If you dismiss outright all marketing as hypes, I’m not sure if you should be trusting testimonials here anyway (which you call shared information). It’s not because people here would lie, but their experience with the HAs of their choice will be a very personal thing that may apply for their case but not necessarily will work for you, not to mention one’s inclination to want to reassert and defend one’s choice sometimes.
You’ll hear people say it a lot on this forum, but the only way you’d know if a hearing aid will work for you is to try it yourself. Heck, some people still prefer analog hearing aids of digital ones.