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These budget earbuds have better battery life than the AirPods Pro 2
May 25, 2025
The Soundcore Liberty 5 ($129.99 at Amazon) make a strong case to be your next wireless earbuds. After testing the Liberty 5, we noticed they have impressive battery life, besting not only the AirPods 4 ($129 at Amazon), but even the much more expensive AirPods Pro 2 ($189.99 at Amazon).
We test every pair of wireless headphones under consistent conditions in our lab, using music that peaks at 75dB SPL and enabling active noise canceling when available. Measuring battery life under these standards helps us determine not just how often you’ll need to recharge, but also whether the headphones might wear out sooner than expected.
Here is the results of our battery testing, pitting the Liberty 5 against other popular wireless earbuds:
- Master & Dynamic MW09: 15 hours and 54 minutes
- Sony WF-1000XM5: 9 hours and 32 minutes
- Soundcore Liberty 5: 7 hours and 8 minutes
- AirPods 4: 6 hours and 21 minutes
- AirPods Pro 2: 5 hours and 43 minutes
The 7 hours and 8 minutes of battery life provided by the Liberty 5 when ANC is turned on is about average for wireless earbuds in 2025. That said, it’s worth pointing out that this exceeds the battery life of the AirPods 4 and even the AirPods Pro 2. Does that surprise you? Let us know in the comments down below.
Of course, there is a lot more to consider than just battery life when selecting your next wireless earbuds. Make sure to take a look at our full Soundcore Liberty 5 vs Apple AirPods 4 breakdown to see how they compare in design, sound quality, and more.