Galaxy Buds Pro effective for people with hearing problems

Seoul: Samsung Electronics said on Monday that its Galaxy Buds Pro wireless earbuds could help people with hearing impairments.

The study, which was published last week in Clinical and Experimental Otorhinolaryngology (CEO), a renowned scientific journal dedicated to ear, nose and throat research, suggested that the Galaxy Buds Pro's Ambient Sound feature could assist those with mild to moderate hearing loss to better engage in conversation with others, according to Samsung.

Its Ambient Sound feature can amplify nearby sounds by up to 20 decibels. With four levels to choose from, users can adjust and control how they experience nearby sounds.

The South Korean tech giant said the study was carried out along with Samsung Medical Center in Seoul.

The company has been working for over 10 years to find out the impact of mobile devices on hearing and ways to optimise sound experiences for users, reports Yonhap news agency.

"The study assessed the efficacy of a hearing aid, a personal sound amplification product and Galaxy Buds Pro," Samsung said.

"The study is the first to demonstrate the potential benefit of true wireless earbuds for individuals with mild to moderate hearing impairments and has the potential to improve the lives of 1.5 billion people globally who are currently living with some degree of hearing loss."

Samsung said the Galaxy Buds Pro, the hearing aid and the personal sound amplification product underwent three key tests: electroacoustic assessment, sound amplification evaluation and a clinical performance evaluation.

The Galaxy Buds Pro met each of four performance criteria -- output sound pressure level, frequency range, equivalent input noise and total harmonic distortion -- in an electroacoustic assessment, according to the company.

When it came to a sound amplification evaluation, which tested with seven different frequencies, all devices showed an appropriate level of amplification.

In a clinical performance evaluation, which researched changes in individuals' hearing levels both with and without the devices, as well as their ability to recognise words and sentences, the study showed "statistical significance was observed" at 1,000Hz, 2,000Hz and 6,000Hz.

Participants in the study had mild to moderate hearing loss, with a median age of 63, it added.