Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 Earbuds Review
Heart-rate tracking, adaptive ANC, and punchy sound at a fraction of the AirPods price.
The Liberty 4 hands you adaptive noise canceling, genuinely punchy bass, and even a heart-rate sensor for the kind of money that barely buys you a single AirPod. The catch is small, and most people won't care about it.
What the Soundcore Liberty 4 actually is
These are Anker's flagship wireless earbuds, the ones that try to do everything the $250 crowd does without the $250. You get adaptive active noise cancellation, a transparency mode, wireless charging, and spatial audio with head tracking. The headline gimmick is a heart-rate and HRV sensor built into the buds, which is unusual at any price.
They sit in the audio category's sweet spot, usually somewhere in the $80 to $130 range depending on sales and color. At full price they're fine. On a good Amazon discount they're one of the easiest recommendations going.
Sound quality: bass-forward and proud of it
Out of the box, the tuning leans warm and bass-heavy. Hip-hop, pop, and electronic music hit hard. If you live on acoustic recordings and want flat, neutral reference sound, this isn't your tribe, though the Soundcore app's EQ pulls the low end back in line if you spend five minutes with it.
The dual-driver setup gives the mids and highs room to breathe, so detail doesn't drown the way it does on cheaper bass-cannon earbuds. Spatial audio is a nice party trick for movies and the occasional concert recording. Most people leave it off after the novelty fades.
ANC, calls, and battery in daily use
The adaptive ANC is solid for the price. It crushes the steady drone of a plane cabin, a bus engine, or office air conditioning. It does less against sharp, sudden sounds like a barking dog or a coworker's laugh, which is true of almost everything short of Sony and Bose's top tier. Owners widely report it's good enough for commuting and flights, not class-leading silence.
Call clarity is decent in quiet rooms and gets choppy in wind, again normal for buds this size. Battery runs roughly 8 to 9 hours with ANC off and lands around 6 with it on, plus a few more charges in the case. That's a full work trip without hunting for an outlet.
The heart-rate sensor: cute, not a replacement for a watch
The pulse and HRV tracking is genuinely novel and works through the Soundcore app for workouts. It's a fun extra. It is not going to replace an Apple Watch or a Garmin, and the buds aren't sweat-rated for serious gym abuse the way dedicated sport earbuds are. Treat it as a bonus, not a reason to buy.
Pros and cons
Pros: big, satisfying bass with a flexible EQ, effective ANC for commuting, long battery life, wireless charging, and a feature list that embarrasses pricier rivals. The fit is comfortable for most ear shapes thanks to multiple tip sizes.
Cons: the default tuning is too bass-heavy for purists, ANC trails the Sony WF-1000XM5 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra, call quality wobbles in wind, and the heart-rate feature is more headline than habit. The app is powerful but a little cluttered.
Who should buy it, who should skip it
Buy these if you want a near-AirPods experience for roughly half the cost, listen to bass-heavy music, and commute or travel enough to use the ANC. They're an easy pick for anyone who refuses to spend more than $130 on earbuds.
Skip them if you want truly elite noise canceling and are willing to pay for it. Skip them if you take a lot of outdoor calls or need a rugged workout bud. Anker's own Sport line or a dedicated fitness model serves that better.
Verdict: one of the best value earbuds you can buy. They don't out-silence Sony or Bose, and they don't pretend to. For the money, the combination of sound, ANC, and battery is hard to argue with. On sale, just get them.
Frequently asked questions
- Are the Soundcore Liberty 4 good for working out?
- They're fine for light gym sessions and walks thanks to a secure fit, but they aren't built for heavy sweat or rough use. If exercise is your main use, a dedicated sport earbud with a proper water rating is a smarter buy.
- How does the ANC compare to AirPods Pro?
- AirPods Pro still edge them on noise canceling and call quality, but the gap is smaller than the price gap. For commuting and flights the Liberty 4's ANC is more than good enough, and you save real money.
- Does the heart-rate sensor actually work?
- Yes, it tracks pulse and HRV through the Soundcore app during workouts. It's accurate enough to be interesting but isn't a replacement for a dedicated fitness watch.
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