The new Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro wireless noise-canceling earbuds are the flagship of Anker’s Soundcore earbuds lineup, promising and delivering great sound and high-end features at a more accessible price point than some competitors, like AirPods Pro 2. After putting the Liberty Pro buds through their paces in various scenarios, I’m happy to recommend them for most users in this Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro earbuds review.
And that nifty new charging case with display screen and touch bar is pretty cool. But it’s a bit of a gimmick because it doesn’t do anything you can’t do with the app or touch controls. That said, most earbuds charging cases don’t have those features at all (yet).
Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro earbuds review
After excellent past experiences with Soundcore products, including the new Soundcore Space One Pro over-ear headphones, I had high hopes for the Liberty 4 Pro earbuds when they came out October 3. And they didn’t disappoint, even though they haven’t yet matched Apple on Spatial Audio with Head Tracking (and of course they don’t interact seamlessly with Apple devices like the iPhone giant’s own earbuds do). But for the price — currently $129.99 — they offer everything most listeners could want, and then some. And that includes outstanding audio quality with great customization options.
Table of contents: Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro earbuds review
- Cool case, sleek design, comfortable fit
- Great sound quality and helpful Soundcore App
- A plethora of features
- Battery life and connectivity
- Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro earbuds: Value proposition
Cool case, sleek design, comfortable fit
Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac
The Liberty 4 Pro earbuds sport a sleek, modern design with a stem-style shape reminiscent of AirPods. The charging case, while not the most premium-feeling, has a unique sliding top mechanism that’s easy to open with one hand. It also features a small display and touch bar for controlling various functions without fussing with earbuds touch controls or opening the Soundcore App on my iPhone — a neat touch, albeit somewhat gimmicky.
First off, the case top slides back rather than flipping up like most earbud charging cases. It clicks into place when all the open. When I push it back to close it, it snaps closed easily. And while it’s open, a small screen and control bar are visible. On my white version, I can’t see through the case (but you can on the light blue or black versions, to see battery status at a glance, or example). With the help of the Soundcore App, I found I could use the controls on the case to monitor battery level, adjust active noise cancellation (ANC) strength, turn on Spatial Audio, find lost earbuds and more. Given that most earbuds charging cases don’t have screens or touch bars, that’s pretty cool.
Comfort-wise, I love the Liberty 4 Pro earbuds — and I have a checkered history when it comes to stemmed buds. With multiple ear tip sizes included (even an “extra medium” option), I was able to achieve a secure and comfortable fit right away. They stayed put while I was out and about and during long listening sessions. And the IPX5 water resistance is a nice bonus for gym-goers or those caught in the rain.
Great sound quality and helpful Soundcore App
Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac
The audio quality of the Liberty 4 Pro is impressive, especially considering their price point. Out of the box, they offer a well-balanced sound profile with punchy bass that doesn’t overpower the mids and highs. Whether I listened to indie rock, classical, jazz or podcasts, the audio clarity remained consistently good. The snappy midrange particularly impressed me, offering more clarity — as in separation between instruments — than my AirPods Pro 2 in some cases.
The Soundcore app provides a wealth of customization options, including a custom EQ and various presets, allowing you to fine-tune the sound to your liking. Also worth noting: The Soundcore App’s HearID Sound Test goes quite in-depth. It actually took some time, almost like a visit to an ear doctor. So I felt pretty certain the sound profile it generated really reflected my own personal hearing. And the app offers extensive customization options and useful features. The ability to adjust ANC levels, customize controls and even find lost earbuds made the app feel essential rather than an afterthought.
Call quality remained high in quiet environments but a little less so in noisier settings. If crystal-clear calls in all situations is a priority, you might want to look at more premium options. For casual use and calls in quieter environments, the buds perform well enough.
A plethora of features
Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac
The earbuds are packed with features:
- Hi-Fi audio: The buds use two drivers and digital crossover to maintain high-quality sound.
- ANC: While not quite on par with ultra-premium options, the ANC is solid for the price. Using seven sensors and a reactive algorithm, it effectively reduces low-frequency noises like airplane engines and general ambient sounds. However, it struggles a bit with sudden loud noises or nearby voices. I often cycle through ANC levels with just a radio or podcast or TV playing nearby to see how much or little of it can get through, and Liberty 4 Pro checked the various boxes. Tranparency Mode let much more sound through while max ANC blotted most of it out.
- Clear calls using 6 microphones and AI-driven noise reduction.
- Spatial Audio with Head Tracking: An interesting addition, but I found it to be hit-or-miss depending on the content. It added some depth to music but wasn’t particularly impressive for movies or podcasts. I felt like it didn’t quite get to Apple’s level, with some latency in the head tracking.
- LDAC support: Great for Android users looking for high-quality audio codecs (sorry, iPhone users).
- Bluetooth Multipoint Connectivity: I found this convenient for switching between my phone and iPad without needing to re-pair.
- Case Touch Bar and Display
Battery life and connectivity
Typical with Soundcore, battery life of the new buds is impressive, with up to 9 hours of playtime on a single charge and up to 32 hours total with the charging case. During my week of testing, I only needed to charge the case once, which was refreshing compared to some other earbuds I’ve used.
Connectivity was generally stable, though I did experience some occasional stuttering in areas with high interference, like busy city intersections. This is a common issue with many non-Apple earbuds, so it wasn’t unexpected. In most scenarios the connection remained solid.
Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro earbuds: Value proposition
Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac
After about a week with the Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro, I’m genuinely impressed with what they offer. These earbuds strike an excellent balance between performance and affordability, making them a strong contender in the mid-range market. At their price point, the Liberty 4 Pro earbuds offer exceptional value. While they may not quite match the performance of earbuds costing twice as much, they come impressively close in many areas. The combination of good sound quality, effective ANC, long battery life and a feature-rich app make these a compelling option for budget-conscious audiophiles.
Are they perfect? No. The ANC could be stronger, call quality in noisy environments leaves something to be desired, and some features, like spatial audio, feel more like extras than essentials. However, when you consider the overall package — great sound, comfortable fit, long battery life, and a slew of customization options — the Liberty 4 Pro punches above its weight class, like many Soundcore products.
For those seeking a feature-rich, great-sounding pair of earbuds without breaking the bank, the Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro is an easy recommendation. They offer 80% of the premium earbud experience at about 50% of the cost. While they may not dethrone the top-tier offerings from the likes of Apple or Sony, they come remarkably close in many aspects at a lower price.
You can pick up the new buds in glossy black, glossy light blue — both with the see-through case top — or white, with opaque case top, for $129.99.
Soundcore provided Cult of Mac with a review unit for this article. See our reviews policy, and check out other in-depth reviews of Apple-related items.
★★★★☆
