Anker Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro
30-second review
The Liberty 3 Pro are the flagship model in Anker sub-brand Soundcore’s earbuds range, so you can expect to find the best the company has to offer here.
What you get are true wireless earbuds that go big on sound and offer some nice extras like active noise cancellation and the ability to support hi-res audio. Some of the features are better executed than others, but the core experience is solid overall.
The problem that you might find is that you could get similar or superior audio quality for less. We also think the fit might not be for everyone and the Liberty 3 Pro do come in a little pricier than previous models in the range.
If you’re looking for the best-sounding pair of wireless earbuds, the Liberty 3 Pro aren’t them. They’re very good though and they should satisfy most for casual music listening.
Anker Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro price and release date
- Available now
- $169.99 / £139.99 / AU$169.99
The Anker Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro launched in October 2021 priced at $169.99 / £139.99 / AU$169.99.
That’s cheaper than the best true wireless earbuds of 2021, the Sony WF-1000XM4, though there are budget wireless earbuds on the market that are less pricey (and sound excellent), including the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Plus and the Lypertek PurePlay Z3 2.0.
Design and features
- Silicone ear wings and tips
- Slim charging case
- Fit may not suit all
It’s fair to say the Liberty 3 Pro don’t look like your typical pair of truly wireless earbuds. They have a wide outer casing emblazoned with an Anker ‘a’ that sits on top of silicone ear wings and silicone ear tips, with four silicone size options for both available in the box.
There’s four color options, with our frost-white pair definitely offering an eye-catching look that means these buds will get noticed in your ears and when you’re sliding them out from the charging case. The earbuds can be used independently and can be paired to multiple devices at the same time if you like the option to use them with more than just your phone or laptop.
Unlike some of the stem-style AirPods-esque earbuds you’ll find in Soundcore’s collection, the Liberty 3 Pro use something called a triple-point ergonomic design. It’s an ear pressure relieving design to make them more comfortable to wear for long periods - we didn’t have any issues wearing them during long listening sessions.
The way these buds fit really relies on getting the right ear wings wedged inside of the ear. They largely stayed put for us, but there were a few moments where a bud was accidentally knocked out, for example, while adjusting a rucksack strap on our shoulder or while out running. It does feel though that some might find the design problematic, as you need to match up the right wings and tips for a secure fit, which can be a little time consuming.
On the outside of the earbuds you get a series of touch controls with four gestures supported. You can perform a single press, double press, triple press and long press with the latter required to be customized in the Soundcore companion phone app. We found that using those single taps to adjust the volume offered a delayed response and sometimes double taps were mistaken for single taps, so the Liberty 3 Pro don’t provide the slickest experience.
If you care about durability and how well-suited these are to using for exercise, the Liberty 3 Pro have been slapped with an IPX4 waterproof rating, making them resistant to water splashes (as opposed to being safe to be submerged in water). That makes them ideal for getting them sweaty and they held up well on our outdoor runs and indoor workouts.
The charging case is slim and pocket-friendly with a series of LED lights up front to indicate battery status and a USB-C charging port around the back next to the Bluetooth pairing button. That case also supports wireless charging and we can confirm that dropping it on an IKEA charging lamp did work without issue.
Audio performance
- 10.6mm dynamic dual drivers
- Active noise cancellation
- Hi-res audio support
Anker talks a big game when it comes to what it promises to deliver on the sound quality front.
Each earbud contains a sizable 10.6mm dynamic dual driver that Soundcore assures is fit to to deliver punchy bass, luscious mids and sparkling treble. The result is that the Liberty 3 Pro roar with power, offer a nice, wide soundstage and there’s a good level of detail and finesse.
There are cheaper buds that will give you a little more sparkle in the treble frequencies, but the Liberty 3 Pro worked well across the range of musical genres we tested them with. You get that great warmth and meatiness in more bass-driven songs and smooth mids in more vocal-heavy tracks.
There’s definitely an argument here that you could pay less and get buds from Cambridge Audio or Sennheiser that offer more detail than the 3 Pro, but that shouldn’t detract from the fact these offer a solid, satisfying sound.
Along with offering a big sound, there’s plenty of other modes and features at your disposal that likely explain the slight jump in price compared to previous Liberty models. That includes active noise cancellation, which didn’t appear on the Liberty 2 Pro. Make use of the HearID ANC mode in the companion app and you can make sure that the ANC level is customized to your ears. The ANC performed well for us indoors and outdoors, but it wasn’t quite capable at drowning out strong wind outside.
You also have a transparency mode to let the world back in, with vocal and full transparent modes available to give you a better control over which environmental sounds can be heard most clearly. There are also modes to enable 3D surround sound and to create custom EQ setups.
The Liberty 3 Pro support the LDAC codec to enable listening to hi-res audio. You’ll need to download the firmware in the companion app to access it and you’re warned it will use more power and could lead you to experience some connection instability in some environments. It takes about 10 seconds to switch between hi-res and standard audio modes.
The earbuds are equipped to take calls, with six microphones on board along with a wind noise reduction mode to improve outdoor call quality. However, we’d say that call quality fairs noticeably better indoors than it does outdoors, where the Liberty 3 Pro have a tougher task keeping that external noise out.
Battery life
- Eight hours from the earbuds
- 32 hours with charging case
- Three hours playback from a 15-minute charge
On the battery front, the numbers haven’t actually budged from what we got from the Liberty 2 Pro. So that’s eight hours of listening time off a single charge, with 32 hours in total when you factor in a fully charged charging case.
Those numbers match many of the best true wireless earbuds at this price. An hour’s of listening with ANC turned on doesn’t drain the battery substantially, and you should find the buds long-lasting enough to get you through a week’s worth of listening. You also have the luxury of being able to quickly charge them for 15 minutes, which will get you three hours of listening time.
Should I buy the Anker Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro?
Buy them if...
You want truly wireless earbuds with big power
The dual drivers packed into the Liberty 3 Pro do their job of delivering big sound from a relatively small body.
You want something for commutes and workouts
There’s good ANC, and a durable design means these buds can perform as well when you’re working away at your laptop as they do when you’re working out in the gym.
Don't buy them if...
You’ve have mixed experience with earbud fit
While these did largely stay in our ears, we think Anker’s unique take to keep its buds secure in your ears may not work for everyone.
You want something to take calls on the move
The Liberty 3 Pro do a good job of delivering clear calls indoors, but it’s more a struggle to replicate that when you head outside.
- Looking for more? Read our guide to the best noise-cancelling earbuds
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