Soundcore Liberty 5

The Liberty 5's noise cancellation is a standout, landing in the 91st percentile and making it one of the best for blocking voices on a commute. But that's the peak of a very uneven mountain. Sound quality is mediocre, battery life is surprisingly poor for an Anker product, and the touch controls can be a headache. Buy it for the ANC, but only if you find it at a low price.

Let's talk about that ANC, because it's the star of the show. The adaptive algorithm adjusts every 0.3 seconds, and in our testing, it genuinely delivers a quiet bubble on a noisy train. The 6-mic setup for calls is also well above average, scoring in the 72nd percentile, so your voice comes through clearly even with some wind. But the audio playback is where things get complicated. Despite supporting LDAC and Hi-Res Audio, the sound signature lands in the 31st percentile. It's a balanced, detail-rich listen thanks to those wool paper diaphragms, but it doesn't compete with the top-tier audio fidelity from Sony or Samsung. The Dolby Audio modes for movies and podcasts are a nice touch, but they can't fully compensate for a soundstage that's just okay. Battery life is another head-scratcher. You get 8 hours with ANC on and 32 total with the case, which sounds fine on paper, but it ranks in the 17th percentile against the current market. A quick 10-minute charge for 5 hours of playback helps ease the pain, but you'll be topping up more often than you'd expect.

Stacked against the competition, the Liberty 5 is a specialist, not an all-rounder. The Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro and Sony WF-C700N will absolutely smoke it on sound quality and overall build, and their battery life is in a different league. The Google Pixel Buds Pro offer a more seamless and intuitive experience with fewer software quirks. Even Anker's own Soundcore P31i might give you a more balanced package if you don't need the absolute best voice reduction. The Liberty 5's only real win is that 91st percentile ANC, which is genuinely leading. For pure noise blocking on a commute, it punches above its weight. For everything else, it's a middle-of-the-pack contender at best.

Pricing for the Liberty 5 is all over the map, with a wild spread from $75 to $1699 across different vendors. At the lower end of that range, you're getting a fantastic deal on best-in-class noise cancellation for a budget price. But if you're looking at the higher end, you're stepping into territory occupied by the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro and Sony WF-C700N, which offer far superior sound and build quality. The value proposition hinges entirely on finding a good price. If you can snag these for under $100, the ANC alone makes them worth a look. If not, your money is better spent elsewhere.

The Anker Soundcore Liberty 5 makes a strong first impression where it counts for commuters, landing in the 91st percentile for active noise cancellation. That means it's one of the best on the market for hushing the outside world, especially human voices, which Anker claims it reduces twice as effectively as previous models. But the numbers also tell a story of trade-offs. While the ANC is a standout, the overall score sits at a middling 42.9 out of 100, dragged down by sound quality that's in the 31st percentile and battery life that's surprisingly weak for the brand, landing in the bottom 17th percentile.

Audiophiles and anyone who prioritizes sound quality should look elsewhere, as the 31st percentile audio ranking is a real letdown. If you need all-day battery life without reaching for the case, the 17th percentile battery performance will frustrate you. And if you're prone to fiddling with your earbuds, the overly sensitive touch controls and slippery case will drive you nuts. This isn't the set for someone who wants a seamless, set-it-and-forget-it experience.

The Anker Soundcore Liberty 5 is a one-trick pony, but it's a very good trick. If your number one priority is silencing a noisy commute and you can find these at a steep discount, the ANC performance is hard to beat for the price. For everyone else, the mediocre sound, disappointing battery life, and buggy controls make it tough to recommend over more polished competitors. This is a niche pick for noise-canceling obsessives on a budget, not a daily driver for audiophiles.