Streaming quality was better than expected, given the tiny size of the Zeals, with a separate three-bar equalizer available while listening to media, independent of the hearing aid equalizer. It has no noise cancellation capability to speak of, which means you won’t be using these to stream on an airplane or at the gym—even with the closed ear tips my audiologist suggested. (I normally wear hearing aids with open ear tips.) The closed tips proved to be the right call, and I did not experience much, if any, occlusion—the uncomfortable booming sensation caused by blocked ear canals—during my time with the devices.

Another thumbs up goes to Oticon’s app, which is extremely intuitive and dead simple to use. (It also includes a “find my hearing aids” feature.) Pairing was quick with an iPhone, and while I was unable to test the feature, Oticon also says these are the world’s first hearing aids that work with Google’s Fast Pair system on Android and ChromeOS devices. Auracast is also supported.

As expected, the Zeal hearing aids have no physical controls due to their diminutive size, but they do offer tap controls that your audiologist can turn on or off in their office. These can be used to manage volume, change environmental mode, or answer incoming phone calls through various combinations, but as my audiologist noted, many folks opt to turn these off because they often inadvertently trigger when the hearing aids are inserted or removed. I didn’t end up using them much.

Long-Term Comfort, for a Price

Photograph: Chris Null

The Oticon Zeal hearing aids were surprisingly comfortable in my testing, even for hours-long usage sessions. I expect their tiny size has a lot to do with that, but I also feel that picking the right size ear tips is equally critical.

That said, they can be quite difficult to get into and out of place, not just due to their unique shape and the need to spiral the retention lock into your concha, but because they are so very small. I expect users with dexterity issues will struggle mightily with these, as they must be twisted into place just so—and with no easy way of seeing them clearly, even if you’re working with a mirror.