Anker Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro Earbuds Review

What the Liberty 3 Pro actually is

This is Soundcore's attempt at a serious pair of earbuds that doesn't cost serious money. You get adaptive active noise cancelling, a coaxial dual-driver setup, LDAC support for higher-bitrate streaming over Bluetooth, and an app that lets you reshape the sound to your ears. The price floats somewhere in the $80 to $130 range depending on sales, which puts it well under the Sony WF-1000XM5 and Apple AirPods Pro.

The headline feature owners keep coming back to is HearID, Soundcore's hearing test that builds a custom EQ profile. It's gimmicky in theory and surprisingly useful in practice. Most people end up with a more balanced, less boomy sound than the default.

How they sound and perform day to day

Out of the box the tuning leans warm and bass-forward, which is fine for pop and hip-hop and a little much for acoustic stuff. Spend two minutes in the EQ and that's mostly fixed. With LDAC enabled on an Android phone, detail and separation are clearly a step above what you'd expect at this money. iPhone users are stuck on AAC and lose some of that edge, worth knowing before you buy.

The adaptive ANC is the real win. It won't erase a jet engine the way Sony's top buds do, but it kills office hum, traffic, and the general drone of a commute convincingly. Battery runs around six to eight hours per charge with ANC on, plenty for a workday. The case adds a few more cycles and supports wireless charging.

Fit is the part to watch. The buds are chunky and the included tips and wings help, but people with smaller ears sometimes fight the seal. A bad seal tanks both the bass and the noise cancelling, so it's worth swapping tips until you get it right.

The catches

Call quality is average. Fine for a quick check-in, not your first pick for back-to-back meetings on a windy street. The touch controls are also fiddly and easy to trigger by accident when you adjust the buds.

There's no multipoint worth bragging about, and the case is bulkier than the AirPods Pro case if pocket space matters. None of this is a dealbreaker at the price. It's just the honest trade you make versus a flagship.

Who should buy them, and who shouldn't

Buy these if you're an Android user who wants near-flagship sound and ANC without paying flagship money. The LDAC support and EQ customization are the strongest argument for them, and bargain hunters who catch a sale are getting a genuine deal.

Skip them if you take a lot of calls, have small ears and don't want to mess with tips, or live deep in Apple's ecosystem where the AirPods Pro's integration and call clarity will serve you better. People who want set-and-forget simplicity may find the app does too much.

The verdict

The Liberty 3 Pro punches well above its price and has earned its reputation as a smart-money pick in the earbud market. The sound is excellent once tuned, the ANC is more than good enough for everyday noise, and the feature list reads like something twice the cost.

It's not flawless. Calls and fit are the weak spots. But for the money, this is one of the easiest recommendations in the category, especially when it dips toward the lower end of its price range.

Frequently asked questions

Do the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro support LDAC and high-res audio?

Yes, they support LDAC for higher-bitrate streaming, but only on Android devices that support the codec. iPhones are limited to AAC and won't get the same detail.

Is the noise cancelling on the Liberty 3 Pro any good?

It's strong for the price. It handles commutes, office noise, and traffic well, though it doesn't fully match flagship buds like the Sony WF-1000XM5 on constant low-frequency noise such as airplane engines.

How long does the battery last?

Expect roughly six to eight hours per charge with ANC on, plus a few extra full charges from the case, which also supports wireless charging.