Following its initial teaser of its SoC AI chip, Anker announced the first earbuds with the component during its Anker Day event. The Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro and Liberty 5 Pro Max both use a chip that delivers what the company calls whisper clear voice performance. Of course, the usual earbud features are here – active noise cancellation (ANC), voice controls and personalized sound – but there are some unique tools available on these models too. These include an AI note-taker on the Liberty 5 Pro Max and a touchscreen charging case for both.
Let’s start with what the THUS chip does on both sets of Liberty 5 Pro earbuds. The silicone is used with eight microphones and two bone conduction sensors to ensure optimal voice performance in noisy venues. By employing AI models, the system separates the speaker’s voices from background noise so that they can be heard clearly on the other end of the call. Anker says the bone conduction sensors allow the setup to capture a user’s voice at low volumes, as long as they’re in “medium quiet settings.” The chip also powers voice commands, providing 20 options for various controls and functions, with Anker claiming a response time of less than a second.
The Liberty 5 Pro and Liberty 5 Pro Max both have Soundcore’s Adaptive ANC 4.0 that uses those eight mics to process audio data 384,000 times per second. This function continuously monitors both external noise and any sound entering the ear canal before adjusting ANC in real time. Anker says its noise-canceling algorithm can combat a wide range of noise, including the human voice. Furthermore, the company claims that the ANC performance on its new earbuds is 2x more effective than that of the Liberty 4 Pro.
Ankar
To customize the sound to suit your ears, both sets of earbuds offer HearID 5.0. This feature creates a personalized EQ based on a brief listening test. With the help of AI sound enhancement, the earbuds offer audio restoration that can recover up to 65 percent of the “quality” that is typically lost due to Bluetooth compression.
In terms of battery life, both the Liberty 5 Pro and Pro Max will last up to 6.5 hours on a charge with ANC enabled. When you take into account the charging cases, the total usage time for each model is 28 hours. Both also have multipoint Bluetooth connectivity, such as Bluetooth 6.1, Apple Find My, and Google Fast Pair compatibility. Also, both sets of earbuds are IP55 rated for dust and water resistance.
One main area where both new models differ is their smart cases. The Liberty 5 Pro Case has a 0.96-inch TFT touchscreen on the front edge while the Liberty 5 Pro Max Case has a larger 1.78-inch AMOLED display. The Pro Max is also equipped with an AI note-taker that is capable of generating transcripts, including identifying speakers and action items, after a meeting in the Soundcore app. This feature isn’t available on the Liberty 5 Pro, but Anker offers AI-based translation on both models. Translation is available on the earbuds of the Liberty 5 Pro, and it is available on both the earbuds and case of the Liberty 5 Pro Max.
The Liberty 5 Pro and Liberty 5 Pro Max are both available today for $170 and $230 respectively. The Liberty 5 Pro is available in black, blue, pink and white while the Pro Max will come in black or gold.
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