Anker Liberty Air 2 Pro Review: The Best Alternative For The AirPods Pro

Are you looking for a cheaper alternative to the Apple AirPods Pro? The Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro earbuds are here. It’s equipped with an active noise-canceling feature for only $130.

The Anker Liberty might just be the next best thing from the AirPods Pro, and Android users will surely love it. Here’s another good thing, it can be yours for only $130. This earbud features active noise canceling, and it’s available for purchase today. 

Likewise, it’s an exceptional true-wireless earbud that can go toe-to-toe with Apple’s AirPods Pro. The big difference, it costs significantly less. With this in mind, we put the Anker Liberty Air 2 Pro to the test. The result? Let’s find out. 

Design

First, let’s get to the design. It’s unfortunate that these earbuds don’t get the bright design compared to the AirPods Pro. Its long and slightly angled stalks can sometimes get a little off compared to the cylindrical white tubes in the Apple earbud. Honestly, it looked like an outdated version of headsets from the early 2000s. 

While it comes in other color variants, the stretched-out stalk design is just not as sleek compared to the AirPods. On the bright side, what saves this earbud from its design bust is the touch controls. That’s because it works really well. With that said, double-taps and hold gestures prevent accidental skipping. 

IPX Water Resistance

Another welcome inclusion is the IPX4 water resistance. This means the Soundcore earbuds will manage sweat and water splashes. Just make sure you don’t go for a swim or take a shower with the earbuds on. 

Notably, the charging case isn’t waterproof. The case features a smart-touch finish to the plastic along with a neat sliding cover. Also, you can use Qi wireless chargers in case you misplace their USB-C cable. 

Fit and Comfort

Let’s give credit to the Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro earbuds for their generous set of nine silicone tips. With that said, seven ranges from XXXS to Large, and the two extra sets come with a slightly deeper variation of medium and large. This gives you the best chance of finding the best fit and comfort for your ears. 

Also, the earbuds slip in easily and hold firmly. It’s an impressive feat if you consider the lack of hooks or wings in the design. The earbuds are comfortable to wear for an hour or two. It’s unfortunate that they don’t use the twist-to-fit shape that’s used by Samsung and Sennheiser. 

Moreover, the Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro will start to feel a little heavy on the ear canal for longer listening periods. 

Controls and Setup

The Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro is easy to set up. In fact, it gets into pairing mode just by simply sliding back the cover. Also, it connects easily with your phone without any problem. Thanks to the increasing number of wireless headphones, installing the app is important for managing its core features. 

Likewise, the basic play/pause, call, and skipping controls are all available with the touch controls. This means you can activate or deactivate the ANC while holding down in either earbud. You can also hold input to enable the Transparency mode. This will save you from opening your phone and control the earbud from the app. 

Sound Quality

As with the sound quality department, the most striking thing you’ll notice is the bass. While it’s not necessarily to the point that the low sounds are out of control. However, some songs sound like the bass-drum kicks are like thumping into your brains.  

In some cases, the lows can potentially rob the highs and mids of their impact. While this might be a downside, the good news is you can customize the sound with the Soundcore app. All you have to do is navigate the “HearID” feature. This will play a series of beeps to test the different frequencies at different volume levels. This will help you set up a sound profile that sounds great for you. 

Features

The HearID feature is not the only tool for the Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro. In fact, it has an excellent active noise cancellation (ANC) feature. It’s a very pleasant addition for an earbud that costs only $130. Likewise, its ANC comes in three variations as Transport, Indoor, and Outdoor. 

Also, it has a Custom option that allows you to adjust its noise-canceling intensity. For example, Transport is designed for traveling via trains, plains, and automobiles. That being said, it’s more effective compared to the Outdoor profile when it comes to quieting traffic or walking down the road. 

While the earbuds can’t completely silence loud sounds like speeding cars and other types of machinery, however, they can bring the sound’s intensity significantly. The Indoor ANC profile works really well too. While it’s tuned down for fewer noise environments, it still managed to silence ambient noises. This works well when walking in the store or in a quiet room. 

Furthermore, it also comes with a Transparency mode. This also comes with two modes as Vocal Mode and Fully Transparent. The vocal mode puts emphasis on speech so you can still hold a conversation easily. 

Battery Life

Anker offers a compelling 7 hours of playback battery life. This works only if the ANC is switched off. Likewise, you can get about 4 hours and 42 minutes at 50% volume with Indoor noise-canceling. 

While this might sound insignificant, it’s still a good feat for an ANC earbud. In perspective, we tested the Apple Airpods Pro, and it lasted 4 and a half hours. Also, the charging case offers an additional 19 hours. It has an impressive recharging speed too. 

A quick 15-minute rest, in its case, would give the earbuds up to 2 hours and 34 minutes. That translates to half of its full capacity. 

Call Quality

The Air 2 Pro earbuds are an excellent voice-calling tool. It provides users with a strong and sufficiently clear audio quality during our test call. On the receiver’s end, speech is slightly sharper but can sometimes get scratchy and metallic. 

Conclusion

The Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro is an excellent choice for cheap earbuds with active noise canceling feature. While there are more nicer-looking and comfortable earbuds out there, for only $130, you can’t go wrong with your expectation.  In addition, its ANC and personalized sound quality often exceed expectations.