In a consumer electronics market flooded with choice, standing out matters. One way is to look noticeably different; another is to sound like something familiar. With its Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max wireless headphones, Anker has managed to do both.
These handy sound cans come with a case featuring a touchscreen display on top. That in itself isn't new – rivals such as JBL and Honor have done it before – but Anker's version has a few tricks up its sleeve.
Then there's the name. Liberty 5 Pro Max has a distinctly Apple-esque ring to it, while its finish brings to mind the Cosmic Orange – and now burgundy – devices that have been doing the rounds on social media.
Oh, and these earbuds also hold a Guinness World Record for the “highest speech quality score for TWS [true wireless stereo] earbuds”. Take that, competition.
Sound and feel
The earbuds are comfortable, and out of the box you get five ear-tip sizes, ranging from XXS to large, so there should be a fit for most ears. Not once did they slip out of ours – except during a vertigo-inducing headbang test that probably shouldn't be a daily occurrence.
Their curvy design also helps them stand out from rivals that can resemble tiny scrubbers with handles dangling from your ears. The result is a more minimalist and stylish aesthetic. There are two colours, titanium gold and midnight black, and we're all for the metallic beauty of the former.
The 1.78-inch (4.52cm) Amoled display is a nice touch – pun intended – and operates much like a smartwatch. Swipe left or right to reveal options including media playback, equaliser presets and ambient sound modes. Swiping down brings up the control centre – sounds familiar? – while swiping up reveals the device's biggest selling point.
Battery life, however, is a bit of a downer. Anker rates the earbuds at 6.5 hours with active noise cancellation switched on, with another 22 hours available from the charging case. For comparison, Apple's AirPods Pro 3 last up to eight hours with ANC enabled, with an additional 24 hours from their case.
May AI help you
That last action brings up, among other features, note-taking, powered by artificial intelligence (of course).
You do this with the charging case, and your recordings get synced with the Soundcore app that in turn will generate transcripts, in addition to translation supporting more than 100 languages. We tested it out in four situations: a quiet room, a room with some people but with the speaker from a distance, a mall food court and a conference in a huge hall where the audio from a panel blurted out from speakers.
The first three resulted in accurate transcripts, while the last – the conference situation – still pretty much nailed it. I would attribute any inaccuracy to the mics being used and the audio breaking off at times, but we pretty much got what we wanted.
This tool is very useful. Normally, I'd have two phones, with one acting as a recorder – having a recorder this small, powered by AI, is a good deal. Something to note: the device cannot capture audio from phone calls, online meetings or video calls.
However – and it's a fairly big catch – to fully maximise its capabilities, Anker is offering a subscription. By default, the device includes a free starter plan that gives you 120 minutes of AI transcription a month for two years. Signing up for pro gives you 1,200 minutes monthly for Dh59 ($16) a month, Dh257 for six months and Dh367 annually, while going for unlimited will set you back Dh880 per year. Extra minutes can also be bought.
That sounds like services offered by platforms such as Otter but the limitation you have with your free minutes might come back to bite you sooner or later. It isn't fun scrambling for minutes when you need them, trust me. I'm not really sure if the subscription model would turn off some users, but I also see the revenue angle here. Fair game.
Verdict
At Dh899 – the base Pro option comes at Dh699 – the Anker Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max is still a good deal, given its utility for those who really need it. I just wish it had more free minutes or lower subscription prices.
It's also stylish and minimalistic, with no over-the-top mess especially on the display. It's not the most affordable of the lot, but it deserves a good look.
