Of the headphones I’ve reviewed, LG’s previous forays into headphones haven’t been great, nor have they been too bad. They seemed to be stuck in the middle.
But the previous headphones, the T90S, were pretty good (review of that model is incoming), and at CES 2025 they announced a new pair of headphones with an assist by will.i.am in the Xboom Buds.
In revamping the series from Tone Free to Xboom, LG has jettisoned one of the headphones more interesting features. The smart-charging case.
The T90S and the T90Q before it, supported a feature whereby you could plug the case into a 3.5mm analogue source and have it wireless transmit sound from that source, via the case, and to the earbuds. On the T90Q it didn’t work very well (I couldn’t get it to work at all), but on the T90S it actually worked.
It’s a similar technology to what Bowers & Wilkins use on its Pi8 flagship true wireless (and the Pi7 models before it), but the difference here is that Bowers’ true wireless are pricey. You’d have to pay over £300 / $300 for the privilege of wireless transmission. The LG earbuds bought that price barrier down to less than £200, which I’m sure you’ll all agree is a much more agreeable.
It’s not a feature that’s taken hold in the wireless earbud market though. Which is why it seems odd for LG to drop, especially as give there are so few that have it, it marks it a point of differentiation – a unique selling point and added convenience feature that could make a customer choose one headphone over another pair.
But instead, LG’s new true wireless feels the same as every other pair within its price bracket, with nothing to really distinguish it from the others aside from the will.i.am branding. It feels like a step back in my head.
There’s an over-familiarity that’s beginning to breed in the headphone market, where audio brands are increasingly packing as many features as they possible can, even if they’re not really suitable for the experience they can offer. The smart charging case offered something convenient, and LG did it at a cheaper price than Bowers & Wilkins. So why remove it from the feature list. I haven’t got a clue.
