The Phonak Terra BTE-UP in review
The purchase of a hearing aid should be well thought out, after all, it comes with a quite substantial price, and you want to enjoy it for many years. Therefore, we look at various parameters and provide you with the results of our product tests. This test report is about the Terra BTE-UP from Phonak. It is a nice, but quite visible hearing aid suitable for a tight budget and nearly every hearing need. It is worn behind the ear. From the start, it has quite good acoustic sound properties due to its conventional hearing aid design.
Hearing comfort
Hearing aids are designed not only to bring speech to the ear but also to sound pleasant. So let's first look at the comfort features. What types of noise does the hearing aid recognize? Are they suppressed or transmitted unchanged? Is the hearing aid suitable for an active everyday life? Here with this test device, we found only a few options for comfort adjustment. As with every hearing aid, it also includes typical noise cancellation. It is supposed to reduce uniform, noisy background sounds to the point where they are not so dominant anymore. The Terra BTE-UP has solid noise suppression. There are hearing aids with significantly more effective reduction, but this one should be sufficient for normal requirements.
However, users of the Terra BTE-UP must contend with the wind blowing over the microphones. There is no wind noise suppression here. Points are deducted for the lack of impulse noise suppression. Normally, this dampens short, clattering sounds. But those who choose this hearing aid should not be bothered by that. Let's also look at the number of equalizer bands: the device from Phonak has 8. We're not really happy with that; the options for sound shaping are quite limited. But it's sufficient for good speech understanding. The device recognizes whether the microphones should transmit everything or focus forward. This can help in conversation situations, but it doesn’t replace true spatial hearing.
An element in the signal processing of the Terra BTE-UP is artificial intelligence. The impact is positive, as many customers find conversations in noisy situations to be significantly more relaxed.
Rating Hearing comfort: 4,2
Operation & connectivity
Sometimes it’s not so bad to be able to adjust the volume of the hearing aid a little, for example when the neighbor is loudly mowing the lawn or someone is speaking very softly to you. Many models therefore have special operating functions. You can use them, but you don’t have to. We looked at this with the Terra BTE-UP: For those who want to quickly and easily increase or decrease the volume, there is a button on the device. You can also select additional programs for special listening situations through this. If desired, there is a remote control for the hearing aid. This allows you to adjust the volume effortlessly. The handling is not only child’s play; no one will even notice that you are just adjusting your hearing aids.
We do not yet find the modern form of voice command operation in the Terra BTE-UP. If there are sensors in the hearing aid, a tap control could be conceivable, which would trigger a specific function by tapping your fingers on your ear. However, this option is not available in the Terra BTE-UP.
We searched in the app store in vain for an app for further adjustments; we would have liked something different. You no longer need headphones here, as it has a wireless option and can transmit sounds from the smartphone directly into the ears—if the smartphone is equipped with 2.4 GHz LE technology.
Rating Operation & connectivity: 2,5
The best alternatives to the Terra BTE-UP
Our database contains 17 reviews of hearing aids with similar technical features to this one (i.e., in klassischer Bauform in Size "", not rechargable, geeignet für Hörverlust-Grad leicht, mittel & stark). Here are the top 3 (Redaktionsstand 02.10.2025):
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Phonak Naida Lumity 90 SP | Rating: 4.5 / 5 |
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Phonak Naida Lumity 70 SP | Rating: 4.5 / 5 |
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Phonak Naida Lumity 50 SP | Rating: 3.5 / 5 |
Simplicity & security
How does one cope with the hearing aid in everyday life? This is the next aspect we will evaluate. Because only if such a device functions simply and uncomplicatedly can one become accustomed to it. The situational recognition did not exactly impress us. Quiet and loud environments are identified, and the Terra BTE-UP adjusts accordingly. But as soon as the acoustic conditions become more demanding, with different noise sources appearing simultaneously, one may need to fine-tune the hearing aid themselves. Some people find it difficult to get used to it, but this hearing aid makes it easy for us to cope with the new volume. There is a acclimatization manager that gradually introduces us to the required target amplification. The duration can range from a few weeks to several months, and this can be individually adjusted. The individual steps are so small that you hardly notice that there has been a volume increase.
The Terra BTE-UP gets its energy from small disposable batteries that need to be changed every few days. While this is not rocket science, it should be considered, especially for those with motor issues. A rechargeable battery would be much easier to handle.
The Terra is nearly dust and waterproof and, with its IP 68 rating, is certainly well protected against external influences.
Rating Simplicity & security: 2,5
Extras
The final part belongs to the extras, meaning small additional features that could provide the hearing aid with some extra points: We would have liked to find a tinnitus program here, but unfortunately, there isn't one.
An online contact with the audiologist via the app would be very useful. This is already quite common today and helps with small adjustment problems. Unfortunately, Phonak forgoes this and therefore doesn't earn any extra points.
Tracking health data is a real added value in modern hearing aids. However, this Phonak model lacks the sensors for this service. It would have also been nice to have some lifestyle features, but these are not available in the Terra BTE-UP. Other hearing aids can score points with language translation or fall alarms, but here it stays within the usual range of functions.
Rating Extras: 4,0
Conclusion: Phonak Terra BTE-UP
With a final grade of 3.39, this model holds its own in the middle range. It has quite a decent comfort equipment 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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Hansaton Beat FS 1 R T 675 | Rating: 4 / 5 |
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Hansaton Beat FS 1 R T 13 | Rating: 4 / 5 |
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Hansaton Beat FS 1 R T 312 | Rating: 4 / 5 |
Our Phonak Terra BTE-UP review was created on April 10, 2024 and lastly updated on January 2, 2025. The overall rating of 3,39 is composed of: »Hearing Comfort (40% weighting): Rating 2 | »Operation & Connectivity (28% weighting): Rating 3.5 | »Simplicity & Security (17% weighting): Rating 3.5 | »Extras (15% weighting): Rating 2 | Learn more about our evaluation criteria and testing standards in How We Test..
FAQ
Is the Phonak Terra BTE-UP suitable for me?
The fitting range of this hearing aid is "hearing loss mild, moderate, or severe." Whether your hearing deficit falls within this range can be quickly assessed by a hearing care professional on-site.
How much does the Phonak Terra BTE-UP cost?
The rough price range in which the Phonak Terra BTE-UP is currently offered in Germany is approximately between €700.00 and €1,300.00. In addition to the price, one should also consider the overall rating: The overall test score in the HörShop test is 3.4 (satisfactory). Details are also important for contextualizing the hearing aid price: The star rating for "noise suppression" in the test shows 3 out of 5 stars.
What size is the Phonak Terra BTE-UP?
This behind-the-ear hearing aid has been classified into size class M. This means that it is rather large. You can compare it with other hearing aids in this size class: hearing aid comparison.
How well does one hear with the Phonak Terra BTE-UP?
The Terra BTE-UP from the manufacturer Phonak is equipped with 8 separately adjustable equalizer bands (for reference: current top devices have 25 bands). The rating for noise suppression for this device achieves 3 out of 5 stars. There is a classification of 'total failure' for the wind noise suppression feature of the Terra BTE-UP, as it does not possess this feature. Summarizing the entire area of "hearing comfort," the overall score in the test is 4.2 (sufficient).
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