Are The LG Tone Free T90S the Only Earbuds You’ll Ever Need?

Gear Editor Jess tried the LG Tone Free T90s Earbuds on the trail, at work, on planes, and in bed to figure out if they’re the ultimate all-rounder for Explorers.

Let’s get one thing out of the way – I don’t think music is needed in nature. Nature has a unique music all of its own, and it’s half the reason I love spending time in it.  I want to hear the birds, the trees, and water trickling over rocks – not Mambo No. 5. So why people take earphones and block it all out has baffled me for years.

But then I got given these earbuds to test, and suddenly I had to be all open-minded. Sigh.

I mapped out all the future opportunities I had to use them, planned to visit familiar spots so I wouldn’t miss out on new nature noises (yes, ridiculous), and lectured myself repeatedly on the importance of staying neutral.

My mission? Find out if the LG Tone Free T90s Dolby Atmos Wireless Earbuds are any good, and if they deserve a spot in the outdoors.

First mission: don’t lose any of the million accessories…

Why I’m the Right Person To Review These Earbuds

Aside from the fact that I might just be the last person in Melbourne not in possession of a pair of AirPods, finding a reviewer for a product that genuinely doesn’t think the product is necessary is rare. So you can count on the fact that I’m not biased.

Don’t get me wrong. I listen to music, I just haven’t joined the wireless train (all my earphones have strings), and I reserve private earbud listening for inside the house, coworking offices, or long trips on trains and planes.

While I’ve never paired music with nature, I’m no stranger to both and have spent significant time reviewing outdoor gear and enjoying the outdoors. Coupled with my undying determination to review a product thoroughly and my awareness that I really shouldn’t be too harsh while absolutely wanting to be, you can be assured that I’ll be triple-checking not just every criticism but every complimentary comment I make about these.

Quick Specifications

Price: $399
Weight (earbuds): 5.7g each
Weight (recharging case): 43g
Battery Life: Up to 9 hours (buds), 36 hours (with case that can recharge them)
Charge Type: USB-C + wireless charging
Water Resistance: IPX4 (splash resistant)
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3
Noise Cancellation: Adaptive ANC + Ambient Mode
Audio: Dolby Atmos, including head-tracking spatial audio
Unexpected feature: Self-cleaning antibacterial travel case (whaaaat?!)
Colours: Black

Handy left and right labels make it simple for earphone noobs like me

Performance

The App

The earbuds work best when used in tandem with the LG Tone App. This allows you to adjust presets (tap once for next song, twice for volume down etc.) change audio effects, add or remove noise cancellation, and a heck of a lot more.

Initially, I was pretty dubious about having to use an app as well as the earbuds – does listening to music really need to be this complicated? – but with some patience and experimentation, I’ve now got it working like clockwork, and I’ve grown to really love it.

When it comes to adjusting things like noise cancellation, sound effects, and head tracking features the app is baller. It responds quickly. It’s also great for checking battery life (down to each individual earbud and the charging case) so you know exactly how much time you have left. 

For people prone to losing things, there’s even a ‘find my earbud’ feature. This relies on the earbuds being in Bluetooth range (10m, but I managed to get 23m at home before it dropped out!). I can see this being super useful if you drop them at a campsite as the buds are black and would be hard to see among leaves/dirt etc.

Touch Controls

This is where the review takes a negative turn. I’m happy with basic functionality, so it doesn’t hugely bother me that these controls are a bit whack. But if you’re wanting to go Matrix-level and tip tap your earbuds with precision without consulting the app or your phone, you’re in for a world of frustration.

The app allows you to customise taps on both the left and right earbud to control things like skipping songs, pause/play, volume adjustments, power, previous/next song etc.

Receiving and ending a phone call (tap once to receive and twice to end) aren’t adjustable but if a call comes in you either need to answer or reject it so it renders other functions moot.

Despite setting custom controls in the app I found the tapping system very glitchy. Sometimes I’d tap three times but only two would be registered and instead of skipping songs I suddenly found the volume had dropped way lower instead. In some instances I’d try to reject a call but it’d immediately accept my first tap (and disregard the second!) and answer instead.

This signal confusion happened enough times to be too annoying to continue battling, so I’ve gone back to changing songs, volume, and audio settings on my phone. Not ideal if you’re counting on this feature. Pretty annoying at the gym or when hiking and not wanting to grab your phone out.

Sound Quality

Granted, I’m used to very shitty quality sound from cheap wired earphones, but the sound quality from these robust little earbuds was astounding. Not only did songs I’ve listened to for years take on a new depth and richness, but the noise-cancelling feature meant it felt like it was me and the music alone in the world.

The earbuds have five different audio options to choose from – immersive, natural, bass boost, treble boost, and 3D sound stage. If in doubt about which is best, natural is the one you want to choose as it’s suitable for most types of music.

Treble Boost is best for jazz, classical, and vocal performances. Bass Boost is best for pop and electronica, and 3D Sound Stage is ideal for watching sport or movies. Immersive is great for music and gives a surround sound effect. Each sounded distinctly different and I’ve grown to really enjoying customising the settings to suit what I’m listening to.

Note, if you don’t put them back in the case when you’re done listening you will need to turn them off in the app (otherwise the battery will continue to drain)

Head Tracking

The head-tracking tech legit made it feel like the sound was coming from in front of me. It was a bit intense for podcasts, but it was awesome and immersive for ASMR ocean sounds and birdsong, and favourite tunes I blasted while exercising.

Noise Cancellation

Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) on the T90S is solid, especially given how light and comfy they are. I wore them on a train next to a group of teens on a school excursion and heard nothing but nature on the spotify ‘calming forest, bird, and nature sounds’ playlist. At home it’ll block out the aircon when I’m sitting directly underneath it, and the droning static sound of a plane disappears entirely.

Read more: Pretend You’re Outside With These Soothing Nature Sounds

This is one feature I didn’t think I’d use – as someone often wandering around on my own, safety is never far from the front of my mind – but I’ve been surprised by how often I’ve turned it on. It’s a remarkably effective way to shut out the world, when it’s safe to do so. At home, on crowded transport, and in co-working spaces it’s perfect.

It’s not a feature I’d use when hiking alone or even before bed in my tent. If you’re using them to block out a pesky snorer, I’d definitely put ambient mode on just so you can hear if someone calls your name or something similar. Sure, you might still hear some snores, but it’ll be greatly mufffled compared to no earbuds, and you’ll still be aware enough of your surroundings to respond to an emergency.

Battery Life

LG says you’ll get up to 9 hours on a single charge, with another 27 hours from the case (for 36 hours total), and I reckon that’s pretty accurate. I’ve used them in fits and bursts over multiple weeks (returning them to the charging case each time), and the first time I charged the case again was three weeks in. They easily handle a full day of work without needing to go in the case, and that’s including taking phone calls.

The battery indicator lights on the case let you know if charge is dropping through the use of green, orange, and red lights, and the app will give you an eta of time left.

Bonus points are granted for the fast-charging capability too. Chuck the buds in the case in for five minutes and you’ll get an hour of playback straight away. This is perfect if you’re outdoors – it’s just enough time to pee and refill your Nalgene.

Fully charged and ready to go!

Connectivity

Bluetooth 5.3, baby. Translation: fast, stable, and super easy to pair. I swapped from my phone to laptop to iPad like a tech-savvy wizard (ask my colleagues and you’ll be swamped with confirmation that I am most definitely not, and will never be described this way!), and never experienced a drop.

Phone calls came through with way better sound than I’m used to on my Google Pixel mobile and initial pairing was ridiculously easy. If your patience with technology is razor thin like mine, these aren’t annoying in the slightest. I haven’t wanted to throw them in a drawer and forget about them once. Cannot say the same about my laptop, phone, fitbit, or smartwatch.

Comfort

I was a little skeptical about comfort and nervous to wear these without my safety cords attached, but the fit is honestly dreamy – I’ve worn them for hours on walks outdoors and they haven’t come close to falling out.

When wearing them all day while working, I’ve genuinely forgotton they were even in my ears multiple times. The silicon ear gels hold them in place and provide a complete seal – definitely helping the noise cancellation feature.

Am I comfortable with the lack of cords? Honestly, not yet. But I’m aware that’s a me thing and not a fundamental problem with these earbuds. I was expecting them to be endlessly falling out of my ears but that hasn’t been a problem at all.

The only time these aren’t great are when you’re trying to sleep or laying on your side – they fall out really easily which gets annoying. This is particularly grating for me as I’ve found they’re fantastic for blocking out the nightly possum parkour at my place, but I’m a side sleeper.

Potentially using different sized ear gels would combat this but the size I’ve got in otherwise works perfectly so I’m hesitant to compromise fit for just one application.

The case definitely makes me feel more comfy about the lack of cords

Design

The LG Tone Free T90s earbuds are slick. The matte black finish looks classy without screaming tech bro, and they’re small enough to chuck in any hipbelt pocket or side compartment (though I always store them in the case).

The case is innovative and tough, and I’m very confident throwing it in my pack knowing my earbuds won’t be damaged while inside. It’s on the heavier side thanks to the inbuilt battery, but it’s a small price to pay for earbuds that will easily last you a 2-3 day weekend hike without needing to be recharged at the wall.

But this case is packing more than just extra juice. LG describes it as UVnano and it supposedly kills 99.9% of bacteria on the speaker mesh while charging. Do I know if it works? No. Do I like knowing my ear gunk isn’t breeding a microscopic colony? Absolutely. Just going to have to trust them on that point but it’s not a common feature and I’m all for it. Especially if I drop my earbuds outside.

Pretty cool feature for earbuds that accompany you on the trail

The case is also pocket-sized and doubles as a DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) with a USB-C to aux cable provided, meaning you can plug into devices without Bluetooth and effectively use the charging case as a dongle beaming the sound out via Bluetooth to your wireless earbuds.

This isn’t hugely helpful for the outdoors, but in theory it works for plane screens, old MP3 players/iPods, and gym treadmills etc. This is a super clever feature that I’m very keen to try it out, but I haven’t been able to find the right application yet! (Incidentally, if you’ve tried, please let us know in the comments.)

Here’s a handy demo from LG. Hands free audio on the plane thanks to the handy case!

Sustainability

Like a lot of tech companies, LG is a bit vague on this front. There’s no clear info on recycled materials or carbon impact, and the closest thing I found to a sustainability policy on their website was a reference to a commitment to ‘Jeong-do management’ – something LG describes as their ‘unique application of ethics’. It was pretty vague. The bigger focus is clearly on quality products and efficiency. 

Ultimately I had to evaluate the product itself, and the earbuds feel durable – I didn’t feel like I had to baby them in the tent or worry about light rain. Less breakage = less landfill, so there’s still something to be said for making a quality product.

The all important Nalgene size comparison – yep, they’re small

Price

At $399, they’re not cheap. But you’re not just buying headphones – you’re buying spatial audio, UV cleaning, wireless charging, excellent battery life, and a whole lot more tech that I’m not even fully across despite having used these for months. Would I pay this much for an upgrade from my wired pair? Honestly, probably not. It’s a massive jump. I can’t deny the value is well represented by the price, but if you’re not chasing a mega upgrade, you can probably achieve your audio dreams for less.

If you’re someone who uses earbuds every day (for work, hikes, flights, commutes, and podcasting yourself to sleep), the LG Tone Free T90S Dolby Atmos Wireless Earbuds are worth the splurge.

If you’re like me and still quite happy with your wired earphones, these will be an adjustment. If I weren’t reviewing them, I probably would have called it quits and not taken the time to investigate the app and customisation options enough for me to see (and enjoy) the benefits. But I’m very glad I did. If you’re keen for an upgraded sound, I can absolutely recommend these.

While I’m still not sold that we need these outside, they are nice to make daily walks along very familiar tracks more interesting. Music and the added weight of the case won’t make your pack lighter, but it can make it feel lighter and sometimes that’s all you need.

I didn’t think I’d love these as much as I now do. Genuinely a very high quality and useful product

LG Tone Free T90S Final Thoughts

Is it perfect? No. Is it way better than my crappy old wired earphones? Hell yes. But for the price, it’d want to be.

If you’re after buds that sound incredible, fit snug, and double as a tiny ear hygiene station, the LG Tone Free T90S might be a good investment. They’re not rugged speakers you can hang off your pack, and you’ll need to be mindful about how easy they are to lose if you drop them, but for blocking out transport noise, solo walks on familiar trails, and blocking out snorers in overnight group hiking huts, they deliver quality sound, and noise cancellation.

I maintain that earbuds aren’t strictly necessary, but if music is a non-negotiable for you, then you might as well go all in and do it properly.

FAQs for LG Tone Free T90S Earbuds

Are the LG Tone Free T90S earbuds waterproof?

Not fully – they’re IPX4 rated, which means they can handle splashes and sweat but definitely not a dunk in the creek.

Can you use the LG Tone Free T90S on a plane?

Yes! You can plug the case into the seat’s aux port using the included USB-C to 3.5mm cable and use the earbuds wirelessly. Welcome to the future. Well, unless you’re me and continually get lumped with low-budget planes with no TV or ports. Looking forward to the day I can test this feature in the air.

Does the UVnano feature actually work?

LG claims it kills 99.9% of bacteria on the speaker mesh in five minutes. I didn’t swab my ears pre- and post-test, but it glows blue and feels very futuristic.

Can you sleep in them?

Yes, if you’re a back sleeper. They’re very light and comfy, but not ideal for side-sleepers unless you like pressing hard plastic into your skull all night. They also fall out really easily when on your side.

Are they good for hiking?

Definitely. Just make sure that you use the ambient mode for situational awareness.

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