The new Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC may be a newer product, but it is actually a slightly stripped down version of the flagship Liberty 4 earbuds. The Liberty 4 has more advanced driver setup, 360º spatial audio, dynamic head tracking, and even heart rate tracking. If you don’t need all that, you can opt for the new Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC which is S$60 cheaper, retailing at S$149.95.
Unboxing
Here’s what you’ll find in the box:
- Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC Earbuds
- Charging case
- USB-A to USB-C cable
- User manual
- Ear tips – XS, S, M (pre-installed), L
Build quality and features
The Soundcore’s Liberty series have largely kept the stem style design for their earbuds. The Liberty 4 NC earbuds comes in four colour options – (1) Black, (2) Navy Blue, (3) Blue, and (4) Pink. The unit I have is the Black variant, which features a matte face plate in a space grey colour, with the remaining of the body in a glossy black finish. The length of the stem on the Liberty 4 NC is considerably long compared to other stem-style earbuds that we’ve tested so far. The earbuds are made from plastic which feels rather good quality.
As for the case, it sports a matte finish with a nice grippy texture to it. The size is pretty compact, but relatively thick at ~2.8cm. The case opens by flipping the top case, or you can press the front button to flip it open one-handed. The button also doubles as an LED indicator to display charging status, and to trigger Bluetooth pairing mod if you long press it.
The earbuds are also rated at IPX4 water-resistance, which isn’t the highest you can get but it should be good to handle gentle workouts or light rain.
Controls
Liberty 4 NC earbuds employs touch controls which are located at the top of the stem, making it easy to locate and tap. The default touch controls handles play/pause, track control, and switching between ANC and Transparency modes. With the Soundcore app, you can customise the controls to your liking such as mapping a ‘Triple tap’ for volume handling.
The touch controls are responsive and easy to use without mis-touches during my time of testing. There are no haptic feedback but you get a small prompt tone on your taps adds to the ease of use. There are wear sensors on the Liberty 4 NC earbuds so there is an auto play/pause feature (which can be turned off if you don’t like it).
Soundcore App & Transparency mode
Soundcore has been making earbuds for many years now, and their Soundcore app experience is nothing short of polished. It is clean looking and easy to use.
The app allows to customise the Ambient Sound modes (ie. ANC, Transparency). You can choose to let the Liberty 4 NC automatically adjust the level of ANC through its Adaptive setting or manually set a level or choose a preset.
The Transparency mode on the Liberty 4 NC is actually really good. The implementation is vey natural sounding and I feel it gets close to Apple AirPods Pro apart from the way wind is being processed. Environmental sounds are not elevated, other than wind sounds, and voices sound natural in volume and tone.
You can also create your own custom EQ or use HearID which aims to understand your frequency profile and then suggest a EQ suited for your personal hearing.
Fit and comfort
The Liberty 4 NC earbuds are very comfortable to wear. I’m using the default medium sized ear tips and they sit really well in my ears. The seal is non-obtrusive and comfortable thanks to the oval-shaped tips and the softness of it.
You can expect a gentle and snug fit, which is very reminiscent of the fit I got with AirPods Pro as the shape of the nozzle is quite similar. The stem of the Liberty 4 NC is a tad long so depending on your face shape it may touch your face.
Sound quality
I tested the Liberty 4 NC on its default ‘Soundcore Signature’ EQ profile. Bass is fun and engaging, as with Soundcore earbuds that I’ve tested before. Sub-bass has extension and hits full and deep to give a satisfying rumble that doesn’t feel too dark. Bass is also fast hitting and remains well controlled.
Mids are forward with detailed, vocals and instruments are delivered with slight warm tint. Treble has enough presence to offer some shine. There are moments where you’d want the music to push brighter, but at least it is without harshness. Overall, the Liberty 4 NC has an engaging sound to it, fun hitting bass with forward vocals works well many many genres across the board.
ANC performance
The Liberty 4 NC has outstanding ANC performance at the S$150 price point. There are earbuds pricier than the Liberty 4 NC with ANC that aren’t as strong as it. I’d say the ANC Liberty 4 NC is just weaker than the AirPods Pro. Engine rumble on buses and traffic are rid off easily, while rail squeals and higher frequency noises are softened to a fair margin.
Adaptive ANC works well on the Liberty 4 NC. But if just want the strongest ANC in any setting, you can simply opt to for the max level on Manual mode.
Microphone quality
Microphone on the Liberty 4 NC is pretty good. Vocal reproduction is forward and full sounding. Clarity is great in controlled environments but start to stutter a little bit in noisy environments. When tested in very noisy conditions, Liberty 4 NC is able to snuff out most of the background noise away albeit some clarity taking a hit, but still manages to keep my voice forward.
Battery life
Liberty 4 NC offers up to 10 hours of playback time on a single charge, and you can get an additional 40 hours from the case. You can charge the case via USB-C or wirelessly. If you need to juice up the earbuds quickly, the Liberty 4 NC supports fast charging whereby a 10 minutes charge can give you 4 hours of listening time.
Pairing, connectivity, and latency
Liberty 4 NC is equipped with the latest Bluetooth 5.3 and the connection to my iPhone was very fast, and it pairs as a single unit. During my time of testing, I did not experience any connection issues. There were also no audio-video sync lag when watching videos from the YouTube app on my iPhone 11.
You can use either the left or right earbud if you just want to wear one for usage. Liberty 4 NC also boasts multipoint pairing, meaning you can connect it to up to two devices at once and switch your audio inputs between them. It’s a great feature to have if you often use your earbuds with more than one device at a time.
Conclusion
There is really nothing much to dislike about the Liberty 4 NC, maybe the length of the stem if I’m nitpicking. Soundcore has created a value gem in the Liberty 4 NC true wireless earbuds. At its price point of S$149.95, it arguably offers the best sound quality, ANC, and build quality in its price category. Not to mention a long battery life, comfortable fit, multipoint pairing, and great companion app to top it off. If you’re not fussy over a stem style design pair of true wireless earbuds, the Liberty 4 NC is strong contender at S$150.