If you're anything like me, you probably know Anker for its strong cables, USB hubs, and sturdy surge protectors: real meat and potatoes tech bits. I've seen the odd Anker speaker, but its earbuds never really popped up. That is, until our Katie gave the Soundcore Liberty 5 a whopping 93% just a few months ago.
If you happen to be a Prime member (or don't mind signing up for a 30-day free trial), the Liberty 5 earbuds have already come down to just $104 on Amazon. Spending more than $100 is still quite a commitment on a pair of buds, but we think these rock, with strong battery life, excellent customization, and nifty fast charging.
Thanks to Dolby Audio, we found these buds could handle very aggressive and loud music well, and Katie says it "delivers [a] warm, versatile soundstage even at metalhead volumes".
We did note in our review that, for a little extra, you can get earbuds with a few more features, but down to just over $100, they offer a lot for the price. ANC, fast charging, IP55 splash resistance and dual connectivity are just some of the great features on offer.
If this is a little out of your price range, the EarFun Air Pro 4 earbuds (a set we really rather liked) have also come all the way down to just $56 at Amazon. Soundcore's offering is more impressive, but these are a solid pair of budget wireless earbuds.
A common complaint with many earbuds, the Liberty 5 actually have good touch controls, and they're easy to customize with Soundcore's app too. Rather impressively, the buds charge up over seven hours of use by sitting in the case for just five minutes, and the case itself will fully charge in that same amount of time. If you've found your earbuds running dry, you can get them topped up in the time it takes to make a cup of tea or coffee.
If you're planning on hopping on calls, we found these buds to have a clear and detailed recording quality, but the lack of background noise reduction does mean others will be able to hear your background. This makes them not the greatest for a conversation in a crowded space.
With all colors being the same price, I'd personally pick the rather tasty Rose Apricot flavor color, and not just because the white one can scuff pretty easily.
1. Best overall: HyperX Cloud Alpha
2. Best budget: Corsair HS55 Stereo
3. Best wireless: HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless
4. Best mid-range wireless: Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 3
5. Best audiophile: Beyerdynamic MMX 330 Pro
6. Best wireless audiophile: Audeze Maxwell
7. Best for streaming: Audio-Technica ATH-M50xSTS StreamSet
8. Best noise-cancelling: AceZone A-Spire
9. Best earbuds: Steelseries Arctis GameBuds
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