Phonak Launches Roger On Sphere, an AI Remote Microphone That Separates Speech From Noise in Real Time
Phonak announced Roger On Sphere on October 14, 2026, describing it as the world's first remote microphone powered by a deep neural network that separates speech from background noise in real time. The wireless device is designed to help people with hearing loss follow conversations in busy restaurants, meetings, lectures, family gatherings and car journeys, and over distance, where hearing aids alone may not be enough. Phonak, headquartered in Staefa, Switzerland, says the product will be available in most markets from mid-November 2026.
The device combines the company's Roger wireless protocol with the Sphere neural-processing technology already used in its hearing aids. According to Phonak, Roger On Sphere delivers an additional 3 dB signal-to-noise ratio benefit compared with its predecessor, a figure the company says is equivalent to roughly 50 percent less noise power and allows communication in environments with about twice the noise level. That measurement comes from Phonak's own technical paper on the product. The processing is organised through RogerSense OS, which the company describes as four coordinated stages: MultiBeam directionality, always-on Sphere denoising, natural voice processing and adaptive gain.
According to Phonak's technical documentation, three physical microphones feed signals from which three additional virtual microphones are interpolated, supporting up to 12 directional beamforms, and a table mode uses up to six beams arranged around a table to select the signal with the highest signal-to-noise ratio. The microphone is compatible with hearing aids, cochlear implants and other hearing solutions, including products across the Sonova portfolio such as Phonak Naida and Virto hearing aids and Advanced Bionics cochlear implant systems. Phonak also updated its myRogerMic app experience alongside the new hardware.
"Roger has transformed communication in demanding listening environments for nearly two decades," said Alain Kertesz, Senior Director Roger at Phonak. "Roger On Sphere brings AI-driven speech separation to a remote microphone, giving users greater clarity and confidence in situations that were previously difficult to manage." Phonak introduced the Roger platform in 2013 as a proprietary 2.4 GHz digital wireless system, and later eliminated the external receiver hardware that compatible hearing aids once needed. Sonova, which owns Phonak along with Unitron, AudioNova and Advanced Bionics, reported sales of CHF 3.6 billion and a net profit of CHF 546 million in its 2025/26 financial year, with around 18,000 employees.
The launch extends Phonak's Sphere neural processing from the hearing instrument to a separate capture device, meaning the processed signal can also reach users of older or alternative hearing instruments through compatible Roger receivers. Phonak is encouraging hearing care professionals to demonstrate the device in the clinic so clients can experience the benefit firsthand. Trade outlet audioXpress noted that the "first remote microphone to separate speech from noise in real time using a DNN" claim is one that multiple competing companies are likely to challenge, and that Phonak has not yet announced pricing or a United States release date.