Anker soundcore Liberty Buds 2: Compared to the BEST

THE SCORECARD

Soundcore Liberty Buds 2

• Comfort

  I put the Liberty Buds 2 in second place for comfort, behind the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro.

• Security of the fit

  They ranked first thanks to their low weight and the two supplied wing sizes.

• Case and battery life

  Soundcore advertises 7 hours in the buds and 27 hours total with the case.

• Controls

  The touch controls are customizable, but they are basic compared with stem, swipe or voice control systems.

• Connectivity

  They have Bluetooth 6.1, SBC, AAC, LDAC, Google Fast Pair, multipoint takeover and a low-latency game mode.

• Call quality

  I ranked them second, just behind the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro.

• App customization and extras

  The Soundcore app has a hearing test, presets, an eight-band EQ, Dolby audio and hearing-health options.

• Noise cancelling

  They took third place, closer to the top performers than I expected.

• The transparency mode

  Clarity is only a small step behind the leading earbuds, although wind handling is a weakness.

• Sound quality

  I put them in a three-way tie for third, with only minute differences separating the group.

The Pros and Cons

Are the Liberty Buds 2 comfortable and secure enough for exercise?

These are among the most comfortable non-stem earbuds I have tested. Each bud weighs 4.7 grams, and the compact section that sits in and around the ear canal makes minimal contact with the ear. They feel light with minimal pressure and suction, and I think they should work well for smaller ears as well as larger ears.

I placed them second for comfort, behind the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro. For security, though, the Liberty Buds 2 take first place. You get two wing sizes, the larger option worked well for my larger ears, and the combination of wings and low weight makes these a very secure fit for weight training, running or general movement.

Body noise is also low, so impact from running and your own heavier breathing does not come through the ear tips too much. Their IP55 dust and water resistance is fine for a sweaty workout or rain, although the AirPods Pro 3 and Galaxy Buds 4 Pro have waterproofing.

What are battery life, controls and connectivity like?

Soundcore advertises 7 hours in the earbuds and 27 hours total with the case. A 10-minute charge is advertised to provide 4 hours of playback. Wireless charging is included, and the case is the second thinnest of this group, in line with the Sony WF-1000XM6.

Controls are straightforward touch controls: single, double and triple taps, plus a hold. You can assign functions independently to each earbud and adjust touch sensitivity. Wearing detection uses an optical sensor, so putting an earbud in a pocket can activate it. I would still prefer a stem, swipe controls or voice commands, because those systems let you do more without repeatedly tapping or holding.

Connectivity is strong for the price. The Liberty Buds 2 support Bluetooth 6.1, SBC, AAC, LDAC and Google Fast Pair. Single-bud listening plays both audio channels in mono, and multipoint uses takeover: press play on another device and playback switches over. They are also one of only two earbuds in this comparison with a dedicated low-latency gaming mode.

How good is Liberty Buds 2 call quality?

I ran my usual quiet-room, simulated crowd-noise and simulated windy-city tests. The Liberty Buds 2 ranked second for call quality, just behind the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro. Call quality is decent across most of this group, but the AirPods Pro 3 were the exception for me.

The Liberty Buds 2 use the same Anker AI chip as the Liberty 5 Pro and 5 Pro Max, though those models use 10 microphones while these use eight. Soundcore advertises that the system can block up to 100 dB of noise. My simulation was 85 dB, which is already incredibly loud in my studio.

How does the app and EQ compare?

The Soundcore app remains simple to use and gives you plenty of noise-control settings, a hearing test for personalized sound, presets and an eight-band EQ. My complaint is the bass control: the lowest adjustment is 100 Hz, where I would like to see at least 50 Hz for more useful sub-bass control.

Dolby audio is included, but it does not have head tracking and adds the sort of reverb and echo effect I usually associate with spatial audio. Hearing-health options can monitor listening volume and now record external noise too. There is also a wearing-detection toggle, prompt-tone options and a find-my-earbuds beep.

For EQ capability, I ranked Sony first, Samsung second and the Liberty Buds 2 third. Sony gives you 10 bands and bass control down to 31 Hz; Samsung gives you nine bands and reaches 60 Hz. Soundcore is still well ahead of Bose's five-band EQ and Apple's three-band EQ.

How strong is Liberty Buds 2 noise cancelling and transparency?

For noise cancelling, the Sony WF-1000XM6 came first, closely followed by the AirPods Pro 3. The Liberty Buds 2 came third, which genuinely surprised me. The difference between each position is small, although the higher-ranked earbuds do better with voices and inconsistent high-frequency noise.

For the money, I think the Liberty Buds 2 are the best-value noise-cancelling earbuds available right now. Their wind reduction is less impressive. The microphones pick up a moderate amount of wind, and automatic wind reduction takes around 10 to 12 seconds to return to regular ANC after wind stops. The AirPods Pro 3 react in only a couple of seconds.

Their transparency mode is only a small step behind the better options. AirPods are closest to my natural hearing, with Galaxy Buds 4 Pro and Bose QuietComfort Earbuds just behind. Liberty Buds 2 have a tiny amount of hiss in a quiet room, but it is minimal. The bigger issue is wind, which they pick up more than the other earbuds here.

Adaptive transparency is available, but Soundcore's implementation is the weakest of the models that offer it. With adaptive mode enabled, transparency is around 25% less clear than its regular full-strength transparency. Hear Guard also reduces clarity compared with the regular mode.

Do the Liberty Buds 2 sound as good as flagship earbuds?

They are by far one of the loudest earbuds I have measured, although every earbud in this comparison gives you more than enough volume. Sound quality is incredibly close across the group. I tied the Sony WF-1000XM6 and Galaxy Buds 4 Pro for first, then put Bose QuietComfort Earbuds, Liberty Buds 2 and AirPods Pro 3 in a tie for third.

I am really impressed by the Liberty Buds 2. I think they improve on the more expensive Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro and 5 Pro Max, and they are Anker Soundcore's best-sounding earbuds. The stock tuning is a little V-shaped: bass is full, mids sit a little back, and treble can lean harsh. The eight-band EQ can fix a lot of that.

With my EQ, the sound becomes cleaner and more refined. Bass still hits deep and has impact, without the boominess of the stock tuning. Vocals are clear and natural, with male vocals standing out particularly well. The upper mids are natural rather than forced, separation is great, and treble is smooth and precise with some airiness. I would personally like a little more air, but pushing the treble beyond 1 dB starts to sound over the top.

The Galaxy Buds 4 Pro have the better mid-range and upper mids. Sony has my favourite treble response, with crisp, detailed sound and the airiness I like. Still, going back and forth with the Sony WF-1000XM6, the Liberty Buds 2 hold up far better than their price suggests.