Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC Earbuds Review

What the Liberty 4 NC actually is

This is Anker's value champion in the active noise cancelling earbud space, usually selling on Amazon somewhere in the $70 to $100 range depending on color and sales. The pitch is simple. Take the features that used to live in premium AirPods Pro and Sony territory, strip the logo tax, and ship it for the price of a nice dinner.

You get adaptive ANC, a transparency mode, Bluetooth multipoint, app-based EQ with a hearing test that builds a custom sound profile, and wireless charging on some configurations. The case is chunky-ish but pocketable. The buds themselves are light and the silicone tips come in enough sizes that most ears find a seal without a fight.

How they perform day to day

The ANC is the headline, and it earns it. Owners consistently report it kills low-end drone well, the kind of stuff you hit on a plane or a commuter train. It won't fully erase a coworker two desks over talking about their fantasy football team, because no earbud at this price does that, but it pulls the volume down enough that you stop noticing.

Sound out of the box leans bass-heavy and a little scooped, which is exactly what most buyers want and exactly what an audio purist will grumble about. The fix is free. Open the Soundcore app, run the EQ, and you can tame the low end into something balanced. Battery is the other star. Anker quotes around 8 to 10 hours per charge with ANC off and the high 30s to 50 hours with the case, and real-world use lands close enough that you rarely think about charging.

Call quality is fine, not spectacular. In a quiet room callers won't complain. Add wind or a busy street and your voice gets thinner. The touch controls work but can be twitchy, which is a near-universal earbud complaint, not a Liberty 4 NC sin specifically.

Pros and cons

Pros: strong ANC for the money, huge battery life, genuinely useful app and EQ, multipoint pairing that lets you juggle a laptop and phone, comfortable fit for long stretches, and a price that undercuts almost everything with comparable specs.

Cons: default tuning is too bassy for some, call performance struggles in wind, the case is bulkier than an AirPods Pro case, and there's no high-res Bluetooth codec like LDAC, so wired audiophiles won't be impressed. Touch controls take some learning.

Who should buy it, and who should skip

Buy these if you commute, fly, or work somewhere noisy and you refuse to pay flagship money. They're our easy pick for travel on a budget and for anyone who hates charging things. Students, gym-goers, and people who lose earbuds regularly will appreciate that replacing them doesn't hurt.

Skip them if you live in the Apple ecosystem and want the instant pairing and Find My magic of AirPods, or if you're chasing the absolute best sound and don't mind paying for Sony's WF-1000XM5 or Bose QuietComfort Ultra. Those do beat the Anker on call clarity and refinement. They also cost two to three times as much.

Verdict: the Liberty 4 NC is the smart-money default for ANC earbuds under $100. It does the important things well and skips the premium price. For most people, that's the whole point.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC noise cancelling actually good?

Yes, especially for the price. It handles low, droning noise like planes and trains well. It's less effective against sudden human voices, which is normal for earbuds in this range.

How long does the battery last?

Expect roughly 8 to 10 hours per charge with ANC off, and around 40 to 50 hours total with the charging case depending on volume and ANC use.

How do they compare to AirPods Pro?

AirPods Pro win on call quality, ecosystem features, and refinement. The Liberty 4 NC win on price and battery life while delivering most of the ANC benefit, making them the better value for non-Apple users.