Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro wireless earbuds review: the little Hi-Res banger nobody saw coming

As the high-end model in Soundcore’s wireless earbuds range, the Liberty 4 Pro offer Hi-Res sound and frequency response from 14Hz to 40kHz at a contained price. They combine coaxial acoustic architecture, adaptive noise reduction, and extensive sound customization thanks to the in-house app. Designed to compete with much more expensive models, they offer a detailed reproduction, modern connectivity and a generous autonomy of up to 10 hours per charge (40 hours with the charging case) to offer an accessible premium experience without major compromises. An increasingly popular brand among the general public, Soundcore has succeeded in carving out a place for itself in this highly competitive sector. Under the leadership of Anker Innovations (Nebula, Anker, eufy, Soundcore), the manufacturer aims to compete with the best earbuds and headphones, while maintaining its philosophy of affordability and durability.

Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro earbuds specifications

• Bluetooth 5.3 earbuds, multipoint
• Codecs: LDAC, AAC, SBC
• Dual 10.5mm and 4.6mm coaxial transducers
• Frequency response: 14Hz to 40kHz
• Protection rating: IPX5
• Noise cancelling, transparency mode
• Battery life: up to 40 hours (with case), 10 hours (earbuds only)
• Weight: 5.5g per earbud

Included accessories

The Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro wireless earbuds and accessories come in a cardboard box with a magnetic closure. A quick-start leaflet printed directly on the inside of the packaging guides the user from the moment they open the box. The box also includes a comprehensive set of silicone eartips in sizes XXS, XS, S, M (pre-installed), L and XL, to ensure optimum fit for all users. A 30cm USB-C cable is also supplied, which connects to the earbuds’ case to recharge the device. Finally, a booklet of safety instructions and precautions for use completes the contents.

Test conditions

We tested the earbuds with a Google Pixel 6 and a Vivo V21 5G, first in AAC and then in LDAC to measure differences in the sound on Qobuz and Deezer. On the PC, the Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro earbuds were also used to watch YouTube videos and for gaming sessions, including the 1993 version of Doom, enabling any potential latency to be easily observed. For spatialization, Cyberpunk 2077 was used as a reference to assess the accuracy of directional effects of Dolby Atmos for Headphones.

The transparency mode was used outdoors, in the street, to listen to the urban environment of Nantes. The active noise canceling was tested on public transport and in the office to measure its effectiveness in a number of everyday situations.

For the record…

I personally discovered Soundcore in 2021, with the Life P3 model. At the time, I was looking for reliable earbuds with decent sound for everyday use on my walks and in public transit. The rave reviews were enough to convince me. Since then, these Soundcore earbuds have been my daily companion. After all these years, the batteries in both the earbuds and the case still hold their charge as well as the day I bought them. It has to be said that Anker Innovations, Soundcore’s parent company, specializes in the manufacture of batteries, and this know-how is clearly reflected in their audio equipment. All the more so as these earbuds have lasted the test of time in my vehicle, winter and summer alike. With flawless connectivity and a pleasant sound signature, and after hearing so many good things about it, Son-Vidéo.com decided to take a closer look at this very popular manufacturer.

Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro earbuds: features

A case with a display to configure everything

The Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro Bluetooth earbuds come with a charging case. This features a small display and a touch-sensitive zone for accessing the earbuds’ main functions. For example, you can adjust the noise reduction level from 1 to 10, depending on whether you want to hear more of your surroundings or your music.

It’s also possible to configure the earbuds according to use, with Music (default), Music with head-movement tracking, Cinema, Podcast and Game (reducing latency) modes.

Among the new options available on the case, the earbuds can be adjusted according to atmospheric pressure. A phenomenon that can affect noise canceling, particularly when flying. Another practical feature is the ability to locate the earbuds when lost. With this option, each Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro earbud emits a shrill sound, making them easy to locate.

Earbuds with a touch-sensitive zone

The Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro wireless earbuds feature a dedicated touch-sensitive control area for simple music control. By default, the controls are configured as follows:

• Single press: Play/Pause
• Double press: Previous
• Triple press: Nothing
• Long press: Transparency mode
• Slide up: Volume +
• Slide down: Volume –

Depending on your preferences and uses, you can assign the controls differently. Highly customizable, these Soundcore earbuds adapt easily to your needs. Getting to grips with them takes a little time, but you’ll soon get the hang of them.

Comparing listening quality with LDAC and AAC codecs

By default, the Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro earbuds feature the famous Soundcore sound signature. Generous in bass, it’s perfectly suited to most modern musical genres, such as pop, rap and electronic music. For amplified genres such as rock or metal, it may be necessary to adjust the sound using the 8-band equalizer present in the app. The latter is precise, and allows you to obtain the ideal rendition in just a few taps, especially if you’re very attentive to detail.

Hi-Res sound, made possible by the LDAC codec, extends the bandwidth. This quality also highlights the coaxial transducer’s minor weaknesses. Basically, this design features a midbass transducer and a tweeter in one. Some may find the highs to be imprecise, especially on drum crashes and instruments that climb very high in frequency. Please note, however, that we’re not talking about a flaw that makes the experience unpleasant, but rather details that some music lovers will be able to detect. Once again, the most discerning listeners will have to adjust the equalization parameters.

Curiously, with the AAC codec and its more limited bandwidth, the sound suffers less from these little inaccuracies. In this configuration, the earbuds are not pushed to their limits. The downside is that you lose detail in the very low and very high frequencies compared with LDAC. However, if your smartphone doesn’t support this high-resolution codec, the Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro earbuds will do just fine for most music lovers.

📒 Note from the expert
To take advantage of the high-resolution LDAC codec, you'll need to install the Soundcore app and update the earbuds' firmware. Otherwise, you'll have to make do with the slightly more limited AAC or SBC codecs. 

How do the Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro earbuds sound?

In concrete terms, the Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro earbuds are a pleasure to listen to. I particularly appreciate the Soundcore sound signature. A sound that I also use with my Life P3 on a daily basis. The Liberty 4 Pro deliver on their promise of Hi-Res sound without having to break the bank. Clearly, they’re a great way to get your foot in the door of high fidelity on the move. Their popularity is due in part to their ease of use and a default audio configuration suited to most musical genres.

At Son-Vidéo.com, we are used to audiophile products, but the Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro has no reason to shy away from competition that is often more expensive. A true gateway to the world of hi-fi, these earbuds allow the wider public to rediscover their favorite artists. Support for the LDAC codec and a generous frequency response of 14Hz to 40kHz offer superior sound quality to many competitors in this segment.

To be totally transparent, the minor shortcomings we can point out will only bother certain discerning audiophiles. Personally, at home, I use speakers and monitoring headphones for their accuracy and precision. Outdoors, I appreciate the Soundcore earbuds and their generous sound signature. This nice coloration really pays homage to the music, especially as I mainly listen to metal, even extreme metal. The double pedals often used in these genres sound more powerful with the Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro, and guitars that can produce infrabass also benefit from this sound signature. It depends on personal tastes, but I’m very demanding when it comes to monitoring, but still appreciate certain distinctive sound signatures like Soundcore’s.

For videos, movies and podcasts

Wireless earbuds are often used in transport or on long journeys. It’s essential that they also allow you to enjoy all kinds of entertainment from a smartphone or laptop. The various modes offered by Liberty 4 Pro make it possible to watch films with excellent immersion.

In fact, Cinema mode offers better spatial imaging and clear dialogue. Again, the ease of use is to be commended: it’s immediately adapted, with no additional configuration required. For fans of podcasts, a dedicated mode adjusts the equalization to highlight voices.

For videos, Cinema mode also reduces latency a little, so that there’s no lag between the sound and image. A problem inherent to Bluetooth, but one that this mode manages to correct. Watching a series or YouTube videos remains enjoyable, perfect for entertainment while traveling.

A game mode to further reduce latency

For gaming, I estimated latency to be around 300ms in classic mode, visually with Doom and a test video. With Game mode, it can drop to 150 or 200ms (Les Numériques measured 310ms in classic mode and 250ms in Game mode). That’s still a lot, but for casual gaming, it’s acceptable. Obviously, it’s not ideal for competitive gaming, but for narrative titles or mobile games, it’s perfectly usable.

To push the test a little further, I tried using this Game mode on Cyberpunk 2077 with Dolby Atmos for Headphone. I was pleasantly surprised, as effects were very well reproduced. Admittedly, it was a little less precise vertically, but that’s still a fine achievement for earbuds that are neither Dolby-certified nor sold as gaming earphones. For occasional, casual gaming sessions, the Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro wireless earbuds will do the trick.

📒 Note from the expert
These different listening modes are not available with the LDAC codec, which offers acceptable latency for most uses (visually estimated at 200ms). To take advantage of them, you need to use the AAC or SBC codecs. 

Customizable noise canceling

Urban environments produce a lot of noise, and the ANC erases all this noise pollution. A welcome feature when you want to listen to your music in peace and quiet. The passive isolation of the Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro is highly effective: the silicone tips already filter out a good proportion of outside noise. Once coupled with noise reduction, most of the unwanted sounds disappear.

What’s special about this noise reduction is that it can be precisely adjusted to 10 levels, from total transparency to suppression of all external noise. A rather interesting feature, if you want to hear announcements in a bus or avoid being startled by a vehicle in town, while reducing the volume of these noises.

Although some of our colleagues found the screen and touch-sensitive area a bit gimmicky, I found it very practical, precisely for adjusting the ANC level according to where I was. There’s no need to take out your smartphone, launch the app and go to the settings. Simply open the case and slide your finger over the touch-sensitive area to adjust the noise reduction.

An app to control everything

When I bought the Life P3, the biggest complaint I had about this app was the authentication required to use it. This is no longer necessary, and that’s a very good thing. Providing simplified access to the earbuds’ various modes, it also offers full access to all the customization options we’ve come to expect in 2025. Whether it’s adjusting the equalization, changing the touch controls or setting the ANC, everything is easily accessible. To be a little fussy, the different listening modes are in a “Spatialization” menu that isn’t very clear. It took me a while to figure out what was there, perhaps due to a poor translation.

The app also provides access to HearID, which measures your listening ability. A simple test lasting a few minutes determines which frequencies you can physically hear and adapts the sound of the earbuds. An interesting feature for those who are not audio experts, it configures the earbuds for listening adapted to all ears. The result is interesting, but I personally preferred manually adjusting the equalizer. The only regret is that this feature is only active with a Soundcore account.

Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro earbuds compared to Technics EAH-AZ40M2

In this price range, Technics offers the EAH-AZ40M2 earbuds. They too support the LDAC codec and are Hi-Res Audio Wireless certified. With a frequency response of 20Hz to 40kHz, they promise excellent sound reproduction. Although they don’t go quite as deep in the bass, they offer a slightly more balanced sound signature. We lose the roundness and generosity of the Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro in favor of a neutral sound.

Who are the Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro Bluetooth earbuds designed for?

Soundcore is a very popular brand among the general public. As mentioned in this review, the Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro earbuds are easy and practical to use, and have original features such as access to certain options from the charging case. The contribution of the LDAC codec and a frequency response of 14Hz to 40kHz will also appeal to lovers of good sound. Those looking for serious earbuds on a budget are sure to find what they’re looking for. Perfectly suited to modern musical productions, there’s no doubt that the Soundcore sound signature will find its fans (of which I’m one), while others will be able to adjust the sound according to their preferences with a very well thought-out 8-band equalizer.

Frequently asked questions about the Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro earbuds