LG recently announced the launch of the LG Tone Plus Free wireless earbuds in South Korea. While these buds are yet to go on sale, a newly discovered patent application reveals that the company could already be working on its next pair of wireless earbuds.
LG had filed for the patent with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in March last year. Dutch website Mobielkopen discovered the patent, which was published on October 15, 2019.
LG wireless earbuds patent
LG is relatively new to the wireless earbuds market, or should we say, relatively inexperienced. The newly announced Tone Plus Free earbuds are the company’s first truly wireless offerings. These buds are developed in partnership with Cambridgeshire-based Meridien Audio and sport a fairly standard design – a pill-shaped body with touch-sensitive buttons.
LG is now working on a new pair of earbuds with a “stick” form factor. The patent documentation features several sketches of the product, showing it from every angle. Unfortunately, this “Wireless Earphone” titled patent is just a design patent and hence reveals nothing about its internal components.
Of course, it’s only a patent, so there’s no telling whether LG actually intends to develop such a product or not. Maybe we will start hearing something about the company’s plans once the Tone Plus Free wireless earbuds release. These buds are releasing in South Korea on October 28.
LG Tone Plus Free wireless earbuds
The upcoming Tone Plus Free earbuds are LG’s first truly wireless offerings. Featuring Meridien Audio’s high-performance technology, these buds also come with Google Assistant support. The buds equip a dual-microphone setup for noise cancellation.
LG promises up to six hours of playtime with these buds. They also support quick charging, allowing up to one hour of playtime on just 5 minutes of charging. The charging case is UV-treated and is able to clean and sterilize the earbuds as soon as they are placed in it. The buds are IPX4 compliant, meaning they can easily survive light rain and sweat.
LG is offering the Tone Plus Free earbuds in two color variants in South Korea. The buds cost 259,999 won (roughly $220) in its home country and are available through both online and offline channels. The black-colored buds will hit the shelves on October 28, followed by the white variants next month. Customers who pre-order the buds will get exclusive benefits such as Starbucks gift cards.
Son Dae-gi, head of LG Korea Marketing, said the product will be aimed at domestic consumers. Whether the South Korean giant offers the Tone Plus Free earbuds outside its home country remains to be seen.