LG has attempted to break into the premium earbuds market before, but it feels as though the company has finally distinguished itself from the competition with the LG Tone Free T90S.
As you'd expect from wireless earbuds priced at $229 / £229 / AU$299, the T90S offers adaptive noise cancelation (ANC), support for 24-bit audio via Snapdragon's aptX Adaptive codec, and a USB-C charging case, which is said to offer up to 36 hours of total listening time.
However, what sets the T90S apart are the features you won't get from Apple's AirPods Pro 2, Samsung's Galaxy Buds 3 Pro and Sony's WF-1000XM5. I would even argue that LG is leading the pack when it comes to innovation.
Of course, that doesn't mean they're perfect — the T90S can't quite reach the clean depth of sound that Sony's XM5s can, or the bass levels of the Buds 3 Pro. I would also describe its ANC and transparency as good but not great.
Still, LG is doing things here which are genuinely exciting, which is difficult to do in an arena where all the main players have become more or less the same. So with that in mind, here are are top three Tone Free T90S features which every other earbuds maker should be copying.
Its case can transmit audio from an AUX port to your earbuds
Most smart devices offer Bluetooth connectivity these days, but there are some which still only work via wired connection, such as retro gaming handhelds, workout equipment and in-flight entertainment consoles. If you, like me, hate using crappy wired earbuds, this might be of interest to you: the T90S's charging case actually works as a Bluetooth dongle for the earbuds, meaning you hook the case up to any device with a headphone jack (via an included auxiliary to USB-C cable) and wirelessly transmit audio to your earbuds. I've been using this feature with my Anbernic RG 40XXV handheld (which supports controllers over Bluetooth but not audio) and it's transformed my retro gaming sessions.
Its case will kill 99.9% of the bacteria on your earbuds
When you think about it, in-ear headphones are pretty gross. I resisted using them for years, until I eventually had to review some and realized how much better the sound quality was on a good pair of in-ears. Still, they can get sweaty and grimy, resulting germs which aren't great for your ear canals. Thankfully, the T90S's charging case boasts self-cleaning functionality via the company's proprietary UV Nano technology, which can be found in other LG products like water dispensers and refrigerators. According to LG, the tech can kill 99.9% of bacteria from the earbud tips and inner mesh on the buds themselves within ten minutes using ultraviolet light. All you have to do is place the T90S buds in the case and close it while charging and at over 40% battery capacity. Pretty clever if you ask me.
You can take one earbud out and use it as a microphone during calls
In an effort to increase call quality and make it easier to speak at lower volumes, LG's Tone Free T90S earbuds offer Whispering Mode — an ingenious feature which lets you take out one earbud and hold it up to your mouth, turning it into a microphone. This allows you to speak softly and still be heard clearly by the person on the other end of your call. Honestly, I'm surprised this feature hasn't been done before by another company.
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