeability
Oticon claim that the Zeal hearing aid has up to 20 hours of battery life even with 8 hours of streaming. It also offers fast charging, these are the figures provided by Oticon on their charging times:
| Charge Time | Wear Time |
| 15 minutes | 4 hours |
| 30 minutes | 8 hours |
| 60 minutes | 16 hours |
| 120 minutes | 20 hours |
Fitting the Hearing Aid
Oticon advice that to fit the hearing aid appropriately we need to check the depth of the fit, the microphone position and antenna placement, and physical comfort.
The Oticon Zeal works with both conventional domes but also custom moulds which improves the fitting range and makes it more accessible for a wider ranger of clients.
The hearing aid is suitable for clients with hearing thresholds down to 75dBHL across the range if used with a mould, and a little less than this if using conventional domes.
Oticon offer two custom mould options for the Oticon Zeal; the acrylic and ototherm. Ototherms is an adaptive material that remains hard at room temperature but softens at body temperature. Softer materials create a better seal and so this is ideal for clients with more significant hearing loss or those that are struggling with retention or feedback.
When we were testing the fit of the hearing aid on our table of audiologists, only 2 out of the 8 on our table were able to fit the device appropriately in the ear and so for many, it may be a little too large to get a discreet and comfortable fit.
Charger
One big oversight though is the charger. Oticon advise that the only way to turn it on or off is to dock the hearing aids in the charger and that the user should carry it on them for convenience. However, it is twice as thick as my wallet and is not going to be able to fit in my trouser pocket. There is a lot of wasted space within the charger and so I felt a lot more consideration could have gone in to the design.
Connectivity
Oticon Zeal is ‘made for iPhone (mFi)’ and also compatible with Bluetooth LE devices such as Android phones with the ‘Android Streaming Hearing Aid (ASHA)’ protocol.
Oticon Zeal is also Auracast Broadcast ready, meaning it is ready for the next stage in accessibility for public places.
Summary
Until now, audiologists have always had to say there is a compromise when choosing an in-ear device compared to a behind-the-ear. This is because of the limited availability of rechargeable options, and wireless features. However, today that has discussion should change with the introduction of Oticon Zeal. I am excited to see how it performs in the real-world when it starts shipping on the 10th November 2025.
Book Today
If you would like to discuss the Oticon Zeal hearing aid with our lead audiologist, Adam Chell, please contact us today on 01227 851 033, email info@whitstablehearing.com or fill out the form below.
