Ive tested both of Anker's new feature-packed Soundcore earbuds, which offer everything from personalized sound to Dolby Atmos to AI translation one is clearly better, but Id actually recommend buying the other one

Date:
Sat, 23 May 2026 22:00:00 +0000

Description:
Anker's Soundcore brand has released two new earbuds; I've tested both, and have the lowdown on how they're different.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Anker 's Soundcore brand is
just going harder and harder on releasing new models. Not content with the Soundcore Liberty 5 earbuds and Soundcore Space 2 headphones recently, the brand has unveiled two new pairs of earbuds based on the Liberty .

These are the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro and Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max, and they're new premium pairs of feature-packed earbuds that, unlike many other Pro-titled products, actually feel targeted towards professionals. Ive been using both the Pro and Pro Max for a week now, to try to understand both
buds, how theyre different, and which Id recommend people buy. That's not enough time to have completed two reviews, which is why you're not reading those right now but Ive definitely used the earbuds long enough to answer
all of my questions. Latest Videos From You may like Anker Soundcore's new earbuds have flashy screens on the outside, but the inside is the best bit A serious Apple AirPods Pro rival: Huaweis new FreeBuds Pro 5 are the real deal Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5: easily some of Huawei's best buds yet

So heres whats different between the Liberty 5 Pro and Liberty 5 Pro Max and, crucially, which one I think most people should end up buying. Today's best Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro and Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max deals Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro 149.99 View See all prices Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max 199.99 View See all prices We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices How do the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro and Pro Max compare on price?
(Image credit: Future) Its important that we establish the main difference between the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro and Pro Max first: its the price.

The Pro is, as youd imagine, the cheaper of the two earbuds. To buy it, youre paying $169 / 149 (about AU$300). So its a lot pricier than the Liberty 5, which sold for $129 / 99 / AU$169.

But that cost is nothing compared to the Pro Max. These sell for $229 / 199 (about AU$400), which is only a hair under the AirPods Pro 3 s $249 / 219 / AU$429 asking price. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more.
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Im not going to treat the Liberty 5 Pro like the budget option, given its price, but youll soon read about how its probably the best option based on budget. How do the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro vs Pro Max compare on sound quality? (Image credit: Future) If you only want to know about the
differences between the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro and Pro Max, youll want to keep scrolling. These two earbuds both have exactly the same audio performance, but it's important to address them.

What are their specs? Well, nowhere in Ankers promotional material for the buds, press pre-briefing ahead of their release or the buds packaging, is
that actually mentioned. Youll have take my word for it then. What to read next Best earbuds: top buys, all TechRadar-tested and recommended What are
the best AirPods to buy today? I've used every model since 2016, and here are my recommendations The best wireless earbuds for all budgets, all tested by our reviewers

Ive quite liked how the buds have sounded, in my testing time. The audio is detailed and sharp, with a real oomph when its needed. However, at least in the default sound profile, Ive found the bass a little too prominent, yet not quite as precisely defined as Id like.

Itd be fine in earbuds at the price of the Liberty 5, but when youre picking up a 'Pro' or 'Pro Max' pair of earbuds and paying the price for them Id like a little more controlled lower-end.

Ankers been heavily advertising the listening test available in both of its new earbuds, and Ive yet to try that or the equalizer, so perhaps these will give me the sound profile I'm looking for Ill let you know in my full review later. What are the differences in Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro and Pro Max's design? (Image credit: Future) Likely due to their identical audio specs, the Liberty 5 Pro and Pro Max earbuds are exactly the same. I could put the Pro Max earbuds in the Pro case, and vice versa.

The buds are certainly unique; they have a kidney-shaped body, not dissimilar to Samsungs old bean buds , but with a tip to allow for the noise
cancellation and give you a solid fit.

On that topic, these Liberty 5s both come with wings at the top of the bean, kind of like the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds Ultra 2nd Gen , and these are
great for fit. Ive been on multiple runs with them, and theyve been a dream, even if theyre a little heavier than rivals at 7g each.

The real design difference between Ankers new earbuds is the charging case. Actually, thats the main difference full stop, at least it feels that way in my testing.

The Liberty 5 Pro Max have a pretty big charging case. Its a squarish rectangle, with a lid that slides up to reveal the buds, and it weighs about 86g. What makes the case so large? Thatll be the screen, which takes up the entirety of the lid; its a big square that looks like the kind of panel youd find on a squircle smartwatch.

You can use this screen to control music playback, change EQ presets, toggle between noise cancellation modes and activate a range of the buds features more on that later.

The Liberty 5 Pro also have a touchscreen, but its smaller: a thin strip like the display on a fitness tracker. Its much simpler, with battery indicators and small icons for a range of features. The case still has a slide-up lid to reveal the buds, like on the Max, and weighs a little less at 70g.

Ive had some problems with the screen on both sets of earbuds. Its a little less responsive than Id like, often needing multiple swipes to change menu
and repeated taps to enable a setting. It reminds me of fitness trackers of old, which needed coercing to work. Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro and Pro Max features explained (Image credit: Future) Its not the main selling point of the Anker earbuds, but Ive been really appreciating the active noise cancellation on both the Pro and Pro Max. Its among the best in any earbuds Ive tested, proving effective at wiping out background sound in all
conditions I've tried so far.

Likely to thank for this is a new chip Anker created, and debuted in these buds; its designed specifically for the Liberty 5 buds ANC and features, and adds support for Dolby Atmos audio.

The battery life is a little more average; both pairs of buds last for 6.5 hours of listening, with the charging case bringing that time up to 28 hours both figures are with ANC turned on. My benchmark for the average battery
life of earbuds is 8 hours with ANC off, which I imagine the Liberty will surpass by a little, but Ill have to test it properly for my full review.

The new Soundcore app is the key to your kingdom of features here. It has a huge range of features including meditation and ambient noise playlists, a built-in AI chatbot , a fit test, a listening preference test to create
custom EQ, a sound level meter and volume limiter, a sound-quality upscaling option, and the ability to customize the case screen.

Thats not counting all the usual earbud app tools youve come to expect, such as a standard equalizer, touch control customization, ANC modes and so on.

Ive got to hand it to Soundcore: this is perhaps the biggest array of
features Ive ever seen in a pair of earbuds. Theyre incredibly
feature-packed, and browsing though the app, I felt like a kid in a candy store.

Everything Ive mentioned so far is available on both buds, but the pricier pair offers a little more: the Pro Maxs biggest unique feature is that it functions as a note-taker.

Thanks to the case having a built-in microphone, you can use it to record audio, and the app will create a transcript naturally, the buds can do the same with their own mics. Theres also a live translation tool, which uses the same hardware to achieve its ends. Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro vs Pro Max: which one would I recommend? (Image credit: Future) So far, Ive mostly been using the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max. I thought Id rather test the expensive earbuds first, and based on the extra features, they're clearly the better buds in the simplest terms.

However for most buyers, Im not sure these are the earbuds Id actually recommend. While not cheap, the Pro are a little more affordable than their Max counterparts, and I think youre getting better value for money.

The extra features the pricier model brings are neat, but I dont see them being reliably useful for many people. Most of us dont need a portable dictaphone on our earbuds.

Also worth bearing in mind is the charging case: on the Pro, its a little smaller and more streamlined, and that makes it better for toting around. Not good its too bulky to disappear into a trouser pocket, unlike the AirPods
Pro 3 case or similar but it's still a little more convenient than the Pro Maxs.

Sure, its charging case screen is smaller, but in my week with the buds, Ive barely used either display. Ive tested a few different earbuds with charging case screens, and Im still yet to be convinced that these are essential, making the screen's minimization in the Pro no bad thing. Today's best Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro and Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max deals Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro 149.99 View See all prices Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max 199.99 View See all prices We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to
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