ZURICH: Swiss hearing-aid maker Sonova launched its third hearing-aid platform using real-time artificial intelligence on Monday, as the company seeks to strengthen its position in a market driven by rapid technological advances.
Sonova was the first company to introduce a hearing aid using real-time artificial intelligence to distinguish speech from background noise in 2024.
According to Anders Rosengren, Sonova’s head of research and development, the new Phonak EON platform features a smaller and lighter device with more advanced artificial intelligence technology. The company says the system makes speech twice as understandable while requiring less listening effort.
The new platform is expected to play an important role in Sonova’s efforts to meet its medium-term growth targets, which faced some investor scepticism earlier this year.
Oliver Lux, president of Sonova’s Europe, Middle East and Africa and Latin America regions, said the company expects EON to gain momentum quickly among both existing customers replacing older devices and people buying hearing aids for the first time.
Sonova did not disclose pricing details, although Lux said EON had been designed to support the company’s premium market positioning at launch.
The product was launched in the United States on Monday and is scheduled to reach Australia and major European markets, including Germany, France, Italy and Britain, in mid-September. A wider global rollout will follow.
Lux said Sonova continued to see favourable market conditions across its major regions, particularly Asia-Pacific and Latin America.
Under Chief Executive Officer Eric Bernard, who took over last September, Sonova has increasingly focused on Asia-Pacific as a key growth market. The company aims to increase sales volumes and strengthen its position in rapidly expanding markets, where ageing populations are expected to increase demand for hearing-care products.
