While the battery performance for hearing aids might sound like a straightforward question to answer, it actually depends on a variety of factors. Battery life will depend on the model of your hearing aid, and may vary widely even in unique models produced by the same manufacturer. The way you use your hearing aid will also impact battery life; the more hours a day yours is turned on, the more often you will use up batteries.
The hearing aid batteries themselves are a major factor. Batteries of the same size from different manufacturers will have distinct lives. And there will be variation within one battery manufacturer if they offer premium or extended-life lines. Battery type is yet another key factor in longevity. For example, zinc-air batteries will begin to burn power the instant you remove the adhesive tab on the bottom and will continue losing charge even if the hearing aid is powered off while other battery types will only drain when they’re in a hearing aid that is turned on.
Because the cost of batteries adds up, if you are looking for a new hearing aid, you should do some research to find out which types and models of hearing aids have the best battery life, because that may influence your choice. Similarly, a little time invested in research may help you locate better batteries for your existing hearing aids. To make things somewhat easier for you, hearing aid batteries are produced in 4 common sizes, each of which is marked with a specific color code, which is always the same no matter who the manufacturer is. The following list of battery life is an approximation, of course, but it should give you a basic idea of how long batteries of each size should last:
- Size 675 – Blue tag – 300 hours
- Size 312 – Brown tag – 175 hours
- Size 13 – Orange tag – 240 hours
- Size 10 – Yellow tag – 80 hours
Don’t forget to turn your hearing aid off when you aren’t using it for the longest battery life. And to make sure hearing aid batteries you’ve already bought but haven’t used yet remain fresh and retain their power as long as possible, store them indoors in their original unopened packaging, and at room temperature.