Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro and Pro Max: Bass monsters with top noise cancelling
6.7.2026
Translation: machine translated
Pictures: Florian Bodoky
With the Liberty 5 Pro and Pro Max, Soundcore wants to be more than just the price-performance alternative. It succeeds - for ANC fetishists and bass lovers. The Pro Max deliver an extra portion of AI functions, but are more expensive.
Since 2018, Anker's sub-brand has been trying to establish itself in the market with speakers and headphones. So far, it has mainly attracted attention with high performance for little money. Now, with the Liberty 5 Pro and Liberty 5 Pro Max, it wants to break out of this rut. On the one hand, Soundcore is trying to establish the charging case as an independent tech category with advantages. On the other hand, the company has developed the AI chip "Thus", which is supposed to enable more computing power on the headphones – for example, for decompressing music. Will the Liberty 5 Pro series thus become a serious competitor, or is this just marketing bluster?
Bulky cases and fiddly insertion
The first thing I notice in the test is the weight and size of the charging cases. Especially the Pro Max's bulky 1.78-inch AMOLED touchscreen and 85 grams of weight are noticeably heavy in my pocket. The Pro weighs 69 grams. Soundcore uses a horizontal sliding mechanism for both models to access the earbuds. However, putting the buds back into the charging cradle is sometimes fiddly millimeter work.
Because the cutouts in the case are tight, especially on the Pro, and the magnets don't always pull the headphones into the correct position, I initially have to twist and turn the plugs until the charging contact engages. The case, including the sliding lid, and the headphones themselves are well-made and sturdy.
Unshakeable hold
In terms of design, Soundcore moves away from the classic stem design and opts for a rounded bean shape, strongly reminiscent of Bose's competition. What I personally like extremely much: Despite the unusual shape, the plugs slide really deep into my ear canal. I really like this deep, firm fit. It is supported by additional silicone fins that clamp into the auricle. This has practical advantages: The headphones stay stable in the ear, even with a lot of movement. They also seal well. With narrow ear canals, you might feel some pressure after a while – the classic compromise.
This makes the Liberty 5 Pro a good gym companion. Even more so, as they have an IP55 certification and thus a decent resistance to dust and water.
The touch control is mostly reliable. If you swipe across the surface – for example, to turn the volume up or down – it works well, but for start, stop, or skip, the small sensor area sometimes tests your patience. The headphone doesn't always react reliably to my input. Thanks to the new Thus chip, inputs are processed directly on the device, which works extremely well.
The sound: very bass-heavy music at the expense of naturalness
While the Liberty 4 still used a dual-driver system (6mm tweeter, 11mm woofer), the hardware here shrinks to a single 9.2-millimeter driver. The music is tuned to be very bass-heavy. The deep bass is punchy and dominant. This is cool for electronic music and hip-hop, but for complex and delicate pieces, it's sometimes a bit distracting and distorts the sound image. The mids sound clean and present, and voices are reproduced clearly. However, the very highest frequencies above 12 kilohertz noticeably run out of steam. Cymbals and hi-hats therefore sound less brilliant and more closed. However, I can adjust this with the EQ in the app. Only when I manually tame the bass and boost the highs am I satisfied with the balance and detail resolution. I would, however, neglect the "AI sound enhancement": The signal gets louder, otherwise little changes. The sound sounds more artificial than without this feature.
The microphone marvel and insanely good ANC
The built-in noise cancelling performs exceptionally well. It reliably eliminates low-frequency hum, especially in trains or on streets. In combination with the deep fit in the ear, the buds seal off the environment so vehemently that almost no disturbing noise penetrates. This is a statement to the competition. The transparency mode fulfills its purpose but struggles with an audible background hiss.
The built-in microphone system also works powerfully. Soundcore uses eight microphones along with two bone conduction sensors. These detect jaw vibrations when speaking. Background noises are heavily filtered, even if you are standing on a train platform or passing a construction site. However, your voice sounds slightly artificial. But since you are quite well understood (see video), this is negligible.
The Liberty 5 Pro Max are a codec and battery powerhouse
Charging is done via USB-C or wirelessly via a Qi pad. The headphones support Bluetooth 6.1 as well as the SBC and AAC codecs, but also LDAC. I can also connect up to three devices simultaneously. However, with the third device, the LDAC codec no longer wants to cooperate. So, if sound quality is important to you, limit yourself to two devices. The battery is also strong: with adaptive noise cancelling activated, the earbuds last a solid 6.5 hours. If I switch off noise cancellation, it's 12 hours. The charging case fully charges the buds three more times, which can mean up to 50 hours of total runtime. Five minutes in the box – and boom, you have four more hours of music (without ANC).
Case with display and AI functions: Is it necessary?
The regular Liberty 5 Pro comes with a slim 1-inch display on the front. I can read the battery level or switch the ANC mode with a swipe gesture. I find this practical in everyday life because I don't have to unlock my smartphone for every little thing. The case of the Liberty 5 Pro Max, on the other hand, is completely covered by a 1.78-inch AMOLED touchscreen. Equalizer, camera remote control, and other functions are offered here. I ask myself: Why would you want to adjust equalizer profiles on such a small screen? The Max version is also supposed to score with AI functions, first and foremost the AI Note-Taker. The case can record meetings or lectures in the room via its own microphone. An integrated AI chip processes the data, and the Soundcore app then provides you with a written transcript including an automatic summary.
This works well – but not with Swiss German. The catch with the dictation function is hidden in the fine print. The whole thing is linked to a subscription model. Soundcore gives you 120 transcription minutes per month for free. If you want to seriously use the function in your professional or university life, you have to pay monthly for additional minutes.
Conclusion: Is the surcharge for the Max worth it?
The Liberty 5 is available as Pro and Pro Max versions. Both models are bass-heavy by default. However, this can be remedied with the EQ. In terms of wearing comfort, call quality, and especially noise cancelling, the headphones are at the forefront. They are also on par in terms of battery life. The big difference lies in the display and AI functions. In my opinion, these are still cool and work well, but in everyday life, very few users will actually need them. The Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max is therefore only worthwhile for a few. For this, you have to accept a bulky, heavy charging case – and the higher price, including monthly subscription fees for AI transcription. The Max version is only really useful if you want to record interviews or lectures. Otherwise, I would buy the Pro – the battery indicator is sufficient.
Header image: Florian Bodoky
Florian Bodoky
Senior Editor
Florian.Bodoky@digitecgalaxus.chI've been tinkering with digital networks ever since I found out how to activate both telephone channels on the ISDN card for greater bandwidth. As for the analogue variety, I've been doing that since I learned to talk. Though Winterthur is my adoptive home city, my heart still bleeds red and blue.
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