I’m about to buy a pair of Lumity L90 hearing aids. There are two versions: regular and “life” that cost the same. The “life” version is waterproof and comes with an induction charger with power bank.
I’d like to know the advantages of Lumity L90 regular over the “life” version.
The regular one seems to be a little smaller but that is the only advantage I can find, but there must be a reason for its existence, otherwise the “life” version would be the only one.
It’s not waterproof @jlcasas, as a few folks on here “Will” testament too, it’s water resistant! I am an avid Phonak user myself, but sometimes (like many of the major hearing aid manufacturers) their blurbs are, liberal with the truth… Cheers Kev 
The non Life (regular) version is smaller in size and you can get a telecoil option. The smaller size is important for people who wear glasses. The regular version also doesn’t come with a battery in the charger. The Life version is larger due to the extra waterproofing but is really only splash proof.
Jordan
The regular (R) version has a tap control feature to control streaming and phone calls. I haven’t had much luck with it, but some people like it. The RT version has a telecoil, but no tap control. The only downside I can think of for the L is that its charger is much more expensive, so if you want a spare, it’s going to cost you. The Ease charger that comes with the R and RT is under $100 on ebay, and they can use old Combi chargers that go for $20.
For the waterproofing, I haven’t tried it, but a common issue is that the receivers aren’t waterproof. They’re cheap and easy enough to replace, but the bottom line is that you still have no functional hearing until that’s done. It’s not like you can go swimming with the Life and expect to hear everything while you’re in the water (though you may be able to rig up a mold so that actually works).
I’ve got the Lumity RT with telecoil (which I never use) and I can confirm that it does have tap control. I think all the Lumity hearing aids have tap control. That being said…I find it annoying and have turned off tap control in the app. I wish the Lumity RT charger had a battery inside the case. This is easier than hauling an external battery pack when I travel.
Jordan
Thank you all for your information. I wouldn’t swim with the hearing aid, it would be just for accidents like getting into the shower inadvertently, though that is something that has never really happened to me.
I think I’m going with the regular because I wear glasses and it seems the extra size could be cumbersome.
I have never tried tap control, but it could be handy also. The “ease” charger is also smaller. For traveling it would be necessary to have a battery pack.
Thanks! I swear phonak.com says it doesn’t. There’s an optional battery pack attachment to the Combi charger, which the R and RT can use, but it’s so much bigger than the Ease that I’m not sure it’s worth it.
I am awake long hours and travelling and the Lumity aids don’t last long enough. The right one especially dies 15-20% sooner than the left. So I ordered the Go charger, everyone was asleep including the clinic, as it only works with Life.
So, I am considering if I should go to Life. I am not sure how much more it will be, probably a few thousand dollars. Questions
I haven’t used both, but I have had the Lifes for 3 weeks now and my use case sounds similar to yours. My typical work week is to get on a plane in Portland, OR at 6am Monday morning to fly somewhere in the USA. I will work normal business hours at my location on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and then fly home on the earliest flight I can get on Friday morning.
When I am working on the east coast, this means waking up between 3:00am & 3:30am for a 6am flight. I will typically get to my home in the early afternoon, work on paperwork until 5:00, and then head out with my wife for our weekly social activity (bowling), usually getting home at around 10pm, and in bed by 11pm.
If I convert all of that to local time at home, that means I am up from midnight to 11pm, or 23 hours.
So far my batteries haven’t completely died on me, but they have gotten down to 4% on the right and 7% on the left, and were reminding me of that fact at a really annoying interval.
I would have really preferred replaceable batteries - the Oticon Alta Pros that I replaced were still getting 7-8 days out of 312 batteries and it was easy to plan for a change. I decided that I would give the new tech a shot, but it’s going to require some changes to the way I think about my aids.
My audiologist is a nice lady, but she kept harping on “just pop them into the charger for 15 minutes and you will get another 3 hours!”.
I replied with “Ok, cool. Here’s what I want you to do. When you get up tomorrow morning 6am, look at your watch and make a note. It’s Friday, and your husband wants to get dinner and go to a movie after work. You will probably get home at midnight, so probably an 18 or 19 hour day for you. Sometime around dinnertime, I want you to put a set of earplugs in your ears for 30 minutes and DO NOT remove them for any reason. Now you are ok to continue with your plans. If you take them out early, you have to put them back in and miss the audio for the last half hour of the movie”
“Because what you are telling me is that I have to choose to be deaf and unable to communicate with my family and friends for at least 15 minutes to get through my full day. And that’s with the batteries in brand-new condition. As they lose capability, those “deaf times” will become either longer, or more frequent, or both.”
That’s the kind of crap that hearing people say, thinking that they are helping or solving a problem. What they are really doing is condescending.
Just as a side note, I couldn’t care less what my hearing aids look like. I don’t care if people see them, and I don’t care what they think when they do. If Phonak had made them, say, 25% larger, but given me a battery that would last a minimum of 24 hours, I’d be happy as a clam.
I haven’t used both, but other posters have said that it’s physically bigger due to the extra waterproofing. Other than that, it’s identical, so I wouldn’t expect it to have a bigger battery or longer battery life.
Two recommendations:
I have to pay a 20% stocking fee for the refund of the Life Go charger. Before doing that, I had emailed the audiologist asking if the battery life was longer. I am waiting for a reply.
I already have issues with reading glasses not siting properly with the current model, so I suspect fatter ones will be worse. Sometimes the frame sits next to the aids, in which case it is going to cause long term bruise. At other times it sits on top, and unfortunately, presses the button from time to time 
I have decided to return the charger and buy a second (normal) charger case. I can then carry it in my car and charge the aids while I am driving or flying. The worse times are when I am going back time zones as it elongates the already long day.
Whats a 312 battery?
You can use a PD type of power bank to power your charger during the day. Also, if you are alone and dont have to hear anything right then, turn them off. 30 minute charge and hour less on time can make a big difference.
As firenzel said, they’re a type of disposable battery. Phonak just now (literally today!) released a version of the Audeo Lumity that uses a 312 battery. Based on the pictures, it’s physically smaller than the rechargeable version, so should work better with your glasses. I’ve never used non-rechargeable aids, but based on posts from others, I’d expect each battery to last several days. If you’re not in the US, it might take a few weeks/months for the 312 version to be available, but that sounds like the best solution to your problem. That assumes you use the Audeo (receiver-in-canal) version. If you use the Naida (ear hooks and tubes), then I don’t think anything has changed for you here.
Are you sure the Lumity RT can work with the Combi charger?
It’s 500mAh vs 100mAh (of the Ease charger)…
Everything I’ve read says said going from less to more mAh is fine, because the device will only ever draw what it needs regardless. The other way around might potentially be a problem, but others on here have said that hearing aids draw so little power that it probably doesn’t matter. FWIW, I’ve charged Marvels (intended for the Combi) in an Ease charger and nothing bad seems to have happened, but that’s one’s more of an ‘at your own risk’ kind of thing.
Thanks mate!
Yes I’ve read the same too but I don’t wanna take any risk…
aren’t the regular (non-Life) versions also water resistant to some degree? With my Marvel M-90s, I’ve accidentally left them in my ears while taking showers, and once even jumped in the pool with them on, and they were fine…
Yes, they’re rated IP 68, which is standard for all hearing aids.
