Editor’s Rating- 3.2/5 Connectivity & Controls Sound & ENC Battery
Long battery lifeGood ANCUV Cleaning IPX4 rated
Limited audio codecsPoor sound qualityNo wireless charging Expensive
LG Tone Free FP9 Buds Review: Design & Fit
The LG Tone Free FP9 buds have a very minimalist design, much like its predecessor. The earbuds this time have a shorter stem and this makes the buds look subtle when worn. The shape is also a bit tweaked for better fit and comfort and the buds have a matte finish just like their case. This matte finish makes sure that the earbuds don’t fall off your ears as they are not slippery. The outside surface of the buds is glossy in look and this gives it a premium appearance.
Price and availabilityUnboxingDesign and FitConnectivity, Controls & FeaturesSound and ANCBatteryShould you buy it?
LG Tone Free FP9 Buds Review: price & availability
LG Tone Free FP9 Buds Review: Unboxing
The LG Tone Free FP9 Buds come in a white-colored cardboard box with an image of the buds and their name on top. The Box contains-
LG Tone Free Buds & CaseUSB Type-C cable1 Extra pair of ear gelsAux cableUser manualWarranty cardGanesha Case (comes separately, not inside the box)
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The buds have a slight bump at the topside to indicate controls. The earbuds sit inside the hollow case secured via magnets. The buds fit well inside your ear canal and thus can be used during jogging, workouts, and more without any hassles. The buds are IPX4 rated protecting them against splashes and are lightweight so you can comfortably wear them for long durations. Talking about the case, it is round in shape with LG branding on top. It comes in 2 colors-Black and White. I received the black variant which looked decent. The case has a matte finish which makes it prone to smudges and scratches and the charging cradle is bigger this time. There is a toggle button on the left side for the Plug and Wireless Mode. At the front, there are 2 LEDs below the opening lid. One of them is for battery indication while the other indicates UV cleaning status. The lid is easy to open and close and is sturdy in built quality. The back has a USB-C port for charging and opening the case, one can witness the blue glow of the UV light. The actual UV sanitization takes place when buds are kept inside the case for charging. The case is compact and easy to carry in your pocket. LG is also offering a custom-made Ganesha Case for the case of the FP9 earbuds. The case looks nice and protects the buds case but the design might not be everyone’s choice as it has an image of God on it. ALSO READ: Dizo Watch S Review: Elegant companion for rough & tough use
LG Tone Free FP9 Buds Review: Connectivity, Controls & Features
LG Tone Free FP9 Earbuds are Bluetooth 5.2 enabled for seamless connectivity. The latency is low which makes connectivity solid and the earbuds pair instantly with ios as well as Android devices. Android users can use Google Fast Pair also to link buds to their smartphones. The FP9 Earbuds have good audio-video tandem and this makes them fit for all kinds of consumption. There is wear detection as well. LG Tone Free FP9 Earbuds contain touch controls on the stem which makes their use easier. These controls are of 3 types- one-touch, two-touch, and three-touch and the functions can be performed on the touchpad of each earbud. The touch functions can be customized and one can also lock the touchpad via the Tone Free app. For those who keep misplacing their buds often, there is a Find My Earbuds feature that helps you locate your missing bud by playing a chirping sound. I used this feature a few times and it worked well. The companion app is useful when you want to update your earbud’s firmware. The Plug and Wireless Mode allows one to connect the Tone Free Buds to any non-Bluetooth device and listen to music on them. This can be done using an aux cable. One of the most unique features of the Tone Free Buds is UV light sanitizing that is not seen on any other buds. The feature makes sure that the earbuds are upkeeping their hygiene.
LG Tone Free FP9 Buds Review: Sound Quality & ANC
LG has partnered with British audio company Meridian for tuning the audio on the Tone Free Buds. Each earbud has an 8mm driver. The standard mode is balanced but lacks depth. Whether you are listening to Bollywood party music or international soul soothers, the character is a must in the audio, which is lacking in the case of tone-free buds. When it comes to highs, the buds reproduce them decently but could have been more pronounced for better sound quality. The vocals are clear but sound cacophonous when the volume is turned up. The earphones support only SBC and AAC audio codecs which are very limited for an over 10k TWS device. There is an equalizer mode to support the bass output, but even the bass is not appropriate for the ears. The ears stress when the volume is increased but sound ok at lower volumes. The Buds come with 3D Sound Stage as well. Considering the price of the buds, the sound quality is underwhelming. Coming to ANC, the Tone Free Earbuds have a strong Noise Cancellation system and nice passive isolation as well. When ANC is turned on, most of the ambient noise like that of wind and other sounds vanish. The app can be used to control the level of ANC according to your need. Transparency mode can be switched on if you want to be aware of what’s happening around you even while listening to music or watching content. Coming to the call quality, buds work seamlessly with both android and ios devices. The person on the other hand was clearly audible to me and vice versa. Noise isolation during calls is not too reliable so making calls in a noisy environment is a problem. One interesting feature that has been added is Whispering Mode. It is available on the Tone Free app and it lets you take calls in public settings covertly. This might be useful when you want to take calls in a train, café, subway, etc.
LG Tone Free FP9 Buds Review: Battery
LG has packed a 68mAh battery inside each bud and a 390mAh battery in the charging case. The brand claims that the buds will offer 15 hours of listening time with ANC and 24 hours without ANC. For me, I use the buds mostly for listening to music and watching videos, so with ANC turned off, the battery lasted for 4-5 days for me. During this time, I listened to music for hours but did not use the buds for receiving calls. The Buds take about 2 hours to charge completely which is decent. No wireless charging is available. ALSO READ: Oppo Enco Air 2 Pro Review: A budget buy for daily needs? ALSO READ: Realme Buds Q2s Review: Basic Smart Buy for under 2k price point?
LG Tone Free FP9 Buds Review Verdict: Should you buy it?
With a price tag of over 15k, LG Tone Free FP9 Earbuds surely fall in the expensive category. The buds face stiff competition from Sony and Samsung buds, specifically when Samsung Buds pro is cheaper than Tone Free. The Tone Free Buds do pack some unique features like UV cleaning, plug, wireless, whispering mode, etc which give them an edge over other TWS, but the underwhelming sound quality is a big turn-off. The battery life is decent but supported audio codecs are very limited. So, whether the LG Tone Free FP9 Buds are worth your money or not, totally depends on the kind of usage one has.
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