Earbuds are boring now. Honestly, we’ve hit a wall where every flagship pair sounds "pretty great" and cancels "most noise." So when the Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro showed up, I wasn't looking at the drivers first. I was looking at the screen. Yes, a screen on the case. It feels like a gimmick until you actually use it to toggle transparency modes while your phone is buried in a backpack.
Anker has a weird habit of over-engineering things just to see what sticks. Sometimes it's a mess. Here? It’s surprisingly refined. The Liberty 4 Pro isn't just a sequel; it’s a weird, ambitious attempt to make the charging case more than a plastic coffin for your buds.
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The Display Case Isn't Just for Show
Let's talk about that bar on the front. It’s a touch-sensitive strip combined with a display that shows you battery levels and ANC settings. You've probably seen something similar on the JBL Tour Pro series, but Soundcore's implementation feels snappier. You slide your finger to adjust the intensity of the noise canceling. It’s tactile. It’s fast.
Is it necessary? Probably not. But think about the last time you were on a plane. You’re watching a movie on the seatback screen, your phone is tucked away, and suddenly the pilot starts mumbling an announcement. Instead of fumbling for your phone or trying to remember which touch gesture triggers "Transparency," you just swipe the case sitting on your tray table.
It works.
The case also hides a pressure sensor. This isn't just a touch panel; you actually press down to confirm selections. It prevents those accidental "ghost touches" that plague cheap tech. Plus, the sliding mechanism of the lid is incredibly satisfying—it’s got that heavy, premium "thunk" that reminds me of the old-school slider phones.
Sound Quality and the Dual Driver Obsession
Soundcore stuck with the ACAA (Astria Coaxial Acoustic Architecture) system here. Specifically, the Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro uses a 10.5mm main driver for the low end and a titanium-coated tweeter for the highs.
The bass is thick. It’s not "beats-from-2012" muddy, but it definitely has a punch that hits you in the jaw. If you’re a purist who wants a flat frequency response, you’re going to hate these out of the box. Thankfully, the HearID 3.0 in the app actually does a decent job of tailoring the EQ to your specific hearing deficiencies.
I tested these against the Sony WF-1000XM5. The Sony buds have a more clinical, precise soundstage. But the Liberty 4 Pro feels... wider? There’s a sense of airiness in the treble that makes live recordings feel less like they're trapped inside your skull. It’s a fun sound. It’s energetic.
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We need to talk about LDAC support, too. If you’re on Android and streaming Tidal or local FLAC files, the bit rate is high enough to actually hear the texture of a kick drum. iPhone users are still stuck with AAC, but even then, the hardware does enough heavy lifting to keep things crisp.
Noise Canceling that Actually Adapts
Adaptive ANC is the buzzword of the year. Every brand claims their buds "listen to the environment."
The Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro uses six microphones and a barometer. The barometer is the secret sauce. It measures atmospheric pressure, which is why these are specifically great for frequent flyers. Most buds struggle when the cabin pressure shifts, leading to that "underwater" feeling or a sudden hiss. These stay stable.
I took them into a busy coffee shop near a construction site. The low-frequency rumble of a generator was gone. Gone. High-pitched clinking of ceramic cups still leaked through—that's just physics—but the "cone of silence" is legitimately impressive for a sub-$150 pair of buds.
Why the Transparency Mode is Different
Most transparency modes sound like a bad hearing aid. It’s metallic and harsh. Soundcore has improved the "vocal enhancement" part of their software. It identifies human speech frequencies and boosts them while keeping the background hum suppressed. It’s not quite as natural as the Apple AirPods Pro 2, but it’s easily the best Soundcore has ever done.
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Battery Life: The Real World Numbers
Marketing says you get 40 hours total. In reality?
- With ANC on and LDAC active: Expect about 5.5 to 6 hours per charge.
- With ANC off: You can push 9 or 10.
- The case gives you about 4 full recharges.
The fast charging is the standout. Put them in the case for five minutes, and you get nearly two hours of playback. That's the benefit of Anker being a power company first and an audio company second. They know how to move juice quickly without frying the lithium-ion cells.
The Fit is Polarizing
They kept the stem design. Some people love it because it puts the microphone closer to your mouth. Others hate it because it catches on face masks or hoodies.
The Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro earbuds are slightly more bulbous than the previous generation. They come with a massive array of ear tips—seriously, try them all. If you don't get a perfect seal, the ANC drops by about 40%. Don't just stick with the mediums that come pre-installed. Spend ten minutes doing the "Fit Test" in the app. It’s worth the hassle.
Where They Falter
No product is perfect. The Liberty 4 Pro is heavy. The case, with its screen and internal tech, is significantly bulkier than an AirPods case or even the Sony XM5 case. It’ll bulge in skinny jeans.
Also, the "Easy Chat" feature—which lowers your volume when you start speaking—is still a bit twitchy. Sometimes it triggers when I'm just clearing my throat or coughing. I ended up turning it off after two days. It’s a cool idea that needs a bit more firmware polish.
And the Multipoint connection? It works, but it's not seamless. Switching from a laptop Zoom call to a phone call on your device takes about two seconds of "dead air." It’s a minor gripe, but if your day is back-to-back meetings, those two seconds feel like an eternity.
Is This the End of High-Priced Flagships?
We are reaching a point where spending $300 on earbuds feels unnecessary. The Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro provides 90% of the performance of the big players for about half the cost. You get the high-res codecs, the wireless charging, the clever (if slightly flashy) case, and genuinely competitive noise canceling.
If you care about status, buy the Apples or the Sonys. If you care about "utility per dollar," these are currently the benchmark.
Making the Most of Your Liberty 4 Pro
If you’ve just unboxed a pair or you're about to hit "buy," here is how to actually get the experience you paid for.
- Update the Firmware Immediately. Soundcore is notorious for shipping buds with "Version 1.0" bugs. The first update usually fixes connection stability and recalibrates the ANC mics.
- Turn Off "Wind Noise Reduction" Unless It's Windy. This feature uses a lot of processing power and can slightly thin out the bass. Only toggle it on when you're actually outside.
- Customize the Case Display. You can choose what the screen shows. Set it to display the info you actually need—like which device you’re currently connected to—rather than just a pretty animation.
- Use the "Custom" ANC Setting. The Adaptive mode is good, but if you’re in a consistent environment (like a home office), setting the ANC to a fixed "Level 5" usually provides a more consistent noise floor without the software "hunting" for the right frequency.
- Toggle the LDAC Setting. Remember that LDAC is often off by default to save battery. If you want the best sound, go into the Soundcore app and manually enable "Sound Quality Priority" under the Bluetooth connection settings. Be prepared for the battery hit, though.