The Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC Truly Wireless are the budget sibling of the Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 True Wireless. The manufacturer touts an improved active noise cancelation (ANC) system with several presets available as well as a manual and adaptive mode that adjusts in real-time to the amount of ambient noise around you. They support LDAC codec for higher-resolution audio streaming, and their companion app features a graphic EQ with 22 presets to give you control over the mix. They also have an IPX4 rating for protection against water splashes and spills.
Our Verdict
The Anker Liberty 4 NC are very good for sports and fitness. They're lightweight and comfortable for long training sessions, and their ANC can keep you isolated from background noise in a busy gym or along a road with heavy traffic. They also have a transparency mode with optional wind noise reduction, so you can stay aware of your surroundings. However, they don't fit very deep in-ear and can move around depending on the shape of your ear. Still, they'll stay in place during a moderate run or weight session on a bench but aren't stable enough for CrossFit or HIIT. Fortunately, their nine-hour battery will last you a few workouts before needing a recharge, and they have an IPX4 certification for resistance to water splashes.
- Lightweight and comfortable.
- Great ANC performance.
- Buds can fall out over time depending on the shape of your ear.
The Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC are very good for commuting and travel. Their ANC system does a great job of isolating you from the deep rumble of plane engines and ambient noise from chatty passengers. Their nine-hour battery life will also last you long flights without needing a recharge, and their onboard controls are extremely customizable, allowing you to play/pause music, change the volume, and change the ANC setting without taking your phone out.
- Lightweight and comfortable.
- Great ANC performance.
- Buds can fall out over time depending on the shape of your ear.
The Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC are decent for the office. These earbuds have a lightweight and comfortable build, as well as a nine-hour battery for all-day listening. There's also a quick charge feature that gives you four hours of playback time off a ten-minute charge in their case. Their great ANC performance will isolate you from ambient chatter and noisy PC fans, and they can connect to two devices simultaneously. That said, they're only okay for taking calls. Your voice on calls will be comprehensible but sound bassy and lacking in detail.
- Lightweight and comfortable.
- Great ANC performance.
- Buds can fall out over time depending on the shape of your ear.
- Microphone makes your voice sound dark and muddy.
The Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC aren't suitable for wireless gaming. Their Bluetooth-only connection means you can't use them on most consoles. They have a Gaming Mode you can enable in-app to lower their latency on PCs and mobile devices. However, PC audio lag is still quite high, so you'll experience noticeable audio/visual desync.
The Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC are wireless earbuds and can't be used for wired gaming.
The Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC have good audio reproduction accuracy. Their frequency response mostly matches their bass-boosted sound profile, though treble peaks and dips may make sibilants bright or dull, depending on the pitch. Slight bass emphasis bleeds into the mids and can clutter mixes, while a roll-off in the high treble cuts some airiness. Meanwhile, the earbuds' L/R drivers are well-matched in amplitude, frequency, and phase response. At typical and elevated listening volumes, vocals and instruments are free from audible coloration from harmonic distortion.
The Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC have great noise isolation performance. They handily attenuate most noise, insulating you from the chitchat of the office to the rumbly engines of a busy street. In the other direction, they leak a thin version of audio you're listening to at the level of a quiet room.
The Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC have a mediocre microphone. Your voice will be reproduced as bassy and lacking detail, and the earbuds' noise handling will struggle to separate your voice from the environment, muffling your voice in the process.
The Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC has fantastic frequency response consistency. They use oblong ear tips to help you hone in your fit alongside an in-app fit test. Once fitted, they sound virtually the same across repeated sessions. In-ears tend to have more consistent frequency response than over-ear fits, so that's not surprising, but there's no substantial loss of bass.
Performance Usages
Changelog
-
Updated Mar 26, 2026:
This review has been updated to Test Bench 2.1, which removes the Group Delay test and rebalances scoring for the Harmonic Distortion test and Audio Reproduction Accuracy performance usage. For more details, consult our full changelog.
- Updated Mar 24, 2026: We've converted this review to Test Bench 2.1, which features minor updates to our sound tests.
-
Updated Sep 22, 2025:
We've rectified an issue that affected the Bass, Mid, and Treble Compliance scoring, as well as Peaks and Dips with these headphones.
-
Updated Apr 25, 2025:
This review has been updated to Test Bench 2.0, which adds the following tests: Stereo Mismatch, Group Delay, Cumulative Spectral Decay, PRTF, Harmonic Distortion, and Electrical Aspects. We've added new performance usages and updated the text throughout the Sound tests and side-by-sides. We also remeasured the impact of ANC on frequency response with Firmware 4.88.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Anker Liberty 4 NC are available in five color variants: 'Velvet Black,' 'Light Blue,' 'Navy Blue,' 'Clear White,' and 'Pastel Pink.' We tested the 'Navy Blue' variant, and you can see our unit's label here. We expect our results to be valid for the other variants as well.
If you come across another variant, let us know in the comments, and we'll update our review.
Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Anker Liberty 4 NC are wireless noise cancelling earbuds. They're a cheaper sibling of the Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 True Wireless, and while their ANC does a great job at eliminating undesirable ambient noise, like rumbly bus engines and chatty coworkers, their lower cost means they don't come with as many extra features, like a heart rate monitor or head tracking support for Spatial Audio. While not as sports-oriented as the Anker Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro Truly Wireless, they're still stable enough for use during a light run or workout. That said, they'll still fall out during more intense exercise since they don't have any extra stability features and don't sit deep in the ear. They're also significantly more customizable than more premium in-ears, like the Apple AirPods (3rd generation), and come with multiple EQ and ANC options to choose from.
If you're looking for more options, check out our recommendations for the best wireless Bluetooth earbuds, the best noise cancelling earbuds, and the best Anker headphones.
The Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC Truly Wireless are a bit better than the CMF Buds Pro 2. Although they share similar characteristics like bassy tunings, the Anker are more comfortable and less bulky in-ears with a slightly nicer-feeling plastic finish. Their continuous battery life with ANC on is nine hours compared to 6.5 hours with the CMF. Combined with the case's recharges, the Anker has 45 hours of battery life, while the CMF has a total battery life of only 26 hours. That said, the CMF have a higher IP55 rating than the Anker's lesser IPX4 rating. The CMF also boasts a slightly better mic system than the Anker. Otherwise, these earbuds have more in common than they don't: LDAC codec support, comprehensive graphic EQ (you get more bands on the Anker), multi-device pairing, and ANC that punches above the price tag.
The Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC Truly Wireless and the Anker Soundcore Space A40 Truly Wireless are very similar earbuds. The Liberty 4 NC have a bassier sound than the A40, which EDM fans might appreciate. However, both can be adjusted with the companion app's graphic EQ and presets. Their ANC systems both work incredibly well, and they both have around the same continuous battery life. Ultimately, your preference between the two will come down to what kind of design you want. The Liberty 4 NC have a bud and stem design that is slightly more stable, but the A40's bud-only design takes up less visual real estate and has a more subtle look.
The Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC Truly Wireless and the OnePlus Buds 3 are found in the same wallet-friendly price bracket. In some ways, they have a similar performance. Both headphones have comfortable and well-built designs, and sound profile customization options in their respective companion apps. That said, the Anker have a better overall noise isolation performance and longer continuous battery life, while the OnePlus' integrated mic can capture your voice more clearly, even in noisy environments.
The Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC Truly Wireless and the JBL Live Pro 2 TWS True Wireless have similar feature sets, but the Anker have the edge over the JBL for most uses. While both buds have similar, bass-heavy sound profiles that are adjustable via their respective companion apps, as well as great noise isolation performances, the Anker have a slightly longer continuous battery life, and their case holds more charges. They also have a game mode to help lower latency on mobile devices if you want to game or stream video with lower audio lag, and they support LDAC, which is a codec designed for streaming hi-res audio with supported platforms.
Our How We Test Headphones article takes you behind the scenes in our lab. You'll learn how we choose and purchase products and dive into the details of our review philosophy, from testing and scoring to writing and editing.
You can also discover how we produce recommendations like this one so that you can find the best headphones (or earbuds!) for your needs.
Test Results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
