Anker Soundcore earbuds debut with Thus AI chip for record-breaking call quality

Anker's new earbuds are the first with its AI chip that boosts noise reduction

Anker has announced a new version of its Soundcore Liberty Pro earbuds: the new Liberty 5 Pro. These are the company's first earbuds featuring the Thus AI audio chip Anker announced last month, here being used to bolster noise reduction capabilities and help ensure the user's voice can be clearly heard during calls, even in noisy environments. They're the first new Soundcore Liberty Pro earbuds since the 2024 version that launched with a charging case screen. Joining the Liberty 5 Pro are a new Max version that add AI-powered note-taking capabilities through their charging case. The Liberty 5 Pro are available starting today for $169.99 in blue, white, black, and pink color options. They carry forward the charging case LCD touchscreen functionality of their predecessor, but it's now located on the outside for easier access and is a bit larger at 0.96 inches. The touchscreen can be used to adjust ANC levels or turn on transparency mode. The addition of the Thus chip does result in a small hit to battery life with up to 6.5 hours of listening with ANC turned on that can be boosted to up to 28 hours in total when paired with the charging case. However, the AI chip delivers improvements elsewhere including, Anker claims, with ANC that's 100 percent more effective than the Liberty 4 Pro, improved voice clarity during calls by reducing background noise around you, and faster responses to 20 built-in voice commands. You can adjust volume, control playback, and change ANC modes by just asking. The Liberty 5 Pro Max are also now available, but for $229.99 in black or titanium-gold finishes. They feature the same battery life, IP55 dust and water resistance rating, and support for Apple's Find My network as the Liberty 5 Pro, but with a much larger 1.78-inch AMOLED display on top of the charging case. The screen can be used to adjust settings and control playback of what you're listening to, while the charging case can be used to record conversations and meetings. The recordings are shared to and processed by the Soundcore app on your smartphone that generates transcripts and highlights action items with each speaker identified.

Anker debuts Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro earbuds with its Thus AI chip - Engadget

The Pro Max model offers a touchscreen smart case with an AI note taker. Following the initial tease of its Thus 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 utilize the chip for 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 as well. Those include an AI Note-Taker on the Liberty 5 Pro Max and touchscreen charging cases for both. Let's start with what the Thus chip does on both sets of Liberty 5 Pro earbuds. The silicon is used alongside eight microphones and two bone conduction sensors to ensure optimal voice performance in noisy locations. By also employing an AI model, the system separates the speaker's voice from background noise so they're heard clearly on the other end of calls. Anker says the bone conduction sensors allow the setup to capture the user's voice a lower volumes, so long as they're in "moderately quieter settings." The Thus chip also powers voice commands, offering 20 options for various controls and tasks, with Anker claiming a response time of under a second. Both the Liberty 5 Pro and Liberty 5 Pro Max have Soundcore's Adaptive ANC 4.0 that uses those eight mics to process audio data at up to 384,000 times per second. This action continuously monitors both external noise and any sounds that may enter the ear canal before adjusting the ANC in real time. Anker says its noise-canceling algorithm can combat a broad range of noises -- including human voices. What's more, the company claims the ANC performance on its new earbuds is up to 2x more effective than the Liberty 4 Pro. To customize the sound to your ears, both sets of earbuds offer HearID 5.0. This feature creates a personalized EQ based on a brief hearing test. With the help of AI Sound Enhancement, the earbuds provide audio restoration that can recover up to 65 percent of "the quality" that's typically lost 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 factor in the charging cases, the total use time is 28 hours for each model. Multipoint Bluetooth connectivity is also onboard both, as is Bluetooth 6.1, Apple Find My and Google Fast Pair compatibility. Plus, both sets of earbuds are IP55 rated for dust and water resistance. There is one main area where the two new models differ is their smart cases. The Liberty 5 Pro case has a 0.96-inch TFT touchscreen on its front edge while the Liberty 5 Pro Max case has a much larger 1.78-inch AMOLED display. The Pro Max is also equipped with an AI Note-Taker that's capable of generating transcripts, including identifying speakers and action items, after meetings in the Soundcore app. This feature isn't available on the Liberty 5 Pro, but Anker does offer AI-based translation on both models. Translation is available on the earbuds with the Liberty 5 Pro, and it's available on both the earbuds and the case with the Liberty 5 Pro Max. Both the Liberty 5 Pro and Liberty 5 Pro Max are 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 either black or gold.

Soundcore's screen-equipped earbuds moonlight as your meeting note-taker

The companion app displays your meeting transcriptions, along with manually marked highlights and labels for each attendee Anker's audio hardware brand Soundcore has expanded its Liberty lineup of wireless earbuds with a new feature-packed model aimed at productivity nerds. Armed with a powerful new AI processor, the Liberty 5 Pro Max buds go beyond playing audio, and also listen in on your in-person meetings. They can then transcribe them - complete with timestamps, highlight points, and labels for each person speaking - and provide you with a summary. That should come in handy for people who frequently collaborate across teams or see a lot of clients. And I should be clear: it's not the buds that do the recording, but rather the charging case. And that's worth a look in itself. The chubby squircular case has a 1.78-inch AMOLED touchscreen that you can use to control the buds' various functions without reaching for your phone. It also visually indicates when it's recording, so you're never in doubt as to whether it's on the job. You can also mark highlights during your meeting for easy reference by pushing a button on the case, just like on full-featured note-taker devices like the Plaud Note or HiDock P1. Transcription works in 154 languages, and happens over the cloud. That might not be ideal if you work in a security-sensitive industry, but Anker says you have full control over your data and can delete recordings and transcriptions from its servers via a web interface anytime. It's worth noting these aren't the first-ever buds to include note-taking in their feature set. The Mobvoi Ticnote Pods that launched in March do this too, and with a 4G connection at that for $299. Beyond that, the Liberty 5 Pro Max buds promise "2x deeper noise cancellation" than the previous-gen model, which I've owned. The Liberty 4 line was already pretty strong, but Soundcore says you can expect these to additionally drown out low-frequency rumbles and ambient voices. 9.2-mm wool-paper diaphragm drivers handle audio reproduction in regular and LDAC Hi-Res modes. They're aided by AI-powered enhancement over Bluetooth connections, as well as Soundcore's HearID EQ personalization tool that can have a profound effect on the way your content sounds. These buds can also translate speech in real time so you can understand what someone speaking to you is saying. They also get Bluetooth 6.1 which should allow for a stable connection, and Multipoint for pairing with up to three devices simultaneously. Plus, you can track these down using Apple's Find My service. The 5 Pro Max should get you about 6.5 hours of playback time with ANC engaged; the case will keep the music going for a total of 28 hours, and a 5-minute charge is enough for four hours on the move. Another thing I like the sound of is the use of its AI chip for responding to 20 preset voice commands in under a second each, unlike bloated models like Alexa. Soundcore also claims these buds literally hold a Guinness World Record for call clarity. This video demonstrating what your voice would sound like on a call didn't really blow me away - but the 10-mic array does an impressive job of quieting ambient sounds and other voices while you chat. The Liberty 5 Pro Max buds are available from today for US$229.99, which isn't cheap - and that doesn't include the cost of the recurring subscription required for transcription. However, the hardware pricing isn't bad when you consider it doubles as a full-fat AI note-taker. If subscriptions are similar to Soundcore's Work note-taking device, you're looking at roughly $100 a month for 1,200 minutes of transcription, or $240 for unlimited minutes. That's a bit cheaper than Mobvoi's $119/$299 annual subscriptions, but not by much. Given that AI enthusiasts are already spending about $240 a year on other AI services like Claude with many more capabilities, I'd say that pricing is awfully steep.

Anker's new Soundcore earbuds set a Guinness World Record for call quality -- here's why

Anker's Soundcore brand just unveiled its successors to the Liberty 4 Pro, and the true wireless earbuds promise a leap forward in call performance -- one large enough that the company sought a world record to prove it. The company's new Liberty 5 Pro and 5 Pro Max have both received a Guinness World Record for the "World's Clearest Earbuds for Calls." Soundcore says it earned the record by pitting its new models against 14 "global flagship models" in a third-party lab test that drew on mean opinion scores for audio quality and noise cancellation in simulated environments like bars and city sidewalks. Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro The Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro earbuds have Guiness World Record call quality at a relatively low price. See at Amazon Expand Collapse The company isn't naming those rivals and doesn't have an overwhelming lead (it scored 3.68 out of 5 versus the runner-up's 3.54). However, it's safe to say the brand wants you to choose the Liberty 5 Pro series over big names like Apple's AirPods Pro 3. Soundcore says it achieved the feat by using Anker's previously revealed first in-house AI chip, Thus. The silicon is built to handle on-device AI in tiny devices like earbuds and combines with a 10-sensor array (eight microphones and two bone conduction sensors) to dynamically separate your voice from the background, even at lower volume levels. The firm claims twice the active noise cancellation (ANC) of the Liberty 4 Pro. Thus, it also helps cut the response time for voice commands to just over 0.9 seconds and reportedly restores up to 65 percent of the sound quality lost through Bluetooth data compression. AI translation helps with conversations during vacations abroad. What is the difference between the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro and 5 Pro Max? It's all in the Pro Max's note-taking case Both the Liberty 5 Pro and 5 Pro Max are based on the same earbuds, so you can expect identical audio quality whether you're taking calls or playing music. They both use Bluetooth 6.1, LDAC Hi-Res Wireless Audio, multipoint connections, and perks like Apple Find My and Google Fast Pair. Likewise, they share IP55 dust and water resistance and manage up to 6.5 hours of ANC audio playback from the buds themselves. The differences come down to the charging case. Where the Liberty 5 Pro has a 1-inch LCD touchscreen with standard controls, the 5 Pro Max has a larger 1.8-inch AMOLED screen as well as AI notetaking. Double-tap a button after a meeting, and the case will help the Soundcore app generate a transcript that includes key talking points. You'll still get the same 28 hours of total listening time from the cases, so either will work for long travel days where you might need a recharge after your trip. Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro and 5 Pro Max price and availability You won't have to pay a premium The Liberty 5 Pro is available now for $170 (£150 in the UK, €180 in Germany), while the 5 Pro Max is also shipping for $230 (£200 UK, €250 Germany). You can get the base Pro in black, blue, pink, and white colors, while the Pro Max is only available in black and a "titanium-gold" hue. Related Anker's New Soundcore Earbuds Deliver Bang for Your Buck The new Liberty 5s are feature-packed and affordable. Posts By Cory Gunther The prices are both significant steps up from the $130 when the Liberty 4 Pro arrived in 2024. However, they still undercut the official $249 selling price for the AirPods Pro 3, Samsung's Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, and Bose's QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds. If you prioritize call quality or just like the idea of a touchscreen case, Soundcore might offer better value. With that in mind, the alternatives have their own advantages (such as Apple and Samsung ecosystem tie-ins). They also tend to enjoy frequent discounts, so you might not pay much more in the right circumstances.

Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro and Pro Max earbuds: First impressions, price, where to buy

Meet the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max and 5 Pro. Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable Soundcore announced two new pairs of earbuds during its Anker Day event on May 21: the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro and Liberty 5 Pro Max. The earbuds are the first Soundcore products to feature the new THUS AI chip, designed to boost the performance of the earbuds' microphone for call quality, voice activation, and smart features like live translation and AI note-taking. Spoiler alert: the mic performance is no joke on these earbuds. Both the Liberty 5 Pro and Liberty 5 Pro Max are available as of May 21. I've spent a few days trying out both pairs of earbuds -- below you'll find my first impressions, the specs, price, and everything else you need to know about Soundcore's latest audio release. The Liberty 5 Pro is available for $169.99 and comes with the following feature set: I haven't had the chance to test the full range of the Liberty 5 Pro features just yet, but as Soundcore emphasizes the "whisper clear" calls these buds are capable of, I made sure to get in some testing of the microphone, along with the usual suspects of the sound quality (rich and well-varied, from my initial listens) and active noise cancellation. Call quality may seem like a weird feature to brag about, but if you've used earbuds with a crappy microphone, you know how annoying it can be to have to disconnect your earbuds every time you need to take a call. My first test for these earbuds was an informal one. While FaceTiming a friend and wearing these earbuds, another friend in the room with me leaned into the frame of my phone's camera to say hello. My friend on the other end of the call happened to be looking away -- she had no clue the other person in the room with me had spoken at all. Meanwhile, she could hear me without any issue. Whisper clear indeed. I've also been able to hold full conversations with ease while other people are watching TV and chatting in the same room, while the person on the other side of the call has been none the wiser. All this to say, the early results are very promising. So is it really just a matter of matching up a full set of microphones with an AI chip? Not exactly. Soundcore goes the extra mile, adding two bone conduction sensors to detect vibrations in your skull and ensure that only your voice is picked up, even in noisier environments. I nearly jumped out of my skin when someone approached me to say good morning while I was listening to music on these earbuds at about 40 percent volume. Apparently, they'd been trying to get my attention for a good 30 seconds. So that's another informal test, passed. On a more technical note, these earbuds have eight microphones that work together with the THUS chip to provide the best possible noise cancellation. The result is impressive, especially considering their $169.99 price point. While I look forward to testing them out and about in the world more, as far as my home office (and simply existing in a house where seven other people live), these earbuds are more than getting the job done so far. The ear fin/ear tip combo on these earbuds reminds me a lot of the Bose QuietComfort earbuds series. Whenever I'm positively comparing the wear of earbuds to the QC series, that's a very, very good thing, considering the Bose buds are the most comfortable I've tested. While I haven't yet put these through the extended hours of wear needed to see if they deserve the same accolades, I can say that so far, I've experienced no fatigue wearing them in one to two-hour bursts. At the same time, they feel plenty secure and provide a great seal for boosting passive ANC. The charging case for the Liberty 5 Pro features a 0.96-inch mini touchscreen, where you can access settings such as ANC adjustments, equalizer presets, spatial audio, and Bluetooth pairing. Essentially, it reduces the need for a companion app to adjust every feature that isn't playback or volume. Despite the small screen, this was a surprisingly convenient way to use the earbuds -- especially when pairing them to new devices. Though it doesn't feel fragile, I am curious to see how this case holds up once I throw it in a bag and take the earbuds on the go. The Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max is available for $229.99, with the following feature set: The Liberty 5 Pro Max earbuds have many of the same features as the 5 Pro, including the same tech for powering noise cancellation, sound quality, and the microphones. They also feature the same earbud shape. There is one notable difference, though, which we'll get into below: The Pro Max earbuds use the same 10-sensor matrix (the microphones and bone conduction sensors) as the 5 Pro earbuds, so it's no surprise that, in combination with the AI chipset, these earbuds also sounded incredible on calls and did a reliable job at blocking out background noise. Living in a house with seven other people means that if I'm not at my desk (and even then), there's at least a 50 percent chance that I'll take a call while someone else is having a conversation around me. For the times that's happened so far, not once did the people on the other side of the call hear the background noise from my end. My next tests will involve taking these earbuds out into the world (for even louder and more distracting environments). The 5 Pro Max has an even bigger touchscreen on the charging case than the 5 Pro, which takes up the entire top of the case. The 1.78-inch AMOLED display allows you to access many of the same features as the smaller 5 Pro case, plus the AI note-taking feature, which uses the case to record the conversation. As a journalist, I'm especially into any easy way to record interviews or conversations, and Soundcore seeks to do just that with its AI note-taker. Basically, it works as the case records the conversation, meeting, talk -- whatever you're trying to get down. Then, it transfers the file to the companion app, and, at your request, can generate a transcript and summary with identified speakers. During the recording, a tap of the flag button creates markers in the recording that become highlighted in the transcription. Before creating the transcription, you can also select the recording type (discussion, presentation, etc.), so the AI can choose the best format for the information. So far, I could see this being an incredibly useful tool, but I'm also interested to see the limitations (it looks like a Pro version for more transcription minutes is available) and how it compares to Apple's built-in voice memo feature. In my testing so far, the noise cancellation and sound quality are basically indistinguishable from the 5 Pro earbuds, which is to say they both sound really good and do a great job of blocking out sound. One hiccup I noticed while testing the adaptive ANC on the 5 Pro Max buds was a soft clicking sound in the left earbud -- it was almost not detectable while audio was playing, but without music, it was definitely present. It could've just been a glitch that a software update will fix, so I'll be keeping my eye on it as I head further into my testing period. As of May 21, you can pick up the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro for $169.99 and the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max for $229.99 at the following retailers:

These new Anker earbuds use AI to fix the worst part of wireless earbuds

Anker has added two new earbuds to its audio lineup called the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro and Liberty 5 Pro Max. The regular Liberty 5 already made a strong impression in our review, where we praised Soundcore for getting most of the basics right, even if pricing left it under pressure from cheaper rivals. Now, Anker is pushing the Liberty 5 line into more AI-focused territory, with the Thus AI chip powering clearer calls, smarter noise cancellation, voice commands, translation, transcripts, and meeting summaries. Anker is using AI to clean up calls The main upgrade is Anker's new Thus AI chip, which appears in both Liberty 5 Pro models. It works with eight microphones and two bone-conduction sensors, along with an AI model, to separate the wearer's voice from traffic, wind, office chatter, and other background noise. Soundcore says the Liberty 5 Pro earned a Guinness World Records certification in April 2026 for the highest speech quality score for true wireless earbuds. The Liberty 5 Pro Max uses the same earbud units, so call performance should be similar across both models. Recommended Videos The same AI system also improves noise cancelling. Both earbuds use Adaptive ANC 4.0, which processes noise data up to 384,000 times per second and adjusts in real time. Soundcore says it can reduce noise from streets, subways, and offices. The Thus chip also enables 20 built-in voice commands, allowing users to adjust playback, volume, and ANC modes without using a phone. The Pro Max case doubles as an AI note-taker The Liberty 5 Pro Max gets the bigger case upgrade. It has a 1.78-inch AMOLED display and an AI Note-Taker that can record meetings and conversations. The Soundcore app can then generate transcripts, summaries, speaker labels, and action items. Both models also support translation in more than 100 languages. On the Liberty 5 Pro, translation works through the earbuds, while the Liberty 5 Pro Max adds translation through both the earbuds and the case. The regular Liberty 5 Pro has a smaller 0.96-inch TFT touchscreen for switching ANC modes, using transparency controls, activating Dolby Atmos, and adjusting EQ settings. Both models also support HearID 5.0, which creates a custom EQ profile after a short hearing test. Core specs include 9.2mm wool-paper diaphragm drivers, Bluetooth 6.1, LDAC support, three-device pairing, Google Fast Pair, Apple Find My, IP55 dust and water resistance, wireless charging, and up to 6.5 hours of battery life with ANC on, or 28 hours with the case. The Liberty 5 Pro costs $169.99, while the Liberty 5 Pro Max is priced at $229.99.

Anker launches AI-powered Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro earbuds

Anker has launched the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro and Liberty 5 Pro Max earbuds, equipped with its new Thus AI chip, at its recent Anker Day event. The chip enables what Anker describes as Whisper Clear voice performance, enhancing traditional features such as active noise cancellation (ANC), voice controls, and personalized sound profiles. Both models utilize eight microphones and two bone conduction sensors to optimize voice performance in noisy environments. The AI model within the Thus chip effectively separates a user's voice from background noise, improving call clarity. Anker states the bone conduction sensors allow effective voice capture even at lower volumes in moderately quieter settings, and users can execute 20 voice commands with a claimed response time of under a second. The Adaptive ANC 4.0 system in both earbuds processes audio data at a rate of up to 384,000 times per second. This technology continuously assesses external noise and adjusts the ANC in real-time, claiming a noise-canceling performance that is up to two times more effective than that of the Liberty 4 Pro. Additionally, both models feature HearID 5.0, which creates a personalized equalizer (EQ) based on a brief hearing test. An AI Sound Enhancement feature recovers up to 65% of audio quality lost due to Bluetooth compression. The battery life of both models is up to 6.5 hours with ANC enabled, extending to a total of 28 hours when using their charging cases. They support multipoint Bluetooth connectivity alongside Bluetooth 6.1, Apple Find My, and Google Fast Pair compatibility. Both models carry an IP55 rating for dust and water resistance. Notably, the smart cases differ between the models. The Liberty 5 Pro case has a 0.96-inch TFT touchscreen, while the Liberty 5 Pro Max features a 1.78-inch AMOLED display. The Pro Max's case also includes an AI Note-Taker that generates transcripts and identifies speakers and action items within the Soundcore app, a function not present in the Liberty 5 Pro. Both models support AI-based translation, though with slight variations in availability. Pricing for the Liberty 5 Pro is set at $170, available in colors including black, blue, pink, and white. The Liberty 5 Pro Max is priced at $230 and comes in black or gold.

Anker Soundcore's Liberty 5 Pro Max earphones have this key futuristic feature | Stuff

The $230/£200 Liberty 5 Pro Max is powered by Anker's own VibeOS based around a new chip called Thus AI, again Anker-designed As well as a 1.78in display on their case, Soundcore's latest earbuds have an AI-powered notetaker on board, meaning they can double up to transcribe meetings or events and generate summaries and action points from them. Anker says that these recordings are stored locally, protected by encryption. The $230/£200 Liberty 5 Pro Max is powered by Anker's own VibeOS based around a new chip called Thus AI, again Anker-designed. These earphones are also joined by the slightly lower-priced Liberty 5 Pro costing $170/£150 with a smaller display and without the AI feature. Both sets of earphones boast a new Whisper-Clear Calls feature with a 10 microphone array. Anker has somehow scooped up a Guinness World Record for the "World's Clearest Earbuds for Calls" to boot, although I do wonder what the criteria were for this. These buds also support Dolby Atmos spatial audio with head tracking, too. As part of its Anker Day launch event, the company also introduced a bunch of other products as well. Standouts included the Video Doorbell S4, priced from $250. The new ringer offers 3K resolution with a 180 degree panoramic view, plus you can choose to have a battery-powered or wired one. The company has also introduced a 2kWh home backup power station that can keep a fridge powered for 35 hours. The Solix S2000 costs $1199 and is super quiet too at 30db. Therr's also the EufyMake UV Printer E1 that the company is calling "the world's first personal 3D-texture UV printer", bringing 3D-textured and full-colour customisation on materials such as metal, wood and acrylic to home 3D printing so you can print on items like bott, costing $2299/£2249.