@tonyinmi
Thanks for correcting me. I know you would contribute to this discussion. My Samsung is a M3/T3 also and I don't plan give it up until it dies. The microphone is fantastic. It has been over 3 years since I bought it so I hope you are right about salespeople being more informed. I went shopping with my deaf friend about 2 years ago and the people at 2 places were clueless about the rating. She was an IT person at a local library and pretty much knew here way around things. One guy tried to sell her a hotspot device which would have added to the monthly cost. That she did not know about this being her first smartphone so I was glad I was there to tell her differently.
I got the impression from the hotspot guy that he thought he was talking to two hard of hearing older women who maybe didn't know much. Another layer of discrimination and assumptions we older folk (especially women) come across. The young guy who sold me my Samsung at Verizon told my son in law (right in front of me) that he would put the "easy" home screen on for me. I put his nose out of joint.

Thanks Tony....FL Mary

@catladyde9 and @tonyinmi Thank you for sharing this detailed information. A big problem is that people do not know what to ask for or look for. Considerable advocacy from HLAA has been done on this issue, starting over 25 years ago when we recognized that cell phones were going to be the way of the future. The early models were NOT hearing aid compatible. And, you are right. Few people at the cell phone outlets know what we are asking for when we say we want to use our telecoils. That 'back room' is important for them to go to. If they are not willing to do that, you have a poor provider. Also, they want to sell the high priced models, so will probably steer you away from the flip phones. Stick to your guns if that is what you want. Keep educating and advocating and asking questions. It all helps.

@tonyinmi Thank you so much for clarifying M4/T4 ratings. Recently purchased my second pair of HAs (Resound Preza @ Costco). Last year I was forced to hurriedly purchase an Alcatel flip cell in June. My previous one year old cell phone's speaker suddenly "died". It was an emergency purchase at the height of the pandemic. I had to have a usable cell phone for a very long drive in unfamiliar area for a critical pre-op cataract surgery appointment early the next morning. Alcatel user manual states it is "M4/T4compatible". Its poor voice quality & clarity as well as poor volume controls contrast negatively with the far superior vice quality, clarity, and volume controls of my still fairly new Panasonic Amplified landline telephone which provides maximum 50MB receiver volume with its booster.