Hearing aids can be of different types based on designs, models, and features. There are many esteemed brands out there that manufacture good-quality hearing aids- Widex and Oticon for example. All hearing aids may look similar at first glance, but you’ll easily realize after some homework that there are a lot of differences in hearing aids from different brands. A detailed Widex vs. Oticon comparison will help you make a better purchasing decision if you are considering these two brands.
In this article, we will give you a brief overview of hearing aids manufactured by two of these most esteemed brands. We will also see which brand is better than the other, and is more suitable for you.
Widex Vs. Oticon Hearing Aid: Side By Side Comparisons
For your convenience, here is a comparison table that will show you the side by side comparison between different aspects of Widex and Oticon hearing aids:
|
Grounds of Comparison |
Widex |
Oticon |
|
Styles |
-Behind The Ear (BTE) -Receiver In-Ear (RIE) -Receiver In Canal (RIC) -In The Ear (ITE) -Completely In The Canal (CIC) |
-Behind The Ear (BTE) -Receiver In-Ear (RIE) -Receiver In Canal (RIC) -In The Ear (ITE) -Completely In The Canal (CIC) |
|
Will personalized fitting be required? |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Purchase System |
Through a Provider of Hearing Healthcare |
Through a Provider of Hearing Healthcare |
|
Price Range |
1200- 3500 USD |
1175- 3810 USD |
|
Smartphone App |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Bluetooth Connectivity |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Tinnitus Masking |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Warranty |
2-3 Years |
1-4 Years |
|
Trial Period |
30 Days |
Depends on Retailer |
|
FDA Registered |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Customer Service |
Help in App, Online Videos, Local Repairs |
Online FAQ, 1-800 Number |
Similarities Between the Two
When you want to compare Widex and Oticon, you need to consider the similarities first and their origin.
Widex hearing aids is one of the most prominent brands in the hearing aid industry. This hearing aid manufacturing brand was established in 1956 and is based in Denmark. Similarly, Oticon is also known as one of the world’s top manufacturers of hearing aids. This brand started its journey in 1904.
Both these brands have been forerunners in this particular industry and have brought forward revolutionary changes. Both these brands have introduced a wide variety of hearing aids in the market. They claim to offer the best quality in their hearing aids, and manufacture hearing aids of all the types out there, from BTE to ITE hearing aids.
Hearing aids from both these brands come with a lot of features and benefits. Both these brands provide a good range of technological support. Their products come with benefits like smartphone app support, bluetooth connectivity, etc. They also manufacture hearing aids with tinnitus masking to help people with tinnitus.
Both Widex and Oticon offer warranties, trial periods, and timely customer support.
Basic Differences
Widex provides more options than Oticon hearing aids along with more apps and accessories.
The latest hearing aids from Widex come with features made for iPhone technology. You can easily pair your iPhone with hearing aids to make simple adjustments. Your phone can also be used as a microphone for hearing devices. Widex Moment hearing aids allow the users to hear sounds in a highly natural manner through advanced sound processing features.
On the other hand, The Oticon More of Oticon Hearing Aids provides direct streaming options for iPhones but isn’t directly compatible with Android smartphones or devices. Oticon features BrainHearing technology that makes more sound reach the brain, which results in a better understanding of speech.
Widex Hearing Aids boast of making special hearing aids based on fuel cell technology. You can easily place these hearing aids in a portable refill unit and wait for around 20 seconds, and your device will be ready to go for around 24 hours with ease. Widex Evoke makes automatic hearing adjustments based on the environment and the needs of the user.
The “Open Sound” approach of Oticon Hearing Aids aims to let the users have an accurate “360” experience of the world through the devices of their OWN generation, which allows their brain to select specific signals that they want to listen to.
Even though the approaches of these two brands are different, they both work really well in the cases of mild to moderate hearing loss problems. But in the case of severe hearing loss problems, Widex performs better than Oticon.
Different Kinds of Hearing Aids Manufactured by Widex and Oticon
Both Widex and Oticon offer a wide range of hearing aids based on types, starting from Behind-the-Ear (BTE) hearing aids to Completely-in-the-Canal (CIC) hearing aids. This makes both these brands appropriate for all degrees of hearing loss problems, ranging from mild to profound.
Both brands provide a wide range of hearing assistive technology (HAT) with their hearing aids, and specific features that are great for using in noisy environments.
Some of the best quality hearing aids manufactured by Widex are- Widex Moment, Widex Evoke, Widex Dream, Widex Beyond, Widex Passion, etc. Get to know more through our complete Widex hearing aid review.
And some of the best quality hearing aids manufactured by Oticon are- Oticon Ruby, Oticon More, Oticon Siya, Oticon Xceed, Oticon OPN, Oticon OPN S, Oticon Ria2, etc. Read more through our Oticon hearing aid review.
Cost Comparison And Alternative
Cost is a really important aspect a customer needs to consider before getting hearing aids from one of these two brands. The cost of hearing aids can be a crucial deciding factor for a large number of hearing aid users.
The price of the hearing aids from both Widex and Oticon varies based on different factors like the model, type of hearing loss a person has, the features provided by the devices, and even the location of the user. Your insurance may or may not cover some part of the costs of the hearing aids.
The average starting price for the most basic models of both these brands is around $1200 USD. The overall price range of different models of hearing aids from Widex is around $1200 - $3500 USD. The price range for Oticon is around $1175 - 3810 USD.
The Bottom Line
The bottom line is, both Widex and Oticon Hearing Aids have a lot of similarities when it comes to the quality, styles, features, and prices of their hearing aids. However, people with mild to moderate hearing loss seem to favor Oticon hearing aids more than the Widex ones. On the other hand, people with more severe or profound types of hearing loss problems prefer Widex hearing aids. Also, people with tinnitus problems prefer Widex hearing aids for their “Zen” feature and smartphone app.
It ultimately comes down to the type of hearing loss you are suffering from, and the type of features you prefer for your hearing aids. Rest assured, you will get great sound quality and service from the hearing aids of both these brands.
However, the price range for both of these brands is quite high, which can turn a few people away. If you want a high-quality product without breaking the bank, you definitely need to check Nano Hearing Aids. Nano is a US-based brand, and has over 1000+ reviews.
