The verdict
For most people choosing an app-controlled wearable, the Lush 4 is the default, and the battery and charging changes are why. Five minutes on the charger for about an hour of use removes the most common failure of the category. It is not a new device so much as the old one with its weakest point fixed, and Lovense's own figures show the same intensity as the Lush 3.
Worth it if
- Long-distance couples who want the most established wearable and the deepest app
- Anyone who has had a wearable go flat at the wrong moment
- Couples pairing it with a partner's Max 2, which can drive it over any distance
Look elsewhere if
- Buyers who want a device that works fully without an app and an account
- Anyone looking for more intensity than the Lush 3, which Lovense's figures do not show
- People who prefer a smaller size, for whom the Lush Mini is the closer fit
How it scores against our criteria
Every review is assessed against the method we publish. Read the method.
- Remote control architecture
- Internet-based control through the Lovense Remote app, so a partner can control it from anywhere, not just over Bluetooth. The same app handles custom patterns, sound-reactive modes and pairing with a partner's device.
- Battery and charging
- The headline change. Lovense quotes up to 350 minutes of use, and is candid that it ranges from about 122 to 350 depending on intensity. A full charge takes 45 minutes, and five minutes gives about an hour. Against the Lush 3's 220 minutes and 80-minute charge, this is the reason to choose it.
- Connection range
- Up to 105 metres outdoors over Bluetooth, the longest Lovense states for a Lush. This matters when the phone is in another room of the same building; long-distance control does not depend on it.
- Noise
- From 36 dB by Lovense's figures, against 38 dB for the Lush 3. A small difference on paper, and one we cannot verify without testing.
- Materials and care
- Silicone and electroplated plastic, IPX7 waterproof, so it can be rinsed and cleaned without judgement calls. It weighs 75 g, the same as the Lush 3.
- App dependency and privacy
- Everything beyond the on-device button needs the app and an account, and long-distance control routes through Lovense's servers. That is the trade every device in this class makes, and worth understanding before the first session.
Few devices in this category have been through four generations, and the Lush has, which says something about how central it is to the idea of long-distance play. The fourth generation is an exercise in fixing what owners actually complained about rather than adding features for a spec sheet.
What the fourth generation fixes
Battery. A wearable that goes flat ends the evening, and for a device meant to be worn for long stretches, that is the failure that matters. Lovense's answer is a bigger battery and much faster charging: up to 350 minutes of use, a full charge in 45 minutes, and about an hour of use from five minutes on the charger. That last figure is the one we would weigh most, because it turns a forgotten charge from a cancelled plan into a short delay.
The rest is refinement. Bluetooth range rises to 105 metres outdoors, the minimum noise figure drops to 36 dB, and there is a customisable LED light in the tail, which most owners will treat as a novelty.
What it does not change
Intensity. Some owner reviews on Lovense's site describe the Lush 4 as stronger than earlier versions, but Lovense's own comparison chart lists the same maximum, 7,000 vibrations per minute, for the Lush 3, the Lush 4 and the Lush Mini. We go by the published figure. If you are upgrading for power alone, the specification does not support it.
The app is also the same, which is a strength: the Lovense Remote app has more depth than most, with custom patterns, sound-reactive modes and pattern sharing, and it works identically across the range.
With a partner's device
The Lush 4 can be driven by a partner's Lovense controller toy. Lovense documents a one-way pairing with the Max 2, where the Max 2 controls the Lush 4's vibration over any distance. Because the Lush 4 is worn rather than held, the receiving partner has nothing to hold, which suits the pairing well. Our guide to long-distance toys that work as a pair explains how one-way and two-way control differ.
Lush 4, Lush 3 or Lush Mini?
- Lush 4: the default. Longest battery, fastest top-up and longest range of the three.
- Lush 3: worth it only at a real discount. Same app, intensity and waterproofing, shorter battery and slower charging.
- Lush Mini: the same app and features in a smaller, lighter body, with less battery than the Lush 4 but the fastest full charge.
Lovense
Lovense Lush 4