After a year of testing, these wireless earbuds are still my favorite – and they’re not from Apple or Sony

Getting three-dimensional

17 Sep 2025, 14:00 · TechRadar

Opinion By Harry Padoan published 17 September 2025

(Image credit: Future)

I’ve reviewed countless pairs of wireless earbuds here at TechRadar, but it doesn’t take an expert’s eye to know that the market is incredibly convoluted. Even if you want a pair equipped with active noise cancellation, tons of smart features, and impressive sonic capabilities, you’ve got a lot of options to choose from.

But just over a year ago, I managed to get my hands on a pair of wireless earbuds that truly stood out – even among the best earbuds around. And still, this pair remains my go-to whenever I’m out and about, or if it’s too hot for wearing my over-ear Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones.

The model in question is the LG Tone Free T90S – earbuds you might never have heard of before. But believe me, they’re worth getting to know. With a truly unique feature-set, highly customizable audio output, and stylish looks, they’re a nailed down member of my audio gear rotation. Here’s why.

Features that stand out from the crowd

(Image credit: Future)

The LG Tone Free T90S boast an unorthodox, fleshed-out feature-set that’s kept me coming back time after time.

One of my favorite inclusions is Plug & Wireless – an option that enables you to connect the T90S charging case to a device, and hear its audio via the wireless earbuds. So, if you’re using an airplane entertainment system, or making use of a device that doesn’t support Bluetooth, you can access seamless wireless connectivity. How cool is that?!

Another thing that I’m a big fan of is the T90S’s use of LG’s UVnano technology. This basically sanitizes the buds while they're charging using UV lights, and LG states that this reduces bacteria by up to 99.9%. That’s something you won’t find on a lot of rival models, even flashy new buds like the Apple AirPods Pro 3 or Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds Gen 2.

There’s more unusual goodness to sink your teeth into, though. For instance, Whispering Mode is on-board for calls. If you speak quietly, using the right earbud as a microphone, the T90S will ensure your voice remains clear to anyone on the other end of the line. That’s pretty handy if you’re in a busy space and want to keep the volume down, or if you want to communicate something private in public.

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