Anker makes some quality products, primarily related to smartphones; the Liberty 4 NC review looks at their latest offering. The budget-friendly earbuds offer some great features, especially considering their relatively lower price. The biggest reason to own the Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 is its noise canceling.
Is the earbud worth the investment, or should you spend more and go with Google, Samsung, or Apple? Let’s discuss this in the Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC review.
Package – Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC Review
The Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC comes in a neat box that tightly and securely packs everything inside. The case is placed in a cushioned compartment wrapped in soft plastic so there is less chance of any damage during transportation. Overall, it’s a satisfying presentation and doesn’t leave anything to chance or at the mercy of the courier.
Inside the box are the Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC earbuds, four earbud tip sizes, the charging case, a USB Type-A to USB Type-C cable, and user manuals. So you’ll get everything you need to start using the Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC.
Technical Specs – Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC Review
| Model Number | A3947 |
| Release Date | 06/20/2023 |
| Case Dimensions | 55 x 30 x 55 mm |
| Cable Length | 0.33 m |
| Weight (each bud) | 5.7 g |
| Waterproof IP Rating | IPX4 |
| Connection Type | Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Driver | φ 9.2mm+φ 6mm Dual Dynamic Driver |
| Adaptive Noise Cancelling | Yes |
| Fast Charging | 15 min charge gives 3 hours of playtime |
| Codecs | LDAC, AAC, SBC |
| Playtime | 6-7 Hours single charge |
| Charging Case | Holds 20-30 hours worth of charge |
Design – Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC Review
The Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC uses a stemmed earbud with a stylish and sleek design language. The charging case is similar in design, flashy but not too tacky. The earphones come in four colors; our review unit is light blue and looks great from the outside and inside. The charging case has a light indicator on the outside and also comes with interior lighting, giving it a premium, futuristic look.
The earbuds are IPX4 water resistant, so they’ll be suitable for walks and light exercises but are not athlete-grade water-proof. Overall, the design is kept simple, with no sharp edges on the earbuds and the case.
Build Quality
The earbuds are made mostly of plastic, the same material as the charging case. However, they feel sturdy and weigh just right; the downside is the plastic feels a little cheap. They had to cut corners somewhere to keep the price low, which is understandable here. It won’t break with a few drops, but the material might get scuffed and scratched over time. I recommend keeping your keys and the earbuds in separate pockets.
The buds come with tiny magnets in the stems, and they lock in place inside the case easily. The ambient light can also help when placing or removing the buds, but you won’t have to worry about them accidentally falling out of the case. The case also closes with a very satisfying click, so much so that I played with it on more than one occasion. Anker should try out the fidget toy market; it’ll be very profitable. Overall, Anker can improve the plastic feel of the build; regardless, the buds won’t get crushed easily.
Feel and Comfort
I’ve used the Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC for over a month and have no complaints about the comfort. The default earbud tips fit my ears perfectly, but you should try out several sizes to find the perfect fit for yourself. The companion app also lets you check how good the fit is.
The better the earbuds are in your ear, the better the noise canceling will work, so I recommend checking the app out. Using the earbuds for an extended period is comfortable; listening to music, taking calls, and watching movies with the Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC is a pleasant experience. Anker nailed the comfort design with these earbuds.
User Experience – Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC Review
Any earbud will only succeed if it has an excellent user experience. A good user experience offers a comfortable fit, good controls, fantastic sound, and durability. We’ve already discussed the fit and durability of the unit; now it’s time to talk about how the Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC performs during day-to-day usage.
Connectivity
The Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC has Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity, which is highly snappy and fast. It connects in almost an instant, and the sound switches to the earbuds nearly instantly. I’m delighted with the connectivity here; it works across different devices and interfaces.
Using the Liberty 4 NC with Android, iOS, Windows, and even SteamOS is super fast, and I had no connectivity problems during my time with the earbuds. Android users can get the most out of the LDAC codec, while iPhone owners will default to the AAC codec. The buds also have Bluetooth multipoint to connect to multiple devices simultaneously.
Controls
The touch-sensitive controls are situated directly in front of the ear canal. All you need to do is tap the flat area, and that’s about it. The tap can be heard inside the ear, which might irritate some users. However, it’s way better than fiddling with a physical button. The horrendous touch-sensitive controls let down the Acefast Crystal T6; thankfully, that’s not the case here. The earbuds give a little indicator sound when the touch button is pressed, alerting you about it. The notification chime can be completely turned off as well.
Pressing the button on either earbud will play, pause content, or answer a call. Double press on the left bud to play the previous track while the right one moves on to the next track. Triple pressing the left bud decreases the volume while the right brings it down. Long pressing both will cycle through noise canceling and ambient modes. Thankfully, you can fully customize the controls with the companion app, letting you tailor your experience according to your needs.
Noise Cancellation – Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC Review
Noise cancellation is a significant part of the earbuds and a big focus in our Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC review. Anker didn’t just add a basic noise cancellation feature with on and off modes here; they went hard at it. The buds give you adaptive noise control features that you can toggle on or off and five manually selected noise canceling levels. There are transportation-related dedicated ANC modes as well as wind reduction.
I was pleasantly surprised to see this much granularity in the noise-canceling options; it’s always a treat for someone who loves to tinker. If you dislike the “vacuum-like” feeling the overactive noise cancellation gives on some other headsets, you can also get that here on the Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC set at high. Lower it down, and it gets a lot more comfortable. It could be better; some sounds might get through it, but it does its job for the most part.
App – Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC Review
The Anker companion app is excellent; it has a lot of options to help you adjust your experience. Options for adaptive noise canceling and a scale to adjust its strength are available on the app. There’s also a wind reduction option, great for riding with the windows rolled down. The ANC mode can be set to automatic, and it adjusts according to the environment.
The companion app also offers a gaming mode, changing codes on Android, and provides the ability to reassign controls. There is also an EQ feature and a fit test. The gaming mode provides low latency sound during gameplay, but it could have been better. Using a dedicated gaming headset like the AceZone A-Spire is still the best gaming solution. Anker gets 10/10 in the app department; it’s not an afterthought but a well-thought supplement to the Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC.
Sound Quality – Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC Review
The Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC gives extra bass and treble compared to studio headphones. However, comparing a consumer-grade earbud with monitor headphones will be disingenuous. Like any other earphone in this price segment, Anker boosted the bass here, somewhat drowning out the vocals in some tracks. The Acefast Crystal T8 also does this, as did the Crystal T9s.
Thankfully, the excellent EQ options let you tune the sound however you like. So, out of the box, the bass might be too much, but once tuned, the Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC sounds excellent. Overall, you’ll need to do some tweaking to get the best out of the earbuds, hardly a problem as the app is integral.
Audio Quality
The Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC review needs to pay attention to the six microphones Anker used in the Liberty 4 NC. Unfortunately, these sound OK, not bad, but nothing extraordinary either. The mics do an excellent job with low-pitched voices. The mics also filter out any background noises, but that process can sometimes make you sound robotic. Here is how it sounds in a quiet environment:
It can tackle wind excellently, so much so that people won’t know you are outside. Your voice will be intelligible, but the full resolution of your voice won’t make it through the mics here. The mics sound like this on a busy road:
Battery – Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC Review
The battery life on the Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC is excellent, especially considering these are $100 earbuds. It takes around 3 hours to charge the case from zero to full, and the buds lasted me about 6-7 hours of playtime with ANC on. This number is far from the 10 hours Anker claims but still respectable for day-to-day use. Anker also says the charging case can add 50 hours; however, my testing netted another 30-35 hours. The charging case can also be wirelessly charged, a feature most expensive buds lack.
Is Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 For You?
The Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC is an excellent investment if you need a good quality earphone with great ANC features. It’s also great for bass lovers and folks who love long earbud sessions. The noise-canceling features are surprisingly awesome, especially when you consider the price.
The downside is the slightly clunky and big case. The battery lasts less than Anker claims, but that’s a minor issue.
Conclusion:
The Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC offers plenty of features for the price, some completely missing from much more expensive earphones. The sound and customization are excellent, and wireless charging is convenient. Get these to save money and still get excellent noise cancellation. Anker hit it out of the park here.
