Rechargeable hearing aids first appeared in 2017 and have become very popular since then. Modern rechargeables offer 24 hours (or more) of use on a single full charge. They are convenient, easy to use and worry-free.

All hearing aid manufacturers are offering rechargeable models but the design and functionality of the charger differ from brand to brand. Some have opted for a portable charger that fits in your pocket and others have gone for a more bedside table type of design that is intended to be left at home and used to charge your hearing aids overnight.

Rechargeable models are a huge benefit to people with arthritis or dexterity issues, who may have difficulty changing small batteries. They also do away with any worries about your hearing aids running out of battery and turning off at an inconvenient time, most models last for at least 24 hours on a single full charge.

The above picture shows a pair of GN ReSound LiNX 3D hearing aids in their charging box. When you place the hearing aids into the charger they automatically switch themselves off and the green lights in the middle of the box light up to indicate how much charge is left in the aids. The box itself has a width and height slightly larger than a credit card and is around 0.5 inches deep - it should fit pretty easily into your pocket. This type of charger can travel with you, you'll get a good number of days worth of charging out of it before you have to plugin it back in to charge the box via USB.

The Oticon OPN charger shown above is designed more to be left at home, it has a sleek and modern design that would not look out of place on your bedside cabinet, so you can pop your aids on charge before you go to bed and have them ready for a full worry-free day of hearing tomorrow.

The decision between rechargeable or not may not be your top priority when deciding on a hearing aid but they offer benefits real benefits to people who have trouble with batteries and convenience and peace-of-mind to everyone else.