LG - TONE Flex HBS-XL7 Wireless In-Ear Headphones - Black
Model: LG HBS-XL7
SKU: 6382466
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Customers find value in the TONE Flex HBS-XL7 Wireless In-Ear Headphones for their exceptional sound quality, comfort during extended wear, and impressive battery life. Users appreciate the convenience of the Google Assistant feature and the user-friendly design that ensures a secure fit.
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Verdict: The LG Tone Flex HBS-XL7 are great headphones that deliver quality sound, all-day battery, and unmatched convenience. Initial impressions. Removing the earphones from the retail box was easy. I was immediately impressed by the flexibility of the neckband; it can be twisted and flexed to a large extent, leading me to think that it will last longer. I was also surprised about the light weight of the neckband; it looks heavier than it actually is. The whole system is sleek and light, definitely the best-looking neckband-style earphones on the market. Included with the earphones are a USB-C charging cable (only the cable is included, not the plug adapter), two pairs of silicone earpieces, and the instructions. Initial setup. Setting up the earphones was very easy and only took seconds. Upon turning on the neckband by holding the power button for 3 seconds, the neckband vibrates noticeably and a voice prompt in the earbuds indicates that it is ready for pairing. From your smartphone’s Bluetooth menu, select the LG earphones, and the earphones will pair within a few seconds. Using the latest Bluetooth 5.0, these headphones deliver farther wireless range, longer battery, and better sound. Sound. I was initially disappointed with the sound of these earphones when listening to music. I couldn’t hear the details of the music well and I also noticed that the earpieces didn’t fit in my ear well. I decided to change the silicone earpieces to improve the seal with my ears. Changing the silicone pieces was a little tricky (see below for tips), but it resolved my issue. Using the larger silicone pieces and seating the earphones well inside the ear, I was able to get a nice seal between my ears and the earphones to achieve pretty good passive noise cancellation and hear better sound. The sound is rich, overall balanced, and very good for the small size of the earbuds. The sound clarity and definition are good given the size of the earbuds, and when comparing to other options, they compete very well at this price range. One area of improvement would be the bass, I think… but I do like my music with heavier bass, so perhaps this will be perfect for most people Changing the silicone earpieces. First, I tried to just pull the silicone pieces off from the side but they are fitted very tightly to the earbuds and I feared the silicone would rip if I pulled harder. Then, I completely inverted the silicone (see picture) to gently and evenly pull the silicone… and the silicone earpiece came right off. To insert the new silicone piece, I also inverted the silicone to be able to see the silicone slide over the earbud. Convenience. I own a pair of true wireless earbuds, and while I like them very much, I am always worried about dropping them (to their certain destruction). These earphones are incredibly convenient because the neckband allows you to do anything you want without worrying that you will drop and/or lose an earbud. If you need to hear something or someone, you can quickly pull out one or both earbuds and let them hang, or you can use the retractable feature to quickly put them away. I can see now why neckband-style earphones are so popular. They just work! All day and worry free! These will be great for traveling, commuting, or using on the job. Things I like: - The initial setup was a breeze. Subsequent connections are seamless. - The wireless range of these earphones is very good. I was able to get about 30 feet away from the smartphone without losing connection - Worry-free wear! The neckband stays in place around the neck. It is easy to take the earbuds out of your ear quickly and just let the earbuds dangle from the neckband. - Comfort! The neckband is light and the earbuds comfortable. I forgot they were there after a couple minutes. - Taking phone calls was easy and provided good sound quality. The dual microphones mean that the person on the other end can hear you better. - Passive noise cancellation is effective once you achieve a good seal between the silicone earpieces and your ears. The sound is great for the size of the earbuds. - Battery life seems to be excellent, with an advertised 10 hours on a single charge. I used these for a straight five hours and still had plenty of battery left. Upon turning on the power, the earphones indicate the battery level through voice prompt, i.e. “battery level high.” - These earphones offer a very convenient quick recharge feature: 10 min of charging provide 3 hours of listening time. - USB-C charging connector, it makes it easier to charge with the other devices in your home. Things I don’t like - I definitely have concerns over the longevity of the cable that goes from the neckpiece to the earbuds. There is no indication that these might fail early, but it definitely looks like the weakest point of the design. - I tried to use these for running and they are not ideal. The neckband bounces around quite a bit and you can feel every time it lands on your shoulders. On the other hand, these earphones work well for walking or other activities that are not high impact. - Including a pouch for storage would have been nice. - I don’t know if these have an auto-shutoff feature, in case you leave the earphones on by mistake. I couldn’t find anything in the instructions but I guess I will find out soon enough when I forget to turn them off. - Google Assistant integration only. This is unfortunate since a good portion of the smartphone market uses Siri or other smart assistants. I don’t have the google assistant so I couldn’t test this feature. Some other earphones work to integrate all smart assistants so I think LG could have done this as well. Overall, these are fantastic earphones. While there are a few things I didn’t like, I would rate these earphones 4 stars to 4.5 stars. I highly recommend these for anyone looking for easy to use and worry-free Bluetooth earphones with good sound and long battery life.
Posted by AllAboutTech
I must definitely say, the best thing about my LG Tone headset is the sound quality. There is a clear and distinct difference between this one and my last set. It even makes old recordings of mine sound like they were recording yesterday on fine equipment. So some of the best thing about it, I think are: retractable earbuds (this is so cool and convenient!) It has Google assistant software Battery last really long, even with a short charging time I have an Android smartphone, so the Google assistant is extra helpful in that even text messages are read to me aloud. There’s a button I push and Google will read aloud whatever the notification is, although it has been a bit inconsistent with this feature. There’s also an app called “LG Tone & talk” where you can custom and set it even more so what you’re looking for. My only complaint would be that it reads the entire hyperlink if someone sends it. My husband sent me a link to read and article and Google read the entire hyperlink, letter by letter…ugh. I would also like different voice options, but these are just personal preferences. All in all this was a good investment and assuming the kinks will be worked out, I’d definitely recommend.
Posted by Njmomof3
Great product that won't let you down. The cords are not the most durable so I would be careful.
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