Soundcore Anker Liberty 5 Pro Max Wireless Earbuds, AI Note-Taker for in-Person Meetings, Whisper-Clear Calls, Active Noise Cancelling, 1.78" AMOLED Smart Case, 5 Mins Charge = 4 Hrs Playtime

For years, Anker’s Soundcore brand has operated as the undisputed disruptor of the personal audio world. While legacy audio giants rely on brand heritage to justify premium price tags, Soundcore has spent nearly a decade perfecting a completely different formula: delivering top-tier, feature-rich hardware at a fraction of the cost. They’ve consistently proven that high-end active noise cancellation, customizable EQ, and pristine sound shouldn't be gated behind a $300+ paywall. Now, with the release of the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro, the brand isn't just trying to provide the best value on the market anymore—they are actively aiming for the crown. I bought the Liberty 5 Pro mainly because I was intrigued by the Guinness World Record it and its sibling, the Liberty 5 Pro Max, hold for microphone quality in loud environments. I didn’t even know this record existed, but these actually won the accolade for "World’s Clearest Call Quality in an Earbud." I would see this achievement paraded everywhere on social media and kept thinking, that’s cool, but the ANC, transparency, and sound quality probably won’t be good enough for my strict standards, especially since I have experienced so many premium and luxury true wireless earphones. Fast forward to today, and color me impressed. I really love the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro. Let me break down why… Starting with the sound quality: out of the box, I would describe the tuning as V-shaped and hyped. This is clearly a sound profile that the masses will enjoy. According to the MDAQS (Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Score) system developed by HEAD acoustics—a sophisticated, AI-driven audio testing tool used to scientifically predict how human beings perceive sound quality—the Liberty 5 Pro scored an impressive 4.9 out of 5. For context, earbuds like the Technics AZ100, which are widely regarded as being among the best-sounding models you can buy, scored a 4.3. While that is still good, I personally find the Liberty 5 Pro superior. The AirPods Pro 3 scored a 4.5, and I am adding those because they are easily the most popular premium wireless headphones on the market right now. Now, the MDAQS score isn’t the end-all-be-all, but it gives an interesting data point on what average listeners prefer. Personally, I don’t really like the out-of-the-box sound signature of the Liberty 5 Pro. The bass is way too elevated. Its power and extension lean heavily into the mid- and sub-bass regions, which thankfully helps reduce how much it muddies up the midrange. It’s a very Harman-like tuning, but cranked to 11. The low end calls a lot of attention to itself, taking on a mind of its own with excessive rumble and a lingering decay. On some songs—particularly EDM or Hip-Hop—it sounds incredibly fun and energetic. I can perfectly see why the average listener would rate these highly, since most mainstream audiences listen to Pop, Hip-Hop, R&B, and EDM. But genres more focused on acoustical instruments like Jazz or Classical or Rock, the bass is just too excessive. The midrange is a bit too lean for my taste, mainly due to the V-shaped nature of the default tuning. Vocals and instruments come across as slightly hollow and distant. I don’t detect much sibilance in vocals, but I do notice a significant amount of forwardness in the ear-gain region around 3–5kHz. This makes the presentation sound intense, but also harsh, resulting in a bit of a shouty characteristic. There are good levels of clarity due to the boosted lower treble, but the overall delivery just feels off in terms of natural timbre to my ears. The treble is boosted, as stated before. This brings plenty of energy to the presentation and helps counterbalance the excessive bass. However, it can also make things sound a bit splashy or sizzly. On the bright side, the treble is smooth; there are no wild dips or peaks that make it sound like sandpaper, but the overall volume is elevated over the midrange, contributing to that lean sound signature. Soundstage and imaging are great, but they aren't as intelligible as I’d like due to the stock tuning. Reading this, you’re probably wondering how I could possibly love these earphones. Well, that’s because of an awesome tool called EQ. Soundcore provides a healthy amount of ways to adjust the audio to your liking. This flexibility is exactly what made me pivot from starting an Amazon refund request to making these my new daily drivers. I’ve included a picture of the EQ settings I eventually settled on. With these adjustments, the bass becomes incredibly powerful, well-extended, and balanced to my ears—full of texture and just the right amount of decay without sounding sluggish. The midrange is now warmer and more natural, stripping away the harsh, intense characteristics caused by the overly boosted ear-gain region. The treble sounds clear and crisp without overwhelming the midrange. I also boosted the upper treble a bit more since I found it rolled off prematurely, which closed in the soundstage. The treble boost I heard out of the box was mainly localized around the upper-mids and lower-treble region. Moving over to comfort and fit, the Liberty 5 Pro earphones are eerily similar to the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds and Ultra models. They are so similar, in fact, that they share the same driver nozzle design and can use the same oval umbrella ear tips. I ended up putting the ear tips from my Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen onto the Liberty 5 Pro because the base of the Bose tip is rigid and does not rotate once clicked onto the nozzle. The stock ear tips provided by Soundcore feel cheaper; and because their base is made of soft silicone, they easily twist out of alignment while you are inserting the earphones, which negatively affects ANC effectiveness and channel balance perception. I’ve always fancied the umbrella-style oval ear tips Bose uses because they are comfortable and lock securely into my ears. Whether I am eating, laughing, talking, or running, they never budge. The active noise canceling on these is excellent. Out of the box with the stock tips, the isolation fluctuated between excellent and mediocre. It wasn't until I switched to the Bose ear tips that the ANC became consistently top-tier. I would easily put these on par with Bose, Sony, and Apple in terms of raw ANC power. There is also no perceptible hiss while ANC is engaged, providing that "dead silent" feeling which can sometimes feel nauseating to those unaccustomed to the sensation. Well done, Soundcore! Transparency mode is great, but it doesn't quite reach the level of the AirPods Pro 3, mainly due to a higher level of perceivable hiss and a slightly recessed reproduction of high frequencies, which slightly dulls ambient sound compared to reality. However, I can hold a conversation easily. Thanks to "Easy Chat"—which is similar to the Speak-to-Chat feature Sony pioneered—I can simply start talking, and the Liberty 5 Pro will automatically lower my media volume and enable transparency mode. One quirk I noticed is that Easy Chat only triggers when you are already in ANC mode. I am used to this feature working regardless of your current ambient state, like on Apple or Sony earphones. Controls are great, featuring full customizability for single, double, or triple presses on either earbud. You can also configure what happens during a tap-and-hold gesture, and there are smooth swipe gestures for volume control. The only thing missing is the ability to mute the microphone while on a call unless you do it from the device itself. Furthermore, an on-device AI allows you to speak various preset commands to control your media with insanely fast latency. I don’t personally use the voice commands because the app states it drains the battery quickly. For my usage, the battery lasts around 6 to 7 hours depending on the volume, typically streaming over AAC with ANC turned on. The feature set on the Liberty 5 Pro is extensive—you could literally get lost in the companion app. I really enjoy the built-in ambient sounds, like sleep stories or meditation tracks, which are great if you want to relax or sleep with them in. You also have the ability to connect to three devices simultaneously. In practice, this multi-point connection worked flawlessly with no random dropouts across my MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and iPhone Pro Max. The smart case is another cool addition; it has a small screen lets you control basic settings like ANC/transparency modes, EQ profiles, Dolby Atmos (which I found to be just okay), Easy Chat, a remote camera shutter, a "Find My Earbuds" tracker, and Bluetooth pairing. Last but not least is the call quality. Wow, these are fantastic. I can be standing on a subway platform with a train coming barreling into the station, and the caller on the other end won’t even know a train is flying past me. They are seriously impressive at isolating your voice from background chaos. Plus, you don’t have to yell—you can whisper or speak at a completely normal volume and you will still sound loud and clear. Seriously incredible work here, Soundcore. Overall, these earbuds have the fewest compromises of any premium truly wireless earphone I have tried. The sound out of the box isn't to my personal liking, but the robust EQ tools let me tailor the profile to be significantly more enjoyable. They are supremely comfortable and fit perfectly thanks to sharing Bose's ear tip geometry. The ANC is top-notch, blocking out the world alongside the industry's best performers. Controls are solid, transparency is highly usable, and the features are incredibly extensive. The battery easily lasts through the workday, backed by a quick-charge feature that adds up to 4 hours of playback from a mere 5-minute charge. Finally, the class-leading call quality means I never have to worry about being heard, regardless of how busy my environment is. Color me impressed!

After using the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max for several days, I can honestly say these are some of the most impressive earbuds I’ve owned. The first thing that stood out to me was the sound quality. The audio is rich, detailed, and powerful without sounding muddy. Bass is deep and satisfying, vocals are clean, and the overall clarity is excellent across different music genres. Whether listening to music, podcasts, or watching videos, everything sounds premium. The noise cancellation is seriously impressive. Once ANC is turned on, background sounds almost completely disappear. I tested them around household appliances, at work, and in noisy environments, and they performed far better than I expected for earbuds. They are getting very close to over-ear headphone level noise canceling. Transparency mode is also excellent. Voices and surrounding sounds come through naturally without sounding robotic or overly amplified. It actually feels safe and comfortable using them in public while still being aware of what’s happening around me. Comfort was another big surprise. With the different ear tips and ear fins included, I was able to get a very secure fit. They stay in place during walking, workouts, and daily activities without constantly adjusting them. The charging case deserves its own mention. The touchscreen is not just a gimmick — it’s genuinely useful. Being able to quickly switch modes, check battery life, and control settings directly from the case is incredibly convenient. The sliding design also feels premium and satisfying to use. The app is packed with features and customization options. I especially liked the hearing test, EQ adjustments, adaptive modes, and personalized sound settings. Everything feels polished and easy to use. Battery life has also been solid so far, and call quality has been clear on both ends. Overall, these earbuds feel like a true premium product and offer an incredible amount of features for the price. Soundcore really did an amazing job balancing sound quality, ANC, transparency, comfort, and smart features into one package. Very easy recommendation from me.

These are great earbuds! In my opinion, the sound quality was really good. I love how you can customize the sound to your liking and there are pre made ones like powerful bass or clear vocals and more. Also, the noise cancellation is very good and I like the transparency mode, it is pretty useful. The battery life is good enough for me because I don't really use earbuds for that long in one session. The charging is really fast too anyways. The earbuds are comfortable and secure and they have customizable ear tips and wing tips that is really nice to adjust to your liking. There are so many other features like touch control which is amazing. The screen is actually so useful because it is very fast to access. There is a remote camera feature that lets you use the case as the camera button. It comes in handy for when you want to leave your phone at a distance and you just take the photo from where you are with the case. The call quality is very clear and the voice isolation works really well.

So it's only been one day so far... But I have to say I absolutely love these ear buds! The interchangeable tips and fins let you get a nice custom fit and I find them pretty comfortable even though I'm not used to in ear buds. Sound quality is excellent, call quality is excellent, and noise reduction is excellent! I'll have to use them more to say much about battery life though so far I highly doubt I'll be disappointed. I love that you can set up a custom EQ that's tailored to your listening preference. The easy chat feature is nice too so it will lower music and noise reduction when you talk so there's no manually doing it every time or having to take them out. Tap controls work well, I haven't had to fight with it like I have most others. I also like the slide up or down option for volume control. These are the first ear buds that even at just the setup I've had zero complaints. Highly recommended!

The sound quality and fit on these are solid. However, I had issues connecting them with bluetooth. I also experienced the sound breaking up whenever in proximity with other wireless earphone users.

Just picked these up, so this is early days, but the call quality already sold me. I've got the Technics AZ100, and the Liberty 5 Pro Max mics are noticeably better in a loud room. The ANC is the other standout, it clamps down on background noise hard. You also get 3-device multipoint like the AZ100, which is handy, though running all three drops you off LDAC. The charging case screen is genuinely nice to have, controlling ANC and settings right from the case beats digging through an app. Why you might hold off: the AZ100 still wins on pure music sound. Battery also takes a hit once you turn on voice control, AI sound enhancement, LDAC, or spatial audio. The AI note-taker is nice but probably not worth paying up for the Max over the regular 5 Pro, and translation feels gimmicky with real lag since it isn't processed onboard. Get these for calls and noise. Skip the upcharge if music is the point.

Wow these Soundcore headphones are incredible. I was using a pair of Google Pixel Buds Pro 2, which were a big downgrade from the Airpod pro 2's that I had before I switched from iPhone to Pixel. The Pixel Buds had trouble picking up my voice when I was on the phone and I use my earbuds for phone calls a lot. I guess the algorithm knew I was wishing my earbuds made better phone calls because all of a sudden an ad showing the guiness record popped up on my phone. For the $160 I felt like I had to give them a shot, I was expecting good call quality, which these 100% have the best voice detection and ability to filter out any sounds that aren't your voice. What I did not expect was how good they would be all around. I took the extra ear wing off and they fit very well. The build quality on the buds are great, and the Active Noise Cancellation is incredible as well. I would say as good or better than the Air pods pro 2 and they put the Pixel Buds to absolute shame. The sound quality for music and podcasts/videos is very good too. I had to write this review because I've been bragging about these all week. This is a sleeper pair of buds. You will love them. The case is cool too. I didn't think the screen would be useful but if actually is. Makes set up and connecting to all different devices seamless. If you're on the phone a lot these are worth every penny. God bless

update 5/29/26 Soundcore/Anker spoke me and sending me replacement that will fix echoing , Engineers say this was defective pair, soundcore has best customer care on market. Pro's sound great , very comfortable , smaller case then pro 4's . Main reason bought iberty 5 pro was clear phone calls but having issues echoing each call . Con's main issue is echoing on calls hearing own voice very anoying , sound decent noticed Liberty 4 pro Louder sound better my opinion . Honestly only issue have earbuds is echoing on phone calls , reason purchase liberty 5 was for clear calls definitely not clear hear own voice. Liberty 5 sound good , small case , small.earbuds . Touch controls very sensitive so have slightly touch twice or three times . Not sure why hearing echymy voice update new firmware and reset buds still echoing. I will be returning because have liberty 4 pro phone calls much better . Only other complaint case very plasticity

Arrivati oggi quindi prima e fresca recensione. Mai sentito così bene la musica in vita mia con degli auricolari. Davvero spaziale da brividi. Nei prossimi li proverò nella call su teams e telefonate e vediamo questo world record. Ti be continued.

Allez-y sans hésiter !!! J'ai tésté tout les autres : Aipods pro 3 / Galaxy Buds4 Pro / Jbl Tour Pro 3 / Bose ... Je dois avouer que j'en ai marre de Apple / Samsung / Huawei qui réservent les meilleures fonctionnalités de leurs produits à ceux qui utilisent un smartphone de leur propore marque. Je ne comprends pas en 2026 que EU tolère encore cela. Je dois avouer que j'ai enfin trouvé le meilleur compromis avec les Liberty 5 Pro Max : ANC : très qualitatif (légèrement en dessous de Apple) Version Bluetooth : 6.1 Nombre de connection Bluetooth : 3 Ecran sur le boitier : Fonctionnalité très pratique Autonomie : 5h environ Bémol : Anker devrait fournir un petit flim de protection pour l'écran du boitier

Ich bin jetzt schon seit einiger Zeit mit dem Liberty 4 pro unterwegs, zuvor hab ich die 4 NC genutzt und der Umstieg auf das 4 pro Modell war schon klanglich eine enorme Verbesserung. Neugierig war ich nun auf die Liberty 5 pro, jedoch führen diese anfangs zu gemischten Gefühlen. Der Klang und das ANC waren schon beim Vorgänger der Hammer. Dementsprechend empfinde ich hier den Sprung auf die 5 pro geringfügig besser, wenn überhaupt. Der Deckel vom Ladecase ist beim 5 pro deutlich wackeliger und dünner als beim Vorgänger. Ja, auch dort wackelt er etwas und ist nicht sonderlich dick- hat aber jetzt ein Jahr sehr gut gehalten. Soundcore versicherte mir auf Nachfrage, dass ich mir aber keine Sorgen machen müsse, da der Deckel beim 5 pro optimiert wurde. Das Display außen am Case reagiert sehr gut, Bedienung und Menü toll. Ein innenliegendes Display hätte ich besser gefunden. Die Akkulaufzeit hat gegenüber dem Vorgänger um eine Stunde eingebüßt unter der Nutzung von ANC und Dolby. Die angegebene Laufzeit stimmt aber- hab es getestet. Wenn ich auch noch Extras wie die KI Optimierung aktiviere, geht der Akku noch schneller leer. 5-6 Stunden Nutzungsdauer etwa, je nachdem ob man die KI Optimierung aktiviert hat oder nur das NC und Dolby. Reicht wohl für die meisten. Das Gute: Sie sind extrem schnell geladen. Nach zehn Minuten sind sie wieder lange nutzbar. Nervig find ich, dass das ANC immer mal wieder auf "normal" zurückspringt. Ich hoffe, hier liefert Soundcore ein Update. Der Tragekomfort ist wirklich gut. Sie sitzen bequem und sicher, ich kann damit Sport machen. Auch wenn ich anfange zu schwitzen, lösen sie sich nicht. Das hatte ich schon mit anderen Kopfhörern. Bspw. die Pixel 2 pro Buds saßen zwar bei mir fest im Ohr, drückten aber nach einer Zeit so sehr, dass es weh tat. Mit allen Aufsätzen. Da muss ich Soundcore loben, sowohl die 4 pro als auch die 5 pro sitzen sehr bequem und dennoch sicher im Ohr, Alles in allem passt mir wohl das Gesamtpaket beim Vorgänger noch gut genug, sodass man auch mit denen nichts falsch macht, wenn man für die neuen 5 pro nicht den Startpreis von 179 € ausgeben will. Die 5 pro liefern ein paar nette Spielereien, wie etwa die Sprachsteuerung der Wiedergabe von den Buds, die praktisch ist. Man kann sie also sowohl per Tippen auf die Buds steuern, als auch mit Sprachbefehlen. Die Farbe in den edlen rosé sieht wirklich hochwertig aus und kann auch von erwachsenen Frauen getragen werden. Das Rosa der 4 NC war deutlich rosaner, während wir hier einen Roségold Ton haben. Ich freue mich, dass Soundcore wieder eine solche Farbe anbietet, die hätte ich gern bei den 4 pro auch gehabt. Sehr loben muss ich den überdurchschnittlichen Kundenservice von Soundcore, der weit über das übliche Maß hinausgeht. Ich habe mich mit dem Klang der neuen Kopfhörer sehr schwer getan und das lag daran, dass man diesen beim 4 pro einfacher über Hear ID einstellen konnte und er direkt perfekt war. Bei den 5 pro wurde Hear ID überarbeitet und es funktioniert meiner Meinung nach nicht mehr so gut. Man muss also lange hin und her regeln im Equalizer, bis man einen guten Klang erreicht. Hier wurde mir aber gleich angeboten, dass ich mein altes Klangprofil einreichen kann und die Techniker mir dann Unterstützung geben, dieses auch in den 5 pro besser einstellen zu können. Der Kundenservice wirkt absolut kompetent, antwortet fachlich und weiß was er tut. Bemerkenswert, das findet man heutzutage selten. Das bestärkt mich, Soundcore jederzeit als erste Wahl für Kopfhörer zu nehmen. Ich habe auch gleich ein weiteres Paar 4 pro gekauft, sodass mein Partner auch eins hat. Die Bässe sind kraftvoll, stimmungsvoll, wie man es von Soundcore kennt.

I don't usually write product reviews unless they are outstanding products that I feel worthy of one. I have owned many earbuds in my time. From Apple to Samsung, and recently the much more expensive Bose QuietComforts and Technics EAH-AZ100s and I have to say Im totally suprisingly impressed with this less known offering. The Sound - In a nutshell on par with those costing almost twice as much! Most earbuds ANC are useless (even the pricey Technics!), unless you have the Bose units. I actually find these much more natural with noise cancelling (without "sucking your brains out" from the Bose's) and just as effective for once!. It even has "Adaptive" ANC :) The Case - quality, unique and innovative compared against the cheap plastic from the premium brands (you should be so ashamed of yourselves Bose/Technics!). I love the way is slides open (very space agey!) from the usual boring fliptops in every other designs. The LED display is a real bonus to have and great to know at a glance the power left without having to open the app to check. The App - Cool, modern, easy to navigate and a joy to use. Taps on the buds are fully programmable and a unique feature to be able to increase/decrease the volume by sliding your finger up/down the buds is another awesome convenience feature! :) My only gripe is it doesnt look like it sits flush into the ear as fully as other buds although it seals well amd doesnt fall off. All in all super happy with this purchase. The only unknown remains is how durable they are which remains to be seen. Highly recomended if you're after some high end buds for half the cost!

UPDATED REVIEW (with replacement pair): Customer support was quick to offer me a replacement and I accepted, and I'm glad I did! The issues I mentioned for my previous defective pair are: 1) thump noises being amplified, and 2) ANC takes a long time to kick in properly. For 1) Most thumping noises are no longer amplified with the new pair, although very big thumps still sound quite loud and cause a small crackle noise in the earbuds. The new pair is wayyyy better than the defective pair, so they're actually usable on transit now. For 2) The ANC still takes a few seconds to kick in, but it's way faster than the defective pair so it didn't bother me as much. Overall, I'd say these are solid for listening to music. The ANC is really strong so I was able to listen to my music on a volume 1 step lower than my usual on transit. I can also see these earbuds improving with future firmware upgrades, so the fact that they're already good enough to recommend is a good sign. If you have any issues like I did, go talk to their customer support. They take their after-sales support quite seriously! -------------------------------------------------- OLD REVIEW (with defective earbuds): I only buy earbuds to listen to music, so I won't be covering the call quality and those other fancy shmancy features these earbuds have. Skip my review if calls are your main use case. Audio-wise, these seem pretty high quality in my opinion. I listened to music with LDAC enabled, which is only available if you download an update through the Soundcore app and enable the higher quality audio mode in the app. I don't particularly like the default Soundcore Signature tuning so I used the custom tuning feature in the app and just modified it slightly (my settings were: +1, +1, +1, 0, 0, 0, +1, +1). I feel like these earbuds sound pretty clean, but I'm not an audiophile so it's just a "feeling". With that said, I am a bit on the pickier side and generally don't like the sound of cheaper wireless earbuds, although it's usually more a tuning issue than an audio quality issue (like ridiculously boosted bass, harsh highs, etc). Aaaaanyways, what I mean to say is that these sound pretty good! In terms of the ANC, it generally works great and it's really up there with the ANC leaders in stable conditions, but some issues exist which I ran into while using these on my commute. Whenever there's a decently strong thumping type noise, it'll be amplified instead of cancelled. For example, when the train doors closed or the bus thumped over a small bump, I would get assaulted by an even louder WHUMP sound from the ANC. This makes these completely unusable with ANC on during transit commutes. It also sometimes takes around 10+ seconds for the ANC to kick in for one/both ears at the beginning. It takes long enough that you'll wonder if ANC turned itself off for some reason, but then it'll finally kick in. My guess is that it's trying to do some kind of "adaptive" ANC using their AI or whatever, but I'd honestly be happier if it just used the strongest ANC at all times for me. I'll reduce the ANC level myself if I need to, thanks. Oh, speaking of the app, you can't change or disable the slide up/down gesture for volume up/down. In other words, if you don't tap correctly, you might just end up volume upping/downing yourself instead. Touch controls have always been a pain point for me, so it annoyed me when I tried to double-tap but instead it just volume upped twice instead. Speaking of controls, the screen on the Liberty 5 Pro (non-max) is also touch controllable, but it lacks a lot of QoL settings that I would be happier to have. For example, I would love if there were: Screen brightness settings, permanent lock (for people who don't intend to use the touch screen, like me), double-tap to wake instead of single-tap, etc etc. Just a bunch of small things that might make the experience better for different use cases would be nice. Of course, these seem like things that could be fixed in future firmware updates since these earbuds have only been out for like a week. Personally, I would recommend keeping an eye out to see if these get fixed. Overall, I think these are fairly good and I'm glad Soundcore finally returned to non-stem designs for their Liberty Pro line since I was a big fan of the original Liberty Pro design. The audio and ANC (when it works properly) is also quite up there in my opinion.