Starkey Omega AI Review: Smart Hearing & Wellness

Omega AI, the latest flagship hearing aid from Starkey, represents the company’s most ambitious step yet toward merging artificial intelligence (AI), health monitoring, and sound personalization in a single device. Building on Starkey’s Edge AI and Genesis AI platforms, Omega AI ushers in a new generation of hearing-aid intelligence powered by the G3 Neuro Processor, a dual Deep Neural Network (DNN 360) system for dynamic directionality and spatial awareness, and expanded wellness tracking features that move hearing aids even more toward the realm of wearable “healthable" technology.

“Job one is better hearing—sound quality,” Starkey President and CEO Brandon Sawalich told HearingTracker at its Starkey Days and Omega AI launch held in Minneapolis during October. “If we don’t have that, the rest doesn’t matter. But when we do, that platform lets us build quality health features that actually help people in multiple ways.”

Available models include rechargeable and replaceable-battery receiver-in-canal (RIC) and custom in-the-ear models like ITE R, ITC R, and CIC (completely-in-canal).

Starkey's Evolution as a Leader in AI-Driven Hearing Tech

Founded in 1967 and headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minn, Starkey is the largest U.S.-owned hearing aid manufacturer and one of only two privately held major companies in the global hearing aid market (the other being Denmark-based WS Audiology, owner of the Signia and Widex brands, which is preparing for an IPO). Known for its craftsmanship in custom hearing aids and bold innovation streak, Starkey has consistently pushed boundaries and steadily become a true technology company—from pioneering in-ear canal aids in the 1970s to launching the world’s first AI-driven health-tracking hearing aids with Livio AI in 2018.

Today, Starkey employs over 5,000 people worldwide, manufacturing primarily in the U.S. while maintaining satellite R&D centers, including a 30-engineer advanced AI division in Eden Prairie and Tel Aviv. Chief Technology Officer Achin Bhowmik, PhD, who was VP and GM of Intel's Perceptual Computing Group before joining Starkey in 2017, jokingly refers to this R&D division as “Area 51.”

At the Core of Omega AI: The G3 Neuro Processor

The leap from Edge AI to Omega AI centers on Starkey's new computing platform, the G3 Neuro Processor, which can run multiple AI networks concurrently.

“The only way to deal with complex acoustic inputs and make real-time predictive decisions is through deep neural networks,” explains Bhowmik. “We now dedicate one DNN for directionality and another for spatial awareness—each trained with massive, separate datasets—so conversations aren’t missed and onset speech is preserved.”

Bhomik says traditional directional systems follow a rule-based “if-this-then-that” approach. The G3 chip allows Omega AI to anticipate rather than react—an important shift for maintaining conversational flow in dynamic sound environments. According to Bhowmik, both neural networks work together to balance focus and awareness, offering up to a 28% improvement in speech intelligibility and a 6.5 dB gain in speech reception thresholds over previous Starkey models.

AI Processing and DNN 360 Directionality

The DNN 360 directionality system is Omega AI's signature innovation. It continuously analyses sound using trained neural networks to distinguish speech from noise and locate conversation partners across 360 degrees. Unlike rule-driven systems that switch modes only after detecting noise changes, Omega AI responds instantaneously and predicts where speech will occur next.

“We’re able to pick out speech at much lower signal-to-noise ratios than before,” Starkey Chief Hearing Health Officer David Fabry told HearingTracker. “It takes more computational power, but when you combine directional microphones with noise management in a trained DNN, you get real speech-in-noise benefit that users can make use of.”

In other words, the Omega AI behaves less like a fixed beamformer and more like a cognitive listening-helper that selectively attends to important sounds while preserving environmental realism.

Generative AI and the My Starkey App

Complementing the onboard AI engine, the My Starkey app now integrates two Generative AI modules for real-time user assistance and troubleshooting:

• TeleHear AI offers 24/7 conversational support, helping users describe listening issues and instantly adjust settings.
• The Gen AI Assistant enables natural-language interaction: users can double-tap their ear or open the app to ask questions, manage streaming, or modify sound preferences.

These features expand Starkey’s push to make hearing aids not just smart but responsive, adaptive, and user-empowering devices.

Balance Builder, Alerts for Falls, and New Respiratory Rate Measurement

Omega AI continues Starkey’s leadership in “healthable” hearing aids by embedding sensors that monitor motion, balance, and breathing.

Balance Builder, introduced with this platform, provides guided vestibular exercises and progress tracking to help reduce fall risk. This follows Edge AI's validated balance assessment system, which allows users to discreetly assess their risk of falls in the privacy of their own homes. The hearing aids also have a system for detecting falls and, when activated, notifying a loved one or caregiver.

In an industry first, Omega AI also measures respiratory rate using existing inertial sensors and microphones—no optical sensors required. Bhowmik says the goal is an early-warning system: “Our vision is to turn hearing aids into early-warning systems—devices that know you before you know that you may have an issue.”

This wellness focus stems from Starkey Founder Bill Austin, who believes that hearing aids are destined to do more than just compensate for hearing loss; they will "help people overcome many other challenges in life so they can do more and be more,” he says.

One part of this is the multi-year research partnerships with Stanford University, exploring the link between hearing, balance, and cognitive health. Fabry, a past-president of the American Academy of Audiology, adds that “hearing and balance are inextricably intertwined...too many audiologists forget that hearing and balance are within their scope of practice.”

Design, Durability, and Battery Life

Omega AI’s hardware is built to last. The Pro 10 HydroShield nano-coating on and inside Omega AI is reportedly 10 times the waterproofing of earlier models, and custom in-ear variants use a new resin shell material that’s 20 times more impact-resistant.

Rechargeable models deliver up to 51 hours of battery life, even with constant Bluetooth LE Audio streaming and sensor tracking. You can charge your Omega AI hearing aids using the standard StarLink Charger, which requires connection to a wall outlet via a standard wall plug. The StarLink Premium Charger is also available, including an onboard battery pack for on-the-go charging.

Also new are Omega AI's small red and green LED indicator lights on the RIC RT and mRIC R models. These lights confirm power and pairing status—an appreciated usability touch for many wearers. But they're also useful for locating your hearing aids should they fall off (you can activate the lights via the app). During the Omega AI launch, Fabry also demonstrated how you can use the bright flashing lights to show someone where you are in a crowd!

Connectivity and Streaming

Omega AI is fully Bluetooth LE Audio compliant and Auracast™-ready, ensuring compatibility with next-generation public broadcast systems and multi-device streaming. The hearing aids can pair with smartphones, tablets, Apple Watches, PCs, and smart TVs, providing high-fidelity audio with minimal latency and seamless hand-off between devices.

Controls and User Interaction

In day-to-day use, Omega AI continually analyzes sound, motion, and user intent to maintain a natural sense of spatiality. As you move from a quiet office to a bustling café, its predictive AI engine shifts directionality patterns, suppresses background chatter, and maintains awareness of surrounding cues—without user intervention.

The Starkey Omega AI offers flexible control options designed to fit a variety of user preferences. Wearers can make quick adjustments through onboard controls—a tactile rocker switch for volume and program changes, or by double-tapping the ear to activate features like Edge Mode Plus or summon the Gen AI Assistant.

Most users will find it easiest to manage settings through the My Starkey app, which provides fine-tuned control of volume, programs, and streaming, as well as access to TeleHear AI remote adjustments and wellness data. For added convenience, Omega AI also supports hands-free phone and media control via compatible smartphones and voice commands, giving users seamless, real-time control without needing to touch the devices.

While Omega AI provides good controls and connectivity, you can only pair the hearing aid with one device at a time, meaning if you frequently switch audio streaming between your phone and a tablet or computer, you'll need to go into the Bluetooth menu and disconnect one in order to reconnect another (i.e., you can't maintain two active connections like many Phonak devices). However, like Phonak, Starkey offers a wide range of accessories (see Accessories section below) and provides hands-free calling for iPhone and many of the newer Android phones.

Omega AI Models and Availability

Starkey Omega AI and other Starkey hearing aids are available only from clinics and hearing care offices, including the company's Audibel network. Unlike many other major hearing-aid manufacturers that produce rebranded models for big-box retailers, Starkey does not distribute its products through Costco or similar outlets.

The Omega AI is available in a wide variety of form factors to accommodate most hearing losses, lifestyles, and wearable preferences. Models include RIC RT (rechargeable receiver-in-canal with telecoil), mRIC R (mini rechargeable RIC), and custom in-the-ear models like ITE R, ITC R, and CIC (completely-in-canal). There is also a version in a RIC 312 replaceable-battery style for users who prefer a traditional battery format.

All of these styles leverage the same core Omega AI technology—so whether you choose the mRIC or a custom canal model, you’re getting the same DNN-360 AI platform. However, some of the smallest in-ear aids (e.g., CICs) may not feature Bluetooth and app or tap controls. Before purchasing the aids, verify their compatibility with your provider regarding the smartphones, tablets, and Apple Watches you plan to use with them.

Summary

Ultimately, Omega AI appears to be a worthy successor to Starkey's previous flagship Edge AI product line. Among the improvements are its automated AI "always-on" speech-in-noise capabilities, an enhanced DNN system that incorporates spatial awareness and enhances listening comfort, a generative AI Assistant and tele-support, as well as new wellness features such as Balance Builder and Respiratory Rate measurements.

HearAdvisor and HearingTracker have not yet had the opportunity to test Omega AI, but we are currently in the process of doing so and will report the results as soon as they become available. Stay tuned and bookmark this page for more details!