Anker is best known for its charging stations. However, it is also known abroad for other devices. Recently, we reviewed the flagship full-size in-ear headphones Anker Soundcore Space One Pro. And today we’re going to take a look at Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro, a flagship TWS headset for those who appreciate high-quality sound.
Content
| Headphone type | Wireless TWS |
| Features | Case with display and touchbar, ANC, Transparency Mode, Spatial Audio, separate app, double hearing test, HearID, equalizer, barometer |
| Connection | Wireless |
| Frequency range | 14 – 40000 Hz |
| Support for codecs | SBC, AAC, LDAC |
| Bluetooth version | 5.3 |
| Management | Sensory zone |
| Microphones | Yes, six pieces |
| Protection against moisture | IPX5 |
| Compatibility | Android, iOS, PC, MacOS |
| Autonomy | 10/40 hours without ANC; 8/30 hours with ANC; fast charging |
| Charging connector | USB Type-C |
| Dimensions | Headphones: 25 x 32 x 22 mm Case: 65 x 62 x 30 mm |
| Weight | Headphones: 5,5 г Case: 51 г |
Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro comes in a white box with magnetic clips for easy removal of the headphones. On the front side, you can see a picture of the headphones and their features: Hi-Res Audio Wireless, Adaptive ANC 3.0, 10/40 hours of battery life, and ACAA (Coaxial Acoustic System).
On one of the ends, we find a mention of the Adaptive ANC 3.0 intelligent system. On the rear side we can see additional information about the headphones. And on the bottom there is an image with a mention of charging with power supplies up to 5 W.
Inside is the audio device itself, documentation, a short USB Type-C cable, and six additional ear cushions of different sizes.
Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro — classic in-ear TWS headphones with a long leg. Each weighs 5.5 g, and the dimensions are 25 × 32 × 22 mm. The case is plastic with glossy inserts and a small Soundcore logo.
The touch area on the «legs» of the headphones allows you to control such functions as start/stop a song, answer a call, or increase/decrease the volume level by swiping up/down. At first, it’s quite difficult to control because you don’t know where to press or swipe. However, in my opinion, such headset controls are better than hitting yourself in the ear.
The design and functionality of the case looks unusual. It weighs 51 grams and measures 65 x 62 x 30 mm. At first glance, it doesn’t look big. But comparing it to other headsets, I can say that the case is clearly larger than the standard ones. This is not a disadvantage, as the case will always fit in your pocket or backpack.
The case has a matte texture, but it is marked with traces of use. The lid has a dark-colored carved Soundcore logo. The top end has a USB Type-C connector and a charge indicator. On the bottom of the case, we see a special touch area for controlling the case’s functionality.
The case opens in a rather unusual way — with a slide from the bottom up. It immediately brings to mind the days of slider phones. It looks pretty cool, but when you try to open it blindly or at night, you may have problems — you need to determine the location of the touch area and then «slide up». However, you will get used to it quickly.
Opening the case lid reveals the headphones and a small display. It shows the headphones’ battery power as a percentage and the discharge level of the case in the form of a scale. The display also shows various modes and additional functions, which I will talk about later.
Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro is presented at the review in Black color. They are also available in Gloosy Light Black (glossy case lid), White and Glossy Light Blue (light blue color with a glossy lid). In my opinion, the best choice would be the classic Black and White, although the blue one might seem interesting to some.
The Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro headset is equipped with a dual driver system with a 10.5-mm woofer and a 4.6 mm titanium tweeter. The declared frequency range is 14-40000 Hz. Popular AAC, SBS and LDAC codecs are supported. Hi-Res Wireless is available for Android owners.
Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro received an improved Adaptive ANC 3.0 noise reduction system. In the app and on the case, you can change its operating modes and customize it for yourself. That is, you can either drown out the external environment more or reduce this effect.
Of course, there is Transparency mode, the level of which can also be adjusted in the app and the case. If you raise its value, you will be able to hear sounds from the outside world better.
Each of the headphones has three microphones. The sound is good, although I didn’t feel any special effect. The voice is heard well thanks to the wind noise reduction system. Compared to other competitors, I got the best sound from the microphones.
Spatial Audio has four modes of operation: Music, Podcast, Movie, and Gaming. Either I don’t understand something, or they work strangely. Gaming is more or less audible, but the feeling from the other three is like being in a bad movie theater.
One of the features of the app is the HearID hearing test. It can help you find out if you not only can’t hear something (like me, some of the low and medium frequencies), but also automatically adjust the equalizer for you. It looks interesting and even works.
According to the HearID chart above, I’m far from a music expert. However, I really liked the sound in Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro headphones. As for me, the sound is universal and will appeal to the maximum number of users. The first thing I heard when I turned on the song was a good level of low frequencies. The bass is not such that it presses on you, and you can’t hear anything but it. They just complemented and revealed the song.
I didn’t hear any problems with the middle and high frequencies. Since the headphones have an 8-band equalizer, you can choose the settings for yourself.
If you’re not very knowledgeable about equalizers, and you don’t like the sound from HearID, you can choose one of 21 presets. My choice: Acoustic, Piano (both are as similar as possible), or Electronic.
The headset also has a built-in barometer to improve the sound quality during airplane flights. As you can imagine, we didn’t manage to test it.
Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro connects to devices via Bluetooth 5.3. The headphones are easy to connect to smartphones, laptops, and tablets. It is enough to open the lid of the case, the Bluetooth icon appears on its display, and the nearby smartphone will automatically see them.
The headset works with the proprietary Soundcore app (download from App Store or Google Play) — is a modern program for managing the brand’s headphones. It allows you to see the charge of the headphones and the case, turn on different levels of ANC or «transparency» noise cancellation, customize the headset with different modes and equalizer. Change actions for pressing touch keys, control the case and its functionality, and more. You can even check your hearing level and monitor it over time (registration and account creation are required). You can also check the volume level of the currently playing song.
An interesting and necessary feature is Easy Chat. It will automatically lower the sound to the minimum in the headset if you start talking. It is available only with ANC mode enabled, so we have an analog of the automatic Transparency Mode. It starts working after about five words spoken by the user. After the conversation is over, Easy Chat will turn off in 5, 10, or 15 seconds. The shutdown time is configured in the app.
The manufacturer’s claimed battery life of Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro is 10 hours on a single headphone charge and 40 hours of additional battery life from the case. During the tests, it turned out that for every 30 minutes of operation (without ANC, 25% volume), 5% of the charge is consistently lost. During 2 hours of listening to music, the battery charge decreased by 21%, which almost confirms the manufacturer’s claims of 10 hours of operation.
If you turn on ANC (25% of the volume) or Transparency Mode at any volume level (from 0 to 5), 7% of the charge is consumed in the same 30 minutes. During these modes, the microphones start working. This explains the additional charge consumption of the built-in batteries.
First, let me start with the fact that the headphones can update their internal software. To do this, you need to install the Soundcore app and connect the headphones. The program will download and install everything you need on its own. The app immediately warns you that you cannot transmit sound (receive calls) during the update. I took screenshots of the process, but you shouldn’t do that.
ANC noise reduction works so well that it is better not to set the maximum value. Unless you’re traveling in the subway or working at a construction site. At 25% volume without ANC, I can’t hear anyone anymore. And at 50% without ANC (or 25% plus ANC), I couldn’t hear the bus moving. The volume margin is so high that you can search for lost headphones and a case. And you will hear them!
Someone will say that the case can be made simpler. Yes, it can be. But we have flagship headphones, and they should be different from all the others not only within the brand, but also among competitors. The display successfully copes with this task. Firstly, it is more convenient to see the charging percentage on the case than to take them and connect them to the phone and look at them there. Secondly, ANC, Transparency mode, and Spatial Audio are also controlled on the case. There’s no need to go into the app again. The Remote Camera function looks quite unusual — the case allows you to take photos remotely in the Camera app.
What would you like to add? The ability to switch equalizer modes without using the phone. For example, if you are listening to Rock, and then a song from Electronic music comes on, then use the touch panel on the headphone to change the equalizer. Or do it at least on the case.
In the end, I will give a simple summary of my impressions — these are the best headphones I have ever heard in my life. Yes, they have some obvious problems, such as the case’s marked case and minor software bugs. One of them is the ear detection function (Wearing Detection in the app settings). It works one time out of ten, and at night it doesn’t work at all. For me personally, this headset marked the opening of the era of dual emitters in TWS headphones and understanding the feelings of audiophiles, so I will give it a proper rating.
The cost of Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro is 6999 UAH. It may seem a bit big, but all the functionality and sound quality, in my opinion, justify the price.
If you want something cheaper and consider the display unnecessary, then Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 is for you, starting at UAH 3333. The battery will be slightly worse, but it supports LDAC.
The main competitor, of course, is the Apple AirPods Pro 2 from 7999 UAH. But you need to avoid getting a fake, which is problematic. People don’t know that before buying Apple products, you need to check the Apple website to see the activation date and whether they exist at all by serial number. And to be sure it’s an original, you have to buy it for the official 11594 hryvnias. I doubt that they are worth the price difference.
JBL Live Beam 3 (from 5777 UAH) have an even larger display on the case. Perhaps even more convenient controls. However, five microphones (versus six in the Liberty 4 Pro) and one speaker are unlikely to be better than the hero of the review.
Other competitors are the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 (from 7789 UAH), OnePlus Buds Pro 3 (from 5077 UAH) and Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro (from 6420 UAH).