EDEN PRAIRIE, MINNESOTA — Starkey has introduced Omega AI+, the latest generation of its flagship hearing technology platform, adding a new processor and multi-network deep neural network architecture while extending the company’s AI-based sound processing across a broader range of hearing aid styles.
Omega AI+ builds on the Omega AI platform introduced in October 2025, which brought Starkey’s DNN 360 directionality system, expanded health and wellness features, and generative AI tools to its hearing aid portfolio.
The new generation is built around Starkey’s G4 Gen AI Neuro Processor and what the company calls its Quad DNN Architecture, which uses four specialized deep neural networks operating together in real time. The platform also introduces a DNN Dual Compressor designed to balance speech intelligibility with natural sound quality, along with expanded Edge Mode capabilities, new wellness features, Auracast™ compatibility, and additional custom hearing aid options.
“Omega AI+ reflects where Starkey is taking hearing technology—and our vision for what it can become. We are not simply building better hearing aids. We are creating intelligent technology that understands, adapts, and responds more like the human brain itself. By bringing together our most advanced AI, exceptional sound quality, seamless connectivity, and health and wellness technology, Omega AI+ moves hearing technology beyond better hearing—helping people connect more naturally, live more confidently, and experience more of life.”
— Brandon Sawalich, President and CEO, Starkey
Four Deep Neural Networks Working Together
At the center of Omega AI+ is Starkey’s new G4 Gen AI Neuro Processor, which incorporates neural network processing directly into the hearing aid’s silicon. According to Starkey, the processor can process sound up to 2.7 times faster than the slowest leading competitor device evaluated by the company at the time of testing.
The processor supports Starkey’s new Quad DNN Architecture. Rather than relying on a single deep neural network, the system uses four specialized DNNs working simultaneously to address different aspects of the listening experience, including speech understanding, environmental awareness, listening comfort, and sound quality.
Starkey says the architecture was inspired by the way multiple neural systems in the brain work together to interpret incoming information.
“The human brain relies on multiple neural systems working together to make sense of the world of sound. Omega AI+ applies that same principle through our proprietary brain-inspired Quad DNN Architecture, where four specialized deep neural networks continuously work together to optimize speech understanding, environmental awareness, sound quality, and listening comfort. The result is faster, more intelligent, and more natural hearing.”
— Achin Bhowmik, Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer and EVP of Engineering, Starkey
DNN Dual Compressor Targets Speech Clarity and Sound Quality
One of the major additions in Omega AI+ is what Starkey describes as the world’s first DNN Dual Compressor.
Compression systems in hearing aids must balance audibility and speech intelligibility with the preservation of natural sound quality. Starkey says its new system uses deep neural network processing to determine when to prioritize conversational clarity and when to preserve natural sound characteristics, with the goal of reducing the artifacts that can accompany amplification and compression.
In company testing cited in its technical materials, 100% of participating users noticed fewer artifacts compared with the previous technology. Starkey says the approach is designed to produce a smoother and more natural listening experience without sacrificing speech understanding.
Edge Mode Becomes an Always-On Option
Omega AI+ also expands Starkey’s Edge Mode technology, which is designed to make real-time adjustments when users encounter difficult listening environments.
Previous versions allowed wearers to invoke Edge Mode when additional processing was needed. With Omega AI+, the enhanced feature can be configured to activate automatically when the hearing aids power on, allowing the DNN-powered processing to remain available continuously rather than requiring the wearer to manually activate it.
Starkey says its testing found the enhanced system can reduce listening effort and improve listening comfort in challenging environments.
DNN 360 Expands Across More Hearing Aid Styles
Omega AI+ also represents an expansion of the product family itself. Starkey is bringing its premium AI processing to a wider selection of devices, including receiver-in-canal (RIC), rechargeable and non-rechargeable custom hearing aids, and custom non-wireless products.
DNN 360, introduced with the original Omega AI platform in 2025, is now available across additional form factors, including custom products. The technology uses deep neural network processing to manage directionality while maintaining awareness of the surrounding acoustic environment.
Starkey says the system is designed to improve speech intelligibility and spatial awareness while reducing listening effort compared with its previous directionality technology.
For custom non-wireless products, Automatic Edge Mode provides dynamic adaptation to changing listening environments. Starkey has also developed an ultra-high-frequency tone detection system that enables AI-related functionality in its smallest invisible-in-canal (IIC) devices.
Up to 51 Hours of Battery Life and New Charger
Despite the additional processing demands, Starkey says rechargeable Omega AI+ devices continue to provide up to 51 hours of battery life, maintaining one of the defining hardware specifications of the original Omega AI generation.
The new family also includes a waterproof device design and the new StarLink Charger 3.0, which introduces redesigned charging indicators and an updated user experience.
Auracast and Expanded Connectivity
Omega AI+ supports Auracast™ broadcast audio, allowing compatible hearing aids to connect to participating public and personal audio broadcasts.
The technology can potentially provide direct access to audio in environments such as airports, theaters, places of worship, conference venues, and other locations equipped with Auracast broadcast systems while allowing users to remain aware of surrounding conversations and environmental sounds.
Auracast builds on connectivity enhancements Starkey has been rolling out for Omega AI. Earlier in 2026, the company expanded the platform with an Auracast assistant, Google Fast Pair™, and Push to Talk functionality.
Sleep Quality Tracking Expands Starkey’s Wellness Focus
Starkey has increasingly positioned its hearing aids as devices capable of providing health and wellness information in addition to amplification. Omega AI+ continues that strategy with a new Sleep Quality Tracking feature, available in the United States.
Using sensors within the hearing aids, the feature provides nightly sleep scores and information about sleep quality. According to Starkey, the system can track periods when the wearer is awake as well as light and deep sleep, while also providing information about body position during sleep.
The feature follows wellness capabilities introduced with previous Starkey platforms, including activity tracking, fall detection, balance tools, and respiratory rate monitoring.
New Alert for Hearing Aids Left Behind
Another new addition focuses less on sound processing and more on everyday device management.
The My Starkey app can now provide a “Hearing Aids Left Behind” alert when the system determines that a user may have unintentionally walked away without their hearing aids. Starkey describes the feature as an industry first and says the notifications are intended to reduce the likelihood of devices being misplaced or forgotten.
Building on the Original Omega AI Platform
The launch comes approximately one year after Starkey introduced Omega AI. That platform marked a significant expansion of the company’s use of deep neural networks, including DNN 360 directionality, which was designed to automatically respond to speech arriving from different directions while preserving spatial awareness.
Omega AI also introduced generative AI-powered TeleHear AI support, automatic TV streaming, expanded fitting tools for professionals, and wellness features including Balance Builder and automatic respiratory rate monitoring.
Starkey subsequently expanded Omega AI connectivity in early 2026 with additional support for Auracast broadcasts and other Bluetooth LE Audio capabilities.
With Omega AI+, the company is moving from the original platform’s emphasis on DNN-powered directionality toward a broader architecture in which multiple neural networks perform specialized processing tasks simultaneously. At the same time, Starkey is extending those AI capabilities into more custom hearing aid styles while continuing its push into connectivity and health-related functionality.
About Starkey
Starkey is a global hearing technology company headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Founded by Bill Austin in 1967 and led today by President and CEO Brandon Sawalich, the company develops hearing aids, artificial intelligence-based sound processing, connected hearing technologies, and health and wellness features. Starkey employs more than 5,000 people across 29 facilities and serves customers in more than 100 markets worldwide.
Source: Starkey
