LG is back with new headphones, the Tone Free T90S. With this pair, the brand continues to focus on hygiene while including some new features to offer a better sound experience.
Focus on quality and hygiene. This is LG’s promise with its new headphones, the Tone Free T90S. At a time when many people are wondering whether in-ear headphones are dangerous for their health, the South Korean manufacturer intends to offer, once again, headphones that remain clean, in particular thanks to UV rays which eliminate bacteria. All for 229 euros. But is the promise delivered?
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A new design
Available in white and black, the LG Tone Free T90S are distinguished from their predecessors by their design. Gone is the stem reminiscent of Airpods and the round case found with the T90s. The manufacturer is closer to the “buds” format of Sony and Samsung and offers a rectangular case for this new pair.
A format that we appreciate, with the headphones which are less visible once in place and which are also forgotten by their comfort while still fitting well in the ears, both on a daily basis and during sporting activities.
LG does indeed offer four sizes of eartips so that the wearer can find the ones that fit them best. We also appreciate that a test in the LG Tone Free application is offered to ensure that the earphones are correctly placed.
Responsive touch control
It’s easy to find the area to tap to control your music. The headphones also emit a small sound when you press them. Each earbud can be configured individually from the app. For example, you can choose to tap once, twice or three times to pause or play your music, control the volume, return to the previous song or skip to the next one.
The long press on the two earphones is reserved for controlling noise reduction and ambient sound. Concretely, it allows you to alternate between noise reduction and ambient sound. The only functions that cannot be modified concern calls, with one press to answer and two presses to hang up.
Quality sound
Associated with British sound specialist Meridian Audio for several years, LG offers quality sound with its headphones. The LG Tone Free application allows you to adjust the equalizer according to your preferences, with five different options to, for example, increase the bass (Bass Boost) or have a balanced sound (Natural).
We also appreciate the 3D Sound Stage option to enjoy films and series, with immersive sound that we especially feel with the original soundtracks. An option that can also be pleasant to use for listening to film music.
The sound quality is also there thanks to Dolby Atmos technology, which allows you to enjoy spatial sound. The headphones thus integrate Dolby Head Tracking technology to adjust the sound according to the movements of the head. Concretely, the sound comes more from the right earpiece when you turn your head to the left and vice versa. A function that recalls the Spatial Audio function of Apple Airpods, and which can be deactivated.
Effective noise reduction
Just by putting the headphones in your ears, without listening to music, you are already a little isolated from the world. This, thanks to new tips which create “better acoustic insulation”. LG has also placed a system consisting of three microphones and a bone conduction sensor to provide effective noise reduction.
A reduction which is also adaptive, allowing you to cut yourself off from the world, particularly in transport, while clearly hearing important announcements. This system is also effective for calls, which are clear, with reduction of background noise.
In addition to this, the LG Tone Free T90S offer an Ambient Sound mode (natural or moderate) to enjoy music while letting in part of the surrounding sound. However, we regret the presence of white noise at certain times when listening to music.
Convenient multi-pairing
From the LG Tone Free application, it is possible to pair the headphones with up to five devices. We were able to do it without problem with an iPhone, an Apple Watch and a Macbook. If the headphones are automatically connected to the phone, in the “Multi-Point & Multi-Pairing” section of the application, simply tap on the device to which you want to connect the headphones to use them with it.
And transitions between devices are seamless. Connected to a Macbook, the LG Tone Free T90S automatically switches to the iPhone when you pause content played on the computer to listen to another on your smartphone.
Wireless, the headphones can even be used with devices that do not have a Bluetooth connection, thanks to the Plug & Wireless function. Concretely, all you have to do is connect a cable, supplied by LG, to the device in question and the box and activate the function using a dedicated button on the box for the connection to be established. A simple to use and very practical function.
Good autonomy
Promising up to 9 hours of listening time without noise reduction, the LG Tone Free T90S does not disappoint. After almost six hours of use with ambient sound, they still had 30% battery left. In addition, an LED indicator located on the front of the case allows you to get an idea of the battery level of the latter (green for more than 80%, yellow between 20 and 80% and red for less than 20%).
Note that LG assures that its headphones can last up to 36 hours with the case, which we were not able to verify. Finally, we appreciate that the case recharges quite quickly with a cable provided by the manufacturer. In 1 hour 20 minutes, it goes from 0 to 100%.
Our reserves
A UV cleaning system
Like every pair of LG Tone Free headphones, the T90S feature UVnano technology. Built into the charging case, it uses UV to eliminate 99.9% of bacteria on the tips in just ten minutes, according to the manufacturer. A quality that is appreciated, but is difficult to verify.
More specifically, LG ensures that its headphones eliminate three types of bacteria: E. Coli, Staphylococcus aureus and a bacteria that can cause pneumonia. According to the manufacturer, they are removed from the tips every time the headphones are placed inside the case and the case is closed for 10 minutes.
This option is not enabled by default. You must go to the “Tone Free Lab” section of the LG Tone Free application and activate the “UVnano always on” function. Option which also requires that the autonomy level of the box is greater than 40% to be used.
When this function is not activated, UV cleaning is only done when the case is plugged in to be recharged, which is not necessarily a problem as it is necessary to charge it several times a week .
Furthermore, LG assures that the risks of skin irritation are minimized thanks to the earphone tips, which are “hypoallergenic” and “designed to capture dust and prevent the accumulation of dirt”. However, we regret that dirt on the tips is quickly visible and therefore requires regular cleaning.
LG also invites you to “clean the ear gel/multi-function foam regularly to keep them clean”, providing a cleaning guide in its application. However, it is not easy to separate this part of the headphones to clean them, which does not make the task easy. For example, while trying, we tore one of the tips.
Conclusion
For less than 230 euros, LG offers quality headphones, with effective noise reduction, good sound quality and practical features. They are as pleasant to use for listening to music as they are for watching films and series. But cleaning, which is one of the aspects highlighted by LG, is difficult to measure. A definite advantage, nevertheless, for the most hypochondriacs among us, who will nevertheless benefit from an excellent product.
