Last year, LG launched a pair of true wireless earphones that came with a charging case designed to blast the buds with UV light to kill any bacteria that might be trying to take up residence. Now the company has brought the latest version of the bug-killing mobile music solution to the US.
The Tone Free HBS-FN6 earphones are shipped with LG’s UVnano case that not only adds 12 hours to the six per charge offered up by the earpieces, but is also reported to kill 99.9 percent of bacteria from the silicone buds and inner driver mesh. Are such bugs a problem for mobile music lovers? LG says that several studies have shown that earbuds can play host to more bacteria than a kitchen cutting board, which could lead to infections.
So the UVnano charging case blasts them with ultra-violet light while topping up their batteries, tested and verified as effective using a new protocol developed by UL Verified. This involved applying microorganisms to the speaker mesh and them popping them into the powered charging case for a 10-minute clean. Samples were taken before and after, and any reduction in test organisms documented.
The true wireless earphones also promise great things in the sound department thanks to something called Headphone Spatial Processing from Meridian Audio. This digital signal processing technology generates a soundstage that’s reckoned to be just like listening to audio through loudspeakers. Meridian is also responsible for the custom EQ feature.
There’s no active noise cancellation in play here, but buds are pretty good at allowing you to ignore the outside world and enjoy your music. But if you do want or need to hear what’s going on around you, there is an ambient sound mode that lets external sounds through at the touch of a button.
Elsewhere, the FN6 earphones carry an IPX4 rating, so you can safely listen to tunes while working out or walking in the rain, playback is controlled by touch, and users are able to make use of digital assistants on a paired smartphone via the Voice Command mode. A companion app offers additional tweaking options, while also including a handy “Find My Earbuds” feature.
The bug-hating Tone Free earphones are available now for a suggested retail price of US$149.99, with black or white being your color options.
LG’s flagship self-cleaning true wireless earphones make US debut [New Atlas]