Starkey's Omega AI+ runs four neural nets at once

Starkey is framing the launch around a shift in how hearing aids are positioned. Its CEO, Brandon Sawalich, has called the ear "the new wrist", a nod to the wearable tech market occupied by Apple Watches, Whoop bands and Oura rings, and Omega AI+ leans further into that idea with new sleep tracking alongside the fitness and health features Starkey has been adding. The company's chief hearing health officer, Dave Fabry, described patients who want AI's benefits at a subconscious level — they want improved speech understanding in quiet and in noise without having to engage with the device more than necessary.

That framing puts Starkey in the same conversation as Apple, whose AirPods Pro 3 offer heart-rate sensing and live translation and which Apple says can work as a clinical-grade hearing aid for mild-to-moderate hearing loss. Sawalich has said he welcomes the attention, arguing people need to understand there is no more stigma around hearing aids and hearing technology. What Starkey argues sets it apart is wear time and discretion: Sawalich said the company has to design a product that is nearly invisible and built for 14 hours a day, and he has said AirPods have shorter battery life, which makes them difficult for people with more significant hearing loss to wear throughout the day.

The stakes appear to hinge on whether that combination holds up in daily use — whether the claimed 51 hours of battery life can support four deep neural networks running continuously, and whether the discretion Sawalich describes is enough to keep Starkey distinct as large tech companies push further into hearing health. The company is also betting that making the device feel like a lifestyle product, rather than a medical one, is what will draw in users who might otherwise be put off by AI.