The Soundcore Liberty 5 earbuds are making waves as a feature-rich wireless audio option that offers tremendous value without demanding a hefty price tag. While Soundcore continues to refine its offerings, the Liberty 5 distinguishes itself, especially for listeners who crave a truly personalized audio journey.
Design
The Soundcore Liberty 5 feature a stem earbud design, similar to their predecessor, the Liberty 4 Pro. I found them slightly “less sturdy” in feel both in the hand and in my ears than the Pro model. Unlike the Liberty 4 Pro, the Liberty 5’s charging case replaces a screen with a simple LED light strip, which doesn’t sway me one way or the other. The case features a convenient sliding mechanism to open, and a matte finish replaces the previous glossy finish, addressing fingerprint issues.
The earbuds are exceptionally comfortable to wear for long periods, with a fit comparable to AirPods Pro. They come with six different sizes of ear tips to ensure a secure fit for various ear sizes. Being very lightweight and fitting securely, they are great for exercising. The stem design also allows for pinch controls, which are customizable via the Soundcore app. This is another aspect I found inconsistent, with the pinch just not as responsive as the Liberty 4 Pro design.
App Control and Sound
“Beyond their comfortable fit and impressive battery life, the Liberty 5 earbuds stand out by offering extensive sound customization through the intuitive Soundcore app, ensuring your audio is always dialed in just for you.”
What truly sets the Soundcore Liberty 5 apart is its unparalleled sound customization through the intuitive Soundcore companion app. Forget one-size-fits-all audio; these earbuds empower you to sculpt your sound profile to perfection. While the out-of-the-box sound has an emphasis on bass and treble, this is easily overcome by the extensive customization options available.
Within the app, you’ll discover a treasure trove of tuning capabilities:
- An eight-band custom equalizer allows for precise adjustments.
- You can select from 22 different EQ presets tailored to various genres and preferences, including Bass Booster, Bass Reducer, Treble Booster, Classical, and Acoustic.
- For those unsure how to begin, a preference test in the app guides you to a bespoke sound profile based on your listening choices, a feature one reviewer found better than even Sony’s preference-based EQ function.
- HearID can even identify specific hearing sensitivities and compensate accordingly.
- Dolby Audio modes for music, podcasts, and movies enhance sound width and depth, providing a more immersive experience. While enhancing bass and making sound broader, some detail might be lost compared to listening with Dolby Audio off.
This deep level of control means you can transform the Liberty 5 to match your exact acoustic desires, ensuring a very enjoyable experience once dialed in with its EQ adjustment capabilities. The app also includes features like multipoint connectivity, a Android Find Device and quick connect, customizable touch controls, safe volume limiter, adaptive sound leakage compensation, an earbud fit test, and a low-latency game mode.
Beyond sound, the Liberty 5 also offer notable features such as Bluetooth 5.4 with LDAC support for high-resolution audio, Bluetooth Multipoint for connecting to multiple devices simultaneously, and an IP55 rating for sweat and water resistance, making them suitable for exercise and withstanding low-pressure water jets. While the active noise-canceling (ANC) is considered average, it’s still more than adequate for daily commutes and effectively dulls external sounds. You can also select from five different ANC strength levels and use a transparency mode.
Call quality is good, but not great. I had a few issues where the other caller pointed out that the surroundings were interfering more than I’d expect from Soundcore. It’s not a huge issue, or dealbreaker, but I never have this issue in other options from the company and was worth pointing out.
Battery Life
In battery testing, the Anker Soundcore Liberty 5 lasted just over seven hours of playback with ANC enabled. This aligns closely with Soundcore’s stated playback time of eight hours with ANC enabled, and 12 hours with ANC disabled. When combined with the charging case, you can get up to 32 hours of battery life with ANC on, and up to 48 hours with ANC off.
The Liberty 5 support fast charging, with Soundcore stating that just ten minutes in the case provides up to five hours of playback time. The case can be charged via USB-C or Qi wireless charging. This should be plenty in both endurance and charging options to make the Liberty 5 earbuds viable for any buyer.
Final Thoughts
Awarded to products with an average rating of 3.75 stars or higher, the AndroidGuys Smart Pick recognizes a balance of quality, performance, and value.
Products with this distinction deserve to be on your short list of purchase candidates.
The Anker Soundcore Liberty 5 are not perfect, but at their price point, there is “a lot to like here”. They are a smart choice for consumers seeking high-value wireless earbuds, offering a ton of features and customization options through their companion app. Once you dial in the settings to your liking, you’ll likely have a very enjoyable experience. For those seeking highly customizable sound and a feature-rich experience without breaking the bank, the Anker Soundcore Liberty 5 stands out.
The Liberty 5 are available in Black, White, Blue, or Apricot color options. You can snag them now from Soundcore or Amazon for $130. The pricing is a little on the high-end, but with all these baked in features, it’s well worth it for most consumers.
