Are the new soundcore Liberty Buds THE perfect alternative to the Apple AirPods 4? We took a closer look at the affordable semi-in-ear headphones with active noise cancellation and LDAC in our test. What about sound quality, wearing comfort, features and battery life?
Technical data of the soundcore Liberty Buds
| The product | Liberty Buds |
| Bluetooth codecs | SBC, AAC, LDAC |
| Maximum operating range | 15m (without obstacle) |
| Battery life | Up to 7 hours, 30 hours in total with charging case; (varies depending on volume level and audio content) |
| Charging time | 1.5 hours (for charging case via USB-C) |
| Most important functions | Wearer detection; Multipoint; IP55; Spatial audio, ANC |
| price | € 59.99 * |
soundcore Liberty Buds test: dazzling beauty
The soundcore Liberty Buds already stand out visually from the mass of true wireless headphones. Soundcore has invested noticeable development work here and created an independent, modern design that stands out very pleasantly (and strikingly) from the numerous AirPods copies on the market. The body of the Liberty Buds is relatively large, which makes the earbuds seem rather short in comparison. They are only slightly longer than the body itself. These slightly curved, not completely straight rods give the headphones a contemporary and harmonious appearance.
The Liberty Buds are available in three colors: black, white and light blue. The Soundcore logo is discreetly emblazoned on the smooth backs, while the metallic paint harmoniously reflects the light shining on it – it looks pretty classy.
A special feature on the top makes things even more exciting. Optional interchangeable ear hooks can be attached here, which are included in three different sizes. These fins are intended to provide additional support, which can be particularly helpful for very smooth ears so that the buds stay securely in place during fast movements or during sport. If you don’t need the ear hooks, you can also attach neutral covers instead.
The build quality is impressive across the board. Both the headphones and the compact charging box are neatly finished and free from any noticeable quality defects. With protection class IP55, the Liberty Buds are protected against dust, rain and sweat, making them reliable companions for sports or in bad weather. The charging box itself is pushed upwards (similar to the soundcore Liberty 5) and is pleasantly pocket-friendly. One small drawback: the box does not feature wireless charging and is only charged using the USB-A to USB-C cable supplied.
Equipment and features of the soundcore Liberty Buds
Technically, the soundcore Liberty Buds are at an impressively high level. Not only when you consider the attractive price. At their heart are the dynamic 11 mm drivers, which cover a frequency range of 20 to 40,000 Hz and can therefore also reproduce high-resolution audio content. The impedance is 14 ohms.
Particularly noteworthy is the modern Bluetooth 6.1 connectivity, which ensures a stable and energy-efficient connection. In addition to the standard AAC and SBC codecs, the Liberty Buds also support the high-resolution LDAC codec, which ensures significantly higher data transfer rates and potentially better sound quality for Android devices. Soundcore officially states the Bluetooth range as 10 meters, but in practical tests, 15 meters was easily possible in an open area.
Another highlight is the Bluetooth multipoint function, which enables simultaneous connection with two devices. For example, you can switch seamlessly between your laptop and smartphone without having to constantly reconnect.
The Liberty Buds have inherited their ANC function from the AirPods 4: the Liberty Buds rely on Soundcore’s ANC 3.0 technology with two microphones per earpiece for noise suppression. This technology is also used in flagship models such as the soundcore Liberty 5 or Liberty 4 Pro and is therefore theoretically state of the art. In addition, the headphones offer a transparency mode and a wear detection function that automatically pauses playback when you take one earbud out of your ear.
Liberty Buds from soundcore: hypersensitive touch control
The soundcore Liberty Buds are controlled via capacitive touch surfaces on the back of the earphones. However, these react extremely sensitively to touch in my test, which often leads to incorrect inputs. Every accidental touch when moving the handset back immediately triggers an action, which can be quite annoying in everyday life. As a first countermeasure, it is advisable to deactivate all single-touch functions in the app to minimize false triggers. That at least helps a little.
The gestures are available: tap once (optional), tap twice, tap three times and touch and hold. These can be extensively customized in the Soundcore app and assigned functions such as volume control, track change, play/pause, voice assistant or switching through the sound modes. For calls, however, the assignment is fixed: Double-tapping accepts calls, touching and holding ends or rejects them.
The Soundcore app then also unleashes the full potential of the Liberty Buds. In addition to gesture control, it offers numerous sound optimizations: There are five EQ presets and an 8-band equalizer, which can be used to create and save your own sound profiles. A particularly clever feature is the HearID function, which uses a short A/B comparison listening test to generate an EQ curve individually tailored to your own hearing, which can then be fine-tuned. My favorite, compared to the standard EQ presets.
In addition, you can activate in the app: Spatial Audio for a wider and more open sound character, a gaming mode for latency reduction, a volume limiter for hearing protection, adjustment of touch sensor sensitivity, an automatic switch-off timer and even extensive AI live translation functions, which can be tried out for free, at least for the time being. Firmware updates and a beep search function are also integrated. That fits.
Coherent battery life
The battery life of the soundcore Liberty Buds is in the solid mid-range without standing out in particular. According to the manufacturer, the headphones should last up to seven hours without ANC and around six hours with ANC activated. The total runtime with the charging box is 30 hours without ANC or 26 hours with ANC.
In the practical test at a mixed volume of 50 to 70 percent, I achieved a runtime of around six to 6.5 hours with ANC deactivated. This is a value that is suitable for everyday use and should be sufficient for most usage scenarios. With ANC activated, the noise suppression costs around one hour of runtime, so realistically you can expect around five to 5.5 hours. Also good, but some competitors sometimes play for twice as long.
The runtime is noticeably reduced when using the LDAC codec, as the higher data transfer rate is significantly more energy-hungry than the standard AAC codec. Around 4.5 hours were possible in the test without ANC, with ANC activated it should be around three and a half hours.
The quick-charging function is practical: after just 10 minutes at the socket, around four hours of playback in normal mode is already possible. This helps in situations where you need to recharge quickly. Overall, the battery life is not outstanding, but absolutely sufficient for everyday use. At least as long as you don’t leave the ANC permanently activated, which makes little sense with this type of headset anyway.
Audio quality, ANC and microphones
The sound quality of the soundcore Liberty Buds stands and falls with the individual fit in the ear. This is a fundamental problem with all semi-in-ear headphones. If the Liberty Buds fit snugly, firmly and securely in the ear canal, they produce an extremely dense and natural sound with a hint of pleasant airiness, as you would expect from open-ear headphones. The bass is powerful and powerful, pushes well and provides plenty of pressure in the low frequency range. This strong bass tuning is deliberately chosen to compensate for the design-related weaknesses of semi-in-ears, but is somewhat at the expense of high and mid-range tones.
As is typical for the Soundcore signature, the mids are slightly reduced. This is not necessarily negative, but it does mean that voices and instruments in the mid-range are slightly less present than with more neutral tunings. The highs are solid overall and offer sufficient presence and freshness, but clearly do not achieve the precision and high resolution of good in-ears.
With an optimal fit, the Liberty Buds deliver a fine and well-drawn sound image that is characterized by pleasant depth and a certain luminosity. In combination with activated ANC, Spatial Audio and a bass boost via the HearID test, the sound is quite good and expansive, which is fun when listening to atmospheric music. All in all, the Liberty Buds offer a good and coherent sound for their price, with which you can be completely satisfied.
ANC and microphones
Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) is the Liberty Buds’ weakest point and raises a few fundamental questions. Technically, Soundcore’s latest ANC 3.0 technology is used here, which is also installed in flagship models – but on the basis of two microphones per earpiece instead of three. The problem is not the technology, but the type of construction: anyone expecting noise suppression like with closed in-ears will be disappointed.
Apart from a minimal reduction of some very low frequencies, the ANC is hardly effective. Due to the airy fit, so much sound gets past the in-ears into the ear that the noise suppression is virtually nullified. So it hardly makes a difference whether you use the ANC function or not (and save battery power). What does change significantly when ANC is switched on is the sound of the music. It becomes more prominent in the bass and denser in the mids, which is definitely positive.
The transparency mode also has a similarly minimal effect. Since external noise is constantly entering the ear anyway, the transparency mode hardly makes a noticeable difference. It would probably have made more sense to dispense with the ANC and make the headphones a little cheaper instead. But oh well.
The microphones are equipped with two microphones per earpiece, which are supported by AI-supported ambient noise suppression. In the test, typical everyday noises such as passing cars, a running washing machine or engine noise on buses and trains are reliably reduced. The voice quality is perfectly adequate for everyday private conversations. However, if you regularly make business calls or have higher demands in terms of voice clarity, you should opt for a flagship model.
soundcore Liberty Buds test: Conclusion
The soundcore Liberty Buds leave mixed feelings and are definitely not a product for everyone. The biggest sticking point is the individual fit: as the buds do not hold well for some users and can regularly fall out of their ears, they are not suitable for all ear anatomies. The included ear hooks in three sizes can improve the hold, but do not change the basic fit or the sound perception.
If they fit you, you can get good-sounding and technically flawless semi-open in-ears for around 68 to 80 euros, which close the gap between open-ears and classic in-ears. They combine an airy, comfortable fit with an intense and deep listening experience and are therefore ideal for anyone who cannot wear classic in-ears with silicone tips well.
However, the weaknesses are obvious: the ANC is practically ineffective due to the design and only uses up battery power unnecessarily. The LDAC codec also does not provide any audible added value due to the hardware limitations, while the additional energy consumption noticeably reduces the runtime. The battery life of six to seven hours is solid, but not outstanding. The touch controls are very sensitive and tend to trigger incorrectly. And sound quality, bass perception and ANC effectiveness depend heavily on the individual fit.
All in all, the soundcore Liberty Buds are a coherent pair of semi-in-ear headphones for a specific target group. Anyone who appreciates the loose, pressure-free fit, is comfortable with their own ear shape and can do without effective ANC will receive a well-rounded overall package with good sound, an excellent app and a modern design.
- Good sound
- Multipoint
- Extensive app
- Attractive price
- Not suitable for all ears
- ANC almost useless
- Sensitive touch operation
soundcore Liberty Buds
Workmanship
Wearing comfort
Sound quality
Recording quality
Features
Value For Money
83/100
Good semi-in-ears that offer convincing sound and a high level of comfort if they fit in your ear.
