- Smart, user-focused design featuring fast USB-C charging, child-safe locks, and eco-friendly packaging
DURHAM, N.C.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#HearingLoss–MED-EL U.S. announced today two new rechargeable battery options: the Standard Pro and the Micro Pro. The new options offer users longer battery life, improved usability, and greater flexibility, representing a powerful upgrade to its SONNET 3 audio processor.
The Standard Pro battery delivers up to 23 hours of hearing on a single charge, while the Micro Pro offers up to 12 hours in MED-EL’s smallest behind-the-ear audio processor. Both batteries feature a simplified two-part design, fast charging in up to three hours, and support over 1,100 charging cycles. Charging is possible while attached to the processor or separately, with magnetic alignment and LED indicators on the charger for ease of use. These runtimes are supported across MED‑EL implants dating back to 1994, allowing many existing users to benefit from the upgrade without changing their implant. They are also backwards compatible with SONNET 2, providing a seamless upgrade path for users with existing devices.
“Battery life and usability are essential to everyday hearing,” said Jennifer Robinson, Corporate Director of Product Management Hearing Solutions at MED-EL. “These new rechargeable batteries reflect our commitment to user-centric innovation. With up to 23 hours of hearing time and a simplified, compact design, they give users more freedom to focus on life – not on managing their device.”
The new battery kits include child-safe battery covers for added peace of mind and easy USB-C charging with the battery on or off the processor, with magnetic alignment and LED status light. It was intentionally designed with small, eco-friendly packaging with reduced plastic waste.
SONNET 3 is MED-EL’s smallest and lightest behind-the-ear audio processor, designed for comfort, durability, and ease of use. MED-EL recipients in the U.S. whose SONNET 3 kit ships on or after March 2, 2026, are invited to participate in the SONNET rechargeable battery (RCB) promotion. Within this promotion, recipients will receive a Rechargeable Battery Pro Kit upon product availability. The SONNET RCB Pro Kit includes one Micro Pro battery, one Standard Pro battery, and the accompanying battery covers and charger. This promotion applies to new MED-EL cochlear implant users and existing users who are upgrading now to SONNET 3.
About MED-EL
MED-EL Medical Electronics, a leader in implantable hearing solutions, is driven by a mission to overcome hearing loss as a barrier to communication and quality of life. The Austrian-based, privately owned business was co-founded by industry pioneers Ingeborg and Erwin Hochmair, whose ground-breaking research led to the development of the world’s first micro-electronic multi-channel cochlear implant (CI), which was successfully implanted in 1977 and was the basis for what is known as the modern CI today. This laid the foundation for the successful growth of the company in 1990, when they hired their first employees. To date, MED-EL has more than 3,100 employees from around 90 nations and 30 locations worldwide.
The company offers the widest range of implantable and non-implantable solutions to treat all types of hearing loss, enabling people in 140 countries to enjoy the gift of hearing with the help of a MED-EL device. MED-EL’s hearing solutions include cochlear and middle ear implant systems, a combined electric acoustic stimulation hearing implant system, as well as surgical and non-surgical bone conduction devices. www.medel.com
Contacts
MEDIA CONTACT:
Rebecca Novak
[email protected]
