Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro by Anker

Battery life and charging

In basic mode, the Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro manages ten hours of battery life at high volume when using the AAC codec. If you use the noise cancelling on maximum, you can expect six and a half hours. The case, which has a sliding mechanism to open it, also allows the headphones to be fully charged three times, giving a total runtime of 40 hours in standard mode and 26 hours in maximum ANC mode. A five-minute quick charge will give you three hours and 15 minutes (without ANC), while the in-ears are fully charged in 45 minutes. After two hours, however, the housing will indicate that the battery has been recharged using the included USB-C to USB-A charging cable. Alternatively, wireless charging via Qi is possible.

Handling

Out-of-the-box the Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro’s controls allows you to start and stop playback, make phone calls, skip forward and backward tracks, and adjust the volume. You can also switch between ANC and transparent mode, which can be extended to standard mode via the app. The voice assistant can also be retrofitted. In terms of configuration options, swiping is reserved for volume control, while pressing one to three times can be customised. However, manual on/off using the pressure and touch sensitive control area is not available, although single earbud use is supported in single mode. There is also a wear detection function that can be (de)activated as required, but it cannot be calibrated as with the Liberty 4.

Additional control options are available via the charging case, with functions are customisable via the app. Out of the box there is access to the noise control, which allows you to switch between modes and adjust the intensity using the touch bar and display. Settings one to five correspond to transparent mode, six to ten to adaptive noise reduction, and the default mode is somewhere in between five and six. One is the highest level of intensity in Ambient mode, which takes a bit of getting used to at first, but soon becomes second nature.

There is also an option to display the barometric pressure, a remote control for the phone’s camera and a search function that helps you find the phone with a beep. The full repertoire of spatial sound modes, with and without head tracking (see below), can also be accessed via the case, so you don’t have to switch to the app or waste screen time on your smartphone when watching shows or movies on your tablet.

Soundcore app

At the heart of the app connection (Android and iOS) is Ambient Noise Control, which is divided into adaptive ANC and static transparency modes, each with five levels of intensity, plus wind noise reduction and an airplane mode. The latter monitors the barometric pressure and allows automatic or manual calibration of the noise cancellation when the normal range is exceeded.

The Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro’s sound control includes an eight-band EQ section, so you can make your own adjustments and save them as presets. There are also 22 pre-configured EQ settings to choose from, which can also be used as a starting point for your own settings. Another option is the Hear ID sound test, which first measures the hearing ability of each ear. This is followed by an A/B comparison of your hearing preferences to create a personalised EQ curve. This can be replaced by your own personal settings or one of the EQ settings provided, giving you maximum flexibility.

In addition to the versatile control options, a Smart Chat function can be set up via the app, enabling spontaneous communication in ANC mode by significantly lowering the playback volume when speaking and automatically switching to transparent mode. Meanwhile, Adaptive Sound Compensation is designed to ensure consistent playback quality by compensating for sound loss. Hearing protection is also available, with an adjustable maximum volume limit and an informative decibel scale to help you make the right choice. Great! Other features include a fit test and timer, as well as firmware updates for the receiver and housing. The LDAC codec can also be enabled on Android devices, but this requires a firmware update.

Speech intelligibility during calls

When you talk, six AI-powered microphones with (wind) noise cancellation algorithms ensure clear voice transmission. Wind noise is almost completely cancelled out, as is ambient noise after a short delay, so you can still hear yourself clearly even in adverse conditions. It was only in noisy environments or in strong gusts of wind that we noticed that the microphone technology’s filtering could interfere with the flow of speech, making it a little choppy at the other end.

Noise cancellation (ANC) and transparency mode

The Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro’s noise cancelling is very low-noise, and improves from level to level, with impressive results at maximum intensity. Low-frequency noise sources are particularly noticeably reduced, but the adaptive noise reduction also performs well with voices, which are effectively attenuated. High-frequency noise is also reliably minimised, which means that the highest level generally allows very little noise to pass through. Overall, the sound is a little thinner in ANC mode, while the basic and ambient modes have a richer bass foundation.

There is some background noise in transparent mode, but this increases as the intensity increases. While the lower settings are suitable for holding a conversation or listening to announcements when playback is paused, the higher levels allow for better external perception even when the sound system is on. However, the noise can be quite noticeable in quiet passages.

Spatial audio

The app’s sound control offers several options for a more immersive listening experience: Music, Podcast, Movie and Gaming, which can also be controlled from the case. Head tracking is also available in music mode. However, both with and without head tracking, the results are very different, ranging from tinny or reverberant to a pleasantly spacious presentation. Relatively consistent results can be achieved in Gaming mode, which offers comparatively precise reproduction with good speech intelligibility. Film mode, on the other hand, is less convincing. Although the sound is the most spacious, there is a noticeable loss of clarity, which has a negative effect on the intelligibility of dialogue. Furthermore, 3D audio cannot be combined with the sound profile or EQ settings. The use of the LDAC codec is also incompatible.

The sound: Dual drivers and sound characteristics

The Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro’s dual construction, with two dynamic drivers per side, is modern and powerfully tuned. The fun factor is enhanced by the rich bass, which is not soft, but defined and powerful. Only the deep bass can be a little too powerful for club-oriented music, but this can be easily corrected with the EQ if necessary.

This is followed by a more restrained mid-range, which is extremely clear and has a pleasant warmth to it. The result is a perfectly intelligible vocal reproduction that does not come across as too superficial or energetic, allowing the overall structure to come to the fore. At the same time, there is enough energy to hold its own in mobile use.

The treble is present and lively, well balanced and not overly motivated. In this respect, the bass is well balanced, providing the desired accents and opening up the listening room for a more expansive presentation without being too demanding on the ear. Even sibilant sounds are not overpowering in the normal listening range, but become more defined as the volume increases.

Comparing the Soundcore Liberty 4 and Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro

While the Liberty 4 (review) can record health-related data such as heart rate, activity and neck posture, the Pro model has an integrated barometric pressure sensor to optimise noise cancellation and the operating concept has been extended to include additional controls via the case. Both versions support Bluetooth 5.3 and multipoint connectivity with two devices simultaneously, as well as AAC and LDAC audio codecs. Options such as spatial audio and dual driver technology are also the same.

However, there are differences in detail, such as sound personalisation, where the Pro version detects imbalances between the ears, whereas the standard model does not. Other new features include support for Google Fast Pair, an intelligent chat function, adaptive sound compensation and optional hearing protection. Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro also offers improved noise reduction during phone calls, more powerful noise cancellation and longer battery life.

The verdict

The Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro impresses with its excellent noise cancelling, allowing you to make calls in windy or noisy environments and delivering a powerful sound. The implementation of the additional control options via the charging case is also a very cool feature. However, the background noise in transparent mode proved to be a weak point. Otherwise, the True Wireless in-ears get a lot of things right, which makes the comprehensive package very attractive.