LG may have stopped making smartphones, but they're certainly not done with making smartphone accessories. The company has just launched the new 2021 LG TONE Free FP series, a series of true wireless earbuds that comes in three models — the FP9, the FP8, and the FP5. The FP9 are the highest-end TWS earbuds that LG offers right now, while the FP8 and the FP5 have fewer features but also a smaller price tag to match.

LG Tone Free series

LG TONE Free FP series specifications

Specification

FP9

FP8

FP5

Images

Active Noise Cancelling

O

O

O

UVnano

O(during wired charging)

O(during wired &wireless charging)

X

Medical-grade Ear Gels

O

O

O

Sound Solution

Meridian

Meridian

Meridian

3D Sound Stage

O

O

O

Plug & Wireless

O

X

X

Microphones

3 mics

3 mics

3 mics

Ambient Mode / Chat Mode

O

O

O

Multi Pairing

O

O

O

Swift Pairing

O

O

O

Wireless Charging

X

O

X

Battery Life (ANC off)

Up to 24hrs(earbuds 10hrs)

Up to 24hrs(earbuds 10hrs)

Up to 22hrs(earbuds 8hrs)

IP Rating

IPX4

IPX4

IPX4

OS Compatibility

Android / iOS

Android / iOS

Android / iOS

Colors

Charcoal Black /Pearl White / Haze Gold

Charcoal Black /Pearl White / Haze Gold

Charcoal Black /Pearl White

All 3 models support features you'll find in plenty of other true wireless earbuds, such as active noise cancelling, an IPX4 rating, multi-pairing, swift-pairing, ambient mode, and 3 microphones. LG boasts its new TONE Free lineup includes Headphone Spatial Processing from Meridian Audio and 3D Sound Storage, two features that make audio sound more immersive. When paired with the TONE Free app, the earbuds can be located using Find My Earbuds, tuned with an equalizer, or set to Game Mode for reduced latency.

The most unique feature mentioned in the press release is "Whispering Mode", a feature that allows for greater call privacy. How LG achieves this is by making the user take the right earbud out of their ear and placing it close to their mouth. The user can then whisper into the earbuds' microphone, and the person on the other end should still be able to hear them clearly.

In addition, the cases for the FP9 and the FP8 feature "UVNano", a technology that automatically cleans your earbuds in the case using UV light in order to reduce the chance of inner-ear infections. This feature is found in multiple TWS earbuds from LG, so it's no surprise to see the FP9 and FP8 also ship with it. LG says that UVNano reduces the bacteria on the inner-ear mesh by up to 99.9% in just 5 minutes when charging wired or wirelessly.

UV cleansing isn't the only standout feature of the case, though. The FP9's charging case can also be used as a wireless dongle via a USB-C to aux cable, which would enable you to listen to in-flight entertainment using your earbuds.

LG says that the earbuds offer up to 10 hours of playback time each, but that playback can be extended to a total of 24 hours if you include the charge stored in the case. Quick charge support means that placing the earbuds in the case for 5 minutes yields 1 hour of playback. The TONE Free FP8 case also supports wireless charging.

The LG TONE Free FP5, FP8, and FP9 will be available this month in several markets in colors such as Charcoal Black and Pearl White. The FP8 and FP9 will also be offered in a Haze Gold color.