LG TONE Free True Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds FP9E - Active Noise Cancelling Earbuds with UVnano Charging Case, Haze Gold
A new addition to LG's line of wearable’s
is the LG TONE Free FP9. LG is a South Korean manufacturer of electronics. The
new model, which succeeds the LG TONE Free FN7 (review), offers little but
significant improvements in terms of appearance, acoustics, connection,
functions, and battery life. The earbuds have active noise cancelling, UV nano
technology in the charging case, and support for spatial audio, just like their
predecessor. Having said that, the LG TONE Free FP9 wireless ear buds seem to
be an all-inclusive set. But how effective are they in actual use? Let's
investigate:
Design
The LG TONE
Free FP9 features the same design as its predecessor despite a few minor
changes. Its dimensions have not significantly changed since the earphones'
charging cradle. Even though it can fit in a pocket, the size changes seem
ill-advised from a design perspective. Instead of the glossy surface of the
predecessor, the case now has a matte finish, which makes it simpler to hold
and less likely to drop accidentally. The slider button on the left side of the
new case has taken the position of the pairing button on the predecessor. By
pressing this button, you can use the case to connect to non-Bluetooth devices
like treadmills and in-flight entertainment systems.
The LG TONE Free FP9's
design
The LG TONE Free FP9's design is almost unchanged from
its predecessor, with a few minor modifications. Its size has not significantly
changed since the charging cradle for the earphones. It can fit in a pocket,
but the changes in size seem ill-advised from a design perspective. The case
now sports a matte finish as opposed to the glossy one of the predecessor,
which makes it simpler to hold and less likely to drop accidentally. On the
left side of the redesigned case, a slider button has taken the place of the
pairing button from the predecessor. The cable connectivity feature is
activated by pressing this button, enabling you to connect the case to
non-Bluetooth equipment like treadmills, in-flight entertainment systems, etc.
The light is for aesthetic purposes, to give a sense that the case has UV nano
tech to remove bacteria from the ear buds. Speaking of UV nano tech, it is
integrated in the case to sanities the ear buds’ speaker unit and mesh around
through ultraviolet radiation. This feature works only when the case, with ear
buds resting in it, is on charge.
Coming to the ear buds,
they have the same stem-based design of the predecessor but of significantly
smaller footprint. Moreover, the new contoured design has better fit and grip
compared to the ear buds of the previous model. Like the case, the ear buds
gain matte finish, which make them easy to handle and operate. Yet, one needs
to be cautious using them because of weak ingress protection (IPX4).
Free Smartphone app LG TONE
A
user-friendly Smartphone app called TONE Free, which is accessible on the
Google Play Store for Android smart phones and the Apple App Store for iPhones,
supports the LG TONE Free FP9. The app is optional, yet necessary for the experience.
The ear buds' sound profile, touch controls, and other settings can all be
modified via the app. Having said that, the app makes things simpler and serves
as a useful tool for hassle-free ear bud management.
Features and effectiveness
The audio output is
lacking in loudness but not in quality to begin with. The stereo effect is
enhanced by the balanced, crisp, and ear buds' good channel separation. Five
pre-set equalizer settings are available through the app for a customized audio
experience: immersive, natural, bass boost, treble boost, and 3D sound staging.
The 3D sound stage equalizer is what makes spatial sound effects possible.
Though excellent, the surround sound experience and quality are not on pace
with Dolby Atmos. There are two custom equalizer settings available for manual
audio output tuning in addition to pre-set equalizers. The LG Tone Free FP9 has
three microphones on each device for calls: two on the outside (one to pick up
voice and cancel echo, and another to minimize background noise), and one
inside each ear bud for active noise cancellation. The ear buds are effective
for making calls.
The ANC has high and low modes for a
comfortable experience, speaking of characteristics. The parameters for ambient
sound also come in two profiles. The ambient sound mode and ANC both function
as intended, although the experience is not the finest. Interesting value-added
options like whisper mode are available in addition to these standard
functions. This mode is currently under experimental testing and accessible via
a Smartphone app. As the name implies, it enables talking when the right ear
bud is held close to the lips. It functions, but requires significant
development.
Like other improvements, the
increase in on-battery time is gradual. With ANC turned off, the earphones last
around seven hours and five hours, respectively. These on-battery stats are
decent, but competitors provide better data. The earphones last around 15 hours
when used in a variety of ways, taking into account the case battery. It takes
roughly an hour to charge the case while the ear buds are in them, which is
good but not ideal.
Verdict
The LG TONE
Free FP9 is costly, costing 116$ . For the most part, it is excellent, but
not the finest. The premium wireless earphones from Samsung (Galaxy Buds Pro)
are more affordable in comparison.
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