LG throws its hat in the true wireless earbuds ring with a solid AirPods contender

Publish date: 2024-06-01
No stranger to the Bluetooth headset market, LG is today following in the footsteps of Apple, Samsung, Huawei, Amazon, and countless other big and small companies trying to capitalize on the true wireless earbuds trend. The Tone+ Free are in many ways similar to the recently unveiled Echo Buds rather than the industry-leading AirPods, although in terms of their external appearance, LG's first-ever wireless earphones look different from both aforementioned products.You'll obviously have to decide for yourselves if you like the "semi-open" ear design of the LG Tone+ Free more than the open-fit AirPods and Huawei FreeBuds 3 or Amazon's rookie wireless in-ear effort. LG argues that its design choice is basically the best of both worlds, ensuring a secure fit as well as long-term comfort, but of course, these bombastic claims are not always supported when it comes to real-life utility.
Unfortunately, we may never find out exactly how ergonomic, comfortable, and powerful these bad boys can be, as they're currently only scheduled for a Korea release in late October. A Western expansion could well be in the cards, based on the US availability of other audio accessories in the LG Tone family, but for the time being, we don't know anything about that.

What we do know is the LG Tone+ Free will cost the rough equivalent of $215 in the company's homeland, which isn't exactly affordable. But these true wireless earbuds aren't exactly pushovers either, offering a couple of things Apple's AirPods are still lacking. Namely, noise cancelling technology and IPX4 water resistance. The latter doesn't mean you can use the Tone Plus Free while swimming but sweat and rain shouldn't cause much damage.

Another key selling point seems to be "rich signal processing technology" and "advanced tuning technology" supplied by Meridian Audio, a UK-based manufacturer of high-performance, high-fidelity sound systems. At least in theory, that means the Tone+ Free should sound better than the average wireless earbuds while being able to keep the party going for up to six hours on a single charge. 

The headphones come with a small, sleek, and circular charging case, but curiously enough, mum's the word on the numbers said case is capable of. Lastly, it's worth pointing out that the LG Tone+ Free also have side-mounted touchpads you can use to quickly summon your Google Assistant, as well as make calls and control music playback.

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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.

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