How do you sell over-the-counter hearing aids when nobody knows who you are?
2023 is going to be a big year for hearables. While the concept isn’t new, this is the first CES since the FDA established a new category of over-the-counter hearing aids for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss. OTC hearing aids began hitting shelves in mid-October, and they’re on the show floor in Vegas right now. But the best hearables are from brands you’ve likely never heard of.
Take the Eargo 7.
If you’re familiar with hearables, you’re probably not surprised to see Eargo with an FDA-cleared OTC self-fitting hearing aid at CES. The company has been a CES regular since 2015, and technologically speaking, its seventh-gen device isn’t so much a novel never-before-seen gadget as it is a refinement. (The Eargo 7 is technically...