The only time the touch controls worked properly was when I initiated long presses to power the buds on or off. HearID is a fairly new mode that analyzes your hearing at multiple frequencies and factors in other information (e.g. Mono and stereo mode are supported on both products, so you can take out one earbud (left or right) and use it on its own. The song starts with hands clapping to a driving beat, and I think the sharp, high sound of a hand-clap is a great illustration of where the Liberty Air 2 sound the weakest. This isn’t usually the type of complaint that makes it into a tech review, but seriously: I’ve accidentally hung up on my girlfriend so many times in the past week that I owe her some flowers. It makes the case lid effortless to snap open and closed, but it never flaps around or falls open accidentally. For testing purposes, I had my cat bat the Anker buds around the living room floor, which also led to some chewing action, and the casings didn’t take on any bite marks or scuffs (don't try this at home). Right: Left to right: Zolo Liberty+, Plantronics BackBeat Pro 5100, Liberty 2 Pro, Liberty Air 2, Liberty Air. If you're on a tight budget, the $100 Air 2 bring a smaller form factor and case, and have an additional sensor to automatically pause music when removed from your ear. Please refresh the page and try again. The Liberty Air 2 is decently comfortable. They're more reminiscent of Sony's WF-1000XM3 but with the addition of a silicone stabilizer. Subscribe to Android Police's weekly newsletter, with the biggest stories, latest deals, and insight on the week's news. On the other hand, it’s bigger and wider than all AirPods cases. This places the Liberty Air 2’s case in the same company as the Jabra Elite Active 75t (28 hours) and in a higher bracket than the AirPods Pro (24 hours). I could hear what was playing on my TV in the background, as well as the children running in the apartment above me. The only other downside to the battery performance was in how long it took to charge. I was intrigued by an app that could customize an EQ setting for me to compensate for my specific hearing profile. The Liberty Air 2 also offers lengthy wireless range; I roamed around my apartment during calls with my smartphone in the bedroom and never experienced any dropout. The Liberty Air 2 really boasts about having four on-board microphones and special background-noise cancelling technology. Anker's first-gen Liberty Air have been my go-to wireless buds over the past months, so I was excited to try out the Air 2. Yes. The lid is very flimsy as well; you can easily open the case by flicking your wrist. Noise isolation on these buds is 50/50. I got about 6.5 hours of playtime on a full charge, and the battery in the charging case can recharge the earbuds three times. It's super convenient to just plop them down on my bedstand wireless pad every week or so to make sure they remain topped off. My editor was convinced I was speaking directly into my phone, which shows how great the call quality is on the Liberty Air 2. I like this immediacy, though it has meant that I can no longer absentmindedly fiddle with the case like I'm used to unless I want the buds to turn on, connect, then be forced to immediately turn off. Anker brags about its 4-mic noise reduction tech with Qualcomm cVc 8.0, but people I talked to weren't astonished by the clarity of my voice. Controls become more limited in that case, understandably. My favorite feature about this design is that it allows for a small physical button on the upper outer part. I’m not entirely sure how to feel about the charging case. New York, Specific retailers like Best Buy currently have the Liberty Air 2 discounted to $79.99. You can thankfully customize these to enable volume controls. Unfortunately, there are other competitors out there besides just Soundcore and Apple that do it better and cheaper. Battery life is longer than the AirPods Pro, too. The Liberty Air 2 feels a bit unstable, especially when walking fast, which may trigger nightmares for those who’ve already lost their first pair of AirPods down a sewer drain. Charging cases with USB-C and button to check battery level. The Soundcore Liberty Air 2 true wireless earbuds pack a lot of mediocre features into a small, gorgeous carrying case. Moving onto more melodic jams, I pulled up Kanye West’s “Everything I Am” and was taken aback by how clean and detailed the piano chords sounded after switching to the Piano preset. Putting both earbuds in the case and restarting the connection seems to have put things back to normal. If you want great headphones from Soundcore, spring for the Pro upgrade. I encountered a few problems with Bluetooth connectivity, too. Anker rates battery life at 7 hours on a full charge. A busy arrangement like Artsvik's Fly with me doesn't faze them, and you can still hear the ethnic sounds behind the deafening rising siren of Iveta Mukuchyan's Lovewave around the 35-50 seconds mark. Laptop Mag is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. But, in a comparison strictly between the AirPods and the Liberty Air 2, the Air 2 do feel like less of a bargain. Making a good impression is a great start, and the Air 2 look extremely swanky. They’re small and light, but finding a snug fit made them hard to enjoy. Finally I brought out “What’s Up Danger” by Blackway & Black Caviar, off of the soundtrack for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. I give Anker credit for the attempt, but the company didn’t do the best job developing its touch gesture system. As with most true wireless buds, there's no Multipoint, so you can't have two devices connected at the same time. It's also cool that Anker included several additional custom EQs in the Soundcore app that were designed by Grammy-winning producers. It's also not there in the more expensive 2 Pro. Top: Liberty Air 2. The Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 is available for $99.99 at major online retailers, including Amazon and eBay, or directly from Soundcore. Plus, their matte black exterior helps to hide smudges from skin oils and fingerprints, so they always look more or less amazing. Bottom: Liberty 2 Pro. My bass-shaker test revealed some ringing in one earbud, and testing the balance of the speaker drivers showed that they’re not quite centered. When I’m at home, the Air 2 earbuds and their case live in a charging spot next to my front door. Although new, this product category has taken the audio world by storm and appealed to most users thanks to a combination of convenience, portability, and longer listening time between charges. Although, you might find Anker’s buds offer more bang for the buck. Holding my finger down to enable the digital assistant showed some lag too. I had terrible luck getting the Liberty Air 2 to recognize a double-tap, so I was only too happy to change the input on pausing and skipping tracks to something else. Another area where Anker one-ups Apple is the build quality of the buds themselves. That smooth, seamless appearance comes at a price, though: there’s no physical button on these earbuds. $100 to $150 for these is a very realistic and competitive price given all the features. Being able to assign my own controls made the touch-controls more bearable. You want active noise cancellation or smart sensors to pause/resume music. They handle mids and highs just fine, but lows are significantly less punchy than on the 2 Pro. Bluetooth has never been an issue on Anker headphones, and that hasn't changed. Unlike most competitors, you don't have to worry about a touch-sensitive area that you only trigger 70% of the time or a button that jams the buds inside your ear each time you press it. Due to their form factor, I found them less stable in my ear and I often had to push them back in as they started to slip out when I got a little sweaty. Some will find that the large, round cavity applies slight pressure on the concha that intensifies the longer you wear the buds. It’s much flashier than the clean all-white look of the AirPods and works for those who want a bit more flair. In case you're reading this and wishing for a middle ground between both models, there's an answer. Both products are serviceable for phone calls. This is Anker's attempt at mapping your hearing sensibility in both ears and personalizing the sound profile so it fits you more. Both buds and case are on the larger side. The design remains very similar — and similar to Apple's Airpods — but you get a new matte silver exterior and a dash of bright red for the in-ear tips and outer bottom tip. The pebble-shaped case and the top-sliding mechanism to open it are one of the first unique characteristics you notice about the 2 Pro. I think the heart of the problem is the overall design. How to turn your Chromebook into an external monitor, iPhone 12 Pro Max review: Simply the best, Solid battery life across the board with wireless charging, Same silly dangling design as the AirPods. On the other hand, there's nothing inherently wrong with the Air 2's sound, especially for the price and for an average user. In addition, the move from micro-USB to USB-C guarantees a full battery quicker than the previous version. Right: Liberty Air (left) vs Air 2 (right). The regular Soundcore Liberty 2 (not Pro nor Air) have the same design and case as the Pro, 10mm drivers, USB-C but no Qi charging, 8hrs (32 total) of battery life, and cost the same $100 as the Air 2. Left: One bud. Just enter your email below. Both last enough on a charge and offer way more with their case, both have USB-C and Qi charging, work in stereo and mono mode, pair super quickly with your phone, and come with a nice Android app to customize controls and sound. age, environment) to tailor the sound to your ears. But where Anker really earns brownie points is for including its more advanced features on its low-tier models. A full charge took about four hours on my wireless charger. Sometimes, these earbuds completely ignore a direct, purposeful double-tap. The moment you open the 2 Pro or Air 2's case, the buds turn on, so by the time you take them out and place them in your ear, they're already paired with your phone and ready to go. The hearing test showed that I had no gaps in my hearing, and my personalized EQ setting was just a pair of flat lines. The company first dipped its toes in this market less than two years ago with the Zolo Liberty and Liberty+, but has since done what it's wont to do by releasing model after model across many price points and form factors. Audio performance alone places the Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 in the conversation for best wireless earbuds under $100. We were able to communicate loudly and clearly on both ends, but she did notice some occasional crunchiness throughout the call. This is a little detail, but I love the way the lid has just a tiny bit of spring assistance to open and magnetic assistance to close. Controls are touch-sensitive, so you'll have to double tap the right bud to play/pause, or the left one to fast-forward. The black version opts for a slate-gray finish instead. I also really want to call out the splashes of ruddy orange at the end of the arms and under the silicone ear tips. Receive mail from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors? The app doesn’t offer any insight on which is best suited for specific genres, so you’ll have to listen to music and cycle through each one to get a feel for them. Unfortunately, these features all fell flat for me. They also come in black if you prefer a more inoffensive look. You will receive a verification email shortly. The profile it created for me offered more low-end action, something I always appreciate when zoning out to my Spotify playlists. One of the features that I thought showed promise was the Soundcore companion app, which let me define my own touch controls. It’s a sufficient amount of playtime to keep you entertained on weekly commutes to the office and 2 hours longer than the AirPods Pro (4.5 hours). The 2 Pros are on the bulky side and stick far out of the ear. The first generation of products was expensive and riddled with issues, but with time, we're seeing more and more good affordable options, like Anker's Soundcore portfolio. Any loud noises around you find their way onto the soundstage. The matte grey center and touch of orange look great in all settings. Anker ships the Liberty Air 2 with a wireless charging case, a USB-charging cable, a quick start guide, and five pairs of ear tips (extra small, small, medium, large, and extra-large). It's nicer to have a clicky button with real feedback and without unwanted side effects. You can purchase the earbuds in two colors: Black and White. Other times, the slightest accidental brush of a finger along the outside edge will skip a music track, ramp up the volume, or—most frustratingly—hang up a phone call. As cool as it sounds, this leaves the buds vulnerable to spilling out when the case is dropped on hard surfaces. The biggest let-down for sound performance, though, was in the on-board microphones. Next I tried out “Do It All The Time” by I Don't Know How But They Found Me. Sometimes, custom controls I saved in the app stopped working. The Soundcore companion app comes with a lot of equalizer settings, including a special HearID test that claimed to customize an equalizer for me based on the results of a hearing test. If you want a more convenient way to recharge the buds, feel free to do so wirelessly by placing the case on a Qi charging pad. The case has been reworked with a pebble-like exterior color and feel and a new annoying orientation for placing the buds. The only thing more popular than AirPods right now are cheap AirPods alternatives. If color variety is what you value in a pair of wireless earbuds, take some solace knowing that Anker offers ONE more option than Apple. Note: Anker gives you the option to use the Liberty Air 2 in mono or stereo mode. Even though the Liberty Air 2 are quite light, not having any kind of physical support made them feel unstable. The Air 2 overall look really fancy, and I got stopped by several strangers in elevators and grocery stores to ask about them. This makes some music—which should sound like it’s hitting right in the middle of my brain—wander and wobble from left to right sometimes. Thank you for signing up to Laptop Mag. It took me a bit of time to figure out how to wear the buds right (and even more to place them back in the case correctly) but that small learning curve is worth it. That’s exactly what Soundcore is doing with its new Liberty Air 2 true wireless earbuds. Macworld is your best source for all things Apple. You can pair several, but the buds will connect to the most recent device first. The Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 gets you better sound and battery life than the AirPods for much less. One press on either bud pauses the music, two fast-forwards (right) or rewinds (left), and a double-click and hold triggers the voice assistant (Google or Siri) by default. I can say the same thing about their sound: It's serviceable for the price. She thought the tips felt fine and locked onto her ears without any slippage, while I had to adjust the buds several times to achieve a temporary, secure fit. The Anker SoundCore Liberty Air 2 are a decent pair of truly wireless headphones that are a good upgrade over the previous version, offering some high-end features like wireless charging and a … The case is mostly hollow on the inside and doesn't cradle the buds tightly, but the magnets holding them are strong enough that they won't let them fall if you open the case, turn it upside-down, and shake it. According to specs, their 55 mAh batteries max out at around seven hours. They're loud and powerful, with a wide soundstage, lots of clarity on mids, crisp highs, and deep bass. Seeing USB-C charging trickle down to an affordable price range is nice, but Anker is taking things a step further by also offering Qi wireless charging on both of these models. There is also some concern over the charging case’s fragile lid; a poor closure system increases the risk of damaging or losing the buds. Yes, the option to create your own sound profiles by tweaking the frequency levels manually or selecting from 22 EQ settings is awesome, and these options work well. Android is a trademark of Google Inc. | © Illogical Robot LLC, 2009-2020, Anker Soundcore Liberty 2 Pro and Air 2 review: USB-C, Qi, affordability, and all that jazz, 2 Pro: 8hrs + 24hrs with the case (total 32hrs), 4-Mic noise reduction technology with Qualcomm cVc 8.0 for phone calls. They don't have the smart sensor and are bulkier, but they're more stable in the ear, have a simple button for controls, and sound way more impressive. The pebble-gray shade is unique and adds more distinction (no one will mistake them for the AirPods case). I don’t want to use a phrase like “you get what you pay for,” in relation to the Apple Airpods since I prefer some earbuds—like the Monoprice True Wireless Plus—that are even cheaper than the $99 Liberty Air 2. Not every tech company does touch controls right on a pair of wireless earbuds. 7 or 8 hours on a charge, with 3 more charges from their respective cases. Those willing to drop an extra $50 wouldn't be disappointed with the 2 Pro. Bass lovers might want to give Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust” a listen to get a feel for the Liberty Air 2’s warm signature. The Soundcore Android app offers a bit of customization. Wherever it is, the way it recognizes touch inputs is seriously spotty. Podcasts and vocal-heavy songs too. One feature, which automatically pauses playback when it senses me pull an earbud out of my ear, stopped working and wouldn’t resume until I put both earbuds into the charging case and left them there for a minute. Left: Liberty Air 2 case and buds. I haven't tried them so I can't tell you how good they are, but they're worth considering if you want an affordable unit without the Airpods look. The end result is a design that draws unflattering attention; you’ll be singled out in a crowd, and not for how cool you look wearing them. I did not experience clear voice quality at all in my tests, and I always had an echo-y speakerphone-in-traffic quality no matter where I was or how loud the background noise. The charging case holds up to 28 hours, which equates to 4 additional charges. While Apple managed to slightly shrink the stems on the AirPods Pro, Anker decided to make them bigger and thicker on the Liberty Air 2. It takes a couple of minutes to complete, which seems long by modern standards, but the feature is worth testing and is fairly effective. The design, while an upgrade from the scratch-fest of the original Soundcore Liberty, won’t appeal to those who dislike the AirPods’ look. Compared only to the much more expensive Apple AirPods, the Liberty Air 2 do some things well and look really sexy for half the price. I find it more difficult to get the Air 2 back in their case than the older Air. Just holding my finger on my right earbud for two seconds takes longer than a double-tap, but it works often enough that I wasn’t annoyed by it. The 2 Pro sound really good with lots of depth, loud volume, and clarity. The decisions paid off because the Liberty Air 2 pumps out rich sound that is exceptional for $100 buds. Form factor-wise, they're neither small and fully in-ear like Samsung's Galaxy Buds or Plantronics' BackBeat Pro 5100, nor have the long stem shape of Apple's Airpods. Visit our corporate site. You value USB-C and/or Qi charging, and want the best true wireless buds $100 or $150 can buy. From the shape of the protruding microphone arms to the wireless charging case, the Liberty Air 2 earbuds look, sound, and feel a lot like the AirPods for a lot less money. The Liberty 2 Pro sound mighty impressive for the price. It is small and comfortable to carry in a pocket—it’s about the size of a box of Tic Tacs. Only the Air 2 have sensors, and they only work to pause music when you remove the buds, not to resume it when you put them back in. The 2 Pro are very stable in my ears and don't budge no matter how much I twist and move my head. An entry-level pair of wireless earbuds with an impressive spec sheet, Anker’s latest release is a noteworthy upgrade that offers better audio, battery life, and durability than every AirPods model, at a competitive price point. There is no mention of quick charging, though the company states on the product page that a 10-minute charge gets you 2 hours of playtime. Mids are handled much better on these than the AirPods Pro, with Freddie Mercury’s fiery performance blending gracefully over the record’s effervescent and powerful bassline. Both models come with manuals, a short USB A-to-C charging cable, and extra tips. It was faster than that when plugged in—under three hours—but it was still a bit slower than other comparable true wireless earbuds. It's likely a problem with his particular unit since I didn't notice anything similar, but you should check this out and return your unit if it exhibits a similar behavior. As good as the bass sounds, the bright ticking-clock sound effect came off as wooden, like it was played on a pair of bamboo chopsticks. Google Assistant and Siri operate smoothly, dishing out responses to inquiries as quickly as they receive them. My fiancée even caught my attention a few times when calling out my name from several feet away. There were times when I was furiously tapping the touch panels just to resume/play music (2x tap). Artem, however, had an issue with highs on his unit sounding as if they were coming from a low bitrate media file. Another way to pause music is to just take them out of your ear. However, I found listening to all media formats in mono made audio sound bloated and tiny. This is perfectly fine, but not as good as other earbud options that squeeze more juice out of slightly smaller batteries. You get clean and vibrant sound that can be personalized through the Soundcore app via EQ, presets or special listening mode. Lastly, the Soundcore app allows you to swap out the controls, enable the auto-pause function, push firmware updates and check the battery levels on each bud. Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 review: Packed with gimmicks These mediocre $99 AirPod alternatives boast a lot of interesting features that don't work or don't matter. This happens in 9 out of 10 times when I take the headphones out of the charging case. The EQ also placed more emphasis on Ye’s vocals, which added to the song’s intimate presence. Call quality is just as rewarding, as Anker’s adaptive mic system allows for clear-sounding phone calls and web chats. This is one of those situations where you’ll want to execute tasks either directly on your phone or hands-free via a digital assistant. Pairing to my Android phones (Google Pixel 2XL and 3XL) and MacBook Pro was a breeze, while connections remained strong when streaming Spotify from mobile devices. At the top of that list is the $100 Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2. The regular Soundcore Liberty 2 (not Pro nor Air) have the same design and case as the Pro, 10mm drivers, USB-C but no Qi charging, 8hrs (32 total) of battery life, and cost the same $100 as … Their touch controls aren't my favorite, but they do the job. I found myself constantly adjusting and reinserting the Air 2 earbuds. How do you back up your photos on your phone? Rock, pop, hip-hop, electronic, latin, jazz, country, they work well with every genre. Overall, the Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 may not be an AirPods killer, but the buds are a practical and inexpensive alternative for those who want great sound and extended playtime without breaking the bank. There was a problem. Even though I was being careful to only adjust them by the stem or the very edges of the earbud face, it was this constant fiddling that led to a long string of accidentally hanging up the phone on people. It didn't change much for me and I preferred the default "Soundcore Signature" equalizer setting. In my tests, the Liberty Air 2 put out very good bass, but medium-to-high sounds were uneven and muddy. The all-plastic construction is much sturdier than the recycled plastic used to make the AirPods Pro. Read our, Learn more about Macworld's Digital Edition. I found Craig Allen’s preset ideal for hip-hop and EDM tracks. Left: Top left to bottom right: Liberty Air 2, Plantronics BackBeat Pro 5100, Liberty Air, Zolo Liberty+, Liberty 2 Pro. They only sound duller, less powerful, and less impressive when you directly compare them to the 2 Pro. Most models in the same price class struggle to do this song justice, but not these. For all the issues I had with their connection reliability, the battery power on the Liberty Air 2 is pretty good. Its new line-up, announced in September, forges on in the same direction, with a few noteworthy additions: USB-C and wireless charging on many models, and a high-end option for picky listeners. The only real competition you should consider are the Galaxy Buds, which offer less battery life, but a more stable fit and smarter sensors. You can see the current power level of each bud, choose controls (including assigning volume controls instead of voice assistant), change between multiple preset equalizers, and configure something called HearID. Those with sensitive ears might tap out after the 45-minute mark. Wireless charging makes it easy to keep the Liberty Air 2 earbuds topped up. The overall build quality also doesn’t seem very good.
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