Summary
The Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC wireless earbuds are the newest addition to the Liberty lineup. With adaptive ANC 2.0 that blocks out 98.5% outside noise, 10-hour battery life on a single charge, and 11mm drivers for crisp sound, these budget-friendly earbuds make quite the first impression. Despite being in the budget category, the Liberty 4 NC earbuds feel incredibly premium, mainly thanks to the LDAC audio codec support and Google’s Fast Pair connection.
For the last week or so, these were my go-to earbuds. They’re perfect for gaming, listening to music and chilling out, commuting, or running.
Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC Wireless Earbuds
The Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC wireless earbuds are the newest addition to the Liberty earbuds lineup. They feature a pretty impressive battery life of 10 hours on a single charge and 50 hours with the included carrying case, making it easy to get through a work week without recharging. The Liberty 4 NC has 11mm audio drivers to deliver crisp and clear sound, especially with the adaptive ANC, which blocks out 98.5% of outside noise.
What’s In The Box?
Opening up the box for these earbuds feels incredibly premium. Everything is well-packed, and it is nice that Soundcore switched to using paper products for their packaging. Everything that comes with the Liberty 4 NC earbuds is pretty standard for most wireless earbuds: four different sizes of ear tips (including the ones on the earbuds by default), a USB-C charging cable, and a quick start guide.
After getting the earbuds out of the box, the ones Game Rant received came fully charged, and the setup process was a breeze, mainly thanks to Google’s Fast Connection feature. This is only a feature for Android users, but when the case is opened, supported Android phones will prompt users to download the Soundcore app. As with theSoundcore Space One headphonesGame Rant has reviewed, it is definitely worth downloading the app to make the setup process more straightforward. The whole setup process took about three minutes.
Design and Features
The design of the Liberty 4 NC earbuds is incredible. They feel premium to the touch, with smooth plastic for the parts that come in contact with the user’s ear and then a metal textured outside edge where the touch controls are. The overall shape of the earbuds is relatively standard. They look like Airpods, but that does not take away from the overall excellent design of the earbuds themselves. Soundcore offers these earbuds in five colorways: velvet black, navy blue, clear white, pastel pink, and light blue (the one Game Rant received). Most wireless earbuds only come in black or white, so it’s nice to see a pair with a couple of color options, all of which look excellent.
The case, which in some ways is just as crucial as the earbuds themselves, does a great job. Even after some rigorous shaking to see if the earbuds would fall out, the case stayed closed and felt great in the hand. It is pretty big, though, so when the case is a pocket, the bulge is quite noticeable. Depending on one’s preference, it might be best to carry the case in a bag or backpack.
Features
Regarding features, the Liberty 4 NC is jam-packed. Their most significant selling point is the impressive ANC 2.0, which Soundcore claims blocks out 98.5% of outside noise when the noise-canceling is turned up to the maximum level. From this week of testing, it definitely seems like 98.5% of sound is blocked. A lot of the ANC performance is thanks to Soundcore’s impressive AI algorithm and the six mics on the earbuds that also make calls crystal clear, no matter the setting.
The battery life on the Liberty 4 NC earbuds is outstanding. The earbuds last up to 10 hours on a single charge; when combined with the charging case, they last up to 50 hours. Since the review process has started for these earbuds, they have not needed to be recharged once, with the ANC being turned up to the maximum most of the time. Public transit commuters or people who like to have a constant soundtrack to their lives will be easily impressed by this battery life. When the Liberty 4 NC does need to be charged, it can get 4 hours of battery life after just 10 minutes of charging.
Comfort
Comfort is crucial for any pair of headphones, regardless of whether they are earbuds or over-ear. The Liberty 4 NC earbuds are incredibly comfortable, whether worn all day or just short stints at a time. The earbuds themselves conform to the shape of the ear quite nicely, so it’s not just on the ear tip to get them in. This also reduces the tension many earbuds create after wearing them for a long time.
Paired with the correct size ear tips, the Liberty 4 NC easily passes the head-banging test. Plus, for those gamers who like to exercise, running is a treat with these. Not only do they not fall out, but the noise-canceling also blocks out heavy breathing.
Sound Quality and Performance
The Liberty 4 NC earbuds have excellent sound quality. Music sounds rich and full without sounding overly sculpted, and games have that punchy bass that makes combat feel impactful. The sound profile out of the box for these earbuds is pretty bass-heavy. But thanks to the app, it is easy to customize the EQ, either using the HearID sound tool, which gives users a series of tones to help create the perfect custom EQ for them, or just using the manual 8-band EQ to dial in the sound.
As far as the mic quality goes, these earbuds sound absolutely incredible. The six mics on the earbuds provide crystal-clear audio. Thanks to Soundcore’s AI processing, phone calls are easy to make, even in crowded environments. It is worth noting that sometimes the mic quality dips or cuts out the speaker’s voice in super loud environments, but this was not a consistent problem.
Soundcore App
The Soundcore App is an excellent companion app for the Liberty 4 NC and offers many customization settings that make it worth downloading. As previously mentioned, the EQ can be adjusted through the app, but there are also many other options.
The fit test is easily one of the best features, making choosing the right ear tip size a breeze. Simply place the earbuds in and press begin the test. The app will play a short sound and then provide results if the earbuds are not forming a perfect seal. The app recommends ways this can be fixed, like choosing a different ear tip size or how the earbuds should be placed in the user’s ears. The app will also provide firmware updates, which Soundcore has been pretty on top of for this lineup of headphones.
Overall Impressions
Anker Soundcore’s Liberty 4 NC earbuds offer fantastic sound quality, impressive features, and an overall excellent experience. At this price point, most gamers will be hard-pressed to find better ANC and sound quality, not to mention the long battery life. Audiophiles might want earbuds that offer a more substantial sound stage, but for casual listening, especially on a commute, the Liberty 4 NC is a fantastic choice.
FAQ
Q: Are Soundcore wireless earbuds good?
Like every brand, not every set of earbuds from Soundcore is the best, but the Liberty 4 NC is an excellent pair of wireless earbuds, largely thanks to its fantastic sound quality and impressive noise cancelation.
Q: Is Soundcore by Anker a good brand?
Since launching in 2017, Soundcore by Anker has repeatedly proven itself. Most of their products have excellent features and sound great, all for an affordable price.
