How Phonak Infinio stands up to rigorous durability testing

This article examines Phonak Infinio’s durability through rigorous stress tests, comparing its resilience to moisture, heat, and wear against two other hearing aid brands—highlighting the importance of long-term reliability.

At Phonak, we don’t just make hearing aids that deliver excellent sound quality and seamless connectivity. We also prioritize making sure they perform reliably for your clients, year after year.

That’s why we put Phonak Infinio to the test against two other leading hearing aid brands in what is essentially the ultimate durability showdown. Imagine a reality TV show obstacle course—but for hearing aids! This one simulating years of wear in a controlled environment.

What we did

We took several Phonak Audéo Infinio R and Audéo Sphere, as well as similar RIC models from two other brands, and placed them in a sealed test chamber.

Over the course of 200 hours, all hearing aids were repeatedly exposed to extremes in heat and humidity to simulate years of use, from vacations in Thailand, a workout at the gym or even just a trip to the hairdresser, but in an accelerated manner (see Table 1). We wanted to see which hearing aids could handle a bit of heat (literally!).


Table 1: Test conditions showing time, temperature, and humidity for each phase. Each cycle lasts 10 hours, simulating real-world environmental stressors.

How the hearing aids performed

  • Hydrophobic coating: Imagine water beads on a freshly waxed car—that’s what we like our hearing aids to do with moisture thanks to the hydrophobic coating of the housing. This makes it less likely for water to enter the housing and damage internal components. After giving the hearing aids a vigorous rubdown, we measured the shape of water droplets to see how durable the hydrophobic coating really was. With Phonak, the water beads maintained a perfect round shape even after rigorous testing. Some of the others? Not so much. Brand B, for instance, started to flatten out indicating a reduction in the efficacy of the hydrophobic coating.
  • Charging pin durability: No one likes a device that won’t charge, right? Phonak Infinio charging pins stayed as good as new, without any visible corrosion. Meanwhile the other brands, especially Brand A, started to show some serious corrosion—some couldn’t even charge after a while.
  • Contact allergen leakage: We also checked for nickel leakage, a common contact allergen in adults. Phonak Infinio came out clean, but we can’t say the same for brands A and B. Both tested positive for traces of nickel on the contact pins.

Why this matters to you

All this testing boils down to something simple: durability. When you choose Phonak, you’re providing your clients with hearing aids they can rely on for years to come. Rain or shine, up a mountain or just relaxing at home, Phonak Infinio is ready for action.

Final thoughts

If you’re looking for a hearing aid that your clients can count on for the long haul, Phonak Infinio is your match. Our tests prove it can handle the rough and tumble of daily life better than some other brands. So why settle for anything less?

To explore Phonak hearing technology, visit www.phonak.com.