Previously, we had our hands on the Nakamichi Sportswear Bluetooth headset and we were pretty impressed with its build quality and audio performance. Today, we have the LG Tone Active bluetooth headset to play with. Which is better? What is our ultimate choice? Read on to find out more.
Introduction
The LG Tone bluetooth headset series should be well known to many. LG has recently celebrated the sale of the 10 millionth unit with launch of the new TONE Active bluetooth headset, in hopes of continuing their reign in the market. What is the core feature that really sets the LG TONE Active apart from the rest of the other bluetooth headset out in the market?
Design and Features
The main differing factor of the LG TONE Active is in its design. Instead of usual headsets that have long wires dangling around the neck and body, LG TONE Active contains all the hardware within a neck band. They call it the Memory Flex Neck Band. This band allows the whole headset to have added physical space to input more technology within the headset. Thanks to such design, they can also increase the battery capacity, allowing the LG TONE Active to have a continuous music play time of up to 9.5 hours.
The LG TONE Active comes in many colours, including Lime, Orange, Blue and Pink. We got our hands on the blue variant for review as we guess that it should suit most of our male readers. This stylish looking sportswear is made specifically for those who likes to work out and exercise a lot. The flexible band feels comfortable around the neck, and the retractable earbuds gives the user a whole new wireless and hassle free experience. This retractable wireless management system is definitely one of a kind as we have yet to see anything like it in the market.
We were skeptical on the reliability of the earbuds as the cables that are hooked up to them seemed a bit too thin and may snap easily. However, thanks to the good build quality of the LG TONE Active, there is really nothing much to worry.
One of the main concerns of usual headsets is that cables tend to be annoying during a workout, especially during a run. The cables can hit against the neck every time the user runs forward a step. We were glad that with the flexible band that tugs nicely around the neck, we really had a comfortable experience when playing music and working out at the same time.
To make it even simpler to control the music and calls, LG has integrated 2 buttons on each side of the LG TONE Active’s band. The left side is for call controls, featuring answer/cancel call button and a power button. The right side is for music control, featuring volume up and volume down buttons which also serve as next and previous music playback buttons.
LG Tone & Talk App
The LG TONE Active is compatible with LG’s Tone & talk App. This equips the LG TONE Active to be more than just a simple bluetooth headset. It turns it into a sound activated notification center. With the app installed on the phone, instant notifications from the phone can be sent directly to the bluetooth headset.
Above are some of the compatible apps that supports such feature. Upon receiving from a notification or message from the above services, the app will automatically do a text to speech translation and notify you via LG TONE Active. It’s good to find out the contents of a text or who is calling you, without the need to remove the smartphone out of your pocket. It also allows the user to fully focus on his workout, and care less about the things that are not as important. Moreover, the neck band is integrated with a vibrator, ensuring that you are alerted of every single notification you get.
Audio Quality
We had much expectations of the LG TONE Active, but were quite disappointed with the audio quality coming from this headset. It is true that the headset is equipped with the best technologies that is out in the market, such as being aptX compatible and has LG Toned Sound technology, but due to the lack of good audio drivers within the earbuds, audio seemed a bit too bland for our liking. It works to play decent audio, but not to a point to really excite and impress anyone. This is furthermore disappointing to the target audience of the headset who works out a lot. A good sounding headset can really motivate one to go further in their exercises.
Conclusion
The LG TONE Active is not your usual bluetooth headset. Its unique and comfortable design makes it a perfect choice for people who like to work out with their music. The Talk & Tone app brings out the best of LG TONE Active, allowing active notifications to be sent directly to your ears. It definitely creates a whole new handsfree experience to the users.
If you are looking for something comfortable to wear and play your music when working out, look no further, as the LG TONE Active is by far the most comfortable bluetooth sports headset that we have tested. If you are more particular with audio quality, there are better alternatives out in the market, such as the Nakamichi NEP-BTSPORTS05 we reviewed earlier.
The LG TONE Active comes in four electrifying colors: Lime, Orange, Blue and Pink all of which are available at all leading electronic retailers for S$189.00.
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