Apple AirPods Pro can be utilized as a cheap hearing aid, research suggests

A new study unveiled an interesting feature of Apple's AirPods Pro earbuds. According to study, AirPods Pro can perform as well as cheap hearing aids in some situations. 

Can AirPods Pro can be really used as a hearing aid?

Researchers from the Taipei Veterans General Hospital in Taiwan investigated if Apple's AirPods 2 and AirPods Pro earbuds can be utilized as personal sound amplification products (PSAPs) for the study that was published in the journal iScience.

It is known that PSAPs are wearable consumer products that are made to amplify sound and increase sound quality for users. PSAPs are a less expensive and more effective alternative to hearing aids. 

This new study published in the iScience journal tested "Live Listen" function on the AirPods models and Beats earbuds too. The results show that only first-gen AirPods Pro met only two of the five ANSI/CTA-2051 criteria for PSAPs. In addition, researchers found "outcome aided with AirPods 2 was poorer than hearing aids".

However, researchers stated that "statistical power was satisfactory" for first-gen AirPods Pro, which can be utilized as a cheap hearing aid. Moreover, researcher said that AirPods Pro might be used as a "highly feasible and more affordable option".

Thanks to the "Live Listen" function on the AirPods Pro, this earbuds allows your iPhone to act as a microphone, which helps enhance audio levels of earbuds.