LG is adding three new earbuds to its TONE Free lineup — the FP5, FP8, and FP9. The most intriguing addition is the new “Whispering Mode” which allows users to hold the right earbud near their mouth and use it as a dedicated microphone in noisy environments.
The feature, available on all three earbuds, is certainly attractive to those who don’t like talking on the phone in public. The updated earbuds are quite similar in both specs and appearance. They all sport three microphones per earbud, IPX4 water resistance, active noise cancelling, and an ambient mode for talking without taking your earbuds off.
LG’s Arc Design shortens the earbud stems by 4.4mm compared to LG’s previous models, and it claims that the improved drivers and diaphragms offer more bass without impacting clarity or detail. The new lineup also comes with Headphone Spatial Processing and 3D Sound Stage which seem to be rivalling Apple’s Spatial Audio.
Then, as now, the TONE Free series comes with an auto-cleaning UVnano charging case that uses built-in UV-C lights to kill bacteria on the medical-grade ear tips. Oddly enough, only the mid-range FP8 comes with wireless charging. What separates the highest-end FP9 from the pack, however, is the ability to use the case as a transmitter for the earbuds, meaning you can use the FP9 even with non-Bluetooth devices.
The lineup comes with decent battery life, with 10 hours on a single charge and up to 24 hours with the case (the battery life is slightly less for the lower-end FP5). LG hasn’t revealed the prices for the earbuds yet and only revealed that they’ll be coming to “key markets” this month. No word on whether it’ll come to Malaysia, but we can expect the FP9 and FP8 to be priced just above the previously-released FN7’s RM609 price tag.
(Source: LG)
