The LG TONE Free FN7 is a premium set of true wireless earbuds from LG with active noise cancellation and a UVnano Wireless Charging Case. These new premium headphones offer good audio quality with Meridian audio, active noise cancellation, IPX4 water and sweat resistance.
Specifications
| Color Options: | Black, White |
| Dimensions: | Per earbud: 0.64″ x 1.29″ x 1.05″ (WxHxD) Weight: About 5.6 g Charging case: 2.15″ x 2.15″ x 1.08″ (WxHxD) Weight: About 39.1 g |
| Connectivity: | Bluetooth compatibility: BT 5.0 |
| Audio Technology: | Active Noise Cancelling MERIDIAN Spatial Audio |
| Battery: | Charging: USB Type-C 5 minutes of charging for 1 hour of playtime Wireless charging by Qi |
Packaging
The packaging includes the charging case, earbuds, a USB-C charging cable, manuals and replacement earbuds in two different sizes. There is no power adapter or a protective cover included for the case to prevent it from being scratched.
- LG Tone Free FN7
- USB Type-C Cable
- Two replacement earbuds
- User manual
Design & Build
The LG TONE Free FN7 comes in two colors – Stylish Black and Modern White. Our review unit is the Modern White edition.
The charging case is circle shaped with a glossy finish while the stylish black edition comes in matte finish. The case looks sophisticated and premium. At the top of the is the USB-C charging port (the case also supports wireless charging) and a pairing button on the left.
At the base is an LED indicator for status and another for UVnano status. The case can be opened by lifting up the top lid. The case is also extremely light and compact which makes the LG TONE Free FN7 perfect to carry around.
The earphones are magnetically held inside the charging case. They look well-built and the stems look similar to the Apple Airpods. The earbuds are lightweight, compact, easy to wear and comes with a multifunction touch panel for controlling playback, volume and switching ANC modes. According to LG, the buds themselves are non-toxic, hypoallergenic and made of medical-grade silicone.
The headphones turn on as soon as the charging case lid is opened, the interior of the case glows in blue UV light which is really neat effect. For the UVnano self-cleaning feature to work, the case has to be connected to a charger and it takes 10 minutes to do so but there is no way to measure its efficiency.
The earbuds connect directly to the last device they were used on. Audio playback automatically stops and resumes when you put the earphones on again. If you need to listen to someone you can just remove one of the headphones to pause the audio. You can use each earbud independently too.
With a very compact size and light weight, LG TONE Free FN7 earbuds offers a good build quality and are very comfortable to use for long periods of time, once you pick the right set of buds for your ear. The earbuds also have IPX4 water and sweat resistance ratings.
Software
The LG TONE Free app works flawlessly on Android or iOS and is used for configuring the touch controls, sound customization and switching between the noise cancellation modes.
The app lets you switch between four different listening modes – Immersive, Natural, Bass Boost and Treble Boost. Apart from these preset modes, the app also comes with an 8-band equalizer that can be customized.
Although the app lets you customize the touch controls assigned to the earbuds, you cannot individually customize them. The different touch controls available to customize are touch once, touch twice, touch thrice and long press.
In terms of ambient sound and ANC, there are three modes:
- Noise Cancelling – with two modes, high and low
- Off
- Ambient Sound – with two modes, high and low
The LG TONE Free FN7 features triple microphones. The upper microphone detects external noise. The inner microphone cancels out unwanted noise when you turn on the ANC function and the lower microphone picks up and amplifies your vocals even in a crowded space.
The Ambient Sound Mode is useful to tune into your surroundings better – when you need to have a quick conversation with the earbuds on, on public transportation, or while crossing a street.
The app also lets you listen to SMS and other social media notifications, by enabling and selecting apps to read out. Another highlight feature is the ‘Find My Earbuds’ function which makes the earbuds emit a chirping sound to help you locate them.
Audio Quality & Features
The LG TONE Free FN7 features 6mm drivers and is enhanced with MERIDIAN Spatial Audio, a system that recreates a realistic soundstage that simulates the experience of listening to real loudspeakers while delivering vocals with pristine clarity. LG says the audio unit has also been re-engineered to deliver a fuller and richer bass.
The sound quality in general, is clear, detailed and natural but the maximum volume might feel less for some. The LG TONE Free FN7 manages to deliver decent bass with well-defined mids, although the highs were a bit underperforming. In addition to good sound quality, the active noise cancelling does a decent job at blocking out noise although not as good as it’s competitors.
Connectivity & Battery Life
The LG TONE Free FN7 uses Bluetooth 5.0 to pair with other devices. The Bluetooth connectivity is stable without any delays between the devices and the connection range is around 10 meters.
Depending on usage, the LG TONE Free FN7 lasts about 4.5 hours with ANC enabled and 5 hours with it disabled. With the charging case, total battery life can reach about 13h of usage with ANC enabled and 16h of usage with ANC disabled.
The earphones charge back in 60 minutes when placed in the charging case. The case can be charged back in 2 hours with the included cable or by wireless charging compatible with the Qi standard. You can also use your smartphone or tablet to reverse-charge the charging case while you are on the go.
In addition, the case has a fast charge mode – with just 5 minutes of charging the earphones inside the case connected via USB Type-C, the earbuds can charge to run for 1 hour.
Verdict
The LG TONE Free FN7 offers good quality audio tuned by Meridian with decent active noise cancellation and comes in compact and incredibly lightweight case that makes it perfect to carry around with you.
On the downside, the touch controls, battery life and the volume could have been a little better.
With regards to noise cancellation, it performs well and it has been efficient in isolating external noise. Apart from all the different software features, the integration with Google Assistant and Siri is a big plus.
LGs TONE Free FN7 earbuds will be available in Stylish Black and Modern White at Sharaf DG stores across the UAE from early April, retailing at 799 AED.
