Sony’s CRE-C10 in-ear hearing aids are stunners in every dimension except for one: The tiny in-the-ear devices rely on replaceable hearing aid batteries instead of an integrated, rechargeable one. While some people may appreciate replaceable batteries—much longer run time, no need to wait for a recharge—I’ve heard nothing but complaints about them. For the most part, people now seem to be gravitating to hearing aids that don’t require fumbling with miniature batteries once a week, and then worrying if the dog will swallow the spent cell.
With its new CRE-C20 hearing aids, Sony corrects this issue, and it does so in style: The new hearing aids look nearly identical to the winning C10 aids, but the hatch for a replaceable battery has been replaced with a small contact that allows its internal cell to recharge in its new case.
When I say nothing else has changed on the look and…
