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The receiver-in-canal form factor sets the processing constraint in over-the-counter hearing aids: the silicon responsible for voice isolation must fit inside a housing small enough to rest behind the ear.
That is the engineering position Anker is now entering. At IFA 2026, the company announced its first OTC hearing aids, built around the Thus chip it introduced in April.
From earbuds to hearing aids The Thus chip's first commercial release was in consumer audio.
Anker shipped it inside the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro earbuds series, and when The Verge reviewed that product, a writer at the publication described the chip's voice isolation as the best they had heard on any audio product.
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