LG Tone Free FP9 review, self disinfect and connect via jack too!

LG Tone Free FP9 review

LG Tone Free FP9 are a pair of True Wireless earphones with active noise cancellation (ANC), a compact design, but the distinctive features compared to all other similar earphones on the market are the presence of sterilizing UV LEDs and the possibility of using them with a device equipped only with a wired connection with the classic 3.5mm audio jack.

How they are made

The case is made of plastic, with a pleasant soft effect touch. It opens like a shell, and the groove that should facilitate the opening of the lid is a little less pronounced than desirable, in fact you will have to get used to it for a few days before opening it with a sure gesture. To extract the earphones you will not have to grasp them with two fingers but to pry the lower part to release them from the magnet that holds them in place and then extract them.


Once grasped, you can insert them into your ear simply by placing them and making a small twist, in such a way as to take advantage of the in-ear design, trying to block, as best you can, the headset in the ear canal. Being an ANC model, passive isolation is important for improving the effectiveness of noise cancellation.

Commands are sent by interacting with a small portion of the touch-sensitive area, and it is possible to answer telephone calls , control music playback and turn ANC on or off by switching from noise canceling to transparent, which uses microphones to inject ambient noise into the earphones, so you don't have to take the earphones off every time you need to talk to someone, or if you want to use them in an environment without isolating yourself.


Each time you insert the earphones into the case, a UV LED will illuminate the earphone in order to initiate sterilization against possible bacteria / viruses. This is not enough to say that these earphones "clean themselves", you will still have to carry out the usual cleaning and sanitizing practices, while the effectiveness of UV LEDs is limited due to the power. In other words, it is nice to have an additional cleaning system, but it is not the panacea against all ills.

A USB Type-C connector, on the back, allows you to recharge the battery of the case, while an LED front, which lights up green, yellow and red, indicates the percentage of charge remaining. A small switch, on the right, activates the function that makes the LG Tone Free FP9 a special product, namely the possibility of using the case as a transmitter to use the earphones with devices equipped only with a jack cable. In practice, in the package, in addition to the USB Type-A / USB Type-C cable, there is a 3.5mm jack / USB Type-C cable; you can connect the case to an old Walkman, for example, and use wireless headphones to listen to music.

ANC efficacy, active noise cancellation

ANC efficacy is average, on a scale from 0 to 10, where zero is "completely ineffective" and ten is "the best on the market", we assign a six: it reduces ambient noise, but mainly low frequencies and only if worn very well, that is with a maximum passive isolation.

Battery life

Each single charge is able to offer an autonomy of about 5 hours, while the case allows you to fully recharge the earphones about 3 times , thus bringing the total autonomy to about twenty hours. It is possible to increase these numbers by not using the ANC. The result is average and probably more than enough for most people.

Audio quality

These earphones are developed in conjunction with Meridian, and with the smartphone application it is possible to select different equalizations. In general, the audio quality is good, there are no particular defects to report, rather a behavior that emphasizes the bass. All the mid-bass is emphasized to be honest, even listening to an audiobook the male voice is deeper than other earphones, and the music has powerful and sometimes vibrant bass. If you like this kind of musical imprint, then you will be fine; if you prefer a more linear reproduction, you can adjust the rendering through the equalizer, but you will not completely "correct" this behavior.

Microphone quality for telephone calls

Three microphones take care of cancellation activates noise and captures your voice for phone calls. The performance of the microphones is below average, the voice is heard more distant and flat than it should be. They are fine for a few calls every now and then, but if you spend many hours on the phone, it's probably not the earphones that will make your interlocutors happy. Useful, in some cases, there is a "whisper" mode, ie the sensitivity of the microphones is such as to amplify your voice if you whisper.

Verdict

Considering the jungle of True Wireless earphones out there, LG has managed to carve out a nook and cranny for the Tone Free FP9, although they don't shine with some features. The audio quality is good as long as you like full-bodied reproduction with sustained bass, the ANC is only sufficient, the battery life is average and unfortunately the quality of the microphones is below average.

If you are looking for a pair of True Wireless earphones with which to listen to many hours of music and make phone calls, perhaps with good noise cancellation, there are better products at the same price, or even at lower prices (Beats Studio Buds, Jabra Elite 85t, Samsung Galaxy Buds 2, to name a few).

The particularities of these LGs are also their strengths, as well as the main reasons why you would like toa> buy them: a UV sanitization system and, above all, the possibility of using the case as a transmitter, using a jack / USB Type-C cable to play wireless music on those devices with only an audio jack.

One last suggestion: if you have an iPhone you may not bea> able to take advantage of all the and functions, such as quick pairing or different levels of ANC, so consider purchasing based on your smartphone as well.