Hearing aids range widely in price, style, features, and capability. Those with mild-to-moderate hearing loss can consider hearing aids available over-the-counter (OTC) without needing an in-person exam or prescription. OTC hearing aids are typically less expensive than prescription devices.
Yet even among OTC hearing aids, there is a vast difference in pricing and capability. When we tested hearing aids, we were often disappointed in budget-friendly brands that lacked sound quality, features, and customization options. However, Lexie proves to be an outlier, offering hearing aids at a competitive cost, with a step-by-step setup process, a range of features, and excellent customer support at less than half the price of prescription hearing aids. While Lexie’s OTC hearing aids aren’t a solution for those with severe or profound hearing loss, they are affordable and effective for many people. We feel confident recommending Lexie hearing aids.
We deeply researched and tested these devices for our Lexie hearing aid review. Read on to discover what we learned.
Why we recommend Lexie hearing aids
When we reviewed Lexie and other hearing aid brands, we concentrated on these key factors:
- Customer experience
- Affordability
- Easy setup and use
- Included features
- Trial period and warranty
- Brand reputation
Lexie has three main hearing aid models: the Lumen, the B1, and the B2 Plus. All three devices are Bluetooth-enabled, offer preset listening environments, and noise and feedback cancelation. Both the B1 and the B2 Plus are powered by Bose.
Lexie partnered with Bose, the American manufacturing company known for audio equipment, in 2022 when the FDA approved the sale of OTC hearing aid devices. The two brands released a joint statement explaining their partnership’s goal to make hearing aids more accessible and affordable. The collaboration aims to elevate Lexie’s sound quality and tuning technology in its B1 and B2 models. Bose is also credited for bringing their self-fitting, programming, and controlling technology to Lexie’s devices.
While Lexie’s sound quality is impressive, what we love the most about Lexie is its helpful and knowledgeable customer service staff.
Lexie’s devices do have some potential drawbacks. Only the B2 Plus includes a rechargeable battery, which requires a charge every 18 hours. The B2 Plus is also the only Lexie device offering phone call streaming. However, all three Lexie devices use Bluetooth to connect to the Lexie app to adjust the hearing aids and access customer support.
Why trust Aging in Place
We’ve spent the last four years living and breathing hearing aids. In our research, we’ve:
- Studied 18 brands that make hearing aids
- Surveyed hundreds of hearing aid users
- Tested rechargeable hearing aid models
- Interviewed 5 hearing instrument specialists, 20 audiologists, and tens of real hearing aid users
- Read thousands of verified customer reviews
Read more about how we review hearing aids.
Pros and cons of Lexie hearing aids
Pros
- Received the highest score of our OTC hearing aid testing (5 out of 5)
- Includes professional audiology support for the lifetime of your hearing aids
- All devices have preset listening profiles and self-fitting adjustments
- Advanced technology (directional microphones, background noise reduction, and feedback management)
- 45-day trial period
Cons
- Full use of hearing aid features requires a Smartphone and the Lexie Hearing app
- Bluetooth phone call streaming only available on the B2 Plus
- No in-the-ear (ITE) or completely-in-canal (CIC) models offered