Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC (2024) Review

What the Liberty 4 NC actually is

These are Anker's mid-priced noise-cancelling earbuds, usually selling on Amazon somewhere in the $80 to $100 range. The pitch is simple. You get adaptive ANC that adjusts to your surroundings, 50 hours of total battery with the case, and a tuned sound profile, for a third to a half of what Apple or Sony charge for their flagships.

The headline number is the noise cancelling. Anker uses an adaptive system that scans your ear canal and the environment, then tweaks the cancellation on the fly. Owners consistently report it's genuinely strong for the money, killing low-end rumble from planes, buses, and office HVAC. It won't fully match a Sony WF-1000XM5 or AirPods Pro 2 on high-frequency noise like voices, but it gets close enough that the price gap stops making sense.

How they perform day to day

Battery is the easy win. Roughly 10 hours in the buds and 50 with the case means most people charge these once a week, not every night. A 10-minute quick charge gets you several hours back. For commuters and travelers, that's a real difference from the AirPods Pro 2, which need topping up far more often.

Sound out of the box leans bass-heavy, which suits pop, hip-hop, and electronic just fine. If you want something flatter, the Soundcore app has a full EQ and a hearing-test-based personalization feature that actually helps. The app is one of the better ones at this price, with custom controls, ANC modes, and multipoint pairing to two devices at once.

Call quality is the soft spot. The mics are fine in a quiet room and noticeably worse with wind or background chatter. Callers report you sounding a bit processed and distant in tough conditions. If you live on phone calls, look harder at the AirPods or Samsung Buds. Touch controls work but can be fiddly, and there's no wireless charging on the case, which is a fair cut at this price.

Who should buy it, and who shouldn't

Buy these if you want excellent noise cancelling for flights and commutes without spending $200-plus. They're the obvious pick for travelers, students, and anyone who hates charging gadgets constantly. Android users especially get great value since they're not paying the Apple ecosystem tax for features they can't use.

Skip them if call quality is your top priority, or if you're deep in Apple's world and want the instant pairing, spatial audio, and Find My tricks that AirPods Pro 2 do better. Audiophiles chasing the most detailed, neutral sound will also find pricier rivals pull ahead, though not by as much as the cost suggests.

The verdict

The Liberty 4 NC is the easiest earbud recommendation in its price range. Strong ANC, marathon battery, a genuinely useful app, and a sound you can shape to taste. The mediocre mics and missing wireless charging are the compromises, and they're reasonable ones given what you save.

Most people don't need to spend double for AirPods Pro 2 or Sony's flagships. Unless calls are your dealbreaker, these get you 85 percent of the experience for roughly half the money. That's the whole point, and it works.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Liberty 4 NC noise cancelling as good as AirPods Pro 2?

Close, but not quite. The Liberty 4 NC handles low-frequency drone like engines and HVAC very well. The AirPods Pro 2 and Sony WF-1000XM5 still edge it out on muffling voices and higher-pitched noise. For the price gap, the Anker is the smarter value for most people.

How long does the battery last?

About 10 hours per charge in the buds, and roughly 50 hours total with the charging case. With ANC on you'll see somewhat less, but most users only need to charge once a week with normal use.

Are the Liberty 4 NC good for phone calls?

They're acceptable in quiet settings but struggle with wind and background noise, where callers report you sounding processed. If you take a lot of calls in noisy places, the AirPods Pro 2 or Samsung Galaxy Buds are better choices.