Introduction

The Widex Moment SmartRIC is here with a clear mission: redesign the hearing aid to enhance hearing in noise, reduce touch and wind noise, and extend battery life. This innovative approach earned Widex the 2024 Hearing Technology Innovation Award. While many online reviews cover the technical details of these hearing aids, few provide a real-world perspective. After three weeks of using these hearing aids, I’d like to share my firsthand experience.

Design

The Widex Moment SmartRIC represents a significant evolution in receiver-in-the-ear design with its distinctive L-shaped profile. This redesign shifts the orientation of the microphones to a more horizontal position, which enhances directionality and improves the signal-to-noise ratio in challenging listening environments. The goal is to reduce wind and touch noise, making it especially suitable for outdoor activities. The hearing aids are light, comfortable, and sit securely—even with glasses. As someone who spends a lot of time outdoors with my family when I’m not at the USF Hearing Clinic, I’ve noticed the reduction in wind noise, allowing me to enjoy the outdoors without feeling the need to shield my ears from the wind. One drawback is the lack of a physical button. Without it, I can't turn the hearing aids off without the charger, nor can I adjust settings directly. To change volume or settings, I need to use the app, which adds some inconvenience, especially when I’m with my kids. A touch interface could be a valuable addition in future models.

They are available in five colors: Dark Cherry, HoneyBlonde, Rose Gold, Silver Grey, and Tech Black

Sound Quality

To assess sound quality, I use both speech and music samples. The music samples I use are from my vinyl collection at home. This provides music with no compression, and vinyl captures the subtle nuances and dynamic range than using most digital formats. In addition, by listening to vinyl, I can notice if the hearing aids deliver a faithful reproduction of the lows, mids, and highs. By no means am I a music expert, but I do love to listen to music and I know if something sounds good to me. I selected three songs for my test.

Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody is a dynamic track with diverse vocal ranges, intricate harmonies, and layered instruments, which is an ideal song to assess how well the hearing aids manage these complex soundscapes.

Miles Davis – So What (from Kind of Blue) has a variety of instruments which allows me to assess accuracy for brass, bass, and cymbals.

Billie Eilish – Bad Guy as a punchy bassline, which allows me to assess the balance between the heavy bass and whispery vocals to test for clarity, range, and fidelity.

Features and Technology

The Widex Moment SmartRIC hearing aids have an IP68 rating, meaning they’re dust-tight and can handle submersion in water up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes. This makes them durable for active, outdoor use. This is pretty standard with today’s rechargeable hearing aids and I’m happy to see this with these hearing aids.

The hearing aids offer direct streaming to both Apple and compatible Android devices without the need for an additional accessory. I didn’t have any trouble connecting the devices to my iPhone, and the connection has always been consistent. If I leave the room without my phone and come back, it re-connects quickly. There are times were the audio quality is a little choppy, but I’ve had problems with that with other manufacturers, so I’ve attributed it to the Bluetooth technology. However, listening to music over Bluetooth is not enjoyable, it doesn’t reproduce the lows as well as other hearing aids I’ve used. It’s fine if I’m watching a video on YouTube, but for music I will use my headphones.

The Widex Moment SmartRIC devices work well with the Widex Moment App, available in the Google Play store and App store. When I open the app, it typically takes 4-5 seconds to connect to the hearing aids. With the app you can change the program, change the volume, and apply directional focus. Directional focus is helpful if you are driving and want the hearing aids to focus on the passenger next to you.

One feature I didn’t use is Widex’s PureSound with ZeroDelay technology, designed for minimal latency in sound processing. This feature can be beneficial for users sensitive to processing delays, though it wasn’t suitable for my degree of hearing loss. Some of my patients can hear the longer delays of other hearing aids, and they appreciate this feature.

Widex has a programming feature called a Sensogram. It is essentially a hearing test while wearing the hearing aids. I performed this on myself to see how it worked. With the help of my USF audiology graduate students, we verified the settings using the Audioscan Verifit 2. We found that the hearing aids closely matched target settings up to 3000 Hz, though they were off at 4000 Hz. After making adjustments, I noticed a marked improvement in speech clarity. In noisy settings, like a recent party, I found it easier to hear conversations amidst background noise.

Battery Life and Charging

With a charge time of four hours, the Widex Moment SmartRIC 440 has a battery life of up to 37 hours without streaming and 27 hours with 8 hours of streaming, surpassing industry standards. Quick-charging for 30 minutes provides 8 hours of use, and the portable charger lasts over a week without needing a power source. For someone who lives in a state with plenty of hurricanes and power outages, this is a fantastic feature and is a great reason to recommend it to most of my patients. Although the charger is small and easy to put in my pocket, it is extremely difficult to place my hearing aids and custom molds into the charger. It can be done, but it’s a tight fit.

Final Thoughts and Recommendation

What I Like

• SoundRelax programs
• Excellent speech sound quality
• Long battery life
• Portable charger        
• Innovative design

What I Don’t Like

• Limited bass in Bluetooth music streaming   
• Charger doesn’t fit my custom molds very wel     
• Limited color options   
• Absence of a button for easy adjustments

Overall, I am pleased with the Widex Moment SmartRIC hearing aids. The sound quality seems to be excellent and listening to music is enjoyable with the custom music program. However, there needs to be improvement with the Bluetooth sound quality. The missing bass, even with custom molds, is a missed opportunity. It does work well with my iPhone, but for users that need connection to a laptop or other Bluethooth devices will need to look elsewhere. For my patients in Florida, the ability to use the portable charger can allow consistent use even if there is a power outage, which is a huge plus. I notice some modest improvements with hearing in noise, possibly attributed to the new design. Although the Widex software closely approximates the gain, if you get these hearing aids, make sure your audiologists obtains real ear measurements so you can hear at your best.

Why Can You Trust My Reviews

With over 41 years of personal experience wearing hearing aids, combined with 8 years of formal education in audiology, I bring a unique perspective to my reviews. My professional journey includes completing an externship at the Mayo Clinic and practicing as an audiologist for over 18 years. In addition, I've dedicated nearly 17 years to teaching and mentoring future audiologists, giving me a deep understanding of both the science and practicalities of hearing care. You can trust that my reviews are informed by extensive personal insight and professional expertise.