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Anker Soundcore Liberty 5 review
9 hours ago
Anker Soundcore Liberty 5
Case: 48g
If you’ve been shopping around for budget earbuds, chances are you’ve come across the Liberty 4 NC or the Liberty 4 Pro. We gave both recommendations for their excellent performance and extensive features at a much lower price than premium wireless earbuds. Now, Soundcore is back with the new Liberty 5 earbuds. Are the Soundcore Liberty 5 the new bang-for-your-buck earbud champion? Let’s dive into this review to find out.
The Anker Soundcore Liberty 5 are for consumers seeking wireless earbuds with a ton of features at a reasonable price.
This article was published on May 7, 2025 and has since been updated the following times:
- May 8, 2025: added the results of our battery test.
What’s it like to use the Soundcore Liberty 5?
The Soundcore Liberty 5 share a similar design to their predecessor, the Liberty 4 Pro, including a stem earbud design and a case that easily slides open with one hand. Unlike the Liberty 4 Pro, the Liberty 5 doesn’t have a screen on the charging case, but I found that feature was mostly a gimmick anyway. Replacing the screen is a simple LED light strip indicating whether the case is open and if both earbuds are charging. A new matte finish also replaces the previous glossy finish that was a fingerprint magnet.
I find the Liberty 5 earbuds extremely comfortable to wear for long periods of time. If you like the fit of the AirPods Pro, you’ll be right at home with the Liberty 5. While there are no wings or fins included with the Liberty 5, you do get six different sizes of ear tips to select from. No matter how big or small your ears are, you shouldn’t have a problem.
Since the earbuds are very lightweight and fit securely in my ears, I found them great for exercising with. An IP55 rating also means the Liberty 5 are sweat and water-resistant.
A nice perk of the stem design is pinch controls, which I find work better than the tap controls found on a lot of other earbuds. You can customize the controls to your liking inside the Soundcore app, but below are the default settings.
| Input | Left earbud | Right earbud |
|---|---|---|
| Input Single press | Left earbud Play/pause, answer call | Right earbud Play/pause, answer call |
| Input Double press | Left earbud Previous track | Right earbud Next track |
| Input Triple press | Left earbud None | Right earbud None |
| Input Long press | Left earbud Ambient sound, reject call | Right earbud Ambient sound, reject call |
What are the best features of the Soundcore Liberty 5?
The Soundcore app provides extension customization of the Liberty 5, especially when it comes to sound quality. There’s an eight-band custom equalizer, or you can select from 22 different EQ presets based on genres and preferences. If you aren’t sure how to EQ your headphones, you can also take a preference test in the app, which will then suggest a sound profile for you. This is distinct from another listening test in the app called HearID, which identifies if you have any hearing loss and compensates accordingly.
Beyond adjusting the sound, the Soundcore app has all the basic features I’ve come to expect from headphone companion apps. You can install firmware updates, view battery life information, and adjust the ambient sound modes. Some more unique features in the app include a safe volume limiter, adaptive sound leakage compensation, an earbud fit test, and a low-latency game mode. Overall, the Liberty 5 have no shortage of features and customization options.
How do the Soundcore Liberty 5 connect?
The Liberty 5 connect to devices via Bluetooth 5.4 with support for SBC, AAC, and LDAC. The earbuds also support Bluetooth Multipoint to connect to multiple devices at the same time. In my testing using the Liberty 5 with an iPhone, I didn’t experience any connection issues.
To pair the Soundcore Liberty 5, follow these steps:
- Ensure the earbuds and case have charge.
- Place the earbuds inside their charging case.
- Slide open the lid of the case and press and hold the pairing button on the case.
- Look for the Liberty 5 in the Bluetooth settings on your device.
How long do the Soundcore Liberty 5’s battery last?
In our battery testing, the Anker Soundcore Liberty 5 lasted 7 hours and 8 minutes of playback with ANC enabled. This matches up with data from Soundcore, which suggests the Liberty 5 earbuds last 12 hours of playback with ANC disabled and 8 hours with ANC enabled. Combined with the charging case, you can get up to 48 hours of battery life with ANC off and up to 32 hours of battery life with ANC on. The Liberty 5 support fast charging, with Soundcore stating that placing the earbuds in the case for just ten minutes provides up to five hours of playback time. You can charge up the case over USB-C or via Qi wireless charging.
How well do the Soundcore Liberty 5 cancel noise?
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When it comes to blocking out external noise, the Soundcore Liberty 5 are about average for noise canceling earbuds. According to our testing, the Liberty 5 reduce the loudness of audible noise by an average of 76%. Passive isolation from the silicone ear tips blocks out up to 40dB of high-frequency noise, while the ANC can block out up to 25dB of low-frequency noise. In practice, I found the noise canceling is more than adequate at blocking out the annoying sounds of traffic while walking around busy downtown streets.
If you don’t like the ANC effect, you can dial it down and select from five different strength levels. There is also a transparency mode, which I found passes sound through at a near-identical level to not wearing the earbuds at all.
How do the Soundcore Liberty 5 sound?
Out of the box, the Soundcore Liberty 5 have an emphasis on bass and treble. That said, with all the sound customization options, most people won’t have a problem getting the earbuds to sound the way they want.
Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Scores (MDAQS)
The chart below shows how the Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Score (MDAQS) algorithm from HEAD acoustics assesses the sound quality of the Soundcore Liberty 5. The sound quality is rated on a scale from 1.0 (very bad) to 5.0 (very good).
A simulated panel of listeners rates the sound quality of the Liberty 5 high. A Timbre score of 4.8 means most people will enjoy the default tuning of the earbuds even without using an equalizer. A Distortion score of 3.5 means there is minimal audible noise for wireless earbuds, while an Immersiveness score of 4.6 means sounds are well-defined in three-dimensional space.
- Timbre (MOS-T) represents how faithfully the earbuds reproduce the frequency spectrum and temporal resolution (timing information).
- Distortion (MOS-D) represents non-linearities and added noise: higher scores mean cleaner reproduction.
- Immersiveness (MOS-I) represents perceived source width and positioning: how well virtual sound sources are defined in three-dimensional space.
See here for an explanation of MDAQS, how it works, and how it was developed.
Reviewer’s notes
Editor’s note: this review uses a hover-enabled glossary to describe sound quality based on a consensus vocabulary. You can read about it here.
Objective Measurements
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Compared to our industry-validated SoundGuys Preference Curve, the Liberty 5 have more emphasis on sub-bass below 150Hz, which I found overbearing on tracks with a strong bassline. There is a dip at 200Hz, a region often described as “muddy” frequencies in a mix. However, cutting here can cause some fundamental frequencies on piano and vocal notes to sound quieter. Across the mids, the Liberty 5 closely matches up with our curve. In the treble, there is a significant boost from 5-8kHz, which some may perceive as increased detail, while others might find it painful at loud volumes, especially with sibilant sounds such as “sss” and “shh”.
There are dozens of EQ presets for the Liberty 5, we tested a few of them to see how they impact the sound quality.
Bass Reducer Preset
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The Bass Reducer EQ preset cuts sub-bass but also creates a further dip at 200Hz.
Bass Booster Preset
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If you really like bass, you’ll enjoy the Bass Booster EQ preset for the Liberty 5, which adds a few more decibels of bass emphasis.
Treble Booster Preset
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The Treble Booster preset emphasizes high-frequencies while also cutting some of the low-end.
Classical Preset
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If you want more bass and more treble, the Classical EQ preset gives you more of both.
Acoustic Preset
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The Acoustic EQ preset provides a subtle attenuation to bass.
The Dolby Sound settings for the Liberty 5 increase the width and depth of the sound, while also altering the frequency response. Below are the measurements for the Liberty 5 in Dolby Sound mode.
Dolby Music Preset
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In Music mode, the Dolby Sound effect provides attenuation to some bass frequencies.
Dolby Podcast Preset
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The Dolby Sound Podcast mode levels out the bass frequencies to a point where they align with our preference curve.
Dolby Movie Preset
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The Dolby Sound Movie mode has a similar frequency response to the Dolby Sound Music mode.
Can you use the Soundcore Liberty 5 for phone calls?
The Liberty 5 earbuds use six onboard microphones to capture your voice and isolate background noise. In each of our simulated noise environments, it is still easy to make out what the voices are saying. Take a listen to the microphone demonstrations below and let us know what you think.
Soundcore Liberty 5 microphone demo (Ideal conditions):
How does the microphone sound to you?
Soundcore Liberty 5 microphone demo (Office conditions):
Soundcore Liberty 5 microphone demo (Street conditions):
Soundcore Liberty 5 microphone demo (Windy conditions):
Soundcore Liberty 5 microphone demo (Reverberant space):
The Liberty 5 microphones hold up well to a variety of simulated noise tests.
Should you buy the Soundcore Liberty 5?
The Anker Soundcore Liberty 5 are not perfect, but at this price, there is a lot to like here. The Soundcore companion app provides a ton of features and customization options. Once you dial in those settings to your liking, you’ll probably have a very enjoyable experience with the Liberty 5 earbuds.
If you already have the Liberty 4 NC or Liberty 4 Pro, it’s not worth upgrading to the Liberty 5, as there aren’t any notable new features. In fact, I would still recommend the Liberty 4 Pro over the Liberty 5, as our test results show that the Liberty 4 Pro have better noise canceling, a default sound quality that more people will enjoy, and some unique features with the touchscreen on the case.
What should you get instead of the Soundcore Liberty 5?
There are lots of good wireless earbuds for less than $200, and even some great wireless earbuds for less than $100. If you want great noise canceling, check out the Sony WF-C710N ($119.99 at Amazon). These earbuds have lots of the same features as the popular Sony WF-1000XM5 ($298 at Amazon) but at a reasonable price.
If you like having a lot of features and customization options, check out the Nothing Ear ($149 at Amazon) or the Nothing Ear (a) ($95 at Amazon). On the other hand, if sound quality is your top priority, consider the Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi (on the product's website).
Soundcore Liberty 5 review: FAQs
An IP55 rating means the Liberty 5 are water-resistant but not waterproof. It's alright if they get splashed with water, but you shouldn't fully submerge the earbuds under water.
Yes, since the Anker Soundcore Liberty 5 are sweat-resistant, and they stay securely in place in my ears, I found the earbuds good for running and working out with.
Yes, the Liberty 5 work great with both iPhone and Android. The Soundcore app is available on both platforms.
No, at the time of writing, you can not use one of the Liberty 5 earbuds while the other one is in the case.