Anker was kind enough to allow me to test out the Soundcore Liberty Air headphones and I wanted to share with you my experience.
To give you some background, my main use for these headphones is for when I’m active (running, mowing, finishing the basement, etc.). Occasionally I’ll use them for watching TV and/or gaming. After using them for about a month, I’m really impressed, but I think there are a few areas in which they could improve.
Unboxing
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I was very impressed with the packaging that the headphones arrived in. It’s clear that Anker puts a lot of thought into the packaging to make you feel like you got a premium product. At least, that was my impression.
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This may sound silly, but I found the magnetic box a little difficult to open. Initially, I couldn’t figure out what side to start with. I know Anker is committed to “frustration free” packaging (which I very much appreciate), but this was almost too good. In subsequent tries, I still had to “think” way too much about where the box opens from. There is a good chance I’m just dumb, but I’d be interested to hear what others think. With that being said, it’s a VERY small gripe, but one I thought was worth noting.
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Once inside the box, I found the charging case (with headphones inside), different size ear tips, and a micro-USB cord. I also own the Zolo Liberty headphones and those came with a “special” Zolo yellow charging cable, which was kind of nice, but this came with the generic black version. Regardless, it was nice of Anker to include.
Design
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These have the look of AirPods, but from my experience, stay in your ear better. As I mentioned before, my use for these are times when I’m active, sweaty, etc. Once I found the right ear tips, I had no issue with them coming out.
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The Liberty Air headphones use a “touch” technology to control the features (skip song, talking to Siri/Alexa, phone calls, etc.). The touch technology is something I’m still getting used to when I’m running. I’ve found it a little difficult to adjust the headphones without activating one of the features. I don’t think this would be an issue for everyday non-active type use.
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The case itself is quite small. It’s amazing that it provides an extra 15 hours of charging (in my experience this is accurate) in such a little space. My biggest gripe with the case is it doesn’t really stand up straight when you set it down. It tends to fall over. I think Anker should consider making this change. In addition, I wouldn’t mind seeing a rubberized bottom to keep it from moving around. As I said before, these are very minor issues for me, but something worth considering.
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Removing the headphones from the case is simple and easy. I always get tripped up putting them back in. I swear, every time I try, I initially put the right bud into the left bud slot. But this is a user problem, not a flaw with the product
Sound
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When it comes to wireless earbuds, this is the thing I care about most. As far as earbuds are concerned, these are excellent. Compared to AirPods, these are better. The sound is crisp, the bass is rich, and I found no lag when watching video. I tend to listen to my music really loud (which I know isn’t a good thing) and these don’t get SUPER loud. I usually have them maxed out and it’s good enough.
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Anker doesn’t advertise these as noise canceling, but in my opinion, they definitely have a passive noise canceling feature. Which is a good thing, in my opinion, but something to be aware of if you are running in the streets.
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One feature that Anker does promote is in-ear stereo for phone calls. I tested this out on windy days and it works really well. I could hear my phone call better than I could through the speaker on my iPhone X and the other person had ZERO issues hearing me without distortion.
Conclusion
- At $79.99, these are an excellent choice for someone looking for wireless earbuds. They are very user-friendly, pack great sound, and are backed by a trusted company. If you are active, you may want to consider a product that doesn’t include the touch technology for controls, as I’ve found these a little more difficult to control than ones with standard buttons.
In this review, I tried to focus on my experience and less on the specs. I hope I provided you with a clear insight on my experience, but I’m happy to answer any questions if there was something I missed.
Big thanks to Anker for letting me try them out!
