Anker Enters OTC Hearing Aid Market by Repurposing Earbud Chip, Not Building From Scratch

Anker announced its first OTC hearing aids at IFA 2026 on September 3, using the Thus audio chip from its Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro earbuds in a receiver-in-canal design with four beam-forming microphones. The move comes roughly two months after LXE Hearing — parent of Eargo and Lexie — exited the US OTC market entirely. Anker did not disclose pricing or availability.