The Philips HearLink 9030 IIC in review
Philips offers the HearLink 9030 IIC, a lightweight, barely visible and perceptible hearing aid that fits in the ear. It is a hearing aid from the high-end category and is suitable for mild to profound hearing losses. The wearing position, just a few millimeters in front of the eardrum, ensures that sound reaches the eardrum without any loss.
Hearing comfort
Good speech comprehension is a matter of course in modern hearing aids. Equally important is hearing comfort. Only when the ratio of speech transmission to the level of background noise is right will listening be perceived as pleasant. That’s why we take a look at comfort features: With the HearLink 9030 IIC, we were impressed by the excellent sound management. Normal background noises like street noise, the sound of a vacuum cleaner, or the noise from a fan should be dampened by classic noise suppression. In this Philips hearing aid, the noise suppression can be adjusted to the customer's preference.
We are pleased to find good and efficient impulse noise suppression here. It is definitely useful in everyday life, as it noticeably cushions the sound of slamming doors, clattering dishes, or similarly jarring noises. This model can do without wind noise management. The hearing aid sits so far in the ear canal that wind noise does not become a problem at all. Hearing aids like the HearLink 9030 IIC maintain the natural spatial feeling we have experienced since childhood. The function of the outer ear, head size, head shadow effects—all these parameters create a true, original 3D hearing experience. Very important for good speech-noise distinction is the number of frequency bands. With 24, this hearing aid is among the best and offers excellent adjustment options.
Speech in noisy environments is always a challenge. Philips addresses this issue with the use of artificial intelligence. The result is brilliant and clear speech transmission, while background noises still come through realistically loud to the ear.
Rating Hearing comfort: 1,3
Operation & connectivity
The operation of hearing aids today is as simple or as complex as one would like it to be. The basic functions operate fully automatically, of course. We wanted to know how a user can further access the HearLink 9030 IIC. Often there is a button on the hearing aid, but we did not find one on this model. Sometimes, this control element is omitted in favor of a smaller design. This is not too dramatic since most functions in the hearing aid operate automatically anyway. Remote controls for hearing aids are actually common today, but Philips has not provided one for this device.
For some time now, there has been a trend to adjust hearing aids louder or quieter using voice commands. The idea is really good, but Philips is not quite there with this device yet. Don't worry, this feature would be nice but is not essential. If there are sensors in the hearing aid, a tap control would be conceivable, which would trigger a specific function by tapping the ear with your fingers. However, this option is not available in the HearLink 9030 IIC.
Although smartphone apps are now offered for many hearing aids, Philips unfortunately has not yet made one available for its HearLink 9030 IIC. If you were looking forward to wireless streaming, we unfortunately have to disappoint you, as a wireless module has not been integrated here.
Rating Operation & connectivity: 3,8
The best alternatives to the HearLink 9030 IIC
Our database contains 45 reviews of hearing aids with similar technical features to this one (i.e., In the ear (ITE) in völlig unsichtbarer Ausführung in Size "", not rechargable, geeignet für Hörverlust-Grad leicht, mittel & stark). Here are the top 3 (Redaktionsstand 02.10.2025):
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Starkey Signature Series 24 IIC NW | Rating: 4 / 5 |
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Starkey Genesis AI 24 IIC NW | Rating: 4 / 5 |
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Oticon Own 1 IIC | Rating: 4 / 5 |
Simplicity & security
Now let's take a look at how the usage in everyday life is structured. Is the handling simple? Do I get a safe device? The HearLink 9030 IIC automatically accesses the most important hearing settings, making daily use easier. However, those who frequently experience changing acoustic environments should have the manual additional programs configured. A great perk of this hearing aid is the automatic acclimatization. Especially when someone has been hearing poorly for a long time and is using a hearing aid for the first time, this is an enormous relief. The volume does not need to be turned up immediately to the maximum. One can start at a lower level, and gradually and almost unnoticed, the amplification approaches the target.
HearLink 9030 IIC is not equipped with a battery, so it is not rechargeable. A hearing aid battery of size 10 serves as the power supply. It needs to be replaced every few days.
The HearLink 9030 is nearly dust and water resistant and, with its IP 68 classification, is certainly well protected against external influences.
Rating Simplicity & security: 2,3
Extras
Sometimes there are additional features in hearing aids that can be quite useful. Let's see how it is with this Philips device: Tinnitus is a topic for many people, but unfortunately this hearing aid does not have a special tinnitus sound program. So we can't award an extra point here.
What about remote maintenance? Such online services save a visit to the specialist store because you can directly contact an acoustics professional via the app. Unfortunately, we haven't found anything like that for the HearLink 9030 IIC. Too bad, that would have been a great additional tool.
If Philips had integrated motion sensors into this hearing aid, individual health tracking could even be done. However, that is not the case here. These points are lost for the HearLink 9030 IIC in the evaluation. The functionality of the HearLink 9030 IIC is limited to normal hearing, which is perfectly fine. Additional features like fall alerts or Siri connections have a substantial added value, but they are not relevant for good hearing balance.
Rating Extras: 4,0
Conclusion: Philips HearLink 9030 IIC
With an overall grade of 2.59, this model holds its ground in the middle range. It has a reasonably good comfort package on board, which is sufficient for typical everyday moments and creates a satisfactory listening experience.
Top alternatives in the same price range
Which devices in a comparable price range currently show the best technical performance? Here are the current top 3:
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Starkey Edge AI 24 mRIC R | Rating: 5 / 5 |
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Starkey Edge AI 24 RIC RT | Rating: 5 / 5 |
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ReSound Vivia 9 60S-DRWC | Rating: 5 / 5 |
Our Philips HearLink 9030 IIC review was created on June 14, 2023 . The overall rating of 2,59 is composed of: »Hearing Comfort (40% weighting): Rating 5 | »Operation & Connectivity (28% weighting): Rating 2.5 | »Simplicity & Security (17% weighting): Rating 4 | »Extras (15% weighting): Rating 2 | Learn more about our evaluation criteria and testing standards in How We Test..
FAQ
How big is the HearLink 9030 IIC from Philips?
Since a size in millimeters does not explain how big a hearing aid appears, we have divided the size perception into classes. Class "XXS" is virtually invisible, while class "M" has the largest appearance. The HearLink 9030 IIC from Philips belongs to the size class XXS. Therefore, it can be described as extremely small.
What is the price of the Philips HearLink 9030 IIC?
The HearLink 9030 IIC from manufacturer Philips is currently offered by hearing care professionals in Germany at a price range starting from approximately €3,000.00. To assess the value for money, you should consider the overall test score of 2.6 (satisfactory).
How well can you hear with the Philips HearLink 9030 IIC?
The Philips HearLink 9030 IIC receives a comfort rating of 1.3 (very good) from us. The Philips hearing aid is awarded the label 'natural' for its suppression of wind noise, as it leverages the natural ear shape, making it nearly impossible for wind noise to occur. The noise suppression of the device scores a good 4 out of 5 stars. There are 24 frequency bands in this hearing aid that can be separately adjusted for processing different sound pitches (top values of current flagship models: 24).
For whom is the Philips HearLink 9030 IIC suitable?
If your hearing deficit ranges from mild to moderate or severe hearing loss, the Philips HearLink 9030 IIC may be suitable for you. This so-called "fitting range" of the hearing aid is defined by the manufacturer and relates to the amplification of the device. Whether the device is truly suitable for you can only be sensibly assessed by a hearing care professional on-site after a thorough hearing test has been conducted.
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