Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Review: The Earbuds That Finally Nail Call Quality

For years, Soundcore (Anker's audio sub-brand) has been the go-to recommendation for anyone who wanted solid wireless earbuds without paying flagship prices. The Liberty 4 Pro at $150 was a textbook overachiever. But the new Liberty 5 Pro, launched in May 2026, does something none of its predecessors managed: it competes directly with Apple, Sony, and Bose on the one metric that actually matters for most people's daily lives — call quality.

At $170 for the standard model and $230 for the Liberty 5 Pro Max, Soundcore is no longer playing in the budget sandbox. This is a direct challenge to the AirPods Pro 3. The question is whether the hardware backs up the ambition.

What's new: the Thus chip

The headline upgrade is Anker's proprietary Thus chip, a custom audio processor with significantly more computational headroom than anything Soundcore has shipped before. This matters because modern noise canceling, especially for calls, is less about microphone hardware and more about real-time signal processing. The Thus chip gives the Liberty 5 Pro the processing budget to run aggressive beamforming and voice isolation algorithms that were previously only feasible in Apple's H2 or Sony's V2 chips.

The result is call quality that reviewers are calling the best they've heard in any earbuds, full stop. Background noise (traffic, coffee shop chatter, HVAC hum) gets stripped out with a precision that makes you sound like you're in a quiet room even when you're not. For remote workers and frequent callers, this alone justifies the price.

Both the Liberty 5 Pro and Liberty 5 Pro Max use the same earbuds. Same chip, same 9.2mm drivers, same microphone array, same ANC performance, same IP55 water resistance, same battery life. The only difference between the two models is the charging case: the Pro Max ships with a larger case that has a 1.78-inch display, while the standard Pro has a smaller 0.96-inch TFT screen. If you don't care about the case screen, the $170 model is the obvious buy.

ANC and sound quality

The Liberty 5 Pro's call quality shines in real-world remote work scenarios.

Active noise cancellation is strong, not class-leading, but comfortably in the same tier as the Sony WF-1000XM5 and meaningfully better than most sub-$200 earbuds. It handles consistent low-frequency noise (plane engines, AC units) very well. High-frequency transient sounds like keyboard clicks or sudden voices are attenuated but not eliminated, which is typical for hybrid ANC systems at this price.

Sound quality out of the box needs attention. The default tuning is V-shaped: boosted bass and treble with a slightly recessed midrange. For pop, hip-hop, or electronic music it works fine. For vocals, podcasts, or acoustic music it can feel a bit hollow. The fix is straightforward: the Soundcore app ships with a capable EQ and several preset profiles. Spend five minutes in the app and you can dial in a much more balanced signature. Minor friction, but worth knowing upfront.

The 9.2mm dynamic drivers deliver good detail retrieval and a wide soundstage for a sealed IEM design. Bass extension is solid without being muddy. Overall, the sound profile is competitive with the AirPods Pro 3 — different flavor, not worse.

The case screen: gimmick or genuinely useful?

The Liberty 5 Pro's case has a 0.96-inch TFT screen on the front. You can use it to toggle ANC modes, switch sound profiles, enable speak-to-chat, and control Dolby head tracking, all without pulling out your phone. Everything on the screen is also accessible in the Soundcore app, so it's purely additive.

In practice, it's more useful than it sounds. Being able to flip ANC on or off, or switch from a music EQ to a voice EQ, without unlocking your phone is a small quality-of-life win that adds up over a day. It's not a reason to buy these earbuds, but it's a thoughtful detail that shows Soundcore is paying attention to real-world usage.

Battery life and fit

Battery life is rated at 8 hours in the earbuds with ANC on, and the case adds another 24 hours for a total of 32 hours. That's competitive with the AirPods Pro 3 (6 hours + 24 hours) and better than the Sony WF-1000XM5 (8 hours + 16 hours). Fast charging via USB-C gives you about 2 hours of playback from a 10-minute charge.

Fit is subjective, but the Liberty 5 Pro ships with multiple ear tip sizes and a secure in-ear design that stays put during light exercise. The IP55 rating covers sweat and rain splashes, making them reasonable gym companions, though not ideal for intense workouts where a more secure fit (like a hook or fin) would be preferable.

How it stacks up

The Liberty 5 Pro's most direct competitors are the AirPods Pro 3 ($249), the Sony WF-1000XM5 ($280), and the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II ($199). Against all three, the Liberty 5 Pro wins on call quality and loses on brand ecosystem integration. If you're deep in the Apple ecosystem, AirPods Pro 3 still make more sense for seamless device switching and Siri integration. If you're Android or platform-agnostic, the Liberty 5 Pro is a compelling $80-$110 cheaper alternative that doesn't feel like a compromise.

Verdict

The Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro is the best call-quality earbuds you can buy under $200, and it's not particularly close. The Thus chip delivers on its promise: if you spend a lot of time on calls, this is the earbud to get. Sound quality is good with a quick EQ tweak, ANC is strong, battery life is excellent, and the case screen is a nice bonus.

The default sound tuning and the lack of ecosystem integration (no seamless multi-device switching like AirPods) are real limitations. But at $170, the Liberty 5 Pro punches well above its weight class. Soundcore has officially graduated from "budget pick" to "serious contender."

Score: 8/10 — Recommended for remote workers, frequent callers, and anyone who wants flagship-tier call quality without the flagship price tag.

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