This fall, hearing-aid manufacturers have been busily rolling out new and improved devices en masse, including Jabra, a leading maker of direct-to-consumer, over-the-counter devices. The brand has replaced its entire product lineup with all-new gear, swiftly retiring the Jabra Enhance Select 700, 500, 300, and 50R, all of which were only a year or two old. Three new models replace them: Enhance Select M3, M2, and M1. Each of the M-series hearing aids looks and works about the same as the models from last year and the year before that. Most of the updates here happen under the hood—but even those changes are hardly extreme, as I learned with the M3 pair I tested.

Historically, a more expensive device has meant a slightly smaller chassis—not so with Jabra's new hearing aids. Each of the three new models weighs the same: 2.12 grams, give or take a few hundredths of a gram, depending on the ear tip you choose. While the M2 and M1 share an identical form factor, the M3 is a bit squatter in design, measuring a few millimeters shorter than its siblings. Even so, all three are virtually indistinguishable unless you look at the fine print. That is, unless you select the red model; it's an M3 giveaway, as the M1 and M2 aren't available in that color.

Taking the traditional form of behind-the-ear teardrops, the M3 aids feature a single button on the back. Various presses and holds let you use these buttons for power, volume adjustments, and environmental mode changes that work to varying degrees of usefulness.

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