Phonak Infinio

Measured by an outside laboratory, and available in shapes EON is not

August 2026 moved Infinio down a rung when EON appeared above it. Phonak kept it in production, and we go on recommending it — often in preference to the newer platform. That is an unusual position to take, so the argument for it is laid out below rather than simply announced.

The flagship of the family, Audéo Infinio Ultra Sphere, carries two processors: one for ordinary listening and a second doing nothing but running a neural network that separates voices from the noise around them. Beneath it sit the Infinio Ultra R, the rechargeable custom Virto R Infinio, the titanium in-the-canal Virto models, and a CROS version for hearing that has gone on one side.

Our Harrison and Somers audiologists fit and verify the whole family. Whether Infinio or EON suits you is a question about your ears, your budget and how much weight you put on published evidence — not about which launched more recently.

Phonak Audeo Infinio Ultra rechargeable receiver-in-canal hearing aid

At a Glance

An outside laboratory has assessed it: grade A, 4.9 out of 5 overall, second in its category among the thirty-six prescription aids tested — EON has no such result and will not for months
Available as a rechargeable custom in-the-ear shell and as a titanium in-the-canal aid; EON is receiver-in-canal only
Still catalogued, still serviced, still supplied with receivers, filters and firmware — being replaced at the top of the range is not the same as being discontinued
RogerDirect throughout, so a Roger clip, pen or table microphone works without an extra receiver
As the outgoing flagship it is getting cheaper, which for anyone paying out of pocket is a real part of the calculation

Phonak Infinio Video

The Technology Inside Phonak Infinio

The Independent Result, and the Number Inside It

Nearly every performance figure attached to a hearing aid was produced by the firm selling it. Infinio is an exception, having been through a standardised assessment run by neither Phonak nor us: grade A, 4.9 of a possible 5, ranked second in its class out of thirty-six prescription devices. The grade is not the interesting part. Further into the report the same aid is measured twice — once as the manufacturer's software configured it, once after a clinician had adjusted it. Speech in noise went from 3.1 to 5.0. Thirty-six devices averaged 1.96. Nothing about the equipment changed between those two readings.

Two Chips, and What the Second One Is For

The Sphere model splits its work. One processor handles everyday amplification while a second is given over entirely to real-time neural processing, which frees enough capacity to pull speech out of shifting, crowded environments — the situation in which most people with hearing loss actually struggle, and the one the laboratory measurement above was taken in. Around that sit Phonak's automatic scene detection, so the aid adjusts as you move between rooms without asking anything of you.

The Shapes EON Cannot Be Made In

EON exists in exactly one form: behind the ear, receiver in the canal. Infinio was built out far wider. Virto R Infinio is a rechargeable device moulded to a scan of the ear itself, which suits people who find a fine wire awkward to manage and anyone who wears spectacles or ear defenders daily. The titanium Virto models are pushed further down the canal in a casing thin enough that most people never notice them. A CROS variant handles hearing lost on one side. Where anatomy or dexterity calls for one of these, no EON can substitute — the older platform is simply the one that fits, and that is a matter of clinical suitability, not budget.

Not Discontinued

Patients tend to hear superseded as meaning about to be abandoned. Phonak's own catalogue says otherwise: Infinio Ultra R, Infinio Ultra Sphere, Virto R Infinio, the titanium Virto models and CROS Infinio all remain listed beside EON. Servicing, software updates, replacement receivers and wax guards carry on unchanged, and a Roger microphone works with either generation. Nobody buying today is buying into a dead end. Current wearers need nothing more elaborate than a yearly check and a re-measurement whenever their hearing moves.

Connectivity, and the Telecoil Question

Calls and media stream in from either iPhone or Android, the app handles day-to-day adjustment, and a Roger microphone connects without a receiver bolted on. The omission to be aware of is the telecoil, absent here and absent from EON — Phonak stopped fitting them to the Audéo line some years ago. Auracast, the intended successor to loop systems, runs on EON alone. Given that broadcasting in this county still overwhelmingly means a loop, that omission deserves real thought. Where a single venue is the reason you are buying, tell us which and we will find out what it uses before steering you towards any manufacturer.

What It Costs to Be Second-Newest

Prices soften once a platform stops being the newest thing, and that works in your favour. The trade is a previous-generation processor, a marginally larger casing, and no broadcast audio. Against that you get a device rated near the top of its field by an outside assessor, a far wider choice of shapes, and enough fitting history among clinicians that its awkward corners are documented. Relevant here: a randomised study of 245 adults, published in 2025, set devices around $4,400 against devices around $1,100 and could find no meaningful difference in how people fared. Putting less into the hardware and refusing to compromise on the verification is a coherent strategy, and discounted Infinio executes it about as well as anything on the market.

Frequently Asked Questions

Has Phonak discontinued Infinio now that EON is out?

No. Infinio Ultra R, Infinio Ultra Sphere, Virto R Infinio, the titanium Virto models and CROS Infinio are all still catalogued alongside EON, and repairs, firmware, receivers and Roger compatibility continue as before.

Should I buy Infinio rather than EON?

Often, yes. It is the generation with an outside grade attached, it exists in custom, titanium and CROS forms that EON does not, and its price is falling. Set against that: no working broadcast audio, and a slightly bigger casing. Come in and we will say which of those matters in your case.

Can I get Infinio as a custom in-the-ear aid?

Yes. Virto R Infinio is moulded from a scan of your own ear and recharges overnight; the titanium versions go further into the canal in a casing most people never spot. EON offers nothing comparable. Where handling a fine wire is difficult, or spectacles and hearing protection are worn daily, or discretion simply matters, a custom device usually wins.

Can Phonak Infinio help in restaurants?

Crowded rooms are precisely what the second processor was added for, and the outside measurement in noise bore that out. Whether the benefit reaches your ears is a separate question, decided by the fitting: the identical device read 3.1 as shipped and 5.0 once adjusted. We take that measurement in your own canal and keep adjusting until it matches your prescription.

Explore Other Premium Hearing Aid Brands

Oticon Starkey Signia Widex ReSound

Set Up Your Hearing Consultation with an Expert Today

Product information is educational. For personalized hearing aid recommendations, schedule an appointment with Audiology Associates of Westchester.

Request an appointment Call (914) 949-0034