Since our founding in 2013, we at Zepp Health, a global smart wearable health technology brand, are honored to have the trust of more than 40 million active users in 90 different countries with over 200 million units sold. From smart wristbands and smartwatches to sports headphones and earburds, helping people achieve their health and fitness goals every day remains our number one goal.
In providing support to millions of our users, we also seek ways to improve that support by listening to our community and building on our findings. While reviewing user feedback, the research team noted a common thread across ages and demographics: requests for a Zepp solution to hearing loss. With this information, we reached out to those specific users to learn more about their lives and the impacts of hearing loss.
For Greg, the Amazfit T-Rex smartwatch was perfect for hiking famous trails across the country: keeping track of his steps on the golf course was an added bonus. He spent most weekends out with his wife and their friends: golf, getaways, dinners. For months, Greg chalked up missing pieces of conversation due to noisy restaurants or nearby traffic.
From smart wristbands and smartwatches to sports headphones and earburds, helping people achieve their health and fitness goals every day remains our number one goal.
In providing support to millions of our users, we also seek ways to improve that support by listening to our community and building on feedback. While reviewing these individual reports, our research team noted a common thread across ages and demographics: requests for a Zepp solution to hearing loss. With this information, we started speaking to Amazfit users to learn more about their lives.
For Greg, the Amazfit T-Rex smartwatch was perfect for hiking famous trails across the country: keeping track of his steps on the golf course was an added bonus. He spent most weekends out with his wife and their friends: golf, getaways, dinners. For months, Greg chalked up missing pieces of conversation due to noisy restaurants or nearby traffic.
"I was missing most of what everyone was saying when we were out doing stuff," he recalls. "I don't think of myself as old: I just did the La Jolla Valley hike last weekend!"
For Shelly, a Zepp Aura member, using the app's soundscapes and meditation throughout the day was essential for handling the many tasks of a Marketing Director. "It wasn't until a few years into the role that I even realized I had trouble hearing," she recalls of the day."I was in meetings with people 10 feet away from me and I could only make out three or four words at a time."
These moments were the start of an opportunity to create a life-changing solution for millions of people around the world facing hearing loss. "I was using the T-Rex watch and ZenBuds regularly for a year or two at that point, and I thought it would be great if Zepp Health were to explore developing hearing loss aid devices as well."
As the Zepp Health R&D team began research, they found insightful data which helped shape their commitment to building a hearing aid solution that would help people live better. One such insight was realizing how many people were impacted by hearing loss. For instance: the World Health Organization estimates over 430 million people worldwide are affected by hearing loss, including 48 million Americans.
That number is expected to balloon to nearly 2.5 billion people in 2050, but currently, only one in five individuals who would benefit from a hearing aid make use of one. The remaining four who do not seek assistance are strongly susceptible to a host of issues, including cognitive decline and feelings of depression and isolation.
(Source:https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/deafness-and-hearing-loss.)
As the Zepp Health team began research, they found interesting data that helped shape their commitment to building a hearing aid solution that would help people live better. The World Health Organization estimates that over 430 million people worldwide are affected by hearing loss, including 48 million Americans.
That number is expected to balloon to nearly 2.5 billion people in 2050, but currently, only one in five individuals who would benefit from a hearing aid make use of one. The remaining four who do not seek assistance are strongly susceptible to a host of issues, including cognitive decline and feelings of depression and isolation.
(Source:https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/deafness-and-hearing-loss.)
"I was always embarrassed by the thought of a hearing aid, like I'm saying that there's something wrong with me if I use one."
We found ourselves with an opportunity to create a new type of hearing aid supported by Zepp's powerful technology. By combining our already robust research into acoustics and smart wearables with years of experience designing and building powerful smartwatches and earbuds, we had a sizeable head start in creating the best hearing solution possible, resulting in the launch of Zepp Clarity hearing aid solution.
On one front, advancements came in the form of vastly-improved hardware. Through rigorous testing with 30 hearing-impaired volunteers, we created sleek, high-functioning earbuds made with medical-grade silicone that measure a mere 3/4 of an inch. Unlike traditional hearing aids, ours feature specially-designed tips which fit securely and discreetly without the need for tedious and expensive ear mold customization.
Additionally, the team spent thousands of man-hours creating a power supply system that would allow for easy, uninterrupted use, and each hearing aid features a specialized micro lithium battery that lasts for 18 hours. The hearing aids can fully charge in just 2.5 hours, and since these are portable solutions, the wireless charging case can be brought on the go and provide more than a week of battery life on a single charge.
To complement this powerful hardware, the research team also ensured that the Zepp Clarity earbuds would be supported by and integrated within Zepp's existing software and products. The Zepp Clarity app provides selectable modes for different environments and allows users to tailor features such as bass/treble response or even create their own customized preset. Thanks to our expansive technology, the earbuds also automatically adjust to their surroundings via powerful sensors, reducing background noise such as crowds or wind.
This is only the start. In the future, users will be able to connect their Zepp Clarity earbuds to their Amazfit watches via the Zepp OS, providing an unprecedented level of connectivity. This formidable connectivity will provide functions like adjusting settings through an Amazfit watch and alerting users to incoming calls through the hearing aids. Plus, we all know how easy it is to lose an earbud, so the Zepp Clarity hearing aids will be locatable via Bluetooth and an APP on the phone.
Through continuous improvements to our products based on real-time user data of critical factors like sleep, diet and mood, we're optimistic to see our users already benefiting from Zepp Clarity and look forward to helping millions more people around the world.
Shelly's found success with them not just in work, but in her personal relationships as well: "I'm thrilled that I can wear them during my meetings without anyone noticing: I even wear them out to dinner with friends now. After spending so many years nodding along to conversations I couldn't hear, I feel like I'm really back in my own life again."
Greg now wears the Zepp Clarity hearing aids most of the day and can't wait to get the next word in a conversation: "The earbuds have been amazing. I get to chatter on the golf course, talk to my wife on our RV trips, listen to my grandkids talk about school: I wish I had looked into hearing aids sooner."
As we receive insightful feedback from our users, we continue to invest in our research, development and engineering with the knowledge that it would improve the health of people around the world. That commitment to continual innovation and better well-being through smart technology is at the heart of everything we make and the guiding principle of Zepp Health.
If you're one of the millions of people who aren't as active, social, or productive because of hearing loss, we have a solution that will help you hear the world. Try our free hearing assessment today and live a more connected life.
Quickly learn about your hearing & discover the impact your hearing has on your daily life.
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