LG Tone Free T90S review: awesome hi-res Dolby Atmos wireless earbuds crammed full of features
LG Tone Free T90S: two-minute review
The LG Tone Free T90S are a higher-priced pair of wireless earbuds, and so find themselves up against some exceptional competition. Happily, LG has done a great job at carving out a unique identity for these buds – predominantly because they include Dolby Atmos with head tracking. The spatial audio works very well and head tracking – still a relatively uncommon feature in wireless earbuds – substantially improves the sense of a “true” 3D soundstage. Of course, head tracking isn’t always ideal – especially if you’re on the move – but you can instead listen using your own custom EQ calibration via the LG Tone Free app, or choose from a bunch of strong presets, my favorite being 3D Soundstage.
The LG Tone Free T90S’ overall sound quality is strong, and I was delighted with the balance, clarity and power on offer. Whether you’re into bass-heavy bangers or delicate, melodic vocals, the T90S deliver clean audio that’s elevated by the immersive effects of Atmos. Thanks to the inclusion of Snapdragon Sound from Qualcomm, if your device is compatible with the aptX Adaptive codec, you’ll also gain access to hi-res audio via Bluetooth – with the T90S capable of handling 24-bit, 96kHz sound. You can also listen in relative peace with active noise cancellation, but don’t expect first-class performance in this area – I could still make out a fair few background noises with volume at around 60%.
The LG T90S offer many features, although you may expect this given their premium price of £229 (about $300 / AU$450). Elsewhere, there’s everything from LG’s UVnano bacteria-busting cleaning tech to Plug & Wireless – an option that enables you to connect the T90S charging case to a device, and hear its audio via the wireless earbuds – great for plane entertainment systems. The LG Tone Free app opens users up to an incredible array of options too, such as Whispering Mode, which only adds to these buds’ already great call and microphone quality. With this setting, you can speak quietly on the phone without people around you hearing every detail, but still ensure that whoever’s on the line can hear you super clearly. In terms of features, the T90S sit side by side with some of the best wireless earbuds, and their immense customizability makes them a treat to use.
To really top things off, the T90S sport a pretty sleek design. They’re small, stylish and, best of all, they’re pretty lightweight, making them comfortable to wear for longer listening sessions. It took me a while to find the right fit with these buds, especially since they have a slightly odd shape. However, thanks to the Test My Best Fit feature, I was able to make sure that I was getting the best possible feel, and in turn, the best possible audio experience. And although I never found the T90S to be the best feeling, they’re not irritating to wear by any means.
All in all, these are an excellent pair of wireless earbuds that have it all: rich and expansive audio, an incredible feature set, and smart design. Dolby Atmos and head tracking are certainly the main attractions here, but even if you’re just hunting for an excellent all-round pair of wireless earbuds, I’d recommend the LG Tone Free T90S.
LG Tone Free T90S review: price and release date
- £229 (about $300 / AU$450)
- Launched on May 2024 in the UK
- Announced for worldwide release in May, but we’re waiting
With a list price of £229, the LG Tone Free T90S are by no means cheap. However, it’s worth keeping in mind that these buds were released mere months ago in the UK (at the time of writing), and they’re packed full of exciting features, especially Dolby Atmos and head tracking. I’ve already spotted the T90S listed for less than their initial price at Amazon UK, though, so make sure you shop around for the best deal.
However, there remain many of the best earbuds available at a similar price, so you’ll definitely want to consider your options before pulling the trigger on the T90S – see more below in the “Also consider” section.
We’re yet to confirm pricing for the T90S in the US and Australia – LG’s original press release announced them for a “worldwide” release in May, but that hasn’t come to pass yet. We’ll update this review with all the key details as soon as we know them.
LG Tone Free T90S review: price and release date
| Drivers | 9.8mm dynamic graphene |
| Active noise cancellation | Yes |
| Battery life | Buds: 9 hours (ANC off) / 5 hours (ANC on); Total with case: 36 hours (ANC off) / 20 hours (ANC on) |
| Weight | 5.7g per earbud |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.4 |
| Frequency range | 20Hz-20kHz |
| Waterproofing | IPX4 |
| Other features | Dolby Atmos, Dolby head tracking, EQ adjustment, UV bacteria cleaning, Plug & Wireless, Whispering mode, Find My Earbuds, wireless charging |
LG Tone Free T90S review: features
- Incredible feature set including Dolby head tracking
- UVnano bacteria cleansing in the case
- Mostly good active noise cancellation
The LG Tone Free T90S have an exhaustively long list of features, which makes them exceptionally fun to tinker with. A lot of these are available only if you download the LG Tone Free app – an easy-to-use companion, which includes a useful digital manual for whenever you want a refresher on how to use the T90S’s various functions.
One of the T90S’s flagship features is Dolby head tracking, with LG claiming that these are the first wireless earbuds in the world to support such tech across all content and devices. For those new to this tech, head tracking is software that can adjust sound orientation depending on head movement, and is intended to provide the full spatial audio experience. The point is to create a feeling similar to being in a room of speakers, rather than wearing earbuds or headphones. We first saw Dolby’s head tracking on the Sonos Ace over-ear headphones, and it really impressed us, as you can read in our Sonos Ace review – enough for us to rate them as the best headphones for watching TV and movies.
Head tracking is indeed best suited for watching movies or video content; when I watched Atmos-ready videos on my TV, connected over Bluetooth, the effects worked great with the T90S, helping to immerse me further into the viewing experience. Even when listening to music, I personally found it enjoyable to tilt my head around and hear sound shift dynamically depending on my position. It’s definitely a welcome feature in my book.
Despite head tracking working well, it’s still worth asking – is it a must-have? If you’re listening to music on the move, I’d probably recommend having this feature off, since constant movement can make songs a little disorienting to listen to. However, if you’re stationary, head tracking can certainly offer a “truer” 3D effect, and the feature is fun to use – it’s simply up to you to decide if and when it’s best used or shelved.
If you don’t want to use head tracking, there are a bunch of great EQ presets available, each designed in collaboration with audio manufacturer Meridian. These include Bass Boost, Immersive, Natural, Treble Boost and – my personal favorite – 3D Sound Stage. If none of them floats your boat, though, fear not: you can save two different custom calibrations via the LG Tone Free app.
In addition to Atmos, the T90S have active noise cancellation, so you can really immerse yourself in the listening experience. These buds won’t offer total silence; I could still hear the odd bit of external noise, such as typing on a keyboard, creeping through with volume at about 60%. However, noise cancellation is pretty good overall, and I was able to stay focused on music without becoming distracted – they just won’t beat out the best noise cancelling earbuds for total silencing power.
I found that LG’s claim that you get five hours of battery life with ANC on was fully accurate, and, although I didn’t quite get the full nine hours it promised with ANC off, it was very close and you’re getting plenty of playtime regardless. The Ambient Sound mode impressed with the customizability on offer. You can select one of three options: Moderated Ambient Sound; Natural Ambient Sound; and Conversation mode. These all worked fantastically well for their respective use cases.
Some of the features I appreciated most aren’t available from a lot of LG’s competitors. For instance, I’m a big fan of the Plug & Wireless option. If you connect the T90S charging case to a PC, an in-flight entertainment system or similar, you can listen to the audio from the device on the T90S earbuds, transmitted by the case. You can also choose whether to prioritize high-quality audio or low latency when using Plug & Wireless via the LG Tone Free app. This is a super-neat feature if you don’t want to pair with yet another new device or if a device doesn’t have Bluetooth compatibility, such as an old handheld games console. It was great to simply wire up my work laptop to the T90S for online meetings after listening to music on my phone, and I wish more of LG’s competitors would offer it.
Another feature LG has used across many of its products is UVnano, which is also present in the T90S. This essentially sanitizes the buds when they’re charging by using UV lights, and can help to reduce bacteria by up to 99.9%, according to LG. This is a pretty cool addition – sorry bacteria, these ears aren’t for sharing.
One unusual but interesting option is Whispering mode, which you can engage via the app. When active, you can speak softly on the phone, using the right earbud as a microphone. This is intended for use if you’re in a busy space yet want to communicate something private that you’re sure the other person on the line is still able to make sense of, and it actually works. More generally, microphone quality is pretty decent. Static was mostly dulled when making a voice recording, and call quality is relatively high, too.
As you’d expect from a higher-priced set of wireless earbuds, the T90S come with Bluetooth multi-point, meaning you can connect two devices at the same time and seamlessly switch between them without having to mess around with re-pairing. Thanks to the LG Tone Free app, you can get a breakdown of all the devices connected and even disconnect or unpair them all via a single platform: a minor detail, sure, but certainly a nice-to-have.
I also welcome the auto-pausing feature. My Sony WF-C700N earbuds lack this ability, so I can tell you that it really is a great thing to have, even if it seems small. It’s particularly useful if someone is trying to speak to you while you’re listening to tunes, especially with ANC on. Simply remove the earbud(s) and bam – your podcast or music pauses. These buds also have fully customizable touch controls, which is a huge plus. I altered my configuration so that three taps on the left earbud would play the previous song, while the next played with a tap on the right. You can also change volume with tap controls, which is great if you’re on the move and don’t want to dig into your pocket and mess around with the source device.
Finally, there’s a Find My Earbuds feature that can help you track down those pesky buds when they go MIA. There’s an option to play a loud ringing noise on either the left or right bud to help you locate them, which is a useful touch from LG.
As you can see, there’s plenty to sink your teeth into with the LG Tone Free T90S buds, and their awesome (and, admittedly, epic) list of features make them massively user-friendly and customizable, helping to justify their pretty high asking price. If the battery life weren’t distinctly average, these would score five stars here.
LG Tone Free T90S review: sound quality
- Well-balanced sound
- Effective spatial audio
- Qualcomm aptX Adaptive
The LG Tone Free T90S perform very well in the sound department, and I was impressed by their supremely balanced audio. An interesting quirk about these earbuds is that their drivers use pure graphene (as opposed to the more typical coated graphene) – something that helps to reduce distortion and delivers more precise sound, according to LG.
When listening to Black Eye by Allie X, the T90S offered solid depth, with the intro’s energetic bass sounding clear, impactful and punchy. The snappy beats from the drum machine were replicated well, too, and maintained their rapid, precise characteristics. In addition, the way that vocals dispersed across the 3D soundstage was very pleasing – a factor that proved a real point of difference when I compared the T90S to the far cheaper, yet still great, Sony WF-C700N.
The T90S also performed well when I listened to Young Blood by The Naked and Famous. The electric guitar in the lower-mid frequency range sounded clear-cut, and never felt muddied with the bass or other sounds in the mid-range. This tune illuminated the very decent separation on offer with the T90S. Sure, you might not be getting the truly perfect, ultra-detailed audio you’d expect from a pair of the best wired earbuds for audiophiles, for instance, but for a pair of wireless buds at this price, they do a fantastic job.
I tuned into Rains again by Solji in order to test the high-frequency handling. Once again, I thoroughly enjoyed the listening experience on offer, with the buds doing a solid job of replicating the vocalist’s high notes in a delicate manner. There was no sign of any tinniness, nor any distortion – even at higher volumes. When using Dolby Virtual Sound or the 3D Soundstage EQ preset, vocals sounded slightly forward, and rain in the background came through naturally, which really helped to elevate the emotional, atmospheric nature of the track.
One key feature that enables the T90S to deliver high-caliber audio is Snapdragon Sound, which harnesses Qualcomm’s aptX technology. Snapdragon Sound delivers Bluetooth audio quality reaching CD quality, and is capable of handling 24-bit, 96kHz sound.
The Atmos effect serves its purpose very well with the T90S, and you can even adjust reverb to enhance, or reduce, what LG calls the “spatial impression”, depending on your personal taste. On top of that, general clarity, quality and separation is great, and although these buds aren’t going to produce the mind-blowingly good sound you’d expect from some top-of-the-range earbuds, they perform superbly compared to other wireless earbuds.
- Sound quality score: 4.5/5
LG Tone Free T90S review: design
- Can take a little while to find the right fit
- User-friendly touch controls
- Both buds and case are elegant and well sized
I’m going to be frank: I didn’t love these buds out of the box, and a lot of that had to do with their design. This is nothing to do with the way they look; I just found they made for an odd fit.
The T90S are almost spherical in shape, with a rounded inside. At first, this just didn’t appear to suit the shape of my ears. I then also realized that the default ear tips were of the Extra Small size – a bit of a bizarre choice from LG. However, the T90S do arrive with an array of different-sized ear tips, so you can find the perfect fit for you. When I swapped to the Medium ear tips, I found the buds sat in my ears far more comfortably. I still don’t love their shape; but everyone’s ears are different, and this may well be a non-issue for most.
The LG Tone Free app’s “Test My Best Fit” feature is pretty useful to find your perfect fit. Simply pop the T90S into your ears, and listen to the short musical sample. Afterwards, the app will reveal whether you have an optimal fit, or whether you need to adjust the position of the earbuds to achieve better sound. This is a useful tool for the T90S in my view, especially given their relatively unusual form. I’d definitely recommend giving it a whirl on first use of the T90S.
Fit aside, the T90S’s design is very much user friendly. The buds are almost built to be ‘pinchable’ from their charging case, which makes them easy to take out on the fly. The case itself, although not the slimmest around, is nicely weighted and classy, although it could be useful to have a physical pairing button. A very welcome inclusion is that of both a USB-C to USB-C cable, and a USB-C to 3.5mm alternative, both of which can be used to take advantage of the Plug & Wireless feature.
On a final note, these earbuds look pretty cool. Their rounded, curvy look may not make for the ideal fit, but they certainly have a unique, tidy and diminutive aesthetic that fits the T90S’s profile down to a tee. In the end, I was left with an almost entirely positive impression of the T90S design-wise. Although it may take some time to find the best in-ear feel, they have all the right user-friendly features and looks I’d seek in an excellent pair of wireless earbuds. Not bad, LG.
LG Tone Free T90S review: value
- At the premium end of earbuds
- Price tag matched with extensive features and quality audio
- Solid overall value, but could be worth waiting for a sale
If you spotted the LG Tone Free T90S’s price earlier in the review, you probably know what’s coming next – these puppies aren’t cheap. They’ll set you back £229, with official prices for the US and Australia yet to be confirmed. Thankfully, I’ve already spotted these selling for a little less on Amazon UK, where they can be picked up for just under £180. Nevertheless, the point remains largely the same – these are a higher-end pair of wireless earbuds.
However, you have to look at the full package here, and the T90S really can do it all. With Dolby Atmos and head tracking, you’re getting a unique pair of buds (so far), and considering Snapdragon Sound is in the mix for hi-res audio streaming, I actually felt excited at the thought of listening to tunes on these. What’s more, you get an extremely broad list of features, which add so much depth, competence and fun when it comes to the final user experience.
That’s the bigger picture. Sure, you’re paying a lot for these wireless earbuds, but I’d argue that their customizability and diverse set of features makes them solid value at full price – if you catch them on a big sale, they could be stunning value instead.
Should I buy the LG Tone Free T90S?
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Features | Epic customizability, ANC, Dolby head tracking, UVnano… but average battery life. | 4.5/5 |
| Sound quality | Hi-res Bluetooth audio with well-balanced sound and effective Dolby Atmos immersion. | 4.5/5 |
| Design | High-quality look and massively user-friendly design choices, but might be an odd fit at first. | 4/5 |
| Value | Not the cheapest, but an exhaustive feature set and great audio prove why. | 4/5 |
Buy them if…
Don’t buy them if…
LG Tone Free T90S: Also consider
| Header Cell – Column 0 | LG Tone Free T90S | Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 | Technics EAH-AZ80 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £229.98 (about $300 / AU$450) | $299 / £279 / AU$429 | $299 / £259 / AU$499 |
| Drivers | 9.8mm dynamic graphene | 9.3mm dynamic | 10mm dynamic |
| Active noise cancellation | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Battery life | Buds: 9 hours (ANC off) / 5 hours (ANC on); Total with case: 36 hours (ANC off) / 20 hours (ANC on) | Buds: 6 hours | Buds: 7 hours; Charging case: 25 hours |
| Weight | 5.7g per earbud | 6.2g per earbud | 7g per earbud |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.4 | Bluetooth 5.3 | Bluetooth 5.3, with LDAC compatibility |
| Frequency range | 20Hz-20kHz | 20Hz-20kHz | 20Hz-40kHz |
| Waterproofing | IPX4 | IPX4 | IPX4 |
| Other features | Dolby Atmos, Dolby head tracking, EQ adjustment, UV bacteria cleaning, Plug & Wireless, Whispering Mode, Find My Earbuds, wireless charging | Adjustable EQ, CustomTune tech, ActiveSense tech | JustMyVoice mic tech, 2x ambient noise detection modes, EQ adjustment, Wireless charging, find headphones |
LG Tone Free T90S review: How I tested
- Tested for two weeks
- Used in the office and while on walks
- Predominantly tested using Tidal on Fiio M11S
I put the LG Tone Free T90S to the test for two weeks. I predominantly used the earbuds while seated in the office, but also out and about on walks and at home. Much of the time I had the T90S connected to the FiiO M11S hi-res music player, listening to tunes on Tidal to access hi-res audio. I also played music and movies using my Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4, which supports Dolby Atmos.
When listening to music, I started by tuning into the TechRadar testing playlist, which contains tracks from a wide variety of genres. I used the T90S with my Windows laptop when watching YouTube videos or playing games, to ensure quality was high across multiple devices and mediums and that the Plug & Wireless feature worked effectively. I also compared the T90S to other wireless earbuds to judge audio quality, comfort levels, and design features.
Source: www.techradar.com
