The earbuds market is one that’s packed full of different products, from the Apple AirPods to the knock-off lookalikes on Wish, and everything in-between.
Recently making their way onto shelves were LG’s TONE Free HBS-FN6 earbuds, which promised to revolutionise the way we listen thanks to its bacteria-killing UVnano charging case.
That doesn’t mean you won’t need to give them a scrub every so often to get rid of those unavoidable marks left by your ears of course, but it’s nice to know they’re as clean as possible in terms of the bacteria they may hold.
Featuring silicone ear tips and Meridian advanced audio technology, the earbuds also claim six hours playtime, or 18 hours from a full case charge. After a few weeks of trialling them, it’s fair to say that the claims are very close to the mark.
As for comfort? I was a little wary of the silicone tips on the earbuds. They’ve never been my favourite thing in the world, slipping out of my ears no matter which size I used. Here though, they seem to work a charm.
I could happily keep these in for hours on end without any discomfort, and that has to be one of the primary goals of those looking to deliver high-quality earbuds.
One of the things I pride myself on is my taste in music. I can happily go from listening to some of the latest pop releases, before delving into rock classics. My Spotify’s ‘recently played’ section is a real sight to behold.
Bearing that in mind, I decided to listen to Lady Gaga and Katy Perry’s most recent album releases, Chromatica and Smile respectively, before putting the earbuds to the test against some Rumours by Fleetwood Mac and Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen.
We found that the LG TONE Free earbuds hold their own with all genres. The sound is always clear despite the connection being wireless and, I had no issues at all with it dropping out, so long as I kept the device playing the music close by.
The earbuds have also been designed with phone calls in mind. Dual microphones ensure clear transmission when chatting, so whoever’s on the line should be able to hear you loud and clear.
Those microphones also mean that voice command is available, best utilised if you're connected to a smartphone equipped with Siri or Google Assistant.
When it came to the touch commands - allowing volume change, play, pause and skip - they can be a little janky. The area you’re given to play with is extremely small, so you may find yourself skipping a song instead of pausing it, or blasting it up to full volume and giving yourself a scare.
For the most-part, we ended up just going back to our phones.
As for design, they’re clean and simple, available in either black or white.
It would be nice to see some of the bigger companies getting a bit more inventive with their style, but it’s understandable that if they’re to maximise their products, they keep to what they know will sell.
With a price point of £129, they’re a little bit more expensive than other earbuds on the market.
The sanitising technology is likely the reason for this and, in a world where being hygienic is more important than ever before, the extra bit of expenditure is worthwhile if within your budget.
It also means that they’re a great pair of earbuds to share with the family - just know that you should be cleaning the marks from the earbuds as well as allowing the case’s sanitation to get rid of the bacteria!
LG TONE Free HBS-FN6 earbuds are available now from a number of different retailers.