The Autiphon Rechargeable Hearing Aids, technically named the Audiphon U01, are a hit on Amazon. They’ve been available since late 2021 and made quite an impression. No wonder – these little devices come as a pair, are never more than $150, and have a battery life that rivals the biggest names in the industry.
Time for a good, hard look at these Autiphon hearing aids. Like many other manufacturers, the name on Amazon is somewhat confusing. Autiphon sells nothing but rechargeable hearing aids in a variety of names and colors. This particular model is available in beige (the U01) and black (U02). But let’s look beyond color, shall we? In this Autiphon Rechargeable hearing aid review, we’ll look at the pluses, minuses, and everything else noteworthy.
As always, I’ve summarized my findings in a 30-second visual review at the bottom of this post. For more of those quick reviews, visit my designated page where I’ve ranked each reviewed hearing aid by recommendation.
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Key features
Looking at the Autiphon, a few things stand out. First of all, the U01 is a pair of CIC hearing aids in a rechargeable travel case. This means you charge the case, and popping the hearing aids into the case means that these are charged in turn. What really stands out, though, is the battery life: charging the case for two hours gives you a total of 250 hours of listening time, or 5 times 50 hours. That’s impressive in any price category, but the Autiphon is less than $150 for a pair.
Also, they’re ambidextrous, which means you can pop them in either ear.
Who is this hearing amplifier for?
The Autiphon is especially popular with people looking for a steal. If you’re looking to pay very little, the price point is attractive. Also, the Autophon is designed for people with bigger ears and ear canals. One of the most repeated criticisms is the size of the ear domes.
How well does the Autiphon work?
Fine. For less than $150 for a pair, the Autiphon helps you hear more. It doesn’t have great sound quality, there is some distortion when you turn up the volume, and the noise reduction is adequate. That last word seems to be the most fitting description of the Autiphon – adequate.
Instead of a set range of volume levels, you adjust the volume with a little wheel. I’m always afraid these little wheels might be challenging for people with decreased motor skills, so that’s something to consider. There are no listening modes, but the Autiphon U01 does have noise canceling features and feedback cancellation.
What’s not to like about the Autiphon U01?
These are exciting times for hearing aid buyers. With the FDA clearing some of the restrictions for manufacturers, buyers can find great quality hearing aids for under $1,000. At the same time, it stirs up the market, so you’ve got a lot of foreign manufacturers bringing their stuff to the market.
I’ve got nothing against that – you’ll be hard-pressed to find true American-made hearing aids. But putting together the Amazon product page should be done with some consideration. The page for the Autiphon U01 is full of riddles and unnecessarily complicated language.
For example, under product specifications, we see the color (beige), model number (Autiphon U01), the number of items (2) and the temperature rating. That last one feels like the odd one out, but the answer is even worse: Ambient: 18 to 30 degrees. I don’t know what that could possibly mean, but at the same time I can’t find how powerful these devices are.
Also, the tag line, Share beautiful voice with your beloved, sounds nice but makes no sense whatsoever. And these things don’t make a bad hearing aid, but they make a poor customer experience. Because these are the same people answering your emails when you have a question. When they do, because multiple people report bad experiences with the customer service.
Other people complain that it’s too hard to find small ear domes that fit the Autiphon. If you know you’ve got a small ear canal, these might not be the best ones.
Lastly, the sound quality is adequate. Or, more fairly, it’s what you should expect at the lower end of the market.
Alternatives for the Autiphon U01 Rechargeable hearing aids
In its price range, there aren’t many alternatives that fix the Autiphon’s problems. Paying less than $150 for a pair of hearing aids means you’re compromising somewhere. The same is true for other hearing aids less than $200. The Banglijian BLJ-707 is the most comparable hearing aid. It has by and large the same set of features, but a slightly poorer battery life (which saves you around $10 compared to the Autiphon).
If you’re not looking to spend as little as possible, but prefer a good value for money, look at our best hearing aids under $300. Especially the Neosonic B10 gives you excellent sound for a good price. Other new options are the MDHearing NEO and the Go Hearing Prime, which look more like the Autiphon. In these two models, too, you miss out on features, but not compared to the Autiphon. For an ever better listening experience, check out my post on the best hearing aids for 2022.
Should you buy the Autiphon Rechargeable hearing aids?
Not unless you are sure it’s what you want. If your budget for hearing aids is $150 and you’ve explored all other options, but the impressive battery life still speaks to you, go ahead. I personally think there are even better options in this price range, but it’s also worth upgrading the sound quality a bit to get more value for your money. In short, the Autiphon is a great battery with a mediocre hearing amplifier attached.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Autiphon U01
You can buy these hearing aids on Amazon or on the company website. They’re usually cheaper on Amazon.
The Autiphon U01 is included with three dome sizes. If, like many others, you need smaller domes,