Since I’m procrastinating I decided I’d like to write a review for the Liberty Airs.
Been using them for a while now so I have some long term thoughts on it.
Presentation
While the unboxing experience has drastically improved for Soundcore (Anker), it’s still got a bit of ways to go to make it a seamless and enjoyable experience.
For the great improvements Soundcore has done, the box is solid and clean. Comes with a magnetic flap which makes the experience a bit magical. Something you’d get in a $130+ items (MSRP) like the Beats X and Jaybird X3. You’re then greeted by the earbuds case through a plastic flap, almost as if you’re window shopping and you’re eyeing a holiday gift you want for yourself.
This is where the unboxing experience falls short and pretty frustrating. You see the earbuds and you just want to rip right in. For seasoned Anker unboxers, this is pretty easy. You just have to assume it’s on the side. For new customers to the brand, the tape blends pretty well that it takes you a couple of seconds to find it.
Recommendation : Change the grey on the pull tab to white to make it more noticeable while still sticking with the color scheme of the box.
Now for the second, but very small, annoyance. The moment you tape on either corner of the right side, the whole plastic flap will learn towards one side.
Recommendation : Add two small pieces of cardboard on the inside of the box to prevent the plastic from going any further and keeping it flush with the outside of the box at all times.
Lastly but most importantly is getting to the accessories. Absolutely no way to lift the earbuds tray out to get underneath. You either have to dig your finger towards the side, tip the box over, or other unconventional means.
Recommendation : Have a hole underneath where the earbuds case lies so the user can insert their finger, hook underneath and pull it up. Or have a tab to simply pull it up. Or, to save more material, have everything on the same level, earbuds on top, accessories on the bottom (IIRC similar to Beats X)
Sound Quality
The sound quality is great. Crystal clear vocals with decent bass. They kinda remind me of my Anker Slims. They’re not going to beat any Jaybirds or their own Spirit X but for completely wireless earbuds they’re excellent. Way better than Airpods but I do miss being able talk to people without taking out my earbuds.
Build
The earbuds themselves feel good. They’re just solid plastic so nothing to write home about. The case is where I have some qualms with. I wish the top of the case had more weight so it’d be effortless when closing the case, similar to Airpods. Also, Anker, USB-C please? The case also pretty solid plastic. Top of the case is a bit flimsy but not bad for $80. I think white is the way to go to show less scratches.
Connectivity
Unsurprisingly they’re way better than their Liberty Lite. They occasionally cut out in the left ear but are quick to reconnect. Like any wireless earbuds, they’re fairly sensitive to your surroundings. For whatever reason these, airpods, and the lites will go haywire when I turn my microwave on and I’m near it. Range is very good with BT 5.0. Left my iPhone XR in the living room to do stuff in the kitchen which is about 20 feet apart and no cutting. Haven’t tested furthest distance as I don’t care too much about that.
Charging
This is where I feel like I can save a lot of people a lot of frustration. Please, if you take one thing from this review, let it be this. Charging method is using pins. If they’re not connected they won’t charge. For whatever reason my left earbud wouldn’t securely connect to the pins. Therefore it wouldn’t charge and would cause cutting out constantly when listening to music (Low battery, no voice indicator AFAIK). I gave it a good push inside the case once and now I can drop em in and they’re charge perfectly. Make sure the lights on the earbuds turn white to indicate charging.
Controls
1 tap hold on left = back to start of song. 1 tap hold > 1 tap hold on left = previous song.
1 tap hold on right = next song.
Double tap on left = Google assistant/Siri.
Double tap on right = pause.
Pretty accurate but don’t use it that often. A lot better than the button pressing on the Liberty Lites. Not as comfortable as the Airpods as these are in-ear and still dig into your ear when you tap. Still great nevertheless.
Conclusion
If I had to give it a score for overall value, they’re easily a 9/10. Connectivity has drastically improved which was my only issue with the Liberty Lites. They’re so comparable to the Airpods I have trouble debating if I want to still pick them up on Black Friday or not. Now if I was still on Android, these are easily the best earbuds when I used them with my OnePlus 6T. Airpods kept cutting out on my 6T but might’ve been defective.
Please don’t hesitate if you have any questions about these, Airpods, or Liberty Lites.
