Samsung may make weapons and phones at the same time but they do not make hearing aids. However, the company says that a study of the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro conducted by the Samsung Medical Center, suggests that the wireless earbuds may be a substitute for hearing aids.
The study, published in a peer-reviewed journal ‘Clinical and Experimental Otorhinolaryngology,’ says that Galaxy Buds Pro’s Ambient Sound features were found to be effective at helping those with mild to moderate hearing loss make out sounds.
The claim
The study compared the efficacy of the Ambient Sound feature in the $200 Galaxy Buds Pro, which has four sound amplification levels, to a ReSound LiNX Quattro hearing aid (sells for thousands) and Etymotic Bean personal amplifier (about $700).
The results found that Samsung’s earbuds significantly improve the sound but less successfully than the other devices tested.
The research was completed in partnership with Samsung Medical Center as part of a wider campaign to demonstrate the potential true wireless earbuds have as therapeutic wearables for people dealing with hearing loss.
Solving a problem
The World Health Organization says that only 17% of those who could use hearing aids currently have them. The gap is consistently high the world over. Right now 80% of people with hearing loss live in low and middle-income countries.
With a rapidly aging global population, it is expected that by 2050, one in ten people will be dealing with hearing loss.
Even though hearing aids are useful for those with impaired hearing, the uptake is low because they cost a lot. Samsung does not claim that its earbuds can replace hearing aids but, they are presenting an interesting route many may take as a cheap alternative.
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