Looking for a new set of top earbuds? While there are plenty of options to pick from, if you want the best features, they can set you back a fair amount. Battery life is arguably one of the most important features, and most affordable buds drop the ball here. But not the newest wireless earbuds from Anker’s sub-brand Soundcore.
The Soundcore Liberty 5 earbuds come with a 48-hour battery life. You get 12 hours per charge and then three full top-ups from the case. It even supports wireless charging, because that really should be the bare minimum. Better yet, you get all this for £100/$130.
Noise cancellation is pretty good here, with Adaptive ANC 3.0 thrown in. That basically means these buds are constantly adjusting the noise cancellation every 0.3 seconds. The previous-gen Liberty 4 earbuds offered pretty decent noise cancellation, and it’ll only be better in this latest version.
Sound-wise, we’re talking 9.2mm wool paper diaphragms and twin bass tubes. It all adds up to mids that should offer actual presence, trebles that don’t screech, and a bass punch that doesn’t sound like a tin can in a wind tunnel. Chuck in Dolby Audio support with three immersive modes and suddenly these budget earbuds have a lot to offer.
Calls get the six-mic and AI treatment, so you should sound crystal clear on the line. There’s even wearing detection borrowed straight from Apple’s AirPods Pro 2, so your music stops when you take one out. The Liberty 5 buds play nice with Google Fast Pair and Bluetooth 5.4. They even have stem controls that let you tap to skip or pause, and IP55 resistance to handle a sweaty jog or a surprise drizzle.
The Soundcore Liberty 5 earbuds are available now for $130 or £100 directly from Anker or online retailers like Amazon. If you order from Anker, you get a free MagSafe battery pack thrown in.
