Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro review: One of true wireless headphones

After several months of testing and many hours on the plane and train to check the performance of its active noise cancellation system, this is our analysis of the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro, true wireless headphones that surprise even before taking them out of the box.

When we think of true wireless headphones, our heads automatically go to brands like Sony, Apple or even JBL. They are TOP brands when it comes to sound quality in this segment, but there are others that are not far behind. 

Soundcore is one of them, and they blew us away with their Liberty Air 2 Pro. Their weapons were the design, the noise cancellation and the sound quality that they offered at a very competent price.

Now, after a few months testing the Liberty 3 Pro, I tell you my opinion about these headphones that keep everything we loved about the Liberty Air 2, but improve some aspects that make these 170 dollars headphones a highly recommended device.

Compact, stylish and with plenty of options for every ear

It shows that Soundcore has taken great care of this product and it is something that is obvious since we get hold of the box. It is a large box, much larger than that of other true wireless headphones and that hides, in addition to some fairly detailed manuals, a few extras.

As soon as we open it we see a quick manual on how to fit them to the ear, we have more extensive manuals, the USB-A to USB-C charging cable, the charging box, the headphones and four pairs of ear tips plus four other pairs of adjustments for the ear, one of them already pre-applied in the headphones.

Yes, there are other companies that also include several pads, but they usually come all together in a plastic bag.

The presentation is fantastic, but what matters is the product and I’ll start with the box. I have to say that it seems to me the weakest point of the proposal due to the materials and the placement of the headphones.

It does not seem to me a too premium plastic or according to the price of 170 dollars. It opens by sliding the lid instead of opening it like a chest and, although I didn’t like the system at first, with use I recognize that it has won me over.

It is very comfortable to open with one hand and, well, in the end that is what matters, comfort. I also like the dimensions, without being the smallest of the range, and I think it fits great in a wide variety of pockets, since it slides great.

Now, I don’t like the earphones sitting on the inside because many times I keep putting them upside down. 

I don’t find it intuitive to go fast through an airport checkpoint or something and I almost always have to turn one of the earpieces or something to be able to close the lid. And taking them is not the most comfortable thing in the world either.

On the other hand, I really liked the headphones both for their design and for the materials and how premium they seem at first glance. 

I must say that the ear fit that is pre-applied is not the one that suited me best, but as soon as I changed it, the comfort was total. 

Also, something I really like is that the pads are easy to put on, but very difficult to take off. It is something that caught my attention, but in the end it has its importance in order not to lose them.

Regarding the comfort once put on, I have worn them at home, on the street, on 15-hour flights and in the gym and they have not bothered me at any time. This is subjective, of course, but they haven’t fallen off either and, furthermore, they seem very pretty to me.

They come in four colors and I would have appreciated purple as I love that shade but they are undeniably attractive. And, in addition, they have IPX4 protection against splashes. 

Bluetooth 5.2 and an application that is one of the best on the market

If we start to get into the bowels of these headphones, the good news follows. And it is that, on the one hand we have a very good Bluetooth connectivity and, on the other, an application that is a real delight.

That the connection is via Bluetooth 5.2 reduces latency with the content we are watching and, in my tests, I have not had any problems when playing or watching content such as series or videos on YouTube.

I have tried them to edit video on the MacBook, but at that point the latency is still there and, however minimal, it prevents me from working normally if I want videos with shots that change to the rhythm of the music.

It is possible to pair these headphones with two devices at the same time and they can be two phones or a phone and a tablet, a tablet and a PC… in short, the combination that we want. It’s as simple as starting to play content on one, pausing it, going to another device and playing content there for the headphones to automatically switch.

If I have them paired with the Mac and the phone and I’m listening to a song on the Mac, if they call me and I pick up, they automatically jump to the mobile. The truth is that it is very comfortable.

If we go to the Soundcore app we are going to find the basic settings of any self-respecting app such as the automatic and manual equalizer, the possibility of saving custom equalizers or customizing gestures.

These gestures are tactile and I like them, but when we give more than two touches, sometimes I don’t get it right and the action I want is not performed. But hey, that’s why I have a very secondary action for the three touches. 

However, what makes this app special are the two analysis modes that, depending on the ambient noise, calibrate the headphones and, in addition, there is also an analysis of the sounds that we can, or cannot, hear.

It is a test of about 5 minutes in which beeps sound through the left and right earphones and we have to mark whether we hear them or not. In this way, a personalized profile is created that allows the app to equalize the music in the best possible way for us.

And, of course, we have noise cancellation in the headphones. I think it works spectacularly, and in fact, I took these headphones on a very long trip, to Hawaii to see the latest Qualcomm news, and on the plane they behaved wonderfully.

In the app we will be able to let the headphones decide the optimal cancellation mode depending on the external noise (weak, weak or strong), but we can also set the desired cancellation level manually.

Something that I did not like too much is that yes, when we take off a headset (by the way, we can use either of them regardless of whether the other is in the box or not, since they are not linked to each other, but to the mobile) the music stops, but it takes about two or three seconds . Putting them back also takes a little while.

I don’t mind how long it takes when we put them on, but if we take it off, the proximity sensor should act a little faster.

You will enjoy the music, but it will depend on which mobile, and in which app, you listen to it

But hey, if we buy headphones of this style it is to enjoy both active noise cancellation and sound. Regarding the first, I can say that it is very effective and, honestly, the ANC has surprised me.

On a day-to-day basis I use the adaptive system and I think it works very well. It adapts correctly and precisely to the ambient noise and when it is on the weak level it does a good job and does not consume as much battery as on the strong level.

However, there are times when I go to the manual control (airports, train stations) to set the strong mode. There I don’t want anyone to bother me and I want to hear as little as possible from outside so I don’t have to turn up the volume. And I am also very happy with its performance.

Regarding the audio quality, I must say that it depends a lot on the way you wear them, but also on the audio source. As you have seen in the video above, we have a lot of equalization options both manual and the examination of the app and the different default modes.

There are quite a few and they can get overwhelming, I know because it happened to me the first few times, but in the end you will find your ideal way. I must say that I do not use the profile that the application creates depending on my hearing level because it may make the sound purer for me, but I do not like the experience.

I prefer 3D sound if I’m on a suitable source or one of the app’s default equalizers. At a general level, I think they offer a very good experience thanks to very clear frequencies in all spectrums and with powerful bass that does not overshadow either the mids or the highs.

But, as I said, it depends on the mobile. We have AAC, SBC and LDAC codecs, but we won’t be able to take advantage of LDAC in iOS due to the management of the Bluetooth codecs, so it’s a mode that you will only be able to enjoy on Android mobiles with HD music services.

It’s annoying, yes, I know. And yes, the quality improvement is noticeable, but I also tell you that I have used them for many hours with Apple Music and the experience is also fantastic for day to day. What’s more, on iOS I use 3D mode with Apple Music and I quite like it.

Soundcore boasts of its *lame air* “dual coaxial ACAA 2.0 with 10.6mm drivers with a chamber system that makes sure the frequencies don’t overshadow each other” tech. A lot of talk to say that each headphone has a 10.6 mm driver with a system, that “chamber” that allows sounds to be well structured.

And the microphones, well hey, they’re not bad either. As I mentioned, we have three per headset and this is how they pick up my voice:

Average autonomy with a fast charge so you don’t run out of musical dopamine

And battery… how are they doing? Anker does not give data on the capacity of the battery or the headphones or the box, but hey, since science does not do itself, we have done our usual tests to see how much the Liberty 3 Pro gives.

Depending on the brand, we get up to 8 hours of battery life with the earphones and up to 32 hours total with out-of-the-box charges. They are accurate data, according to our tests, but there are two things to say.

On the one hand, it is without active noise cancellation and, on the other, it depends a lot on the type of music we listen to.

In my tests, I’ve had about five and a half hours per charge with noise cancellation on strong and listening to everything from the latest Muse to alternative rock, indie pop, and the Encanto soundtrack (which blows my mind, by the way).

Without noise cancellation I have had for about seven hours with the same music. Now, to make the most objective test possible, I left the headphones on a surface with a varied playlist and with the volume at 50% without noise cancellation.

Here I got those eight hours that Soundcore promises. It is an autonomy that is in the middle of the high range with noise cancellation and, if we run out of battery, in 10 minutes we recover 60% battery, which is great.

Speaking of charging, the box charges via USB-C, but it also has wireless charging.

Capable of keeping an eye on the best TWS headphones on the market

We have reached the end of the analysis of these Liberty 3 Pro and the sensations are that of having, every time I use them, very premium true wireless headphones in their price range. 

The active audio cancellation works at the level of the best on the market, offering good passive isolation while allowing me not to turn up the volume too much when I’m on public transport, even on planes, thanks to its excellent cancellation system.

Although I don’t like the box too much because of its materials, I recognize that it is very comfortable because it slides well between jeans pockets and, of course, I recommend them for their sound quality. 

It seems to me that, when we find the right equalization setting, they offer a very good experience that does not have much to envy to the headphones that are a step above in price and performance, bringing part of that higher-end experience to a greater number. of users.

Their app is great, if you can’t find a default equalizer that suits you, you can create your own and I think the dynamic cancellation system works very well.

Also, I like the design of the earphones and I think they are comfortable once you find the ideal earpad pack, but what I don’t like so much is that the gestures don’t work too well for me and there is some delay between when I take them off and the music pauses.

And, of course, there is also the drawback that we are not going to take advantage of the LDAC codec in iOS, but hey, in the end this is something common in the segment because of the way Apple treats the codec and, even so, as a user of iPhone I tell you that the experience listening to music is very good. Although, of course, better on Android with an HD app that allows that codec.

If you have less than 200 dollars and you are wondering which true wireless headphones to buy and you have not heard of this brand before, give it a try because it will surprise you.