Want an Apple AirPods Pro 2 Alternative? These ANC Earbuds Are Worth a Look

Sure, Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 are pretty much everywhere these days. But if you’re looking to save some cash and still enjoy great-sounding earbuds with active noise-cancelation technology, the Soundcore Liberty Pro 4 provides a compelling package. Along with great battery life and nice sound, the case offers a great way to control earbud functions.

Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro

Soundcore’s Liberty 4 Pro are wireless earbuds with great features for less. Featuring active noise cancellation, the earbuds adapt to the changing environment every 0.3 seconds to help you drown out distractions. The case’s touch bar and display let you quickly see the battery level and change ANC levels with just a touch. Six microphones and a noise cancelling algorithm help provide clear calls. 

Pros

• 10 hours of battery life and 40 hours with charging case
• Great ANC
• Case touch bar and display are useful in day-to-ay use
• Multiple eartips included for best fit
• 6 microphone array for clear calls

Cons

• Touch controls are difficult to use
• Sometimes uncomfortable to wear for long periods aof time

Pricing and Availability

The Soundcore Liberty Pro 4 are available for $130 at Amazon, Soundcore, and a number of other retailers. There are three colors available: black, blue, and white.

A Familiar Design

Most wireless earbuds on the market stick to a similar design, and the Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro are no exception. The earbud fits into your ear with a small stem protruding. There are three colors available—black, white, and blue. The case is color-matched to the earbud hue.

The black color I tried out looks very glossy in person but a nice change from the stark white of Apple’s AirPods line. The eartips for each option also match the color of the earbuds. It was nice to see Soundcore provide six different sizes, everything from XXS to XL to help you find the most comfortable, and secure, fit.

After I tried out a few sizes, the medium option fit best for me. Finding the best fit is important since it will also help with noise cancellation.

You can customize some of the touch controls on either earbud to quickly adjust music and more, like answering a call. But in practice, I found the stems too small and narrow for the controls to be all that useful. There were numerous times that I tried to change the volume but could never find the right way to hold the stem to make that quick change.

The earbuds were fairly comfortable to wear for long periods of time and while working out, but they are heavier than my AirPods Pro 2. The actual buds are a bit longer and take up more space in my ear.

One of the Liberty 4 Pro’s headline features is active noise cancellation. ANC technology uses microphones to listen for external noise and then “cancel” it with the opposite sound waves. Soundcore’s technology is a strong winner.

Earbuds with ANC will never match larger over-ear headphones. But I’ve used the Liberty 4 Pro for a few weeks, and it’s the best active noise cancelation I’ve heard on earbuds.

The earbuds feature six sound sensors and recalibrate every 0.3 seconds to provide the best ANC experience possible. When listening to quiet music, even at low volume levels, the ANC knocked out the vast majority of sounds like a TV, robot vacuum working, or even someone across the room asking me a question.

Using the companion Soundcore app or the case, you can adjust the ANC power. When turning it off, you can use a Transparency mode that allows you to hear what’s happening around you along with the music. That was my preferred mode when out for a run so I could hear traffic and other sounds.

While I couldn’t test it, the earbuds also sport a barometric sensor. That will work on a plane flight to better adjust the ANC, even when the pressure changes with altitude during flight. Along with great ANC, audio quality was also top-notch. I listened to a wide variety of music, podcasts, and even TV and movies, and I was impressed with how clean and clear the audio was. Everything sounded great, especially at higher ANC levels, whether it was lyrics, bass, or high notes.

Like any other modern earbuds, you can also take phone calls with the Liberty 4 Pro. Callers reported good, but not great sound quality. If you frequently take calls outside, there is also a Wind Noise Reduction feature you can turn on.

Actually Making the Charging Case Useful

Battery life is another great feature of the Liberty 4 Pro. You can get up to 10 hours of playback on a single charge and 40 hours of playback with the charging case. In my use, those battery life estimates were very accurate.

Along with being able to charge the case with a USB-C port on the rear of the case, it can also be placed on any standard Qi wireless charger.

And the case can do more than juice up the headphones on the go. After opening up the case lid, you can see a small display on top of the case with a touch bar below that. By default, the screen will show the battery life of each earbud and the case itself.

Using the app, you can add a number of features to control with the case. Just slide left using the touch bar when you see the battery information. Some of those include adjusting the ANC, turning on the Spatial Audio mode, pinging either earbud if they are lost, and even a remote camera shutter button.

Those functions were actually surprisingly useful with the case. It was always nice to quickly see the battery information without needing to glance at my iPhone. I also liked being able to change the ANC power on the go. I didn’t use the other functions as often, but it was nice to have them there to activate quickly.

Before making a buying choice, just note that you can see the battery information with the case closed with only the black and blue option and not the white color.

An Easy-to-Use Companion App

I’ve reviewed a number of Soundcore products, and the app (available for iPhone and Android) continues to be another big plus. It offers a great number of options to better customize the sound quality. Make sure to take the HearID Sound Test. It’s a hearing test that can then adjust the music to your song profile. It works very well, and I could tell a substantial difference in the audio quality after taking the 10-minute test.

You can also take a Preference Test to customize the sound quality. The test provides two different versions of an audio sample. You pick which one sounds better.

There is also a Spatial Audio mode, but I wasn’t impressed with the results. Spatial Audio makes it sound like audio is coming from all around you. When listening to music, you can choose from a fixed option or head tracked that will change the audio when you rotate your head. Both options sounded odd and flat when I tried out different music types.

You can also try the Spatial Audio in a podcast, movie, or gaming mode, but the other personalized sound options sounded much better. Finally, you can choose from some ore-made EQ options or create your own.

The app is also the place to go if you want to find the case with the Find Device feature. While the sound from the earbuds was hard to hear, the case tone was extremely loud, so you should be able to find the case anywhere in Bluetooth range.

Should You Buy the Soundcore Liberty Pro 4?

I was initially skeptical when first using the Soundcore Liberty Pro 4, but the well-rounded earbuds quickly turned me into a fan. In the end, they’re not as comfortable as Apple’s AirPods 2 in daily use. But past that small issue, they are as good or even better in every way. The great battery life, full sound, and unique charging case make the earbuds a perfect way to rock out on the go and save cash.

Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro

Soundcore’s Liberty 4 Pro are wireless earbuds with great features for less. Featuring active noise cancellation, the earbuds adapt to the changing environment every 0.3 seconds to help you drown out distractions. The case’s touch bar and display let you quickly see the battery level and change ANC levels with just a touch. Six microphones and a noise cancelling algorithm help provide clear calls.