[Update] Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro in the test - great sound, interesting design

On Saturday, Anker released the new headphones from its audio brand, the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro. The wireless Bluetooth earplugs come as in-ear headphones with various silicone caps and temples. They also offer impressive noise canceling for this type of headphone. Thanks to the reproduction of hi-res audio, operation via touch surfaces and the possibility of coupling two devices at the same time, the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro offered a modern earphone solution in the test. But I also noticed a few things that might be seen as a disadvantage.

Abbreviation: Here are the headphones with Prime shipping

Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro - technical data at a glance

You can get a first impression of the new Soundcore headphones thanks to the technical data from the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro data sheet. So you can already compare them with other models, for example with the Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro. Here are the most important specs of the new earplugs:

• Manufacturer: Anker
• Brand: Soundcore
• Model: Liberty 3 Pro
• Device type: True Wireless Earbuds / Bluetooth wireless headphones
• Weight per earbud: 6 g 
• Driver: 10,6 mm
• Design: ACAA 2.0 technology (Astria Co-Axial Acoustic Architecture)
• Bluetooth transmission: LDAC technology
• Noise suppression: "HearID ANC" and "Normal" (two levels)
• Transparency mode: yes
• Telephony / voice assistance: 6 microphones for telephony, Siri use and noise reduction included
• Protection class: IPX4 (What's this?)
• Wearing detection: Playback is paused if one or both headphones are removed
• Special functions: hearing test as well as activating and deactivating certain functions via the Soundcore app for iOS or Android
• Including: charging case, charging cable, silicone bracket in 4 sizes, silicone caps in 4 sizes
• Battery life of the earbuds: up to 8 hours
• Running time including charging case use: up to 32 hours
• Charge the battery: Via the charging case with USB-C connection
• Price: € 139,99
• Further details and color selection: Amazon product page

Design of the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro

The design of the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro headphones from Anker is modern and also practical to a certain extent. Once you have put on the correct silicone brackets and silicone caps, you put the earplugs in your ears, pointing downwards. Then you turn it into an almost horizontal position so that the silicone cap is flush with the ear canal. This is the best way to use noise canceling. You may have to try a little with the caps and hangers until you have found the right combination for the best wearing comfort.

Speaking of wearing comfort: The Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro are not quite as "Liberty" (freedom) as they would like to be. Because they can press depending on the shape of the ear and auricle. I personally notice this in the tragus, the cartilage that is on the opposite side of the auricle. If you have a tragus piercing (or another piercing in the area of ​​the auricle), you may have problems wearing these headphones or you may not be able to use them at all. But even without a piercing you can feel a pressure - if you cannot counteract this with a smaller auricle bracket. In the long run this is rather uncomfortable.

Pairing via bluetooth

The pairing, i.e. the coupling with audio sources, worked very well in the test. If the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro Earbuds are in the charging case, then you simply open it. A blinking of two white LED lights indicates that pairing is in progress. If you pair the headphones with a device for the first time, you have to select the headphones from the device list and tap or click on it. This worked for me with both the iPhone and the MacBook without any problems. 

Operation of the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro

The headphones have touch surfaces on the outside that recognize different pressure periods (1 second, 2 seconds, 5 seconds, etc.) as well as multiple taps. Personally, I'm not a fan of tapping on in-ear headphones because it creates a dull noise in the ear canal that is just annoying. Nevertheless, here is an overview of touch commands for the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro:

Stereo mode

• Tap twice on the right: Play / Pause
• Tap left twice: skip to next track
• Hold left or right for 2 seconds: (de) activate ANC or (de) activate transparency mode
• Double tap left or right for calls: accept / hang up call
• Hold left or right for 1 second during calls: reject the call

Mono mode

• Tap twice: Play / Pause
• Hold for 1 second: Siri
• Double tap for calls: accept / hang up call
• Hold for 1 second during calls: reject the call

You can find these and other information on using the headphones in an extensive flyer that is included with the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro. This also explains how to reset the headphones or their Bluetooth pairing, the various LED displays in the charging case, etc. 

Use of the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro with two audio sources at the same time

If you are using the headphones, press both touch surfaces at the same time for 5 seconds until you hear a beep. You can then pair it with a second device. However, it is then not possible to hear both audio playbacks overlapping. You can only listen to the audio from one of the two sources at a time. Nevertheless, the function is practical to use the headphones e.g. B. to pair with iPhone and Mac at the same time.

Audio quality of the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro 

Both highs and mids and lows convinced me personally with the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro. Given the capabilities such earbuds have, they have also been able to deliver good bass. I loved the sound of pop and pop rock as well as punk and power metal. In terms of sound, these earbuds are currently the best headphones in my repertoire. If the sound does not meet your personal taste, you can adjust it using the Soundcore app and the equalizer it contains.

Soundcore App: Adjust sound, update firmware and more

For the use of Anker headphones from the Soundcore brand, I can definitely recommend using the "Soundcore" app on the smartphone. There you can see the charge status of the device and charging case batteries, but also activate or deactivate the noise suppression and the transparency mode. A lot works without an account (which I didn't create myself).

A HearID profile can be generated for the sound, 3D surround sound can be activated, the standard settings can be used or your own settings can be implemented using the equalizer. You can use the app on your smartphone even if you are listening to audio from another source. New firmware is loaded onto the smartphone and can be installed on the headphones from there. To do this, you have to put them in the open charging case.

Volume control via touch inputs

As Uwe explained to me in a comment on this post, there is a possibility to adjust the volume directly via the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro. Therefore, some sentences in the further contribution have been crossed out. However, it has to be pointed out that the volume control of these headphones is not activated by default. To be able to use them, you have to use the Soundcore app on the iPhone or Android smartphone. In the headphones settings, the volume up and down functions can be set for a single tap on the touch surfaces of the headphones. Then you can turn the music down with a tap on the left and the music louder with a tap on the right.

What I'm missing from these headphones

I believe that the touch control of headphones is a fashion that has to be replaced by a smarter or earlier control technology at some point. Or the various gestures, combinations and times have to be standardized. Personally, I find that absurd to have to remember a new operation with every pair of earplugs. 

Just like the fact that I can't control the volume on the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro. If I want to turn the music up or down on the go, I have to take the iPhone out of my pocket. That’s not enough “Liberty” for me. For this, as well as avoiding dull knocking noises, I praise myself over-ear headphones that have conventional buttons: D

My conclusion on the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro

In terms of the sound and its individual adjustment, the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro are good headphones that I can definitely recommend to you. The design and operation - as you know from wireless in-ear headphones - take getting used to. After two days of testing I have got used to it, but I still notice pressure on the tragus when I wear it for a long time (even when using smaller ear hooks). But that could be due to the shape of my ears. I think it's a shame that you can't adjust the volume directly through the headphones. Maybe that will be submitted by update. What do you think of these headphones? Feel free to leave a comment :)

Note: The headphones were provided to me by Anker for this review. As you have probably noticed, this has no influence on my individual opinion.

The page contains affiliate links / images: Amazon.de